The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-15
CATS ON PAY
MANY GOVERNMENTS RECoG. NIZE TABBY'S VALUE.
Pensions Given in Vienna-Meat Diet Varied with Cooked and Raw Vegatables-A London Brew .
 ery's Staff

The principal Governments of the world ae- knowledge the business ability of cats by piac- bags. army stores and other goods belonging to the various departments, says London Tid- Bits
 With a view to finding out something more of pussy and his business ability. repIe- sentative of Tid-Bits recently journeyed round scauaintance of Mir. Fuss, and incidentally t to know if he had any interesting story to tel of his career as a recognized official em- ploye of His Majestys Government
 In one of the large postoffice buildings a' St. Martin s-le-Grand we were introduced with which represented the official feline stan oi that building, Amongst them were three fnt tabby cats. One of them especially attracted we proceeded to ply MT. Tabby's guardian with questions as to their business qualities
 Postoffice cats are granted an allowance o pence per week each. The sum connot be said to be excessive: not quite penny per gay. But pussy never worries his head ovel such trifies, but with an instinct worthy oi pie ofeclerks. who spend the $ pence in milI and bring him meat and other datnties un known to the Government.
 It canhot be said that the cats at the new buildings at St. Martin s-le- Grand have any arduous duties to perform, as at present mict and rats are unknown. The concrete noors and stone walls do not offer any refuge fol vermn of any kind. At the older buildings however cats are absolutely essential to keeI the rats away from the mail bags.
 At the Tower of London the Ordnance De stores and every week the order for thAii allowance is duly signed and recorded by the captain in charge. Numerous cats are also kept in various departments of the arsenal al woolwich and at all places where stores of any kind are kept.
 The animals often become pe:s with 'h7 men. and every store lias it's favorite tabby There Is a cat in e London barracks that hal been taught to turn somerrault and walk across a rope tied from one chair to another. For giving such performances for the smuse- ,t miee M he E is officially % @ granted the m1ficent allowance of pence per week.
 Other Governments as well as our own em- ploy cats for protecting stores from the ray ages of rats and mice. In the various Gov, crnment. buildings in France the stan is f4i after after these ' business @ cats. so that milk and cats meat may be provided to fl any def % m that be may srse sbepd ea at postoffice in the United States present the postmaster with a litter of fluffy kittens, he informs the district superintendent of the fact, and increase In cat rations is all lowed.
 The municipelity>of Vienna are more mind any other Government, for after years ot faithful duty MT, Fuss is duly placed on the Meat and milk. and such daintes as mice or anything else trey can pick up are al, that Enslish Government, but in Vienna their food is occasionally varied with boiled asparagus stems, cabbage, lettuce, or other vegetables
 Many of the large commercial establish ments employ cats for keeping down mice. All the big railway companies. breweries, dockyards. shipping and storing houses main tain an army of these useful creatures. At 'one time the Midland railway placed between 300 900 and 400 900 empty corn sacks under the care of eight cats during the storage sea son. and they did their work successfully: while an adjoining storehouse suffered the entire loss of their corn bags through the ray ages of rats
 At a well-l,nowp London brewery that tho writer visited he was shown staff of twenty seven cats. which employed in the stabling department for keeping away mice from the straw and corn. They were Ted on cats meat, and between them they consumed ten pounds of meat day. The meat bill amounted to 6s 2d per week. At the various warehouses at the London docks cats are kept their number depending upon the nature oi the material to be protected.