Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-11-30
CATS AND DOGS.
Fhe Enmity That Exists Between
Them and the Reason of II

Fhe Enmity That Exists Betwee,
Them and the Reason of 1t.
Why does the dog hate the cat? Sci
entists have been investigating the en-
nifty between these animals, and they
believe that the instructive hatred
which certain beasts feel for each Other
Is due to Inheritance from ancien,
times when the animals met In wild
state and preyed on each other. az
The enmity between cats and dogs
seems to be due more to hatred on the
part of the dog than OF the cat The
latter animal apparently hates dogs
because dogs chase her, while the dog
hates the cat because she Is a cat.
a cat will feed at place where a
dog has been without betrayIng any
signs Of anger, but dog generally be-
comes excited and wild II he scents
the trail Of cat anywhere near his
food or sleeping place.
Now this enmity is not to be ex.
planned by anything that happens be.
tween dogs and cats In domestIcity or
anything that ever happened between
them as long ago as human history
goes. In all these thousands of years
dogs and cats have been kept as pets,
and OF all animals they are the two
which should be the most friendly.
But the reverse is the case. One nat
urallst, DIR. Zell, seeks it I'm the fact
that the common cat not only looks
like. but smells like, the great cats of
prey. And Of those cats of prey there
Is one, much like q domestic cat In
many ways. which hunts dogs by pref
erence. This big cat Is the leopard.
The domestic cat and her larger rela- |
tive, the wildcat, have never harmed
the race of dogs, but their great spec
killed. cousin is and always has been the
most ferocious OF dog murderers, and
the cat must pay for Ii.
Authorities agree that there is ne
animal that the leopard would rather
eat than tie dog. AS result there are
many villages In the districts I'm which
leopards are plentiful where nobody
can keep a dog The great cats will
not hesitate to break into the houses
70 seize their favorlte dish.
Bnt, says the doubter the modern
log certainly Gould not have known
eopards In many thousands Of years.
lie has been domestic pet in regions
where there have been no leopards
ince man first appeared.
That Is true, says DR.. Zell. But he
olnts to the fact that dogs have Il
abit of turning around several times
efore they lie down. This, he says, is
ne to the fact that when they were
n wild state they had to do this to .
ress down leaves and twlgs in order
prepare Il bed for themselves. and as
ley have not overcome this habit in all
ieir years Of domesticlty It is quite
atural that they should still inherit
cree hatred OF any creature that
nells like Il leopard.
Dogs and eats are not the only ami
ais that still show inherited fear or
tired Of othev BEASTS which they have
'ver seen themselves. Fhus the rlIi-
'ceros Is frantlcally in fear OF any.
ing white, and naturallsts say that
is Is because once upon time some +
white a.imal hunted him. But that
nst have been long ago. fcr there are r
big white animals now where the q
inoceros dwells. II
Chickens that have never seen fox
u cackle and run In fear IL they E
me across the place where the AMI p
Il has passed OF where bis carcass b
been dragged. II fox has been n
ywhere near cats drinking dish
eat will not approach it.-New York
ESQ.