The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-17
AN ACCOMPLISHED CAT
''WUzZY" HAS BEEN TRAINED TO
RETRIEVE GAME.

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Uncommon among cats is Wuzzy
the son Of Mutz, for Wuzzy goes a.
hunting. He does not hunt as all cats
do. but. instead. goes with hunter ard
gun and retrieYes game, the accom-
plishment coming partly from herediiy
and partly from long, patient and care
ful training.
/ became the pOssessor of a beauti.
ful Australian tiger cat who responded
to the name Of Mutz. Mutz was az
fectionate and Of good disposition. and
l began training her to hunt while she
was a kitten. II was a most difficult
undertaking. and when / had reached
a point in her education where she
would follow me a short distance from
the house and pick up birds that were
shot she became the mother of three
kittens Two Of them were consigned
10 q bucket Of warm water at birth,
but the third was so beautifully
marked that he was saved. Some one
remarked that he was "a wuzzy little
eat" and "Wuzzy" he was named.
The coming Of family duties effectu-
ally stopped the further education OF
MUTT. and the effort was transferred
TO Wuzzy Wuzzy's father was eyi-
IDENTIFY a disreputable old fellow, but
the sons markings were even more
perfect than those Of his mother, and
now he is a miniature tiger in all but
disposition. for a more lovable and
loving cat It would be difficult to find.
The nomadic instincts Of HIS father.
combined with the training Of his
mother. made Wuzzy an ideal subject
for experimentation. and as soon as he
could play began teaching him to re-
trieye
After Wuzzy had learned 10 retrieve
he was taught to follow at request
not command-and then TO come TO
shoulder A dog Is taught to come to
heel. but Wuzzy preferred my shouI-
der and would climb there and remain
perched during the long walks. Now
came the most important aud delicate
part OF his education. He would re-
trieve and would follow: would he
stand frei Would he retrieve birds?
Beginning with a small rife. which
made but slight sound. gradually
accustomed him to the discharge until
be would sit on my left shoulder while
/ fired a shot from the right.
The next lesson was to combine the
sound or the gun with the idea Of re-
trieving. and on firing l threw the
bah with which he was accustomed to
play and he quickly associated the
gun and the ball. Then the ball was
displaced by dead bird. a linnet or
sparrow freshly killed. and Il took |
but a few lessons TO teach him to re-
trieve the bird as readily as the ball. /
The next lesson consisted In hanging |
the bird 10 a limb and dropping It as
the gun was fired. He soon learned /
TO watch the motion Of the gun. and
his keen eyes detected the bird before
tie shot His eagerness and expires
sion OF expectancy showed his i'm
patience and the trigger was scarcely
pressed before be was on for the fallen
bird.
Having sufficiently inculcated into
his mind the sequence OF events 1 now
put his lessons In practical operation
and took him on his first hunt. He
me readily for about quar-
ter OF mile and then showed a desire
to return home Calling him to shoul-
Har I shot a lfunat II ...,t.kra a., |
motion Of the gun with evidences Of
delight, and as the bird fell he sprang
to the ground and brought the bleed
Ing trophy to my feet. This was suf-
hcient for the first day. and we re-
turned home. where he received the
bird as his share OF the days sport.
Every day for a week l continued
10 take him further and further from
home until / felt that his education
was about complete. A tramp Of three
niles and back had no terrors for him,
md his bright golden brown eyes were
,ften first 20 discover the hidden bird.
Like all OF his kind. he has an antip-
lthy for water. and viii not venture
At aAttA hlAAo AudA Adn III ntlrtHht.
The details Of our most recent hunt
ng trips are typical OF his WORK and
viii serve to show to what extent
Nuzzy's education has been carried.
tarted out one evening and gave
'eculiar whistle. which the cat has
earned to recognize as his particular
all He came sleepily around the
orner Of the house. as II half inclined
o resent interference with his nap.
nut when he saw the gun his resent
nent passed and he was all life and
ction. He frisked about. like a dog. !
unning up and down my Clothing. ,
limbing trees and scampering along /
be top OF the fences for a few hum {
red yards. when he settled down to q
usiness and began casting about for \
anne. Espying a dove on a dead 4
NIB. he crouched and began lashing I
IS long tai In perfect tiger motion. I
'hus he lay until I sighted the bird. q
ushed it and brought it down. when O
e was on. swifter than a dog. and
rasping the huttering bird almost as 4
bon as il touched the ground. r
l was first to sight the next bird. c
nj flushed and dropped a meadow d
Irk while the cat was looking in q
mother direction. Instantly on the d