Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-08-28
CAT COLONIES.
From the Paris Figaro.l

A good many articles and books
have been written about the dogs of
Constantinople, which are distributed
over the towns in regular Quarters,l live
on their own U and manage all
their little affairs themselves. Why
should we not say q few words about
the cats of Parish The feline colonies
of Paris are quite as well worth study
ing as the Turkish dogs.
Parisians have a habit which is no
less stupid than cruel. Whena cat has
kittens every one goes; into rhspsodies
over their prettlness. The kittens are
spoiled. They have their milk brought
them, they are fondled and made much
of. But no sooner do they grow up
than their owners suddenly come to
the conclusion that they are trouble
some aud useless animals, if indeed not
positively dangerous to the children.
What do you suppose happens thenP
The owner takes poor pussy out one
fine day and-loses it.
OF course he would never dream of
killing q cat. No, indeed. He could
never bring himself to kill such q
sweet, pretty creature. He prefers to
lose it; that is to say, to make it suffer
q thousand tortures. After being
brought up in cotton wool pussy will
have to go a~wandering in the cold and
rain, with all the dogs at its heels and
all the boys in the neighborhood giving
chase with sticks and stones. After
having lived daintily on bread and
milk it will not even have the garbage
in the streets to feed on, now that the
police regulation has forbidden rubbish
heaps to be made in the cutters. In q
very few days the poor beast will be
dead of misery. But its master will
have the satisfaction Of saying:-"I
was too tender hearted to kill it. l
only lost it,"
There are whole colonies of cats in
the Paris markets, and every day these
colonies are swollen by the arrival of
new recruits. From time to time they
get SO numerous that they are really
dangerous. At the Halles Centrales
the Commissaire de Police has often
had t authorize regular battues of the
skinny, starving cats which roam about
there like wild beasts, to the public
peril.
In many Partisan houses, especially
those Boosting large gardens, there are
lclluc COlOulC5- "A lOuLO uOLon u CdtS,
at least, have been brought stealthily
to my house in the dead of the night in
half open baskets. How do they I've,
poor creatures? Now aud then a char.
liable soul has compassion on them.
But this is the exception. and it is not
prudent to be pitiful. Once you feed
them, the grateful animals will come
back to be fed again, and you cannot
get rid of them. l have adopted as
many as five, one after another, and
kept them alive till l had succeeded in
getting homes for them.
In the Rue Condorcet the house of
Professor Duprez was turned into an
anylum tor q whole tribe OF abandoned
, cats. " | might also mention
the cat colonies in the cellars of the
Figaro Office, where they defend the
paper and printing implements from
the assaults OF the rats and mice which
infest the place. But l will go on at
once to the most curious of all the cat
colonies in Paris-the one at the Pre-
lecture de Police.
No matter at what hour of the day
or night you may chance to be passing
by the big buildings which stretch from
the Court of Assizes to the Tribunal
Correctional you will see an army of
cats, of all sizes, breeds and colors,
seated, lying down or providing about
the place.
To whom do they belongp To
nobody. They are all lost cats. Who
feeds them? La mere u chats.
,;na ;n The uay mo wG enI go a. n;,ht a.
a GOOD old iadu asr;vas hand;nn ho
nsstb tho wa;gbt nf a heavw ISL,
Sha %settIos down in The 49,
Enown oa Tho Gonr dn Hanot tatss .
nnmhar of sancars ont of bar hasso,
nma 10 n;aoo of 800 a. go M.
cots know their faadino honra ond
CdlS huOW tutlr icculuS uOuTs auu