Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-02-10
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 10. 1883.
A BLIND CAT.
How IL Adapted Itself to Its Condition
---Its Mysterious HOfuing Faculty.

How IL Adapted Itself TO Its Condition
---Its Mysterious HOning Faculty.
The family favOrite whose misfOrtunes
have afforded an opportunity to observe
the workings of instinct under difficult
ties is noble specimen of the genus Fee
lis. Dido is his name, given for simple
-euphOny, without regard to gender.
During the four years of his life he has
never been known to do anything wrong
unless it be to fight desperately against
all feline intruders. In one of his many
encounters Dido met with an injury to
seRe of his feet that made surgical Oper-
ati0n necessary, from which he recover
ed, but shortly afterward went totally
blind. A cataract was formed over each
eye. by which, as repeated experiments
proved, vision was thoroughly Obscured.
This calamity came on suddenly, and
placed the cat in circumstances not pro-
vided for by the ordinary gifts of in
stinct. What to do with himself was a
problem hard to solve. He would sit and
NEW most piteOusly as If bemOaning his
condition; and when he attempted to
move about he met with all the mishaps
He ran against walls, fell down stairs.
the top rail of the fence he would trav-
erse It's entire length seeking in vain
for safe jumping-Off place. On being
called, he would run about bewilGered,
as if not knowing whence the voice came
nor whittier he should go to find the one
calling. In short DidOs life seemed
hardly worth The living, and we were
seriously plotting his death, when the
cat himself clearly concluded that he
must make his other senses atone for the
loss of sight. NJ.
1t was very curious to watch his eX-
periments. One of the first of these was
concerning the art of going down stairs.
Instead of paving the air, as he had
been doing on reaching the top step, he
went to one side till he felt the banis-
tiers touch his whiskers, and then guided
thus he would descend safely and at full
speed, turning into the hall on gaining
the last step. One by one he made each
familiar path study, determined the
exact location of each door. explored
anew all his old haunts and seemed
,bravely resolved to begin life again. The
result was so Unexpectedly successful
tina: we were deceived into the notion
shat sight had been restored. But by
placing any obstacle in his path and
then calling him eagerly to his accus-
toned feeding place IL was evident that
he was entirely blind, for he would run
with full force against the box or other
obstruction, and then for some time
afterward, he would proceed with ex-
treme caution.
Dido's voice is still for war;" and his
blindness does not make him any less
successful in his duels with intruderS.
He even goes abroad in quest of adven-
lures, and comes safely home again. His
value as a mOuser does not seem in the
beast diminished. One of my expert
ments rs to his capacity in this direction
came near costing me dear. had heard
the gnawing of Il rat in an old closet
where they lay quantity of newspapers.
Here it was decided to leave Dido over
night, and while arranging the papers
for that purpose my hand was suddenly
caught by the claws and teeth of what
at the moment seemed like a small tiger.
Poor Dido! He really looked ashamed Of
his blunder in mistaking my hand for
his anticipated victim. Fortunately the
papers ser Jed as a Shield or the injury
infected might have been more serious.
may add that on opening the door next
morning there was Dido mounting guard
over a slain rat as big as ever spoiled
good provisions or tried hOusekeeper's
temper.
1t is we'll known that the house cat
will find its way back from distant
places to which it has been carried blind
folded, and how 1t performs such feats
naturalists have never satisfactorily ex-
planned. The theory accepted by some
of them Is that the animal takes note of
the successive OdOrS encountered on the
way, that these leave as distinct series
of images as those we should receive by
the sense of sight, and that, by taking
them in the inverse order from that in
which they were received, he traces his
hOmeward route. But, in the cat now de-
;scribed, the sense of smell Is by no
means acute, as has been proved by q
variety of methods; and moreover being
as one might say, perpetually blind.
folded, he quite uniformly chose the
shortest route home, without reference
to the path he may have taken on leav
ing the house. Curious to see how fal
this homing instinct would extend,
took advantage of fall of snow thai
wrapped under its blanket every fami
liar object, concealed all the paths, ant
rdeadened every OdOr and sound. Taking
Dido to a considerable distance from TIT
house. and making number of turns Il
bewilder him, tossed him upon drift
and quietly awaited results. The poo
creature turned his sightlets Orbs thi.
way and that, and mewed piteOusly fol
help. Finding, at length that he wa
thrown entirely upon his own resources
he stood mOti0niess for about one minut,
and then. to my amaZement, made his
way directly through the untrodder