The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-08-05
CATS RESPONSIBLE
FOR CARRYING GERMS
Government officials Have Been Invests
eating and They Present Their
Facts to the Public.


Facts to the Public.
Washington, Aug. 5.-Peaeeful Tabby
purring upon the hearth, petted anc
pampered by tne whole family, is now
declared by a government scientist t.
BE- an agent Of the most deadly germs
spreading disease and death among those
who fondle her.
Investigation has proven that in q
cats sleek soft fur, upon which the
baby delights to rub its check, Turk
the germs Of tuberculosis, Of smallpox
and that deadly disease Of babies and
children, dphtheria.
The cat IS q roaming animal. Even
the most carefully watched house pet
viii stink out at night, and II is then
that they come in contact with infected
dirty cats which live in sqnallid shan
ties among characterization people. It's
long fur affords natural breeding
place for the germs. sr
"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-breeding source Is consid'
cred except the family cat" says DR.. A.
M. Fisher.
1t is noted fact that people who
would not touch a dog think nothing Of
fondling and kissing cats Felines are
particularly fond OF jumping upon the
beds of their masters and cuddling close
to them. Babies are allowed to play
freely with cats.
Practically the only thing to be feared
from dog is hydrophobia TO this ter
rible disease, says Dr.. Fisher, cats are
as susceptible as dogs, though they do
not bite people as often, yet cases Of
hydrophobia from cat bites are not in
frequent.
The biological survey Is now working
on plans to have laws passed in the
District Of Columbia as 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 eat, living in clean home, comes
mainly through its contact with alley
cats Licensing would permit the kill
ing Of stray cats.
Data IS now being gathered BY the
survey upon the subject Of disease infec.
ton by cats. Dr. Fisher hopes soon to
establish bulletin citing specific in
stances.
Two cases are given by prominent
French scientist, M. Bsrgeon, Of cats
which were infected with tubercuIar
germs through contact with persons af-
flicted with the disease In both in
stances, the cats were owned IN families
where young girls died from the malady.
The death Of the cats occurred shortly
afterward. The doctors mad 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 unmistakahle
traces Of tubercular infection we're
found.
The next charge brought against the
eat BY Or. Fisher is that il spreads
ringworns, very painful and some.
times dangerous disease Rats and mice
are peculiarly susceptible to this dis,
ease, and it is transmitted from them
to cats The presence Of the disease
on cats hidden by their fur is not IN
common It was through the frequent
appearance Of ringworms on hands Of
babies that the germ theory was first
pursued against the cat.
Cats are considered the natural enc
mics Of rats and mice. They are kept
often simply to kin those pests. DR..
Fisher claims that not FIVE per cent. Of
the cats are mousers and that instead
they kin game and Kong birds.
Gas matter Of fact said DR. Fish
er, eats prefer birds to mice Tasy
will spend twice as much time hunting
Nirda as mice. II one keeps count Of a
cats quarry during the year he will
find that the birds kified far outnum.
Der the mice.
Recently there has been much at
tention paid to rats and the harm they
40. both al destroyers and as spreaders
Of disease. In this connection it aas
been pointed out what valuable animal
the eat is to keep down the rats. That
il an error. | can stated from my IN
personal observation that only about
five per cent Of the cats are mouscrs.
Little harm would come il the whole
cat tribe were exterminatei hrt there
would be too much opposition to that
Still we think that wnen many q the
facts concerning cats have been mlde
public, mothers will be more careful in
letting their children play with tnems
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