Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-02-24
TAILLEss CATS.
various Kinds OF the Feline Specles-.
Origin OF the Common Pussy.

various Kinds OF the Feline Species
origin OF the Common Pussy.
Ihree theories, quite distinct, are
neld on the subject of the origin of the
domestic cat. Some think that puss is
derived from the European wildcat
whch is gray, with black spots, and
strongly resembles the common tabby
OF the household, though it is much
larger and very fierce. For a long time
TINS belief was pretty generally accept
cd, out 1t is not so any longer.
The second theory is that the domes-
TIC cat is descended from the wildcat OF
North Africa, which also resembles the
taoby, having a longer tail than the
european wildcat. But the third belief,
which is chiefly adhered to to-day, is
tnat pussy is derived from a mixed
origin by crosses between wildcats of
various sorts, which have produced diff
terent strains, as the Persian breed, the
Maltese and others.
IL is well known that the Egyptians
domesticated the cat, which, in fact.
they worshipped. Representations of
.he animal appear numerously upon
tner monuments, though not upon
tnose which date back much farther
1nan two thousand years before Christ
Inns shows that the creature must have
become known to them as household
pet for the first time at about that
period. They were accustomed to pre-
serve their cats in the shape of mum.
mes, the feline corpses wrapped, like
those of human beings, in windings of
cloth.
Only short time ago discovery was
made OF a great cave in Egypt filled
with thousands and thousands of mum.
mlhed cats, which were promptly dug
out and exported to England,
where they were sold at the
rate of fifteen dollars n ton for
manure. Some of them, however, were
carefully unwrapped and dissected
Tor scientific purposes. 1t was found
that they were very much like the pus-
sizes of to-day, although to the eve of
the anatomist they exhibited certain
very perceptible differences in the
formation of their skulls, the breadth
of their shoulder blades and other
points. In short, they approach in type
more nearly to the wildcat.
1t is fact that the domestic puss
will cross with many varieties of wild
cats, and thus may have been produced
many OF the varying species found in
the world. In the Isle of Man there is
a cat, native to no other spot on earth,
which has no tail. In Maine there is a
very peculiar variety, known up there
as the 'coon cat" of which ignorant
people confidently assert that it is a
cross between the domestic tabby and
the raccoon. Such cross, of course,
would be as impossible as cross be-
tween the cat and the dog. We get our
word teat' from the Latin cactus"
applied by the Romans to the animal
and meaning "sly.''
There is in India another species of
the cat tribe which is commonly do
1t is as big as large dog
and is called the 'cheeta" or hunting
leopard" People in that country keep
cheetas as we do mastiffs, and allow
them the same freedom.
The beast is of all known animals the
swiftest in running, so that it is even
able to overtake the antelope in flight.
1t is used for hunting purposes to
great extent. One popularity it has
which distinguishes it as belonging to
branch of the cat family-it is
unable to draw in it's claws at will
N. Y. Journal