The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-07
A QUEER FAMILY.
Tnbby Adopts "A Family of Rats She
Had Orphaned.
From the Baltimore Herald.

From the Baltimore Herald.
The queerest little family in Baltimore
to-day lives contentedly in the window of
North Eutaw street store. 1t is queer
from the fact that the head of the fam
lily is a great gray cat and the rest young
rats.
1t would seem almost impossible for a
cat and eight juvenile rates to live in har-
mony, but they do, and they are the hap
piest group of animals one would find in
dozen days walk.
There is a story surrounding this GU
rious blending of opposite natures, for
the rates are orphans and the cat, though,
strange to say, of the gender generally
known as Tom, is filling to the best of
his ability the role of a mother.
Charles Johnson, who keeps a bicycle
place at nc North Eutaw street. Is re-
sponsible for this interesting study in nat
ural history, and he has been so success
full In bringing up this happy family that
ne placed the little household in his win
dow to show passers-by what a good
mother a cat can be under extraordinary
circumstances. AS the cat did not come
by the rats naturally, it will be interest
ing to know how the feline changed It's
hatred for rodents into a motherly or
fatherly love, s,. .s...,s.....,
toOAiS NllllS ago johnson was pre-
scented with a pet rat. Not long after he
came downstairs to find the population
of the cage CREATE increased. The moth
er rat seemed very happy, and the little
ones, some white and some gray, were
doing very we'll. But, unbeknown to Mr.
johnson, his family of white and gray
rats were being watched. over in one
corner sat his fat, sleek-looking cat,
keeping its eyes on the well-rounded rats,
and and then Ghnufn0
This went on for several days, but moth
ing was suspected, and the cat still kept
its eyes on the rats.
Days passed, and the cat would still
watch the rats, getting nearer and nearer
to them. So, one day, the cat yielded to
temptation and, with a hungry Meow
and a quick slap of the paw, laid the
mother rat out and dragged her to the
yard despite the heart-rending squeals
Of the little ones. The older rat never
came back, but the cat did. Though he
looked a bit guilty, he curled himself UP
in his usual place. licked his chops and
dozed off to dream of the meal he had
just enjoyed.
Mr. Johnson was very angry when he
found that the rat had been killed, and
he at once turned on the cat as the guilty
party. The cat looked ashamed for what
II did, so Its master caught 1t by the
neck and gave it a severe whipping.
Then he carried 1t to the rat cage, and,
holding its nose close TO the grating, re-
marked to the cat:
You killed the mother of those little
rats and now you've got to adopt them"
Whether the cat understood him or not, II
looked sorry, and shouldered his burden.
Though the cat seemed willing to take a
whole family of orphans on its hands, or,
rather, paws, Mr.. johnson knew that that
in the makeup of the average feline
there's no love for rats; so he set about
to make the cat learn to love them. He
did it in this way:
Taking one of the frightened orphans
from the cage, ne would set 1t in front of
the cat. The cat would watch 1t awhile,
and then instinctively, or remembering
its first meal, slap at the smaller animal.
Every time the cat slapped its master
slapped it, and presently 1t stopped The
next day he put the cat through the
same operation, and this time, instead
of slapping the rat, II licked its back and
paved 1t gently. This was all that was
wanted, and the cat, without further GER
emory, was put in the cage with the rats.
Though they knew nothing of the world
outside OF their cage, the little rats had
evidently been told about cats by their
deceased mother before she was dragged
from the Preside, and they watched the
stranger with their pink eyes, and were
inclined to get just as far away as the
grating would allow The cat, however,
realize that to have friends one must be
friendly, or, to adopt orphans, one must
be motherly, so II started out by patting
each one gently and occasionally sliding
its big red tongue affectionately along
their backs.
A day passed. and Mr.. johnson looked
into the cage, to find the much-reformed
and repentant cat stretched out, purring
happily. while the entire outlay of orphans
gathered about It. as close as they could
get. Now the cat will not stay In the cage
without the rats, and the little ones have
learned to call their new guardian man.
ma-and he is proud OF 1t.