Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-09-29
"CAT-FEAR" VICTIM
HERE is INDIVIDUAL WITH REAL
TALE OF WOE.
Many Who Have Suffered Under Like
Circumstances Will Extend SYM
pathy, Since Honey Boys"
Are Quite Numerous.

Can anyone tell me at what age one
Is likely to become subject to cat
fear? I wasn't born with, it, for I
have vivid recollections of being fool
ishly fond of homely, spotted old
cat, bearing the musical name Of
Molly Cottontail, asserts a writer in
the Indianapolis News. Maybe cat
fear, like honors, comes to the indi-
vidual in various ways. If this should
prove to be true, then I'm under the
impression that it was thrust on me.
Strange to say, all cats do not affect
me unfavorably. l can even see a
scrawny black cat shoot across my
path without feeling a Qualm. and I've
been known to warm saucer of milk
to cheer some stray cat on its back
alley pilgrimage. If there's any hard
er lot than that of stray cats l don't
want to hear about it, and I'm glad
I've helped some of them a bit.
It's the fine, family pet that brings
on my attacks. Two people in the
upper fiat have an Angora, an i'm
mense black and clay-cOlored chump
that gets on my nerves. 1t seems that
this upper fat was rented primarily
for Honey Boy. The two people oc-
cupy any chair. couch or bed that his
majesty is not using. If he kept
strictly to his own rented apartment
1t wouldn't be so hard, but he takes
privileges with the whole building and
surrounding grounds. He is partial to
the downstairs front porch, and
sprawling his long-haired self out on
one of the. posts at the side Of the
front steps, he waits, fondly expecting
every passer-by to exclaim over his
catship. And lot of them do it-mores
the pity! He also has his favorite
lounging places in the downstairs Ii
the book shelves, near a much-prized
vase, but he has his uneasy moments
when / fix my eye on him and mutter
through clenched teeth: "You old
lowbrowp' He knows 1t has a diff
ferent ring compared with the pei
names he. gets upstairs. The two peo
pie up there call him Honey Boy, and
BOOIuI Sing, ana CnlI0
He presumes that the back yard be
longs exclusively to the upper fiat, sc
he takes his morning airings dowr
there, and one wakens to musica
sounds like this: Honey Boy
Honey Boy! Oh, 100 boo'ful sing! L
you VIOLIN in de gwass? Des 1
wollin' in de gwass, des a wollin' fl
de gwass P' Wouldn't that be enougl
to counteract the effect of even a gooC
nights restp
At noon a gentle voice calls dow
the back stairway: "Honey Boy. com
wight upstairs and det some ice col,
milk for 700 lunch" He seems t
have q hankering after iced drinks
for once when had placed a pitche
of Ice water on the table for my owl
especial enjoyment during the after
noon, Honey Boy sprang up light
and Tapped his fill out of it. TIL
members of my family told me after
ward that they feared 1 was going t
have apoplexy or hydrophobia, but
was really an attack of my cat-fea
Sometimes the gentle voice calls pei
suasively: Come upstairs this mil
ute, Honey Boy, to 90 mother" Gee
before I'd call myself mother to a di!
reputable bunch Ike that I'd make tn
rounds of all the orphan asylums
the city.
But going back to my cat-fear-it
different from any I've ever heard o
Pm trying hard to keep it well undo
control, but every day the fear grow
stronger, that some time I'll mistaF
Boo'ful Sing for the splotchy mop /
resembles, and with tense nerves an
set teeth either mop up the frol
porch or the back yard with him. TIL;
, would hurt his pampered feelin's ar
worse still, 1t would hurt the feelin's
his mistress there'd be straint
relations between the upper and 10y
er flatters. No, I'm not afraid of Il
upper fiatters reading this outburst
suppressed cat-fear. They don't fiji
any time to read-they're too bu
caring for Honey Boy.