Evening star., 1946-12-26
This and That,
BIZ Charles E. TracetDeH.

A correspondent wants to know the
best temperature for house cats.
This is a subject seldom touched upon
in any of the many recent books about
these animals.
The best temperature from the cat
standpoint?
Sixty-six degrees is it.
When house is at Sc degrees, cats
become frolicsome kittens again.
Even old ones will caper prance and
cavort, to the astonishment OF their
human friends.
This is sight the cat lover must see
to appreciate.
Old cats become used to living in
certain way Their habits are perfectly
fixed. They have sets of routines, which
they vary, carrying through one for a
couple of weeks, then another, and so on
For instance, an elderly cat will seek
the same bed for time. No other
place in the mouse will do.
The softest bed will leave it cold. 1t
goes to cold corner, but is satisfied.
Then, without warning, it abstains
from the corner, and takes to the bed,
or maybe the top Of the dining room
table.
Perhaps it is not strange that ftirred
animal should like lower temperature
than that preferred by human beings
who have been used to central heating,
as the English call it.
It is normal for it, but since house
cats live so closely allied with humans,
they have come to be looked upon, at
least by their admirers, as almost hui
man, as, indeed, they are, in many
ways.
All cats are determined, often stub
born, but some of them are more stub
born than others.
We know one black and white fellow
who can be deferred from some act he
has in mind, but the moment outside
pressure is released he goes right back
again.
Cats resemble humans in wanting
their own way. Unlike dogs, they are
not servile, seldom fawn in any sense,
and enjoy life in their own way, not
ours.
The ordinary American house tenn
perature tends to make these animals
sluggish.
If any cat friend questions this, just
let him lower the room temperature to
at least 66 degrees-wartirf1e tempera-
ture-and keep it there for time.
If he owns cat, he will see an un-
questionable bettering of spirit. Just
how much lower would be beneficial is
difficult to say, since the human ele-
ment in the scene ought to have some
thing to say about it, too.
/, But cat friends will understand that
the domestic Puss in. Boots is not hot
house plant, as they sometimes may
have imagined. "a
The fur is real fur, though soft.
There is both an outer and an inner
coat, each combining with the other 10
insulate the animal.
Those who let their cats run loose
will do well to understand that it is not
: cold which might injure them SO mucn
as wetness.
Rain and snow are bad for house cats,
no matter the temperature, since the
tendency is to let them remain in the
wet too long, and to fail to dry their
feet, head and chest when they come
in. Such drying is difficult at best.
Distemper, something akin to infiu-
enza in humans, and lobar pneumonia
lie in wait for the unwary cat and owner
who violate this rule
Real friends OF cats sometimes lnag-
inc their pets cannot stand low house
temperature, even when they have to.
It may be good for all such persons to
realize that basically the house cat IS
wild animal, though living with man and
sharing some of his habits. century
after century.