Evening star., 1926-11-28
This and That
BY Charles Z. TracerUeH.

Why cats that easily climb to high
places are afraid to come down again
is explained i'll the following letter:
Dc1T Sir: In your This and That
column recently YOU spoke of the way
IN which young cats will he caught
hlGh in Il tree or ON telephone pole
and be apparently unable TO get down
Will YOU not speak of this again.
telling Your many readers The caus,.
OF ana the remedy for this trouble?
The cause, as YOU. of course. know.
lies in the curve of the eats claws
winch makes ii Impossible tor the cat
to get these claws into the wood so a5
to hold when they are pointed down.
1hc only way Il eat can descend from
Il height is backward
"but apparently instinct does not
teach this ri first. The kitten has run
up short distances from which it can
jump safely and has never tried the.
backing down. Then some day, per
haps chased by Il dog, it climbs high.
II finds some perch where it can
cling and probably enjoys the feeling
OF safety and superiority. Then It lie
cIde$ to come down. 1t turns, and the
ground is q terrifying distance away.
1t attempts cautious downward
step and Immediately finds itself slip
ping, the claws that were so strong
and helpful going up now suddenly
failing it. In its desperate clutching
1t usually manages to catch or some
projection and SO escapes DEATH but
it is now in a panic Of fear. A person
finding himself in deep water for the
first time. not knowing how 70 swim
must have similar feelings. SO the
kitten clingS to- the perch. trembling
ana WalIinE piteousiT, until rescued.
= x i;
"Why does not instinct tell the Kit
ten to turn around and back down
Perhaps this action is not called for
sufficiently in the cats ordinary lif"
to establish it as an instinct. Appar
entity the kitten has to learn q gOod
many things from its mother mostly
by imitation. But an older cat. YOU
will have noticed, keeps turning her
head around to see how near the
ground she is, ana as soon as posi-.
BILE jumps down. Perhaps all the kit
ten sees of its mothers descent Is that
concluding Jump.
"At any rate. it evidently nee,is the
teaching of its human friends. and
this timely training in the art Of
climbing down backward may save
much distress.
The lessons should be given as
soon as the kittens begin their clumsy
Scamperirg out Of doors. Use :; fence
post, clothes post or small tree
something low enough so that the
kitten can't get out of reach if IL be
comes frightened and scampers up
Put the soft little ball of fur on the
post. head up, and let it cling a mo
ment to get the feeling Then very
Eently--for the whole psychology Of
lOGcn1 IN fo1r IN,
nection with the climbinG-very gently
dctach each of the forepaws alter
nately and place # in It's turn lower
down.
sometimes the kitten catches the
idea at once and finishes the descent
by itself. Sometimes II requires an
other lesson or two. When you see
the kitten coming down backward Of
its own accord. YOU know that the
lesson is learned and ono possible
trouble forever prevented.
'NVill YOU please tell your readers
this? We are constant readers Of
YOUR column here. In fact, I think
the paper is bought principally for
that. We enjoy everything you have
written, except. Of course, that column
telling of cat tortures. WS feel our
selves friends Of Jack 81 ratt, who
both resembles and differs from our
own Intelligent cats.
Very truly Yours.
EDNA RAT.TLETT."
X X 4
This interesting and Informative
letter should prove great help to
friends of eats. Every me has notice.
the phenomenon, but few could ex-
plain if So we'll as ~ correspondent
We distinctly remember au old Get
which several times a year v1,uii
climb 70 the highest after in the barn,
and. once there. reInsE0 l4util teh~n
down. This latter process involved
the placing OF a great long ladder am:
the carrying Of the cat a-down the
same
Evidently this cat had not learned
as a kitten the habit Of backing down.
until II was low enough to Jump AS
the kitchen is held. evidently, so IS the
cat inclined.