The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-17
COLUMBIA CATS
ARE At A PREMIUM
Small Boy Is No Longer Able to
Supply the Demand of the
Medical Students.
FELINES IN GREAT DEMAND.
Tabbies Undergo All Sorts of
Operations in the Interest of
Science President Jesse
Helps Rescue Pet.
REPURLlC SPECIAL.

REPUBIlc SPECIAL.
Columbia Mo-. March 16.-Colurnbia IS
the only town in the State Of Missouri
where an ordinary stray cat has a regular
market value. Each year the freshman
medical class OF Missouri University. una
bic TO find men on whom they may try their
nowly-learned knowledge OF medicine, turn
their attention 20 cats. dogs and other less
suspicious animals.
Heretofore the supply has always been
equal to the demand. and the Columbia
small boy kept the students supplied with
bodied cats at Is cents each. Each
year the class has grown larger and the
demand for cats has been harder and
harder to supply. The small boy, under
standing this, raised the price TO 30 cents
for an ordinary cat. or IS cents for ar exit a
good specimen.
These We're the prices In vogue last year.
but this year the market has been very ac-
tive, and the price has gone up TO 50 cents
for any old kind of a cat and 50 cents for
q dog. Even at these prices the supply has
become exhausted. and other domestic ami
mails have been pressed into service.
OPERATIONS ON CATS.
Each medical student In his freshman
year has to dissect one cat. This is the
first work given him. A cat is preferred
over all other animals because his anatomy
is more like that OF man. dog comes
next. and the lean, stray kind are pre-
ferred by the students because there Is not
so much fat TO cut away. In his sophomore
year the student needs tnlumerabls csss.
for he is required TO perform them any
number OF operations for appendicitis. and
other diseases TO which the flesh OF cat is
II makes no difference whether the cat
has the disease or not. IL is compelled 10
,s.s iss an opers,ion' lust the same. for
terred because OF his proverhial longevity.
Any other animal could Withstand only one
or two operations, hut the cat undergoes a
them before rAS -
extinct.
The operations are not cruel. for the ami
mai is placed under the influence Of
anaesthetlcs and is ,cnderly cared for The
student takes II as good omen and a rec
cmmendation 10 his skill if the feline lives
over all the operations and Keeps him as a
mascot These mascots. however. are par
ucularly rare.
In the basement Of Academic Hall Is a
room 10 which legislative visitors and 9TH
ers are never shown. II is known among
the students us the ''catrocnl" In II are
kept all the cats awaiting their turn to be
operated on. II is presided over by a solemn
old negro. who has seen generation after
generation OF taboies sacrificed In the inter-
est Of science. Here one may find all man
ionaele Persian. stolen from an old maid.
Is thrown side by side with backyard
psriah cats, All are treated alike for
sian is no, worth so much as a SsII9aevel-
ope1 midnight bowler.
RESCUED HER PET.
Yesterday a little girl missed her cat when
she returned from school and forthwith ac-
cuse6 the medical students Of stealing il.
She went 10 the old darky TO recover pos
session. hut long experience with fearful
little girls and indignant old maids had
hardened him and he refused TO give up the
keys Of the cathoUSs and denied all knowl-
edge OF the Kidnapped pussy. Eut the little
sir. wouldn't be discouraged and went TO see
President Jesse After hesg ng her way
through the lines OF jari;ors. clerks and
strrosrapher>, she finally got to the big
man. who was euSily Gictating letters Tear
fciiy she told her story 10 him and begged
him to please give her pussy back. 4 few
minutes later the old darSy was surprised
TO see coming through the las sTuent Doctor
Jesse with the little siri. Tne president