Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-06
By GARRETT p. sERvISS.

1 III "oy VI hhN Not 20 D~SShatAfS
harder. In New Jersey the villages
and little cities are making ordinance:
against cats, and in Massachusetts, the
State Board of Agriculture has pub.
lished corfdemnatory brochure about
cats, written by the state ornitholo-
gist. The chief complaint is that the
cat is an incorrigible enemy OF birds
When cat gets out of doors its eye
Immediately seeks bird
If one comes within reach OF its
spring it cannot resist the tempta-
ton to seize and kill the winged crea-
ture. 1t is not often, it is not even
usual, that the killing is done for the
sake of food; it is done through mere
| blood-thirst. Cats like to kill-when
they run no danger to themselves in
the operation, for they are essentially
| towards.
As the Massachusetts, ornithologist
intimates, cats are "sportsmen." This
is cutting sarcasm. Like the man
who tucks double barrelled gun TN
der his arm and goes out in the dewy
morning to enjoy the thrill of seeing
the feathers fly at the impact of his
load of shot, the cat stalks a robin
and takes an ecstatic pleasure in strik-
ing it dead. Iii does not kill its vic
tim at the first blow of its sharp
claws, it will torment the wounded
bird to death, and then carry it about
with the air of conqueror; but the
only appetite it seeks to satisfy is the
lust of murder.
Some cats are more murderous than
other cats, but it is alleged-and, | be-
lieve, correctly-that no cat can be
cured altogether OF the desire to kill
for the sake of killing, and birds are
its pet victims. 1t is also alleged
and again, l believe. with Justice
that cats are master hypocrites and
| the greatest of egoists. They haven't
shade OF the self-sacrificing devo-
ton of dog.
A cat as big and powerful as New
foundland dog would be peril to
children and even to grown persons.
1t is mans friend because it knows
it is not strong enough to be his enc
my. The quality of mercy is not in
the cats makeup. No animal which
has an instructive love'of worrying
and tormenting weaker creature and
crippled one at that is. capable OF
moral education. The way of cat
with a mouse is sufficient to awaken
sympathy even for that pest of the
pantry.
\ As to the pretended usefulness OF
4 cats as destroyers OF rats, the Massa-
chusetts indictment is too moderate in
alleging that not more than one cat
in three ever kills rat. 1t is the habit
of cats to keep out of the way OF
rats. A rat is a mean animal, but a
terrible fighter when cornered, and
cats do not attack fighters. As to
mice, my own experience is that a
house cat will not even try to exter-
inmate them. I rather suspect that
she likes to see them about, the house
| being her game preserve. If rub
Der ball could squeal she would as
soon worry that as worry a mouse.
As soon as her victim ceases to give
evidences of suffering she lets it
alone.
| The Massachusetts, ornithologist
AYERS that the public has no concep-
ton of the enormous number Of stray
unowned. half-wild cats that roam the
woods, the fields, and the neighbor-
hood houses, barns and villages at
night. We have got rid Of the native
wildcat, he says, and in its place we
have introduced and spread broadcast
far more destructive animal, coddled
in our homes, and made companion
for our children, to whom it undoubt'
eddy often brings unexplained disease
and death. .
II the owners Of favorite cats
could know all that those sly ane
treacherous animals often do at night
they would almost as soon nourisf
serpents in the household. The ca
is cheap pet, costing little for main
tenance, and that may be one ex
PLANTATION of its popularity; but the
| cheaopass is in MANY cases only an.