The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-22
NIADDOX's BARKING CAT.
Nursed by n Canine Foster Mother,
He Has Many traits of the Dog
Tribe.

Nursed by n Canine Foster Mother
He Has Many traits of the Dog
Tribe.
From the st. Louis Republic
James NJ. Maddox, superintendent of the
Missouri District Telegraph Company, has
cat. Besides the usual feline compile
ment of nine lives, this cat has a past
and, unless all signs fail, a future which
falls to the lot of few cats.
His name is Towser, and although his
mother was a well-bred Tabby, Towser
has all the characteristics, habits, and
frallties of a dog In early kittenhood
Towser's mother fell a victim to the dead
ly cat rifle of small boy, and Mr. Mad
doX found a foster mother for the kitten
in kind-hearted pet dog, with a young
family and troubles of her own. The ca
nine mother took kindly to the little
founding, and TOwser, the kitten grew
fat and sassy with a hitler of BUDDY foster
brothers and sisters
When the kitten was weaned he showed
no tendency to abandon the dogs life
which he had learned to lead, and began
to exhibit all the canine characteristics
which he had nurSed with his adopted
mothers milk. Instead of mewing and
catterWauling like a melancholy orphan
cat he began to bark like the other pup
pies, and growl like they did, and he be-
came the wonder of the friends and visi-
tors at the Maddox home. He was named
''Towser," and responds to the whistle
of his master like sure enough dog. Per-
haps the oldest trick Towser has learned
is that of wagging his tail, which he does,
not in the serpentine manner of his an
cestors, but from side to side, in the vigor-
Gus and uncOmpromising style of a dog.
Towser expresses fear, too, as he has seen
his foster brethren do, and run to cover
During the hot weather Towser suffer
ed considerably from the heat, and might
have been seen sitting about in the shade
painting with his tongue out, in the man
ner supposed to be peculiar to the dog.
He has none of the sinister traits of his
tribe, does not parade along the narrow
edge of back fences in the dead of night
and gets from place to place in dog trOt
or a real gallop instead of in the soft
footed and obsequious manner Of other
cats. Towser has mastered that mystic
rious freemasonry Of dogs which has been
the wonder of naturalsts for all time, and
seems to have but little trouble in form
ing the acquaintance of strange dogs
which he meets on the street corners and
about the bases of friendly lamp posts
and telegraph poles. Occasionally he has
run across an ugly terrier, who, accept
ing no overtures, would attempt to rend
Towser on the spot, and it is only on
such rare occasions that Towser's feline
propensites come to the surface. When
a dog attacks him he will climb a tree
or a fence, where he will sit growing and
barking at the enemy until he satisfies
him that he is not reany a cat, but dog
in all but physical conformation.
Towser is very fond of n run through
the streets with his master and from
long jaunts over the granitoid pavements
and rough streets his once velvet paws
have been covered with callous corns. I'M
Ill his football is no longer inaudible, ana
his toe nails are as rough and strong as
those of a dog.
Towser has pronounced anupathy for
women. and Will rush at them, barking
furously and growing as If he would bite
them; his bark Is worse than his bite.
however, for ne has never been known to
bite any one and has earned for himself
the reputation of being very dOcile and
intelligent dog. or cat, as the case may be.