Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-02-21
QUEER FRIENDSHIPS.
The Eventftil Career Of an Eng
lish Bred Kitten.
Reared by a Hen and Afterwards the
Friend and Hunting Companion OF a
Fox rerricr--aIet Her Fate
la Trap.

In the bacls-kitchen premises ofan
cid manor house, among hampers
and such like odds and ends, cat
had litter Of kittens. They were
all removed but one, and as the
mother was frequently absent, ahen
began laying in a hamper close by.
| For time all things went well, the
hen sitting on her eggs and the cat
nursing the kitten within a few
inches of each other. The brood
were Matched out, aud almost at the
same time the old cat disappeared.
The chickens were allowed to run
about on the floor for sake of the
warmth from q neighboring Chin
ney, and the kitten was fed with q
saucer of milk. ETC., in the same
place, both feeding together fire.
quently out of the same dish. The
hen used to try to induce the kitten
to eat meal Ike the chicks, calling
to it and depositing pieces under its
nose in the most amusing way; final
ly doing all in its power to induce
the kitten to come, like her chicks,
under her wines The result was
nothing but scSSes of squalls from
the kitten, which hi TO It's being
promoted from the back to the front
kitchn, where it was reared until it
was grown up.
At this time young terrier was
introduced into the circle, and after
many back-risings and bad language
on pussy's part, they settled down
amicably and romped about the floor
in fine style. Eventually the terrier
became an inveterate rabbit-poacher
killing young rabbits and bringing
them home-a proceeding to which
the cat gave an intelligent curiosity,
then a passive and purring approval,
and finally, her own instincts having
asserted themselves, she went off
with the dog, hun ting in the woods.
Our own keeper reported them as
getting simply owdacious," being
found great distance from the
house; andkeepers of adjacent places
also said the pair were constantly
seen hunting hedgerows on their
beats. On one occasion / saw them
myself hunting short hedge down
Systematically, the dog on one side,
the cat on the other; and on coming
near an open gateway hare was put
out of her form, and, bounding
through the open gate, was soon off;
the dog followed, till he came through
the gateway, where he stood look
ing after the hare; and The cat join
ing him, they apparently decided it
was too big or too fast to be success
fully chased, so resumed the hedge
hunting, each taking its own side as
before.
They frequently returned home
covered with mud, and pussy's claws
with fur, aud would lie together in
front of the fire; the cat often groom
ing down the dog, licking him and
rubbing him dry, and the dog getting
up and turning over the ungroomed
side to be finished. This curious
friendship went on for six month or
more, till the dog had to be kept in
durance vile to save him from traps
aud destruction--the cat, nothing ,
daunted, going on with her poaching ]
until one day she met her fate in a
trap, and so brought her course to
an end. The dog was a well-bred !
fox terrier, and the cat a tabby of
beyond ordinary character
istics, save in her early life having
been fostered by hen, and in her !
prime the stanch friend and com
rade of poor old "Foxie," the ter {
rier. If there are happy hunting
grounds" for the animals hereafter, l
and such things are allowed in them,
no doubt they will renew their in :
timacy, if not'their poaching forays,
together there. = Correspondence :
London Spectator. :