The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-21
AN ASToNIsHED CAT.
Her Adopted Kittens Developed the Most
Remarkable Ears.

Remarkable Ears.
From the Philadelphia Times.
In certain home in a little village
in the West Maltese cat had, by its
! af1ectionate nature and intelligence
gained large circle of friends and ad-
| mirers.
Chiquita, as she was called. had a
very peculiar disposition. She had
been known to refuse to catch a young
hooking bird that had toppled out of
its nest, and she would lie in the sun
for hours paying little or no attention
10 the cries of the parent birds, which
had no confidence in the cat tribe, and
occasionally darted down and pecked
at her long, soft fur.
When the cat wanted game, she
watched the gopher holes and lifted
out the clumsy, shy animals by thrust
ing her paw into the hole. Sometimes
she wandered off into the woods that
extended down to the little town and
the boys called her the hunter cat"
as she would follow them in their
tramps, preying upon the moles and
other animals that they helped her to
find.
One spring IL was reported that puss
had a family of Maltese kittens, and
almost every boy and girl in the vicin-
ity went to see and admire the little
balls OF fur that so perfectly initiated
their mother. But one morning young
visitor discovered one of the kittens
dead. The next day another died. and
by the end OF the week the entire fam
lily was gone. The cat was greatly dis
tressed at the loss and wandered about
the house crying loudly. Not long
afterwards. when one of her young
friends had called to console her, he
saw puss coming through the tall grass
with something in her mouth. She
carefully jumped the fence, ran along
to the shed and in the corner of the
wood house leaped into the box that
had been the nest Of the lost kittens.
a moment later she came out and dis
appeared. Going TO the box, the WISH
tor found a little fuzzy bunch of fur,
with long ears and soft chestnut
brown eyes-a baby wild rabbit He
could hardly believe his eyes. but there
II was, cuddled in the hay uninjured
A short time afterwards puss bounded
In again with another rabbit, and
when she went out again the boy fol-
lowed her and was led to the coy nest
Of a wild hare in the grass Of a neigh /
boring field, in which were several
one by one. and transferred them to |
the new home. What the mother hare |
did when she discovered her loss no |
one, or course, knew. but ii soon be- |
came known that puss had adopted a |
family of rabbits and she had more /
visitors than ever
No one believed that the new brood |
would survive this remarkable change.
but day by day the little creatures 4
grew and soon became active and 4
risky. To the establishment Of the cat /
these new kittens developed an enor- l
nous growth of ears; In point of fact,
hey soon became all ears, and as they |
'risked about her presented a remark
able appearance.
She now began to bring them rats
md mice and birds. but the long-eared
Kittens paid not the slightest attention
% this food supply. and eagerly de-
'oured the tender bits OF cabbage and /
,lover brought them by the young
riends of puss. Finally they grew 50
arge that they were put into a room
With window through which puss
night pass in and out.
The foster mother continued to bring |
hem birds and game for a long time
Until one day the family was taken out
n the yard. and then. in obedience 10
heir Wild instincts. they one and all
deserted the faithful mother and ran /
ut into the woods and fields To prob
bly, rejoin their own parents.
Various animals have been known to /
dopt others. as the old dog at Cen
raj Park that brought up a family OF
ions. but in all probability never be-
ore was cat known to adopt a fam
81 OF rabbits