The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-17
CAMPTOWN'S HOMING CATS,
[From the New York SUM


If the National Association of Homing
Cat F'anciers is ever formed. Ike GiIvrey
made its existence possible, for he is the
founder of the first homing cat club in the
cldb and has for its emblem a cats head
came back"
The club has seven member. Each men,
Der owns a loft of CATS all properly mark
ed with light collars and tags. The cats
are of no particular breed, but are just
plain barnyard and kitchen tabbies of
country raising. The cat fanciers say that
they doubt if city cats will ever be good
homers, owing to the fact that they are
inclined to follow roads and fences, while
the country cat will take the shortest line
home except where his flight is inter
5etour must ny be maze Is and a bridge The
say, is one that has done his hunting
around the house and barn and has not
been led away by a taste for field mice,
grasshoppers, sparrows and young rab-
bits, for a game hunting cat would be
sure to daily on the way home to look
for a toothsome morsel.
The homing cats belonging to the Camp
town club are classified according to age
and sex, but in not other manner, as there
can be no champion class this year. Since
ing their cats over short flights, such as
1, 900 or 1000 yards. Ike Gilvrey says that
Yards as from short Hills few nights ago
in fifty-eight minutes A cat Is taken in
an ordinary fishing basket to a point de-
cided upon and released at a specified
time, while the owner sits up, watch in
hand, to note the return of the favorite.
Most of the early training for short dis
tances was done by dropping the cat from
buggy and driving rapidly away RMS
cats seem to understand the necessity of
a speedy return, but it must be observed
that this is only one-cat practice, and un-
til last Sunday night nobody could tell
how bunch of cats might act II looSed
together.
on Sunday night, and nine cats were en-
tered and sent to a point on the road In
was 5000 yards, or nearly three miles. The
cats were placed in seven baskets and
Whose W Wat tc was ne{ to Correspond with
the others. Ike Gilvrey and Louis Weiden-
one apiece. Each man guarded his loft
in company with companion TO corroD-
crate his record. With one exception, the
cats were all good-looking animals. The
exception is said to have been pinched
from Hen Gleichman's tavern by one OF
thoroughly trained by some secret method.
This was a NANCY, two,year-oio gray
The cats were let loose promptly at
o'clock and just as promptly TWO cat
fights started in the road. while five other
One alone headed straight for nome on
the road she came It Ta oyd He McE Eeelc1-
She was back on his front stoop at Dol :l5
and Ike Gelvrey's gray was second, Iweh n,
the next day badly damaged. He was one
of the scrappers. Two cats nave not re-
time and held out encouragement for an
other and longer flight in the near fu-
some Of the members to think. that he
was using drugs on the animal. When
questioned about the matter Mckeeley
said:
Nonsense! It's just this way. Gleich-
man is a great fisherman and the cat
likes fish Hen hasn't been doing much
fishing recently, or hasn't had much luck,
ways showed her a porgy wealxfish
before taking her out for training S and Tl let
stoor. On the tay before the race starv-
ed her and when she was going away !
showed her a big weakhsh, let her smell
of it and let her see me put 1t under the
stoop. You can bet she had that on her
mind when she got out OF the basket
Some of the other hungry cats stopped to
eat grasshoppers and they're eating yes