Evening star., 1947-03-08
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TrGceDell
"CARLTON AVE. NE

=
'Dear Sir:
Some time ago you wrote Of the dam
ger to pets in swallowing broom straws.
Your interesting articles in behalf Of
the speechless creatures warm the
hearts Of all bird and animal lovers.
"As my pets consist OF cat family,
which seem the best kind Of pets for city
dwellers, have been concerned over the
cats who have died with their heads in
fish cans which they could not shake
off. Some people knew missed q pet
cat and later he was found on vacant
lot dead with his head in salmon can.
One of my own cats just escaped SINH
lar fate when I heard cat and can
humping down the cellar steps. found
the cat nearly unconscious at the foot
of the steps, As couldn't get the can off
right away cut the bottom out with
can opener so the cat could get air. I
then shook him out of the can and he
was none the worse for his experience.
1.-THE war taught me what putting
your foot on can will do to it, SO now,
before throwing q can into the trash
I mash the open end so that no animal
can get its head into the can. feel
much easier and hope that no animal
will meet such horrible death through
my negligence.
Yours very sincerely, H. E. j."
- X
Cats have large bumps Of curiosity.
They must necessarily explore things,
often to their hurt, as witness the old
saying, curiosity killed the cat"
The other morning, when snow lay
over everything, including roofs, we
looked over the way, and there prowling
along the roof pole of house was
large tiger cat.
How he got up there was mystery
from our side of the street, but 1t prob
for soon he disappeared, and later we
saw him in the street.
He was as sure-footed up, there on the
situation which might have resulted in
catastrophe.
Could that very word, catastrophe"
be derived from the animals curiosity
and resulting disaster?
No, 1t Is not, but from Greek words
meaning to turn up and down, which
might, after all, fit the daily activities
of cats, since these odd animals find
nothing happier to do than turn q
household upside down, as it were.
They must explore all things new, and
never find dull moment in life. often
being happiest with the simplest play
things, such as string beans and peas.
The desire to eat out of cans is not
the cats prerogative alone, for dogs
also cannot resist the urge, but are COM
monty saved from danger by the size
of their heads.
If cat haters had conspired to make
salmon cans Of the exact size to be
dangerous to cats they could not have
created a more dangerous instrument.
The suggestion Of our correspondent.
to mash all fish cans, is good one, and
no doubt will be carried out by all
friends of these animals.
There was recently in q magazine an
interesting article on nine of the COM
mon dangers which cats run in the
daily life.
There are many more than nine, how
ever, and even their friends cannot
think of them all, or safeguard them
from the common ones, even.
The best that can be done is to use
as much forethought in their behalf as
possible, and to keep close watch on
them. Although they are supposed, in
popular lore, to have nine lives, those
who know and like them best realize
that this is pure hokun. They do, how
ever, often have good fortune, in their
misadyentures, and surprisingly large
number Of times come out whole, or at
least only scratched, hence the idea Of
rany lives. 4