Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-06-08
CAT TALES.
PRINCE KRAPOTKIN'S COMPAN-
ION IN PRISON.
REMARKABLE MAINE CATS - ONE
RAISED CHICKENs-RAT AND CAT
FRIENDs-A MOTHER OF FOR
TY-EIGHT KITTENS.

During his confinement in prison, Prince
Krapotkin had only one companion, cat
which, while there, he drought up anG
trained. At the age of fourteen months
the animal could recognize its reflection
in a mirror and was susceptible to music
When it was very small, it amused the
prince by seeking 1.-The cat behind the
glass, even when showed a very small
mirror.
When it first saw its reflected image ii
Immediately assumed a very serious air
1t endeavored to touch the glass with its
paw, but finding that solid substance in
terposed, peeped behind the mirror. II
the mirror were drawn backward it pur-
sued until. being quicker than the prince
in its movements, it discovered that there
was no cat in the rear, and after that did
not concern itself further about the re-
Election.
The animal knew perfectly well the
meaning OF the bells in the prison. Its
voca bulary was limited, but it knew the
meaning of many words. Thus, in the
evening, it performed all sorts Of gam bols,
and making certain sounds endeavoring
to cause the prince to play hide and seek,
and insisted that each party should hide
in turn. If, in reply to its invitations, the
prince said to it, "What do you want, food
and drink" it was dispeased and went
with sulky air behind the stove. If he
said. 'the string?" it Immediately, by two
sounds, replied in the affirmative.
The cat often seemed to find real pleas
ure in listening to some air of pleasing
cadence, for example, the waltz from
| Faust, providing it was sung with high,
/ pure voice. During the music it assumed
sentimental air. Like most of its kind
| it was susceptible to tlattery. The prince
/ intelligent than dogs, but his opinion
+ does not coincide with the data relative
/ to both. The intelligence of cats is very
highly developed and fully proved.
While il is vulgar to say that the Maine
eat "takes the cake" it can be observed
with perfect propriety that the Maine cat
never refuses mouse, as the following in
cidents of Maine cats viii argue:
DAISY was Belfast eat " hich got into
the habit of placing her kitten in her
mstress's bed no matter how many times
+ it was removed. Finally the lady sharply
rebuked the cat and told her that if she
j put the kitten in the bed again it would
4 be drowned. The offense was not re-
/ peated This incident might be doubtful
/ but for the fact of an observer of an iden-
teal case where the lady of the house was
I 4 .,ll H. T..
4 vorite that, if she persisted in bringing
her kittens into the house, they would all
| be drowned. The poor cat never repeated
/ the offense.
There is a similar incident of Stock
ton cat, June" which hid its kittens I'M
der an unfinished floor to protect them
from the grandmother cat. The kittens
| died from some unknown cause and there
ensued much annoyance. One evening
the family were sitting around the table
discussing the affair when the lady of the
| house remarked that she would give $40 il
the kittens were out from under the floor.
June was listening on account OF the fact
that her name had been frequently used.
At this remark she got up, yawned, went
to the chamb door and demanded ad-
mittance. When she had been let through
she assembled the stairs and brought down
the dead kittens one by one, except one.
She was told to get the remaining one,
which she Immediately did.
| A Stockton cat caused much amusement
by attempting to nurse pig which had
been brought into the house to save its
life. The pig began squealing and at
tracted Tabs attention. Tab also had a
kitten and she went from one to the other
as the necessities seemed to demand.
When she got into the box with the pig
she did her best to quiet it., and to get it
to accept her as its mother. Then the
kitten would cry and she fastened back to
it. Between the cries of the kitten and
the squeals of the pig she was in guam
dairy and finally placed the kitten in the
same box with the pig. Here the hog ma
ture began developing in the pig and it
| became boisterous and rough at the in
trusion until Tab had to remove her Off
spring. AT last she gave up the attempt to
nurse the pig, but not until she had ex-
| hausted all of her resources in attempts.
Then she went to her mistress and looked
up as much as to say, 81 have done all
can and it is no use to try any more"
According to George Dyer, OF Portland,
who received a prize in a contest for his
Catholic cat, so-called, his cat can count.
This cat calls his master every morning
except Sundays, when the bell strikes six.
On Sundays the master sleeps longer, and
the cat keeps away. This animal has be-
| come a Catholic after the hab bit of its mas
| ter, and does not eat meat on Fridays, no
doubt because it cannot get meat at home
on that day, and has to put up with fish.
| ! Va =