The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-21
COLD STORAGE CATS
KEEP WARM AT ZERO
Pittsburg Chronicle ToIegraph)

The fame Of Pittsburg's cats has
spread to the far east and 1t is now
proposed to import some of special
breed into the Philippines. The i'm
mense cold storage depot just finished
at Manila is in need of cats, and it is
to supply that establishment with
PittsburS animals.
For many years cold storage man
ayers were at a loss to find a way 10
rid their warehouses of rats and mice.
These vermin found their way into the
wareTOOms in cases of goods. At first
they confined their depredatiOns to the
goods in the milder climate of the gen
eraI storage rooms, but finally they en-
tered the cold storage rooms. Here
nature came to their aid and in few
generation the rats and mice became
so clothed in thick fur that they SEEM
ed impervious to cold and could stand
a temperature of zero or lower. To rid
the WarerOOms of these pests was a
troublesome task for the owners of the
storage houses. They could use cats
in the general wareroOms all right and
with success, but when they placed the
cats in the cold storage rooms they
soon contracted pneumonia and died.
The damage done by the rodents was
very great, and bout five or six years
ago the Union Storage company eX-
perimented with view to finding some
DEEtu OF the lCAAAit AfAAt NaAlNtA NDuitt
live in the climate of the cold storage
rooms. 1t tried a pair of high-bred
cats, but they soon siCkened and died.
Finally a pair of white felines without
a. pedfgree were obtained and placed ia
the general storage room for time
and then into a room where the tenn
peratlre was gradually lowered until
it was below the freezing point. Here
they were kept until they became ac-
custOmed to the low temperature. Then
they were placed in the cold storage
rooms the temperature of which Is al
ways 81 or lower.
The cats showed no i'll effects and
soon could stand a temperature almost
as low as zero. The offspring OF these
cats could stand a temperature much
lower than their parents, and their fur
was much thicker than their predeCeS-
sors. A few generations later dis
tinct breed of cats resulted, able to
stand the lowest temperature ever
maintained in the storage rooms. The
question of killing off the rodents was
thus solved, and since the establish
ment Of the cats of this kind thousands
of dollars worth of merchandise has
been saved. The Union Storage COM
pany has five warehouses, in the cold
storage rooms of which are stored fish,
butter cheese, eggs, hams. meats and
other perishable commodities.
! The company now has about fifteen
of these cats, and it ships them to such
lof its warehouses as need-them. The
Iicats are very tame when within the
l.confines of the-cOld storage vaults, bu;
when they are permitted to come out
! into the sunlight they act like wild
/ cats or tigers. In shipping them it is
/ necessary to place them in boxes before
/ they leave one warehouse to- go TO the
next.
/ Very often the number of the cats
I kept by this firm is as high as thirty
and at other times as low as ten. This
/ is due to accidents. None are now af-
! fected In the least by the low temper
atures in which they live. The cats
are well cared for. A special man has
. charge of them. whose duties are t.
see that they are fed every day. Nc
/ cat can thrive on a diet Of mouse. MOI
/ does il neglect it's duties when other
! food is provided. Milk is served to the
/ cats in liberal quantities and T.. eat Is
/ given them once a week
/ The cold storage cats are short
1 tailed, with long and heavy fur, tho
| hair frequently being over an incl
long. Their eyebrows and WhiSkers arf
4 long and thicker and stronger than the
/ ordinary cats. The cold storage cal
/ looks much like the AngOra, but does
not thrive when taken from its accus
/ toned atmosphere on account Of thu
7 scarcity of these cats. il is very likely
/ that the Manila firm viii not be abb,
] to purchase any of those owned BY tn,
I Union Storage company. for. while al
! its warehouses are practically free from
rats and mice. these rodents ar,
! brought ia very often concealed in mer
/ chandise.
This one firm is the only firm which
/ has resorted TO such measures to. So
| cure this kind Of animal