The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-08-28
a cars CurCxErs.

d CATS CHICKENs.
It Mrs. Thomas Leonard, wife of
II bricklayer living at IS Fifteenth street
2 South Brooklyn, has very materna
= cat and very simple-minded brooi
9 of chickens. The chickens were lef
motherless before they had crackel
Q the shell by the cruel desertion of th,
q hen to whose care the eggs had beer
consigned. The cat immediately tool
possession of the nest, hatched on,
: the chickens, and is now educating
them according to her lights. Mrs,
Leonard, who is very proud of the
I. queer family. said to reporter yes.
terday:
put six eggs under my old hen,
and che took care Of them until about
, three days before the chickens wero
expected to come ont. One evening
: l noticed that she was not acting like
q setting hen, and went to the nest
in barrel, thinking that my eggs
would be spoiled. The barrel was ly-
ing on its side, with the mouth to-
-wards the fence, and only far enough
/ from it to allow the hen to pass in and
out. put my hand into the barrel,
and was surprised and scared to feel
q soft, warm fnr. Then heard a cat
NEW. and CALLED sTibbie.' Tho cat
mewed again and I found it was my
own. I tried to coax her ont, bnt she
wouldn't come. She was laying with
the eggs gathered under her and I
concluded to Let her atay- there. She
stQck to the nest for three days, COM
ing out occasionally to get something
to eat and scampering back as soon ~
she had Satisfied her appetite. A week
ago last Sundy morning i went into
the yard and heard the peep Of some
chickens. I looked into the barrel
aud there saw five chickens which
the cat was licking. The sixth shell
was broken but the chicken had not
come out. ran in and told Tom
that's my husband-of my discovery,
but he laughed at me and said was
trying to fool him into getting up car
ly on Sunday morning. That eve
ming the cat brought five chickens mp
into the kitchen. The sixth had died.
l carried the barrel in and put it in the
front room and they took possession
of it and seemed comfortable. But
within day or two SO many people
came to see them that Tibbie got I'M
easy and carried of her family, She
hid them under an old closet down
stairs, whore found -thsm.- I brought
them up again, and pnt them in this
big cage in an out-of-th the-way corner,
and there you can see how contented
they are" -. - ..ss-
.Tibbie was lying curled up- on .
feather pillow in the cage with her
foster family around her. Two of
them were straddled over. her back
and two more were nestled between
der legs. The fifth was absent hav-
ing been purchased by . lady Of
Brooklyn Heights. Mrs. Leonard
took the chicks in her hand and car
ried them into the back room. The
cat lay perfectly quiet until she heard
their cries of distress; then she ran
out of the cage, bounded over the
board which Mrs. Leonard had plac-
ed across the foot of the doorway to
confiHe tho chicks to the limits of the
front room, and hurried out. She
mewed gently, and the chickens ran
to her. Putting her paw under one
she seized it with her mouth and car
ried it gently to the nest When she
the board at the door she did
not Jump over hastily as common
place cat would, but rose on her hind
legs with maternal gentleness, placed
her fore paws on the top, and with
swift but easy motion slid to the floor
on the other side without jarring the
.hicken. She laid it in the nest, and
'epeated the operation until all four
we're brought back, when abe lay
lown beside them contented.
Tibbie is about Is months old, and
9 real tortoise-shell.-[N.Y Y. World.