Evening star., 1945-05-16
This and That
By Charles E. TraceDeu.
CHEVY CHASE, Md

CdEVY CHASE, ND.
Dear Sir:
Il am the owner of pet cat Re-
Gently my cat has taken to killing ami
mails to eat. didn't mind as long as
she kept to mice, but today I found her
with bird.
I'VE try to keep her we'll fed, but with
the present shortage of meat we have
had to feed her only dried dog food
and milk
Can you suggest any way of keeping
her from killing birds without depriving
her of the right to enjoy the yard?
II wouldn't mind belling her, except
that I believe I read in your column
that the only kind of hunter that can
catch birds is the one that crouches and
springs, thus giving the bird no bell
warning until it is caught.
"At least, don't think she plays with
them as SO many cats so cruelty do, or
that she kills them for pure sport and
love of killing as men sometimes do.
In regard to your correspondents
letter on the dangers and difficulties of
rodent tanning, I found a squirrel on
one of the walks in the Zoo that some
one must have tanned. Upon being
offered peanut it took it from my
hand, retired to safe distance of about
feet and ate it. After it repeated this
performance about four times it de-
cided it had had enough and returned
unhurried to its home, the trees.
I'VE have plenty of squirrels in our
own back yard which I never tire of
watching. I could never tame one of
these, however, as my neighbor keeps a
bird feeding station and shoots at thiev-
ing squirrels with BIB gun. If I can't
have these squirrels as my friends, how
ever, I can at least have them for my
entertainers. could never tire of
watching one of the acrobats trying
to climb to the top of our canvas lawn
chairs.
"All of natures children are not the
friends we would like to think them.
Last year pair of nesting birds drove
everything out of the yard, including
dogs and squirrels. For a while they
even flew around the heads of people.
Sincerely yours, j. Nc G."
Frozen horse meat has been the best
solution of the difficult problem of feed
ing pet dogs and cats during wartime.
Both are carnivorous animals, al
though at times one of them will eat
much vegetable matter. Dogs will eat
candy, even, and few cats have been
known to drink orange juice. But as a
general thing both pets need some fresh
meat.
Veterinarians say horse meat should
be cooked for cats, but in our expert
ence we have found that the animals
will eat it readily enough uncooked,
and make good growth on it.
There seems to come time, however,
when the individual animal either re-
fuses to take any more of it, or cannot
hold it. There is nothing to do then
except to discontinue it.
Fish, both raw and cooked, offers a
good solution, particularly for the cat.
Great care should be taken to remove
all bones, particularly the fine ones.
Some cats prefer their fish raw. One
pet owner secures fish heads and stews
up good fishy broth, then pours some
OF this over one of the popular pre-
cooked baby foods. Such broth also
may be used lightly over the dry dog
foods.
There can be little doubt that where
no meat or fish is secured for the
family cat, the pet will turn to catch
ing birds and squirrels. Who, honestly,
can blame them? After all, they are
pure creatures of nature, and their ap-
petites were given them millions Of
Syears ago.
Belling cat is not a bad idea, but
the bell should be on a mere bit of
ribbon which the cat could break if
caught in a shrub.
Birds, after all, are not so helpless
against cats as some persons would
have you believe. Birds and cats have
been living side by side for thousands
of years-and both are still here in
numbers. According to professional cat
haters, there ought to be no birds left.
Wings, as man has found out, give a
living creature a great advantage, and
in times OF attack insure his safety.