The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-23
CAT AND DOG DIFFER
The Unsettled Controversy as 10
Which Is the Superior Animal.
From the London Spectator.

From the London Spectator.
IL is time that the controversy concern
ing the superiority of cat or dog should
be discussed on some more general ground
than that of British feeling or human
egotism. The case is prejudiced, If We
are to weigh the cats merits on practical
grounds. for the cat is essentially dra-
matte or, if We are TO estimate her char
acter from the western pcint of view, for
the cat is an Oriental; or, finally, if we
are to consider the moral qualities of the
cat solely in relation to the desires of
the human being. In all such cases the
vulgar estimate of the cat would be the
true one; and, according 10 the vulgar es-
innate the cat is a domestic. comfortable
ANIMAL usually found cueled up like an
9mmonite essentially selfish. essentially
cruel, and, apart from these two draw
backs, essentially feminine. The eat is
selfish and the dog is faithful This
sums up the Judgment founded on wilful
denseness and gross egotism. In respect
to what is the dog faithful and the cat
selfish? The Judgment rests on this-that
the human being is very little portion
of the cats world but is the ell-absorbing
object of the dog. Here. plainly. Greek
meets Greek; and we had better let the
accusation of egousm alone.
1t is commonly said that cats are de
voted 10 places and not 10 persons. We
have never found this true; but, If 1t is
the case, it not improbably results from
the fact that many people are devoted to
Kittens, and not to cats. Then the cat <
devotion is transferred to the scene of
her romances the corners where she has
lain in ambush, the place where she has
secretly viewed the movements of her foe
or of her prey, the place where she has
experienced the surprising and absorbing
joys of her kittens. The truth is that the
scope of cats emotion and experiences
too nearly resembles our own. We prefer
the devotee. 1t is thus this general scope
Of life that chiefly differes between dh-
ferent races of animals. The moral quail
tiles differ from individual to individual.
The dogs conscience takes a somewhat
higher rank than the cats, for the chief
part of his moral code he accepts as a law
given by higher being. He shows de
sire for moral appreciation when he has
behaved well; he is depressed by moral
disapproba ton quite apart from the fear
of the whip. But a cat deiies the external
code of IL dare, and covets admiration
rather than moral appreciation
Esthetic constituencies seems more de-
veloped in the cat than in the dog. The
keenness of a dogs intelligence. combined
with the inferiority of nature that lies be-
hind it, makes the employment of the
senses almost entirely unitarian. Among
esthetic sensibilities th6 enjoyment of mu-
sic is the keenest and most common, ana
the perception of color perhaps the rarest
Neither the cat nor the dog can compare
of course in musical susceptibility with
the parrot, who is shaken by storms of
emotion; but we have known a cat show
" cd
II is common to find dogs who sing fol-
lowing, TO some rough extent, high or low
notes of music; but one doubts if such
imitation is conscious or based at all on
enjoyment. The dog appears depressed,
with lowered head and tail. or uncomfort-
ably excited, and kind of thrill precedes
the sounds. On the other hand both
cats and dogs appears to be unconscious
of the sounds they utter until experience
or definite teaching has shown them the
result Facts seem to point to the conclu-
sion that the voice is not purposely pro-
duced; and, that though sounds may give
warning or guidance TO other animals, the
utterance is dependent on physical i'm
pulse When the impulse is initiative. it
may depend ultimately on such sensation
as is felt by some people in the throat
when Bourbon stop is on the organ, and
by most people when they hear, for in
Il
| this is so, we are on the wrong tack In
comparing the sounds of animals varied
and specified though they are, to Ian
guage, and should rather compare them
to weeping and laughter, which provoke
an Initiative response, or even 10 the
sounds of a man who has early become
dumb through deafness. For in such cases
1t is not purpose. but efficient cause, that
must be the subject of inquiry
n hot nd do oS
appear TO have little esthetic perception.
We have heard of dog appearing to pre-
fer scarlet to blue, but il is difficult to
eliminate the effect of association in deal
ing with O single instance. Cats however
seem TO show a definite esthetic percep-
ton of texture-esthetic, for it is not or
binary bodily comfort which rules. They
may like 10 slep on velvet, but they revel,
waking. in the feeling of cracking paper
or texture of stiff silks. And there IL a
Northumberland story of cat which
goes into the garden TO lick the under
sides of foxglove leaves, and cannot be
kept from trying with his tongue the tex
lure of fannelette. But the keenest es-
thetic pleasure for a cat lies in the region
Of smell. The dog uses smell merely IS
a medium of information. but the eat rev.
els in 1t. She win linger near a tree
trunk, smelling each separate aromatic
leaf for the pure pleasure of 1t, not, like
a dog, to trace friend, foe or prey II the
window of a close room is opened, the cat
leans out. smellink the air. New dresses
are smelt, partly perhaps for future rec
ognition, but also apparently for pleas
ure. strong smell. above all a spirit
uous smell, is not only disagreeabIe, but
absolutely painful. Lavender water may
please tiger, but 1t will put car 30
flight
This apparent power OF esthetic enjoy
ment in the cast is counterbalanced in the
dog by a quality we are wont to rank
highly, yet not without a haunting mis-
giving. The dog has a rudimentary sense
of humor. 1t is the commonest thing in
the world TO see a petted dog try to
laugh off a scolding. II he is encourag ed
if his fooling is successful, he will repeat IL
again and again with growing exaggera-
ton, will roll with wide mouth and alb
surd contortions or fly at ones face TO
lick II. On the other hand he will rec
ognize that teasing Is a humorous proceed
ing, and, when he begins TO get bored
will try to stop II humorously.
Now the cat is solemnlty incarnate To
punish IL is to cause instant ofense, to
tease 1t is to outrage its dignity The bet
Ter bred cat is, the more easily is il Of
Tended. But the Sense of the ridiculous
Is, after all, a gross quality: and the HUI
NOR of one age seems vulgarity to the
next. A cat is never vulgar. The old Egyp-
naf