Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-08
GETTING RID OF CAT
EAD|FF|CUlT TASK
Series Of Experiments Leave
Open the Question How DO
Felines Come Back2

The diffculty In getting rid of an
unwanted cat by any method other
than felicide IL provcrbial. The "hom-
Ing" powers OF cats have been the
subject Of many remarkable tales,
some. no doubt. false or exaggerated.
but others indisputable. In the
Scientific Monthly Utica. N. W Prof.
Francis H. Herrick. of Adelbert Col
lege. Cleveland. Ohio. records a series
OF experiments that he carried out
to test these powers.
The first cat used In the expert
ments was born and reared at the
writer's homo. This cat had acquired
tho habit of scratching at a glass door
1T tho rear OF the house when 1t wish
I'd to 60 indoors. AT the. age Of fif-
teen months its banishment was de-
creed. because OF Its hird-killing pro-
clivities. The attempt to put the
sentence into execution is thus de-
scribed:
This cat was taken In q gunny-sack
over an irregular course. mainly by
electric car, down n series OF hills to
= point on tho University Campus in
the city OF Cleveland, as measured
miles from its homo In Cleveland
Heights; there It was given dish of
milk and the liberty OF two rooms,
in one OF whtch window had been
slightly lowered at the top. This was
On the morning OF n Monday, and at
hve o'clock In the afternoon it seemed
to be quite at home in Its new
quarters; on "Wednesday morning,
about forty hours later. II suddenly ap-
reared on the back porch of our
house and gave its usual signal to be
admitted In order to reach its home
this cat had traversed an unknown
country. consisting Of city or subur-
ban streets and allotments, had cross
ed the gulley Of the Belt Line rail-
road, probably by one Of its bridges,
and ascended in the path Of GREATEST
resistance series OF terraces to a
height Of 400 feet. That Its home neigh
borhood could have beer reached by
exploratory movements, Of the trial
and error order, or by chance alone
seemed highly improbable: the only
known facts were that II made a hon.
ing attempt and succeeded.
In the course OF subsequent expert
ments this cat DEFINITELY disappeared,
and II was then decided to make mere
systematic tests with another animal.
The second subject, which belonged to
. neighbor. was a female with Kittens
about ready to be weaned. The con-
ditions OF the experiment were (D to
take the cat under such circumstances
that the possibility of orientation
through sight, hearing and smell
would. in all probab ability. be completely
eliminated: CD TO convey il success
eiveiy in different directions, and
gradually increase the distance a,
each test; and (3) TO release Il at a
uniform time at dusk. IN unknown
territory. In such a manner that il
would be a. free as possible TO obey
whatever homing instinct 1t might
possess.
Seven successive returns were made
by this cat from points varying from
one TO three miles from It's home. on
June 4-e3. she was secured In sack
carried to the release station by mo.
vorcar. and placed under a woodcr
box which was weighted with stones
the box was raised at the moment q
release by a cord operated from :
green observation tent 75-1o0 fee
away; the cat was given It's freedom
at about the same time In the eve
ming, and the box was opened towar,
khe north In every experiment excep
number four. IN which the openill
was to the east. We wished to ascer
tain ID whether the cat would con
tinue 10 return to home and kitten
when taken At varying distances be
Sond its known or probable range: q
Whether under such conditions it woul
orient Immediately and correctly: (s
whether after making a correct or
sentation it would strike of In a al
rect line for its home and pursue ths
course. or whether il would be nlainl
concerned with cover and safety frs
In each case the cats behavior. in
medAtely after her release, was ot
oerved from the distant tent AS a rul
She Immediately headed toward hom
without any attempt TO trace bacl
ward the course taken by the autC
mobile. When she failed TO pursl
taking alarm at the approach Of h,
nan beings or dogs. except IN the Cal
Of her last successful return. In III
case a test was made TO deterrnir
whether the cats ability 20 hnd HI
way home was or was not due
familiarity with the place where sl
N1s released. such as might ha-
been acquired IN the course OF pr
vious rambles-
The cat was put under compile
anaestheAa by chloroform, and Co
veyed by motorcar. as before, one al
one-half miles east by north OF ,
home Somewhere toward q
end Of the journey she recovered fro
the anaesthetic 90 az 10 appear qui
Ahle to take care Of herself when ]
Iout OF the bag. The animal was q
cordingly set free. without using {
blind. in a feld fifty feet from Z
highway She made at once for II
rad. IN a direction opposite that
her home, and would have gone /
yond II but for q gorge which block
her path: then she moved beside I
road. very nearly back-tracking
several rods over the course whi
the automobile had taken. and disa
pearecl In the cover OF bushes.
returned home, as in al the previo
experiments. but only after an
terval Of 60-70 hours; that is, to hol
under these cqpditions from a d
tAnce Of one and one-haf miles, viii
ordinarily was accomplished the sal
NJ In ciO
ten hours. now requirsd eight tin