Evening star., 1948-11-09
This and That
By Charles Z. TracetDell
tx STREET.

tx STREET
Dear Sir:
What can do to protect q kitten I have
recently installed in the house?
I'm the news columns see articles from
time to time declaring that home is more
dangerous for adults than the highways.
II thought home might be worse Tor small
cat. If there are any general precautions I
can take to protect this mite would appre-
ciate knowing about them.
sincerely, NJ J. p"
**
Cats are queer animals.
They give their owners pleasure by the most
absurd actions, such as sticking the tongue
out.
A cat, when it sticks its tongue out, leaves
1t out
That is where the comedy comes in, and
the four-legged one is all unconscious of what
1t Is doing.
There remains that red tip of q tongue
stuck out for ell to zee, while the solemn
eyes Of green or yellow see nothing absurd
at all in the situation.
Cats have their own ways Of showing pleas
ure, In addition to their most famous one Of
purring.
Most Of them cease to purr when eating
but now and then there will be q specimen
intake. proving beyond peradventure that the
purr Is not done with the throat, but with
the nose.
Care of the small kitten begins with remov-
ing from intake all such articles as coins,
pins, needles, pieces Of string and wool, broom
StrawS and steel WOOL
There is fairly inclusive list Cats of all
ages, but especially kittens, are Just like
children in this respect.
Everything goes down the hatch.
1t is questionable, however, whether even
the smallest baby would eat piece of string
or 3 feet long.
Cats will do just that.
Once the string dangled for them gets
to going down 1t keeps on going down. and
unless the owner has been warned against
this he or she will not realize anything out
of the ordinary is taking place.
Steel wool, the common kitchen article, Is
infinitely worse.
1t seems to appeal to most cats. Perhaps
they think it strange sort of grass.
At any rate, they eat it, and once down its
sharp ends begin to play havoc with the crea-
lures insideS.
Unlike fur. which rolls up into balls and
"comes up." the steel wool is not so easily
handled by the animal.
y
Broom straws, from the common household
instrument. are perhaps the worst of all.
These are easily nipped of, and once down.
usually stay down.
think the cat has worms, since they are coated
with mucus and resemble the unwanted para
sites. Only an animal physician can tell the
difference.
The common ironing board offers great
| danger to q kitten.
Leaned up against the wall, the heavy board
may be toppled over IS the skitten gets be-
| hind it.
The board easily kills the small animal.
Care should be taken, therefore, to keep all
brooms standing on the handle end, with
| straws high in the air; to keep all ironing
boards III closets and to be sure all steel wool
| Is covered.
One place steel wool is used is in the outlet
| Of gas stoves.
A kitten can easily get up there and nibble
steel wool. An inverted bowl Is best kept
over 1t.
Care must always be taken not to step on a
small kitten, but there is something else, too;
| do not sit down In q chair especially in the
dark, without frst feeling to see If the animal
is there!
These are some Of the precautions that must
be taken to protect kitten in the house.