Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-04
MADDOX.S BARKING CAT.
Nursed by a Canine Foster Mother
He Has Many Traits of the Dog Tribe
Ernm hn

Nursed by Canine Foster Mother,
He Has Many Traits of the Dog Tribe.
From the st. Louis Republic
James NJ. Maddox. superintendent of The
Missouri District Teleg1 aph Company, has
a cat. Besides the usual feline compile
ment of nine lives, this cat has 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 wel-bred Tabby, Towser has
all the characteristics, habits and frailties
of a dog. In early kittenhood Towser's
mother fell a victim to the deadly cat rifle
of small boy, and Mr.. Maddox found a
foster mother for the kitten In a kind
hearted pet dog with young family and
troubles of her own The canine mother
took kindly to the little founding, and
Towser. the kitten, grew fat and sassy
with litter of puppy foster brothers and
sisters.
When the kitten was wear ed he showed
no tendency to abandon the dogs life
which he had learned to lead, and began
to exhibit ell the canine characteristics
which he had nurssd 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-
csme the wonder of the friends and visit
orS at the Maddox home. He was named
Towser, and responds to the whistle of
his master like a 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 ancestors
but from side to side, in the vigorous and
rncompromising style of a dog. Towser
expresses felr, too. with his tail, and when
thoroughly scared will tuck his long APP
pendage between his legs, as he has seen
his foster bIethern do, and run to cover
During the hot weather ToWser suffered
considerably from the heat, and might
have been seen sitting about in the shade
painting with his tongue cut, 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 10 place in dog trot
or a real gallop instead of in the soft-foot-
ed and obsequious manner of other cats.
Towser has mastered that mysterious free
masonry of dogs which has been the Won
der Of naturalisis for all time and seems
to have but little trouble in forming 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, accepting no overtures
would attempt TO rend TowSer on the SPOT
ana II Is only on such rare occasions that
IoWser5 hne feline prOpensities come to
the surface. When a dog attacks him he
Will climb tree or fence, where he will
SIT growing and barking at the enemy I'M
III he satisfies him that he is not really a
cat. but dog in all but physical con-
formation.
Towsec is very fond of run through the
streets with his ias:er. and from long
Jauh,s over the granitoid pavements and
rouSh streets his once velvet paws have
been covered with calous corns, until his
1ootfall Is no longer inaudible. and his toe
nails are as rough and strong as those of
dog.
ToWser has pronounced antipathv for
women. and will rush at them barking
1urlousiy and growing as If he would bite
them; his bark is worse than his bite. how
ever Tor ne has never been known to bite
any one and has. earned for himself tbe
reputation OF being a very docile and in
'eilsent dog, or cat as the case may be-