St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-01-28
ABOUT CATS.

gentle, affectionate and grateful AM
NAL cat really is has only to try tn
following experiment: Let him get
young one, not kitten, but cat O
about a year old, that has been starve
and ill-treated and regarded as a kin,
of wild beast, or kept about some barn
yard merely OH sufferance, in order tC
keep the mice away. Let him begin
by feeding this cat regularly, talkin.
to it, and using it kindly; let him brin;
it into the house every night and Civ,
it bed of some kind to lie on in
warm corner, and teach it by gentl
means habits of cleanliness, ETC.; lie
him do this, and he will be surprised
at the difference in the poor creature'
manners and appearance even in thu
space of month or six weeks; anC
before a year is over he will be as fond
of that cat as any human being can be
of one of the lower animals. And pus-
sy will be just as fond of her master
and have never a thought in her heart
but how to please him.
If the owner of cat cares anything
for it, or has any regard for the com
fort of his neighb0r, he will do all in
his power to keep it in the house al
night. This is best accomplished by
making practice of feeding the ami
NAL late in the evening. A late dinner
makes pussy very regular in her habits
especially if she is always sure of get
ting it at the same time.
The possession of property involves
certain duties; when that property is a
pussy cat, we have duty to perform,
not only to our favorite, but to our
neighbors as well. To kill cats in
gardens by means of traps or poison is
extremely cruel as well as cowardly;
but at the same time the temptation to
do so is very great when one finds his
beautiful flower beds torn up by the
claws of nocturnal marauders, or his
valuable pet pigeons, or even his chick
ems, killed and carried away. If peo-
pie would only feed their pussies well
at home, and keep them indoors at
night, such things would not happen.
Kind though her owner may wish to
be pussy may nevertheless suffer from
her owners thOughtlessness. 1t is
cruel not to feed a cat abundantly, reg
nlarly, and with food suitable for her
wants. 1t is cruel not to give her plenty
of fresh water daily and an allowance
of good sweet milk, and it is foOlishly
cruel to keep from her the necessaries
of life, with the idea that it will make
her better hunter; for mouse catching
needs patience, and only a well-fed cat
has that. 1t is cruel to turn a cat out
at night against her will, and person
who makes practice of so doing has
no right to own one.
Another species of cruelty to be
avoided is that of destroying all of a
cats kittens at once. One should al
ways be left, and for this little thing a
good home should invariably be pro-
vided. 1t is cruel, on the other hand,
to keep more than one OF two alive !;
for, as it is next to impossible to find
homes for them all, they are sure to
turn out starvelings, and add to the
list of homeless wanderers.
If cats are properly treated they sell
dom all. AS a rule, they can treat
their own complaints far more scien-
tifcally than either a vet or a doctor
knows how to do. Grass is their prin-
cipal medicine. This acts in one of
three ways, according to the quantity
large doses being an emetic,
in medium an aperient, and in small
doses an Alternative and anti-scOrbutic.
When a cat is very ill she gets away of
her own accord into quiet, dark cor
ner, and abstains from taking food, al
though she may come out now and
then to drink water. 1t is evident,
then, that she knows the value of rest.