Omaha daily bee., 1896-09-06
TOMCiT TALES.
illustrating Some characteristics OF
Feline Nature.

No 1 don't like cats" said the man
who was carrying home canary. to Chi
cago Times-lIcrald man: mo cats in mine, IL
you please. Some friends of my wifes gave
her cat, and the first thing it did was to eat
a sweet singing bird we had"
THE cat wasn't to blame" said the man
next to him; lit was only living up to its
instincts"
"Ycs, that is what object to in cats
they are too instructive. The next exploit
of that particular cat was to eat up our
aquarium. Then II took a fancy to the baby
and we were considering how to get rid Of
it, when-ha, ha. | always laugh when /
think of the tragic fate of that cat Things
do even out sometimes when you least eX-
pect it."
But the cat? ?"
Thereby hangs tale. My wife bought
herself stunning hat with bird on the
brim-a big bird with stretched-out wings
and bead eyes. She laid the hat on the
sofa one day and went away and forgot
it, That night she told me something was
the matter with the cat, and she had shut it
up. | went to look at it, and found my
dearest hope realized. Puss was as dead as
a door nail. / was overwhelmed with re-
proaches as being the causes of the cats
demise, but when my wife saw her hat the
tragedy was explained There was not a
vestige of the bird left Mrs. Cat had eaten
1t, and the arsenic of the taxidermst had
done the rest"
In the rear room OF a saloon Just on the
southern border of Woodlawn, says the St.
Louis Republic, is handsome and matronly
young tiger" cat. whose family consists
of downy young ducklng of the white Ales-
bury breed and skinny black kitten upon
which has been bestowed the appropriate
name of Topsy.
Among all the freaks which have been
credited to the maternal instinct in the feline
family the eccentricity OF the Woodlawn
tabby is unquestionably entitled to first
place, says the Chicago Post. But to her
credit, it may be truthfuly said that like
the conscientious foster mother that she is
she throws the burden of her partiality in
favor of the ugly duCkling." and never
loses an opportunity to stroke its downy
breast with her pink tongue.
Happily, the affection of the foster mother
is fully returned by the buff biped and when
the little kitten is in nursing mood and re-
pairs to the maternal breast for natures
nourishment, "Duckle" invariably seeks the
same retreat, cuddes close against the
striped coat of tabby ana employees its long,
yellow bill in swapping the flies which as
sail its adopted kindred. There 1t nesles
in sweet content, and when seen by repre-
sentative of the Evening Post the old cats
forearms were folded close about the duck
lings breast and her tongue was busily
smoothing the downy flock of the young
bird
John McFadyen and his wife are the pro-
preors of the place at 6703 Madison avenue,
and take an unbOuhded interest and pride
in the cat and her strange family.
Just a month ago" said Mrs. McFadyen,
Seven duck eggs were hatched by one OF
my hens. Another hen came of the nest
with brood of chicks at the same time and
the result was fierce fight, In which six
OF the clumsy little ducklings were trampled
TO death. That left just one living out OF
the whole brood. and | was so annoyed by
the misfortune that had come upon the old
hens family that | took the solitary
naming duck away from her and brought 1t
into the house to see II | could raise it
by hand.
"As soon as / had placed II on the floor
/ was called away and forgot all about it
for the time being. When | returned to the
room however, | was astonished at the sight
which met my eyes There was the old
mother cat playing with tie duckling, exactly
as II it were her kiten-and the little duck
was TO all appearances, enjoying that kind
OF treatment as thoroughly as II nesting
under the wing OF its natural mother. At
first it seemed to me the oldest sight