The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-10-21

Can She Foretell Weather ?-ScOtch
SuperstitiOns.

ago the president of the Cat Club,
Harrison Weir, gave us an interesting
book treating of the habits and treat
ment of the cat.
The superstitious notions regarding
pussy are as numerous as they are in
teresting. One of the most common
of these in the rural districts of Amer
lea as we'll as Europe is that a cat will
suck the breath of an infant. Another
is that a catcall on the root portends
a death in the house.
In Scotland a family should be very
careful to carry the cat along when
moving. If there be any disease or a
curse left in the house it will be sure
to fall on the cat, thus saving the
family. But in Ireland it is very un-
lucky to take the cat, particularly II a
river must be crossed.
A cat born in May in Scotland exerts
a bad influence over the house in
which she lives. She will bring in
vipers and snakes. A black cat
properly propitiated will bring any
girl a lover. But to dream of a black
cat at Christmas portends a death in
the family before the year is out. To
have a cat sneeze in the house is very
bad, a sure sign of coughs, colds or
pneumonia, perhaps, for the whole
family. or curse everybody knows
that it is bad luck to kill a cat, while
If a stray cat comes to the house good
luck will follow, particularly If the
cat is black. But you must take the
stranger in and care for her. 1t you
drive her away misfortune will surely
follow.
A common superstition the world
over is that cats have the power of
f~oretelling the weather. In fact, some
very wise persons consider it some
thing more than a superstition. They
think that certain animals have some
peculiar faculty sharpened to such a
degree that the slightest atmospheric
change affects them and enables them
to correctly indicate to the close OBJ
server the coming weather.
Indeed, Major Dunwoody of the
United States Signal Service has ar
ranged the following code relating to
the cat: when cats sneeze, it Is a
sign of rain. The cardinal point to
which a cat turns and washes her face
after a storm, shows the direction
from which the wind will blow. When
cats are washing themselves, fair
weather follows. When cats are snor-
ing, foul weather follows. When a
cat scratches itself or scratches on a
log or tree, it indicates approaching
rain. If sparks be seen when smooth
ing a cats back, expect a change of
weather soon. When a cat washes
herself with her back to the fire in
winter, expect a thaw. When cats lie
on their heads with their mouths
turned up, expect a storm. Cats with
their tails up and their hair appar-
emily electrified, indicate approach
ing wind"
But some even go so far as to be-
lieve that pussy not only fortells the
weather, but has a hand in making
it, hence it is not wise to provoke her.
In Germany, when a storm catches a
housewife with her washing a-drying,
it is said that a cat has a spite against
her because of ill-treatment. Another
German belief is that il any one dur
ing his life has made an enemy of a
cat, he will be followed to the grave
by a storm of wind and rain. A Dutch
| notion is that a rainv Wedding day is
the result of the brides having for
gotten to feed her cat. Everywhere
it is believed that ii pussy sits with
her back to the fire. a storm is brew
ing; if she wash herself, we shall have
fair weather, but if she lick her fur
against the groin it will be foul. When
a cat is particularly frisky, sailors
say, ''she has got a gale of wind in
her TAIL" To throw a cat overheard
is to provoke q squall, but as a cat
will not sink in water, her paws dis
turb the surface, hence the name
"catspaws," given by the Hungarians
to the little furry sometimes seen on
the water. In the same way a larger
| furry is called a eats skim A cold
nor'wester in England is known as a
cats nose"
The Russians despise the dog. There
is a religious sect OF that country
which regards it's touch as unclean.
The enmity which exists between the
cat and the dog is accounted for after
this fashion:-When the dog was Gre
ated it had neither fur nor hair. Be
ing impatient, it ran after the first
passerlby, without waiting for its COW
ering. Now, it happened that this
passer-by was the devil, and ever since
| the dog has been his emissary. The
fur which was intended for the dog
was given to the cat. Now the one
| believes tu6 JULIET las oLOltu LIS prop
erty.
The idea of a home for cats, which
has been the object of much ridicule
in New York, is not new by any
means. As early as /. 300 we read of
a Sultan OF Syria and Egypt who es-
tablished a cat orchard ITO be for
ever set apart for the use and main
tenance of friendless cats" This or
chard is still to be seen near Cairo in
Egypt, though in a state of great dill
apidation. Every evening an hour
before sunset a quantity of butchers
refuse is dumped there, and one OF
the sights of that ancient town is to
see the army of cats sliding and glid-
ing over roof tops and walls to the
orchard.
Ouida, the eccentric novelist, has
| founded a cat home in France. Phil
adelphia and Boston have N apiece.
New York's has collapsed for want of
interest in its financial affair.
Recently an institution has been es-
tablished in Boston for the training
of cats. The possibility of the cat in
this direction has been shown this
summer in a novel exhibition of cat
performers at Coney Island.
Pussy has gradually been growing
in favor. Lately she has been taking
the place OF the pug with some fash