Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-11-01
This and That
By Charles Il. TraceweU

The famous Saturday cat chat appeared
only on that day at Eleventh. and Pennsyl-
vania avenue) now appears to have moved
up the thoroughfare.
M. R.. writing from the Munsey Building,
says the animal has changed his appear
ance dates however. and is seen on Mon
days. Wednesdays and Fridays.
He is somewhat fnicky in his eating
tastes, too.
He has plain tastes. writes M. R. IT
bought him hamburger and some creamy
silver dish. In lieu Of q saucer.
"Our friend didn't relish the hamburger,
and he spurned cream in q silver dish.
This morning he was quite pleased with
cold water in paper cup"
You never can tell about the cat appetite.
Dogs will eat almost anything. rs fond
owners know. sometimes to their dismay.
Pampered cats are as touchy. when It
comes to food, as the worst spoiled young
ster.
One prefers salmon. but will not eat 1t
II offered 80 minutes beyond his deadline.
One will drink few drops Of orange
juice, but turn up his nose at cream.
Another likes half cream, half milk, while
. third will taste only milk.
And that not too often.
Downtown cats. unused to luxury foods
may not eat what 4 kind-hearted person
offers because they do not recognize it as
food.
This is an odd fact. The cat is 80 accus-
toned to scraps that q new food Is not
known for what 1t Is.
The same often happens with q WELL
cared-for cat. but one which, for one reason
or another. has never been offered . GER
tain food.
Thus some cats. even In homes where
they are members Of the family, will not eat
liver, mainly because they have never tasted
liver.
It may be realized what puzzle q new
food is to the downtown cat, which at long
last runs across 1t.
Thus many Of them will not eat salmon,
even II brought to them fresh from the
can. and wrapped in glazed paper.
Once upon time there was q mother
cat living in hole in the wall just OF F
street.
A passerby, with soft spot for CATS no.
ticed her. and next day brought paper Of
salmon, which was gratefully received.
This was continued for several days. but
one day the animal refused to touch the
food.
The only explanation the man could
think up was that the cat had full amount
Of the uncanny intelligence of her tribe,
and knew that If she ate too much
she would grow fat and could not get In
and out Of her den.
Take that as one will, the fact remains
that cats, both downtown and pets in good
homes, have their own individual food
habits.
It is difficult. in watching animals eat, to
believe that they know anything about
psychosomatic medicine, the modern med
ical cult that says many diseases are caused
by our thinking.
Cats eat on schedule, when they can,
just as human beings do. Yet no one would
accuse them Of eating to escape from con-
ditions they do not like.
What happens Is that the food passes out
Of the stomach in q certain time. and then,
Just as with human beings, they feel q
sense Of emptiness and prefer to have that
full feeling.
It is easy to accuse q human who eats
"all the time" Of seeking escape from some
worry. but few would SO accuse q cat.
If the cat cannot be so accused candid
mind may be forgiven for believing that
psychosomatic medicine has made too much
Of its findings.
Men and brute animals. rs we call the
latter, are very much alike, and In nothing
30 much as In their eating habits. The
great difference lies In rawness or prepara-
ton. We do not like our food Ia silver
dishes, just rs the Saturday cat did not.
Most Of us prefer china. II we can get It,
lust ~ hs would, perhaps. o. would hef