MORE CATS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:] SIR,—If you and your readers are not already "weary o' cats," allow me to give you, from personal knowledge, a few facts which indicate both affection and benevolence, and a high degree of intelligence in the feline race, premising that my acquaintance has been chiefly amongst French Cats, and they appear to me a finer race than the domestic cats in England. One fine young tiger-streaked cat, that belonged to a family in Normandy, was more of a wild animal than cats in general. He would go out hunting and get his own living in the woods for days together, and had been seen catching fish in a shallow stream. Yet he would return to his master and follow him about for hours whilst at his work in the garden, regardless of the weather. This gardener had a tame jackdaw, and the two pets were at first jealous of each other ; it was amusing to see them watching to circumvent each other, each trying to spring upon the other ; but their master succeeded by training and feeding them together to make them excellent friends. They became constant com- panions, the bird perching on the cat, and neither would take his breakfast without the other.
My next tuxivaintauce was a Parisian, long-haired and full- tailed, something like a Persian cat, and as conscious of her own beauty as any drawing-room belle. She had been taught to fetch and carry like a dog, and was particularly proud of the accom- plishment. One day a stranger passing caught up the ball which the cat's mistress had thrown, and tossed it on. The cat ran in pursuit, but coming back, was in a dilemma, and hesitated whether to give it to her mistress or to the lady who had last thrown it.
But the cat of cats was a tortoiseshell, sixteen years old when I made her acquaintance, as I was assured by her owner, who had had her from kittenhood. She was getting fat and lazy, yet she would not only follow him about the garden when he was at work, even in cold weather, in preference to lying on her warm mat by the fireside, but would catch birds as he had trained her to do, without ruffling a feather of their plumage, and bring them to
him in triumph alive and unhurt, and showing great pride in the feat. When a pony was added to the establishment the cat imme- diately made friends with him, and frequented the stable, often taking her place on the pony's back. But the most extraordinary thing was the attachment she formed for a young dog that was given to one of the inmates of the household, and the sympathy she showed for him when he was beaten. There was a wide kitchen chimney where wood was burnt, as usual in French country houses ; Carlo was very fond of getting into the ashes, but this was strictly forbidden, and a switch was kept in the chimney-corner to chastise him with when he transgressed. This stick frequently disappeared in an unaccountable manner, till at last it was dis- covered, by ocular demonstration, that the old cat carried it off and hid it, to prevent the punishment of her friend.
Who can say there was not benevolence as well as affection developed in this animal ? and I believe that cats are generally quite capable of indefinite improvement, when pains are taken for the purpose ; but in this country their education is neglected, and they are suffered to grew up lazy and self-indulgent, as you have ventured to characterize them in your interesting paper.—I am,
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