Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-11-20
a BRACE OF CAT STORIES.

The Remarkable Doings of Two Smart
Pussfes-Astonishing Cats.
"A young kitten was given to me. too
young, in fact, to be separated from
its mother = but the friends who
owned her were leaving the neigh
borhood, and there was no alterna-
tive but for me either to become
its guardian or decline the gift. 1t
could not even feed itself; and the
plan adopted was to dip little
twist of soft linen in milk and then
put it to its mouth. 1t soon learned to
suck up sufficient nourishment in
this way: only, as the reader viii sur
mise, baby" kitty required an inn
mense deal of time and attention.
I am convinced that young crea-
lures take many lesson from their
mother in the art of first feeding
themselves, unobserved by US, per-
haps because undesirable. That kit
ten lacked maternal instruction when
the time came for it to partake of
solid nourishment: and, although it
grew apace and consumed more
milk each day-also time-it showed
no disposition to relinquinish its ac-
auired habit. On the contrary, when
living on the lap, or whenever it could
get hold of soft handkerchief, or a
linen servietto, the creature would COM
mence kneading and sucking in a
most ludicrous manner, apparently as
we'll contented as if the article had been
soaked in milk. By very slow de-
grees, and with much prompting, it
learned to suck bread instead of the
artificial nipple. and then some meat
minced very fine, but still through the
medium of milk; nor even when fully
grown did it ever cease its rag-sucking
propensities. This cat was a singular
case, in which instinct appeared to be
dormant and abnormal habits to be
substituted. It did not play like other
kittens, run after its tail and pretend to
catch mice, and much doubt whether
it ever became a mouser; but its fate is
unknown to me. / was absent from
home for time, and on my return
s.Babv'' had been bestowed elsewhere.
1t was at st. Heliers, in one of the
Channel Islands, where was spending
the winter Going downstairs one
day, l found the landlady and her
daughter holding a discussion in the
hall regarding the disposition of litter
of kittens Just added to the family,
which they decided must all be
drowned. A black cat-there was not
a light hair about her-was purring
and mewing piteously around the feet
of the elder lady, who had the kittens
in her apron. Until that moment did
not even know there was cat in the
house, and l believe puss was equally
ignorant of the existence of a ledger,
as she never came upstairs. Looking
at the kittens as passed, said: 80,
Mrs Huxtable, don't kill them all. Do
let her have one"
That evening, while sitting reading,
I heard q singular little noise in the
room, rather like a mouse's squeak,
but not exactly, nor like bird. paid
no particular attention till it was sew
eral times repeated; and then it ap-
peared to come from a corner behind a
sofa Going nearer, to assure myself
that | was not mistaken, and again
hearing the same sound, 1 drew out the
sofa, when To- all alone in the cold cor
ner lay miserable little kitten.
Finding an excuse to 60 and see the
landlady, 1 casually asked: .'Well, did
YOU drown all the kittens?"
''Only three of them. l told ouss she
might keep one for day or two, so as
not to deprive her of them all at once"
Then related my discovery, and she
said: The cat must have heard you
beg for the Kittens life
Whether or not pussy had compre-
hended my entreaties, it was certainly
remarkable that shea singularly
tinid, nervous cat-should have
brought it up to my room. where she
had never been before and have con-
signed it to my care. The motherly
act caused her mistress to relent, and
spare the kittens life, and forthwith, a
soft bed in a basket being provided,
both mother and child were duly in
stalled in the chosen corner.-C c..
Hopley, IN Lippineoa's Magazine.