Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-05-14
eosToN.s STRAY CATS.

ors driving or walking through the
Back Bay fens numbers of cats will be
noticed, more especially at the leafless
season. Some will be seen summing
themselves in protected corners, others
securing the fenny marshes for food,
and still others watching in the honey
sucl<le and among the shrubbery for
the root and bark-eating field mouse.
The great majority, says the Boston
Evening Transcript, are outcasts from
happy homes and comfort and plenty.
Now they are homeless, hungry wan
derers over bleak park, with only
the comfortless bushes or holes between
rocks for shelter and an occasional
sparrow or mole or the little they can
otherwise pick up for food.
Of the fens cats (no one knows just
how many there are) several have a
home in the rock work of the Fen
bridge, where, when the water is occa-
sionally high, they are imprisoned I'M
til it recedes. Several times during the
winter past they were drifted in, but
each time succeeded in digging out
They probably procure food from con-
yenient dumps during night time, as
the workers on these dumps during the
day frighten them off. Fifteen find
shelter near Agassiz bridge, and fam
lily of three Maltese live in peace and
contentment with the seventy or eighty
ducks, and are regularly fed. Another
bevy lives in the thick collection of
evergreens just north of the railroad
bridge, and another between Common
wealth avenue and Beacon street, and
so all over the fens small colonies of
cats of all kinds, colors and conditions
may be found. ....: .. ..
Quite a large number took up their
residence in the fens last spring A
few were caught and good homes pro-
vided for them. But unless a cat is
caught the first few days it never can
be, for it becomes as. wild as hare
after leading wild life awhile. Others
may possibly later have found their
way back to old homes, still others may
have found homes, not a few have died
and quite a good number have lived
most miserable life this past cold win
ter. And it is also quite possible that
few take up this life of their own Volt
tion and forget that they ever had
home,
The king of tie park is a six-year-old
black and white cat that came as
kitten in May, 1890. For quite awhile
he ate crickets and lived without help
of human kind. Presently some one
rolled n barrel in tho bushes, placed
some grass in it, and regularly put food
near by. Soon the kitten acknowledged
the kindness and allowed it's feeder lib
critics. In time the kitten grew into a
large, heavy-coated cat, able and will
ing to fight cat and dog kind.
One day a lady named him "Booser,"
from the peculiarly boosy look when
not watching game. Booser is now
well known of many, and has been fed, :
photographed, sketched and petted.
The air of proprietorship never leaves
Booser for an instant, particularly in
his own section about the Bovlston
arch, and woe be unto the cat or dog
caught in his dominion. Barring a
slight attack of rheumatism now and
then, Booser is in good trim. Of course,
this is owing to the best care. ..
The Maltese found with the ducks
have small history, too. Three years
ago last winter little Maltese cat took
up her abode in the fowl house and
soon there were three. At first there
seemed much discomfort on the part of
the ducks, but, the weather being so
unfavorable, they either relented or
the Maltese was afraid of the outside
cold and persisted. At any rate they
remained, and from that day to this
every cold or wet night you will find all
three Maltese cuddled up in the midst
of group of thirty or more mallards,
shelldraltes and blacks.
Although these latter are not as well
off as their more fortunate brethren of
warm quarters and regular food, yet
they are far in advance of the (alasD
too many in the 'fens who get neither
food, shelter nor sympathy fsom man
or fellow creature.