Evening star., 1947-08-07
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrdceDell.


Actual liking for the dog is very widespread.
and when YOU add to 1t the theoretical fond
ness, which many persons mistake for the
real thing both in themselves and others.
there Is little doubt that this Is the most
popular Of animals.
The tail waggers take all prizes, hands
down. Cats come second, but their admirers
make up in enthusiasm, perhaps for numbers.
Friends OF cats are loyal too, even more
so than dog lovers.
In one particular phase they outdo the dog
admirers
This lies in keeping tab Of all the cats
seen on a trip downtown.
Since most cat friends are home enthusiasts,
too, as BELTS loyal admirers of these odd ami
mails, homebodies every one. this daily count
has peculiar appropriateness
Some friends of cats know every house and
every corner and every store where a cat is
likely to be seen.
It you see some one in bus or car or
streetcar turning around and craning his
neck backward you will know that he is likely
to be looking for a cat.
These animals are habit makers and tend
to come to the same spot every day.
1t may be in a store window, before the
owner has opened up.
There Is an old tortoise shell cat in q GER
tain grocery window
Now some esthetic souls pretend to be deeply
Mortified at the idea Of the grocery store cat
We believe that health inspectors make this
pretense too But the fact is that cat is far far
more likely to be wholesome than the mouse or
rat he is put there to catch.
No one need 60 into stitches over a cat in
food store. There are far more dangerous
animals around!
But be that as 1t may, the grocery cat is
an institution, and the sight OF him, curled
up on an old box-or even in the carrots-is
sure-fire appeal to the friend of cats>
This old tortose-shell cat has never been
they pass, know he is alive, because every
morning he Is In q new place
That IL one Of the charms Of looking for
him, to spot his nightly retrest
The time for looking is brief and the cat
is hard to see. spotted against the many
articles in the store window.
Recently he was seen deity posed against
some large, pale green boxes of soap substi-
tute. He looked very handsome there
-
There Is a certain corner on the way down
where a bank has been held in place by
long steps of concrete topped by an iron
railing.
On these steps" the neighborhood cats like
to repose.
Dog lovers might think these large cats
were just admiring the scenery. as they sit
about SO feet apart. on their separate steps,
WIN Lnelr paws 1oided under them.
Nothing of the sort, the cat admirer knows.
That repose is just the sign of momentary
truce. Those cats. he realizes, are getting
ready to put on q fight.
He hopes 1t will begin as he goes by. After
all there is nothing more exciting, to the friend
Of these creatures, than a good cat fight
The conversational exchange sometimes going
on for hours. is part of the fight. Cats are
extremely human even swearing at each
other. A dog fight Is a brief, hysterical and
uproarious affair, often involving a whole
neighborhood. but a cat fight may go on all
Gay If you include the preliminaries, as you
must.
The downtown cat is always sure to excite
the sympathy of the kind hearted. It's life is
bounded by stone and brick and in the end
unless 1t is fortunate. lies the hard fate of
urban living being run over.
Along busy I street kitten, not more than
inches long. sits crouched down at the
edge of the walk. The cat friend turns eyes
away. but when he takes last look the kitten
| Is still there.
These adaptable animals have made good
| from the deserts of Africa to the shores OF
| the Arctic Circle. They are home wherever man
| Is. and share his good times and his bad
| The dog may make more noise in the world
but the cats meow is far reaching.