The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-06-14
A PARADISE FOR CATS.
The Peculiar Regard for the Feline Race
in the Orient-The Numerous Cats
of Persia.


that nightly sit and warble on your
neighbours fence. In Mohammedan
countries the cat is an object of con-
sideration and respect, amounting in
some parts of Islam to veneratiOn. For
this worshipful regard among the faith
full, the cat is indebted to Mohammed.
Rather than disturb a sleeping cat
which had curled itself upon his coat
one day, Mohammed deliberately cut
away that portion of the garment on
which the cat was rcposing. From
that day to this the Mussulman world
has regarded the cat with veneratiOn.
The Persians, particularly, are def
erential i'll their treatment of the cat.
l have seen cats in Persia treated with
an exalted consideration that would
have made the famous San office cat
spit with envy.
One day. was the guest of Ali Khan,
the hoikim of Khoi, a large city in
Western Persia. Soon after my ar
rival the noOntide meal was announced.
''Bismillah Sahib," said the hoikim, and
followed by several counselors in long
gowns and snowy turbans, he led the
way into the dining-room. The dining
cloth was spread in the center of the
floor. The hOikim and his venerable
associates seated themselves Oriental
fashion, on the floor; | was provided
with little stand table at one end
So far there was nothing remarka-
BILE; it was merely an ideal Asiatic
dining-room scene. The remarkable
part was yet to come; and come it did.
very promptly, too. 1t came in the
shape of five times as many cats as
there were human guests. In the
room were many open doors and win
dows, as is usual in 4 Persian house.
As we entered | noticed that several
of the famous long-haired cats of the
country were lowering expectantly at
these entrances. Already the number
was sufficient to arrest my interest.
Nobody took any particular notice of
them, however, but me.
Every moment another cat or two
jumped airily up on one of the
window sills, and walked right in. In
less time than it takes 10 tell it the
number had swollen to twenty or more,
and before we were half through eat
ing / should think this number was at
least doubled. The room, outside the
dining space, was literally alive with
cats. Whenever servitor brought in
a new dish, or took anything away, he
was followed across the room by
swarm of cats that trotted in noiseless
confusion at his heels.
Not a meow was heard, however
nor quarrelsome sound during the
meal time. Every cat held its tail
aloft, and they passed the time in si-
lently moving about. They were the
most orderly and decorous lot of cats
imaginable. There was little or no
disposition to Overstep the bounds of
proprieties. They seemed to have ac-
quired the stateliness and pOliteness of
the people with whom they were asso-
ciating.
Neither the hOik;inl nor the counsel
ors seemed to regard this remarkable
scene as anything unusual. Whenever
one of the cats ventured to invade the
edge of the dinner cloth he would be
gently, almost apOlOgetically showed
back. The cats were fearless and IA
miliar. Some of them strOked and
purred against the venerable diners
backs. 1t was very evident that they
never knew what it was to receive a
blow or a rude rebuff at the hands of
man.
After dinner the servitors promptly
removed the remnants. The intruders
promenaded the apartment awhile
after the food was removed, and then
gradually dispersed as silently as they
had collected. This was more cats
than / had ever seen together outside
a cat show. Owing to linguistic short
comings, | could never make out
whether they were all pensioners of
the municipal kOndk, or merely neigh
borhood cats attracted to the official
repast in this manner every day.
After this extraordinary introduc-
ton to the cats of Persia, the reader
would naturally expect to hear equally
extraordinary things about their mid
night revelings. For, sad to say, the
Persian cat is not always as circum-
spect in his behavior as he is when
lowering around the outskirts of
hoikinas banqueting board. Nor does
he always wait for the setting of the
sun to tune himself up. Not less than
for its wealth of hair is the Persian cat
on its native heath celebrated among
Ferenghi travellers for its early matt
nee concerts. At all hours of the day,
when the felines of other lands are in
duling in dolce far niente and saving
their vocal organs for the mystic
seances of the night, the cats of Persia
are promenading the walls and house
tops, uttering plaintiff melodies that
sound like the wailing of lost souls.
There is more genuine Zitherish pathos
in the .'meoww-waaaaaooO
blabbabl-owwrr" of a Persian Thomas
cat than there is in muezzin's call to
prayer.
The unfortunate tendency of the
Persian cat to carol in the daytime as
well as in the night is the cause OF
many little unpleasantnesses between
the European colony in Teheran and
the natives. Fifty cats might warble
on Persian's roof day and night, and
owing to their being under the special
protection of Mohammed they would
never be molested. This, of course, a
Ferenghi cannot be expected to endure.
When was in Teheran big white cat
took a fancy to perch himself ON the
wall of our bOadk, and looking down
into the yard, favor us with musical
melange at any hour of the day or
night. In Difference to the prejudices
of our Mussulman neighbOrs, we con-
tented ourselves at first by shooing him
away. Finally, however, we con-
cluded that his soul-harrOwing refrain
cOufQ no longer De enuureu. Ii No-
hammed wouldn't or couldn't come and
fetch that cat, we determined to send
it to Mohammed.
1t would never do to shoot him open
| ly, so we took into our confidence an
Armenian servant, to whose master
we learned the cat belonged. An Arme-
nian servant in Persia would sell his
masters immortal soul for a keran,
and so when we offered the Armenian
two kerans to produce the white cat
in bag the persistent serenader was
as good as doomed. Never more did
that white warbler sit and look down
into our kOndk and tantalize our two
imported English bulldogs for hours
together. An avenging Nemesis,
however, was quickly upon US. AL
though the offender was dispatched to
Mohammed with the greatest secrecy,
few days later the finest of the bull
| dogs went mad and had to be shot.
Girls and Marriage.
mo girl under 90" says a wise wo-
| TO thinlr of