Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-12
Domestic Pets.

There are no pets, on the whole, SO
responsive and so satisfactory as the
familiar house cat and the dog, of
whatever variety he may be- Long
usage to the ways Of civilized man has
made these creatures most friendly
ANA sympathetic, and, once admitted
into the IN me life. they fit into their
places, and become as essential as 9TH
Ell members of the household to it's
daily round Of duty and its measure Of
delight. The man or woman who re-
CARDS dog or cat with either aversion
or Indifference can never hope to, I'M
detstand the regard felt for these ami
| mails by their lovers The dog. is the
| most trustful pet. the reader to take
| good will for granted, and the more
| dependent on the conpanionship of
/ man. DoS,s there are of high degree
and long descent, large ala small from
the Great Dane to the toy terrier: but
| one thing they all share, that is a fond
| clinging to their master and a liking
for his society. a dog is the best of
comrades, the most constant of friends.
and 10 those who care for him he is the
sJlace of lonely hours and the source
of pride.
y eat on the other hand, does not
yield affection by instinct. Whatever
may have been originally bestowed on
the cat by his far-aWiy savage ances-
tors. the untamable beasts of the jun
&le and the den. he stil keeps part of
the wild creatures su5tlety. suspicion
and stealth. His very step suggests
the panther $50 soft. so padded, so
sinuous. SO deXterous
For ages too. cats have been ma
lgned as witches treated with cruel
ty by tnoughtless boys, condemned to
vagrant Wanderngs and prowlngs by
needless owners. who could 20 off on
pleasure trips, leaving fororn and
neglected pet behind them to seek its
meat where it could find it. to starve,
or to prey upon neighbours shelves
Nothing on this earth is more pitiful
than hungry gaunt. and attenuated
spectre of what should be a well-fed.
sleek. and prosperous looking pussy
Cats show the effect of good treat
ment in their coats, which grow soft
and silky, in their finely groomed APP
pearance. and in their air of pride and
serenity. cat should have a good bed
on which to sleep at night: it should
have plenty of food at the right times,
dair<ly served and it should never be
frightened or struck. Cats are intense
ly nervous and they have long
memories. a cat once abused does
not soon forgive nor forget to stand on
guard
QuarrelSome householders will have
quarrelsome pets Only the loving soul
can have loving natures about it,
whether of the lower or of the higher
orders. Probably our little dumb
friends know far more than we mag
inc Of what is going on around them,
ana understand our speech and Ian
guagG in a way which would surprise
us If we were in the habit of observ-
ing them. Little Fanchette. spaniel
brought from Paris to New York
moped and pinned with Inconsistencies.
until it occurred to somebody to speak
French to her. when she speedily
pluCked up courage and grew sprightly
again. Juno, a huge mastiff, was Civ
en- away by her mistress to a friend
in the same town. The change of
homes and owners puzzled the dog at
first. and she could not be reconciled to
it. From the hour that she compre-
hended the transfer she treated her
original owner with the utmost indif-
terence, verging on disdain, never re-
spending to caress, never lifting her
mead when the lady spoke to her. Ju-
nos resentment was royal and unmis-
taxable.
By all means let us treat our pets as
though they had natures in some de-
gree akin to our own, and then let us
watch and discover what fine traits
they show when trained with uniform
kindness.-Harper's Bazaar.