The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08
TRUE CAT STORIES.
One Cat Was "a Villain and Another
an Accomplished Mind Reader.


Philadelphia Record.
Cats-at least, some cats-are either
president or have a reasoning comprehen-
sion of human speech-witness these two
cases in point: The first concerns Tangle-
Eye, a white kitten, sole salvage from a
litter of nine, which grew to lusty cathood,
the pet of a young woman. It's home was
a big plantation house, where it's mother
had been for years an honored and sue
cessful ratter.
She was a big tortOise-shell, and, except
when there were rats about, the moral and
pattern of feline gentleness. Her son, who
had one blue eye, one yellow, was not deaf.
as is common with blue-eyed cats. Con-
trariwise, he had a wonderfully fine ear.
particularly sensitive to the offerings and
hutterings Of fedgelings crowded out of the
nest. He would dash from the piazza at
the faintest rustic of wings to pounce upon
the luckless birdlings, and devour them
forthwith.
For this his mistress rated him soundly,
and after a while whipped him. His feel
ings were deeply wounded. She was the
only person he ever permitted to touch
him. He followed her about wherever she
went. The whipping did not change that,
but evidently in revenge for it began tc kill
chickens, plump young things, just sprout-
ing pen feathers. The killing was done
openly.
Sometimes, indeed, ne fetched his victims
and laid them at his mistress's feet, maiou
Ing up at her the while. This was most
intOlerable and not to be endured" Still
she could not bear TO think of killing her
pet, not even though he showed himself a
wanton murderer. When he killed the sew
enth chick she said TO him, reprovingly:
''Tangle-Eye, do you know what will be-
come of you? L shall send you to the mil
ler-he is overrun with rats-and you will
never see me any more"
Tangle-Eye trotted off, his tell high and
waving defiance. Next day the wagon was
sent TO mill with a load of corn. Before it
started Tangle-Eye's mistress, who had re-
solved to send him with il, called him TO
feed him the last time. He had always
leaped into her lap, or on her shoulder, or
stood upon his hind feet to rub his head
against her knees before beginning a meal.
That morning he stopped ten feet off,
eyed her dOubttully a minute, made a light
ming dash, seized a greedy mouthful,
darted out with ii and ran under the house
TO devour it. This was repeated three
times. linen a saucer of cream was set
down for him and everybody left the room.
He came TO lap it, but looked suspiciously
over his shoulder every little while.
Notwithstanding the doors were shut on
him and his mistress went inside to make
him prisoner. She stopped to rub his head,
when he stood rigid, spit at her, caught her
finger, bit ii to the bone, and as the door
was opened at her cry of pain, dashed out
of it, and was never again seen about the
house, though for a year at least he kept
up his depredations. He harbored In a
wooded swamp, more than a mile away,
where. like the thief and migrate he was,
he made a bad end in battle with a genuine
wildcat. But to this day his mistress is un-
decided as to whether his change of con-
duct was due TO divination or eayesdrop-
ping.
So is another woman who talked with a
cat doctor concerning her cats health, in
the presence of the cat herself. 1t was a
very meek animal, t~horoughly house.
trained, and the inseparable companion of
its mistress. Though she was too wise for
indiscriminate feeding, she permitted the
silky maltese to sit upon a cricket beside
her at meal times, and receive an OCCASION
al harmless tit-bit from her own plate.
There had been some tr1tllng alIment;
over, he prescribed a simple powder, taste
less and odorless, as far as human senses
discern. This the cats mistress bought and
put in very small quantities inside tiny bits
of raw meat, sashed TO receive It After
the medicine was in place the bits were
rolled tight and covered with fresh, raw
meat, scraped fine. Blu the cat nosed the
meat pills languidly over, and would have
none of them. Starving even would not
make him eat them.
That, however, was less strange than the
fact that for a whole week he refused TO eat
anything whatsoever from the hand Of his
mistress, even things taken from her plate.
1t was all of six weeks, indeed, before con-
fdence was fully restored.
Cats have long memories, also a taste for
something approaching histrionics. a Wis
itor in a country house noticed one winter
day the family cat, a very fine animal,
walking about in evident distress. The
weather was very cold--cold enough to
freeze light all the ordinary watering
places-so it occurred to him that the ami
NAL might be thirsty. He called it. invited
it TO perch upon his shoulder, went up TO
his own room with the cat perched there,
put il down on the bed, then half-flled a
basin, and was rewarded by seeing the cat
drink as though water famished.
He left the next day. thinking no more of
the matter. Six months later he was again
I'm the house. Notwithstanding warm wealth
er and water in plenty. the cat, at sight OF
him. leaped upon his shoulder, purring and
maiouing, until he again took it upstairs
and gave ii a long drink. This performance
has been repeated at each succeeding visit
a dozen times in all, and always the cat
shows the same delight.