Evening star., 1926-09-05
This and That
Bv Charles T.. TraCeWpH.

Dear Mr.. TraCeWell: ! have read
with much interest Your recent ar
ticle on the proper preparation "f
catnip mouse. Evidently YOU are one
who believes that to get the Creates
enjoyment out OF a cat. one must nave
catnip. But there are so many simpler
ways TO have fun with Il cat. AS
catnip is not always readily obtain
able il occurred to me to set some oi
them down here with the thought
that they may assist you and your
readers to while away many dliil
hour.
some rainy Sunday afternoon, for
instance, when your pipiest pipe ia!iS
YOU. cut four large squares oil paper
Brown wrapping paper Will do. Inyeil
lack SDratt In your lap and tie one OF
the squares of paper TO each OF his
feet. The paper should he tied on
firmly. either with an old piece or
twine or q piece Of ribbon. Ills con
volutions will prove far more enter
tanning than his antics with the cat
nip.
"a still better way tn have run WITH
a cat is To obtain two of them. JACK
Spratt will do for one. and If you
can catch that NANCY yellow one
that's been running up and down the
alley lately. liz will do for the other.
Across the cellar stretch. until II II
taut. q strong hit of wire or clothes
line rope. Tie Jacks tail to the vel
low cats tail. and hang the two oi
them across the wire or rope. 1t VIII
surprise YOU To see what en0S Il CAT
will go to to free himself. They some
times scratch each others eyes out,
but this is all in the game. though
some advocate standing closely by
and shouting Shame. shame. when
that is done.
This undoubtedly requires some
labor. though. and who among us
does not object to labor these hot art
ernoons? Simpler still is 10 fill about
half full of water the bathtuh. The
water should be so high, and no
higher. Throw Jack Spratt into the
water so that he has to swim to keep
from sinking. but notice carefully
that the water is not high enough TO
enable him to climb out over the side
of the bathtub. The game. OF course.
is to keep him swimming ana raining
back when he tries to get out. some
cats are very agile. however. and 1t
is sometimes necessary 10 SnoNe the
cat back just as he IL on the point 0i
climbing ont. When the cat Is nearly
exhausted. lift him out by the tail
take him down in the cellar ana put
him on the edge of the coal bin and
stand off some distance and see II
Won can knock him off with n chunk
of coal. One should make point
of calling in the little boys of the
neighborhOod at this stage OF inc
game. for they always enjoy II I'M
mensely.
There are many other ways of
having fun with a cat that ! might
name. The slng-shot. the air-rihe
fashioning a parachute with an ofd
sheet and throwing the cat on the
roof putting him in closet witn
dog. locking the door and counting
IO6-in fact. there are scores OF
ways TO have fun with cat far rsore
efficacjous than the use OF Catnlp.
They have the additional advantage
of slowly killing the cat. which. on
mature deliberation. is not result
10 be SneeZed at.
Sincerely. B. VI. Mex
4 &
Evidently the writer of the above
letter fondly imagined he was piumn-
ing the depths of cruelty 10 the cst.
In the native goodness or MS heart
the Sabbath day sports ne auNo-
Gates seemed heinouS.
AS a matter VI tOlu lhNts cN'<hA
,rcs on would have seemed like gen
tie slumber 10 the cats Of the Middle
Ages. -
In the Dark Ages "A favorite sport
was TO toss poor Puss into furnace.
wait until she was almost reduced
to iellv. and then allow her TO run
wildly to her anguishing death.
Another bit of fun with the cat
was TO form what was known as
"cat organ" This was sn apparatus
with cats hitched by their taiia To
keys, which. when depressed. caused
such yowling as TO enthrall the null
titude.
Even greater cruelties were prac-
ticed: but We forego their recital.
This is a kinder. happier age for men,
women, children, dogs and cats.
Thank heaven. we never heard of but
one man in Washington who lay In
wait with n golf club to brain wan
dering cats that crossed his yard
sgt %, ~ ell nd 1ryin xof d~t,v L