The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-02
DISEASE SPREAD FAR BY CATS
THEIR AGENCY SHOWN IN AN
EPIDEMIC or DIPHTHERIA.
Human Beings In q Canadian Locality
Infected Ftrst-Foxes and Other Wild
Animals Next Anected-Human he
ings Reached Again In Indians.

ings Reached Again In Indians.
KsowLTos. Canada. Feb. THAT the
microbe Of the bubonic plague has been
carried across seas by rats on board ships
Ia a fact demonstrated by science. IL 10
also said 10 be demonstrable that malarial
fever Is disseminated among the inhabi-
tants OF tropical lands by the mosquito.
The cheerfully buzzing bluebottle fly has
been accused of conveying blood poison
from purifying carcasses 20 human beings.
But 1t is mol 80 generally known that many
Of the diseases Of humanity may be CON-
tracted by that ~favorite OF all Of our do
nestle animal friends. the sleek and pnr-
ring cat, and communicated through II to
human beings.
In one locality In Canada where a quickly
fatal type OF diphtheria was prevalent, the
spread Of the disease was for a long tine
exceedingly puzzling to those who en-
gagged In fighting it As the community
was widely scattered and the popular fear
OF the disease very great, II might appear
to have been easy to avoid contagion.
But day after day new cases appeared In
houses separated by long distances until
q kind Of panic set in, and most Of the UNI
infected families shut themselves up in
their houses, and refused all communities
ton with friends, strangers or visitors.
Still the disease continued it's ravages
with deadly effect, until a clue was ac-
cidentally given by a young woman who
called across the front garden from the
doorway OF her home to a passing traveller
to inquire about the diphtheria epidemic.
| There was no other house within a mile or
two, the road was little used and the family
had so far escaped the plague.
Its as lonely as can be-" the young
woman declared" we 60 nowhere and
nobody comes here. The only excitement
Is over the cats, for old Jim is very sick.
and the little Manx tortoiseshell is dead.
We cannot think what in the world is the
matter with them
The words came back 20 hcr friend az
he stood at her graveside two days later
and heard that two lads Of the household
were also in the grip OF diphtheria.
Then a woman of means in a neighbor-
ing house asked the advice of the local
practitioner respecting her Angora, which
had a sore throat. On general principles
he refused TO have anything Ia do with
grimalkin, but advised doing away with IL
at once.
Instead OF following the adj Y the woman
vainly attempted TO save her pets life by
| blowing sulphur down its throat. The
next day she developed diph'heria, and
within the week her baby was buried and
she was fighting between life and death,
from which struggle she escaped, a physi-
cal wreck,
After that the cats were looked after.
when TO the general surprise II was dis-
covered that very few were TO be found:
Those that remained had short shrift OF
II, but were sacrificed TO the public good.
When the plague subsidized there was
not a pussy in the community, ana " was
a long time before the settlers began I'M
porting them. Evidence and Subsequent
result, appeared to prove conclu-ively
that the cats had been among the most
potent factors in the spread of the disease.
And the effect Of their sickness was warmer
reaching than could have n"en imsginen.
Deed foxes began 30 he found ABOUT
the stone piles in the felds and me farmers
wives noticed that the Young turkeys ana
chickens were not inolested 10y 'hr7e sy
thieves. The word went hIound 'ha'
something was killing on me IoSr"
A connecting link was discovered "hen
an i%ncredulous trapper came along ana
was heard lamenting the lack Of cats,
wherewith 20 bait his fox traps.
Nothing will draw a fox like a cat,
he said. divulging what was evidently one
Of the secrets 81 the trade, since very few
people had heard Of such n thing before,
Their ID wac remembered that a. a rule
the bodies 81 the cate had not been found
around the farm builtingS, the suffering
creatures having generally crawl"d away
TO die la solitude In the woods Som ""asrd
To lie q wonder that the foxes OF IA" country
we're passing away
But the effects Of the mortality among
the cats did not end there Prom me
Indian reser YES 90 the north came the
information that the Indians had made
rsquisition upon th" Department "I Ne
Interior Thoroughbred local agent Tor winter
supplies instead ~ leaving i"f I,'li i'l'"'-
tafV hunting grounds a. usual
Inquiry showed that the Young men ~
the tuie had unexpectedly and Boz irght
returned from thr preliminary -ltHhg "Hl
Of the trapping ruu'"- i"i 'h' Nl.'"l
worl sith the Information ilai il'' i'h"l
thr maftsur Usher and mimi d'lh W az
dinrHtIlu- Three ui iuur Dec rhih- en-
one lyna .su Nrrr bf'Ygh' ht'h. "ll't
the, lad 60 pprt from uniHiai- i'uud dead
la tho bull
SONS s.ckurrr vac /. uui nHr '."ar.
Tgo q ts Young buff.f- iai LEONE
n.-...-at Ig -Yutthirg vf..H t.Ut fisrn
~ thr throat ur.d' aHt sH.1 Nl'n,
and tLstu tAf l4uirfr lai HIf bed b-
lind them lh' dr'I hsi.IH HtiIi"H
we 3D. U aI. 90 tllru' 900 i'iiHF H'Nhs
sbl4t U.uIf charms b. 900 iHI hHlhlis
g. D. M tLu wDuts rr lrIa.r ai
- Ur Luutsfs tI'IHI. "I Oh. .r'"aIh -
l8ns and IU 81 tHU u'I I' Nr. H's
Dp.u o hra 80 ~ IU.HI.. Uf a a
ths D~Htufuu,suf i ..f .''" 'Ia.
H.y.rd q auH fIs Cote. Hf lad
.pfral frsm COO cote '. t r ahnes
ID ,auaaf huHHf U..
t.IIss N tffI'HT. 'n
lunsli, asau '. '''G
lna 90 r4htHfr
%, 80 eco U.IH.| .. .# .uaNFs
L. I'D sII tst faI fool i~Its
sH.lfsH 900. aI WIf
4rsf a' &