Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-08-09
DECLARE CATS
ARE CARRIERS
OF DISEASE
GOVERNMENT MANS VIEWS.

Cats are known to carry in their
fur the germs of such dreaded dis
eases as tuberculosis, smallpox, scar
let fever, and diphtheria.
They communicate diseases to
children.
"They are as susceptible to ny
drophobia as dogs.
Cats spread ringworms.
They kill between three and
four million game and song birds in
New York State alone each year.
"Only about five per cent of them
are mousers."
DR.. A. X. FISHER,
Biological Survey, United States De-
partment of Agriculture.
Special By United Press Wire.
Washington, Aug. peaceful
Tabby, purring upon the hearth,
petted and pampered by the whole
family is now declared by a govern
most deadly germs, spreading dis
ease and death among those who
fondle her.
Investigation has proven that in
a cats sleek soft fur, upon which
baby delights to rub it's cheek, Turk
the germs of tuberculosis, of small
pox and that deadly disease of ba-
bies and children, d%iphtheria.
The cat is a roaming animal. Even
the most carefully watched house
pet will stink out at night and 1t is
then that they come In contact with
infected dirty cats which live per-.
haps in squallid shanties among
disease-stricken people. It's long
fur affords a natural breeding place
for the germs.
The cat returns to It's home thor
oughly innoculated. The mother
smiles as the baby tumbles about on
the floor with Tabby. When the
child is stricken every disease breed
ing source is considered except the
family cat" says DR.. A. K. Fisher.
1t is q noted fact that people who
would not touch a dog think moth
ing of fondling and kissing cats.
Felines are particularly fond of
jumping upon the beds of their mas
tiers and cuddling close to them.
Babies are allowed to play freely
with cats.
Practically the only thing to be
feared from a dog is hydrephobia.
To this terrible disease, says DR..
Fisher, cats are as susceptible as
dogs though they do not bite peo-
pie as often, yet cases of hydropho-
bia from cat bites are not ~infrequent.
The Biological Survey is now
working on plans to have laws pass
ed in the District of Columbia Rs a
guidance for all the states to license
cats, because, they say, most of the
trouble comes from stray cats. The
danger in the house cat, living In
a clean home comes mainly through
it's contact with alley cats. Licens-
ing would permit the killing of stray
cats.
Data Is now being gathered by
the Survey upon the subject of dis
ease infection by cats. DR.. Fisher
hopes soon to publish a bulletin
citing specific instances. c-
Two cases are given by a prom
inent French scientist, H. Bergeon,
OF cats which were infected with
tubercular germs through contact
with persons afflicted with the dis
ease. In both instances the cats
were owned in families where young
girls died from the malady. The
death of the cats occurred shortly
afterward. The doctors had noticed
the fondness of the girls for the cats.
A post norton examination of the
cats was accordingly made with the
results that In both instances unmis-
taxable traces of tuberculosis in
lection were found.
The next charge brought against
the cat by DR.. Fisher, is that 1t
spreads ringworms, a very painful
and sometimes dangerous disease.
Rats and mice are peculiarly sus-
eeptible to this disease and 1t Is
transmitted from them to cats. The
presence Of the disease on cats hid
den by their fur is not uncommon.
ance of ringworms on hands of ba-
bies that the germ theory was first
pursued against the cat.
Cats are considered the natural
enemies of rats and mice. They are
kept often simply to kill these pests.
DR.. Fisher claims that not Ave per
cent. Of the cats are mousers and
that instead they kill game and song
birds.
LAS a matter of fact" said DR..
Fisher, eats prefer birds to mice.
They will spend twice as much time
hunting birds as mice. If one keeps
count of a cats quarry during the
year he will find that the birds
killed far outnumber the mice.
Recently there has been much
attention paid to rats and the harm
they do, both as dangerous and as
spreaders of disease. In this con-
nection 1t has been pointed out
what a valuable animal the cat Is to
keep down the rats. That Is an err
ror. l can state from my own per-
sonal observation that only about
five per cent. of the cats are mousers,
Little harm would be done If
the whole cat tribe were extermin-
ated. but there would be too much
opposition to that. Still we think
that when many OF the facts con-
corning cats have been made pub
lie, mothers will be more careful in
letting their children play with
them"
PUBLIC SERVICE TINfE-TABLn.
Cars Leave Staten Island Ferry,
For New Brunswick-s:I0 8, m. and
every 80 minutes until s:0 d. m, also
at $40 1879 and n;s p. m. tsaturdayz
Ror i-~easbsy-s:s a. m. n every IN
minutes until n:<0
For RahwAy-5:@ a. m. ana every 90
minutes until 1850 D, M.
For Boynton B~each-s:no 3 m. ana
every 1b minutes until IIsx1 N m