Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-20
PHOTOS OF
KITTES ONL Y
CLEVER WOMAN MAKES Busl-
NESS or PAsTlME
TELLS STORIES OF SOME SMART
FELINEs
Has Trained Numerous Families Of
Cats, and Some Of Her Pets
Are MarveIs of Intel
Iieence

sIf more people understood the beauty
of a cats nature and the cats intelligence
there would be more lovers to be found
for the feline race and not so many poor
thin, homeless cats" said Mrs. Marian
H. Skilifnan, the noted animal photog-
rapher and artist OF Washington, d. e.
and New York CITY,
Mrs Skillman, who is professional
cat photographer and worlds fair med
alisf and has devoted years of her life
10 the painting of animals both In this
country and abroad, is in Los Angeles
as a guest of the Hotel Elms and may
make her home in Southern California
permanently.
Mrs. Skilman is in position to know
whereof she speaks, having trained
numerous families of cats to pose for her
artistic purposes.
perhaps the cleverest cat l ever
owned" Mrs. Skillman said. was a tiny
little tiger cat l picked up in an alley,
named Little Old Madam Without a
Home. and with care, attention and care
ful feeding soon taught to pose for my
pictures as graciously as any pretty girl
might. Little Old Madams first family of
Ave soft little kittens were all blue rib
bon winners in the east and soon learned
to sit for a snapshot.
Clever Kittens
sFa atniza, Cuticura, Quichita, Bonaparte
and Tiddlewinks, for those were the
names of this wonderful family of kit
tens, were most extraordinary little ami
mails, each one having some particular
stunt
''Tiddlewinks lived Mn an old high hat
slept there and would have eaten her
meals there If had let her. The other
kittens never went within clawing dis
taiice of that hat without an invitation,
and an urgent one at that, to stop for a
chat, and about the only time there was
real war in the otherwise peaceful fam
lily was when some mischevious kitten
usurped Tiddlewinks hat Cuticura was
a pugilistic animal being SO fast with
the punching bag that I never was able
to get his picture in fighting trim.
ssWoe unto the cat, even Little Old
Madam, when she got in Cuticura's way.
Quichita was an atheletic kitten, in order
words q trapeze artist. All five of the
kittens early learned the games of hide
and seek and tag, also that when little
dresses were put on them they were
meant to stay and not to be torn off by
tiny teeth-and claws, and that little beds
were meant to sleep on, and that pillows
were absolutely necessary for a kittens
comfort. At meal times each kittie-cat
had his own particular stool, red and
white bib and dish, and If each one was
not in place as he should be Little UId
Madam reminded him of his table man
ners with a cuff on his little head"
Kittens Hunt Mother
Another pretty story that is told by
Mrs. Slsillrnan of this same bunch of cats
brings out an instance of their superior
intelligence. At one time when Little
Old Madam was lost for two or three
days each one of the five baby cats took
turns in going around the house, out in
the yard and every other place where
they had been with the mother, looking
for her, and each one of them saved part
of it's food for the poor lost cat.
At another time the family adopted a
little crippled kitten and during its short
life before going to the happy hunting
ground for cats they watched over 1t like
little trained nurses.
These were fashionable kittens, too.
having coats of silk, pretty dresses to
wear when they had their pictures paint
ed, and even having their nails mani
cured each week. When asked about the
later life of the kittens Mrs. Slxillman
said they all found luxurious homes and
fond mistresses.
..Hannah Mable," said the artist, was
another one OF my prize winning cats.
For her and her kittens one Christmas
we had a tree and as each name was
called each little kttie came up and re-
ceived her present from Santa Claus,
bag of fresh liver. At the same time we
were the proud owners Of a pet squirrel,
which the cats had been taught was pri-
vate property and not to be molested,
and after Hannah Mable and her family
had had their presents we called the
squirrel in and I gave him big bag of
nuts.
Hannah Mables funeral was most
pathetic. I had a tiny black caslket made
for her, padded and lined with flowers
and sorrowing group followed the small
body to its final resting place. When
the last rites were concluded we raised
little tombstone over the grave with
this inscriptions:
"HANNAH MABLE,
Aged 2 years and months.
Beloved by all the family"
4S1