Evening star., 1948-01-02
This and That
BIZ Charles +. TracetueH

TO bell or not to bell the cat-that Is the
question confronting . resident Of Garrison
street.
It may not seem q momentous matter, In
comparison with soul-shaking international
questions.
It partakes, however Of the two sides Of
every problem, the theoretical and the practi-
cal. This column has no knowledge Of the
practical side Of putting q collar with bells on
the household cat. We do not bell them. We
do not like to write about matters in which We
have no direct personal experience. But, as
and 1t is the theoretical.
In theory, the cat is the freest animal in the
world. It should wear no mans collar, and
certainly not his bells.
Courts have recognized the right of the >cat
to 60 where he pleases. Mere dogs may be
restrained by .edict from crossing . neighbor's
yard but not the cat.
In law he even has no owner.
His status as about the freest thing on legs
makes 1t impossible for the honest friend of
the cat tribe to contemplate belling him.
This is all very pretty" say some cats We
know, "but how about cats that are prisoners
in ZOOS grocery stores and homes"
This is true. But here again theory comes
in. They are held in protective custody, that
is all.
Actually they should be free to roam at will
It has been decided for varying reasons not to
permit this. Some Of these reasons are good
others not so good. The seni-imprisonment of
a few does not alter the rule that most cats are
free creatures.
Putting a collar and bell on . cat is often
suggested when some one complains OF an ami
NAL catching birds.
Actually, we belive 1t seldom is done. Per-
sonally, we have had two eyes open for every
cat that came within range for many years.
-
them. Nor have we heard the tinkle of bell.
This idea Of belling the cat is an old folk
idea more honored in the mind than on the
cat, evidently It is something to talk about
and to suggest to others, but probably very
little done. It Is usually coupled with the idea
that q cat wearing collar may get caught in
bushes and hang itself. We wonder how many
cats have ever met this dire fate II any reader
has any real knowledge Of such events, we
would be glad to have it. Certainly there is
chance Of such an untoward event. It is for
this reason that some persons, in advocating
the belling Of cat, suggest the use Of elastic,
which Of itself should not be very tight
Leather and other unyielding materials, even
red ribbon bows, should never be used, except
indoors, and then only for short time, be-
cause there is some danger even here, and
above all such decorations make the cat feel as
if heas were crawling on it.
*x* +
The question gets back, in the last analysis.
to the birds. The bells are intended to warn
the birds, but who tells the birds what the
bells mean?
In other words, one who has watched birds
and cats in nature knows that 1t is only
single cat, now and then, who is real bird
killer Such a cat may need q. bell, but no
doubt he, with feline craftiness, will know how
to creep and spring without ringing his bell
too loudly.
The birds are not ounces They have lived
in nature for thousands of years with cats, and
have not lost as many Of their children to cat
kind as to mankind
They are able to take care Of themselves,
and more often do so than some no doubt
well-intentioned person would have you be-
lieve. The way some people 60 on about birds
and cats, you would think these creatures were
comparatively recent inventions
The modern garden, with its bird feeding
station, Is part OF nature, too. The law Of
the jungle, no matter how much we try to
blink 1t, holds good there, too. We who sit at
the window and look out, must undoubtedly
try to protect our birds, but we do not want to
be foolish about IT, good cat can have
good bird. now and then. It is the law, and not
all our piety and wit-nor our bells-can wipe
out word Of it. The free-fiying birds and
free-stepping cats must sometime laugh ut the
way humans 60 on. They are natural. We
must try to be.