ON CATS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3830, 9 August 1927, Page 66

ON CATS.

Stately, kindly, lordly friend. Condescend Here to sit by me and turn Glorious eyes that smile and burn — Golden eyes, love's lustrous meed, On the golden page I read. All your wondrous wealth of hair, Dark and fair. Silken, shaggy, soft, and bright As the clouds and beams of night, Pays my reverent hand s caress Back with friendlier gentleness. Dogs may fawn on all and some As they come : You, a friend of loftier mind. Answer friends alone in kind. •Just your foot upon my hand Softly bids it understand. The above verses are the first three of a poem addressed ”To My Cat ” by Algernon Swinburne, one of the many famous men who have been cat-lovers. Swinburne’s cat evidently was an aristocratic Persian, but common cats of no market value may be as deserving of affection as their distinguished and highlypriced relations. And given fair conditions of life, the cat is nearly always a beautiful creature; graceful, dainty in its ways; an ideal house pet. In last month's “ Cosv Corner” symposium on ”My Animal Friends ’’ many of the writers praised cats, and gave instances of their affection and intelligence. One writer said cats were her favourites among animals, and in a note to her letter I said they were mine, too.

I do not mean by this that I rate the cat more highly than the dog, which is par excellence the friend of man. The natural qualities of the dog, developed as they have been by ages of breeding and training, enable it to serve man and to be his comrade in ways that a cat cannot be. And I think that the one dog I have possessed in my life was more to me than any of my cats have been —or than all but one. It is difficult to compare affections. The dog is more teachable and obedient than the cat, and usually manifests higher moral qualities and more devoted attachment for its owner than a cat does. ‘ Still, as “ Eve” and other Witness contributors maintained, and as 1 have experienced myself, the cat possesses in far greater fiegree 'what we may call moral virtues—affection, constancy, and self-devotion —than it is commonly given credit for. Many years ago I read (from a town library) a little book by an English lady entitled ‘‘ The Soul of the Cat.” which I should much like to meet with again. This lady had possessed and loved manv dogs of various kinds as well as cats, but she gave the palm for affection and constancy to one pet cat, a Persian. I think, which also showed very high intelligence. The cat is specially adapted to be the pet and companion of sedentary people, and this doubtless goes a long wav to explain why so many literary men have been cat-lovers. A cat, when its frolicsome kittenhood is past, is ouiet and unobtrusive; it loves to sit by its friend, or sit on his knee, but is not demonstrative, and makes no noise in the house. It can be easily kept in small town homes and even in flats ; while dogs would usually make trouble by harking and suffer from insufficient exercise. It is thus specially adapted to be the household pet and companion of the ordinary woman. Yet I have met with so many women who dislike cats, and have known and heard of so manv men who are. very fond of them. that I begin to think men more than women discern and appreciate the cat-'s good qualities and vmces. Those who dislike cats have a long list ’of accusations to make against them.

They are thievish, greedy, selfish, with no real affection for their owners ; above all, they are cruel. Look at a cat playing with a mouse! They are tricky and spiteful—has not the term “ cattjshness ” become a synonym for feminine" meanness and spitefulness ’ As to the charge of cruelty, it always seems to ijm sheer unreason and indeed impudence for us humans to stigmatise any animal as cruel. Think how we often treat the animals that spend their lives in our service.. Think of the cruelties of sport and of fashion. And we have reason to understand the nature of our actions, which animals have not.

A friend lately- told me, in reference to the charge of cruelty brought against cats, that she asked a gentleman who made it how he could condemn a cat for the cruelty of playing with a mouse while he delighted in rlaying hooked trout. But he could not be brought to see that it was really he and not the cat that was guiltv of cruelty. The higher animals have both benevolent and malevolent impulses, but they are not guilty when they yield to the latter as human beings would be, because they have nothing like the reasoning faculties and powers of self-direction of the normal civilised person. They do indeed reason to a certain extent, as we may infer when we study their conduct, but their reasoning and moral qualities are far less developed than ours. No rational person condemns a dog for worrying sheep as he would condemn a sane man who wantonlv killed and tortured, though ho will feel it necessary to shoot the dog. There is a natural purpose underlying this alleged cruelty of the cat, as there is in most of the cruelty, or seeming cruelty, of Nature. The cat in its wild state lives on small and active creatures. It does not- run its prey down, like the dog or the wolf, but lies in wait, and captures by sudden spring. It must be very agile, quick and sure of eye and muscle. Playing with a mouse or a wounded bird that cannot fly far gives it the practice that keeps it in training; and the racial instinct persists when the household cat has no need to kill for food. It is chiefly young cats that thus play with their victims, and I have seen a voung greyhound play with a small rabbit in precisely the same way; letting it run a little, then catching it without biting it. rolling it about, letting it go again, and so on.

The cat’s playing instinct is an unpleasing one. and a. humane person will want to put an end to the cat's game, but the cat is not to be blamed. Manv a time I have gently opened a cat’s mouth, and taken away the mouse or bird it was holding. Often the victim would annear quite uninjured. If this was the case with a bird I would let it go ; if it appeared slightly hurt I would keep it a little while to see if it would recover, and the mice I would despatch and give back to pussy. It shows that cats possess a pretty strong retrieving capacity that they persist in bringing their prey into the house when it is liable to be taken away altogether, or killed, and thus deprived of its attractions as a plaything.

I believe in some countries cats are taught to retrieve small animals and birds. There is a story of some English knight or nobleman who was imprisoned and left to starve, but was saved by a cat bringing him through the small window a pigeon every day. I think that, according to the tale, he was after a time released or his punishment mitigated. This may be no truer than manv pleasing legends, but at least it indicates that such action was regarded as consistent with a cat’s nature. As to the cat’s selfishness, greed, and thieving propensities, if you consider the matter fairly I don’t think you will find that compared with other animals the cat has a bad pre-enlinence for these faults. And what of ourselves? How much selfishness enters into our conduct in most relations of life, and alloys our friendship! The cat, indeed, seldom shows the whole-hearted devotion to its owner that many dogs will show. You must treat a cat well if you want it to be fond of you, while the affection of a dog for its master often refuses to be killed by bad treatment if onlj’ the owner shows it a little kindness occasionally. But cats differ, and some evince devoted attachment to their owner. There have been instances of cats as well as dogs that died of grief after the death of a loved owner.

Cats have not a fair chance of showing their full powers and virtues. For instance, many cats delight in following their owners or friends after the manner of a dog; probably most cats would follow one if encouraged to do so. But look at the dangers to which a cat is exposed from dogs and mischievous boys. Cats are seldom taught to do anything. Many people expect them to keep 'themselves, or nearly so, by catching problematical mice and rats, and abuse them if they satisfy their hunger by stealing. At one time when I was living in a country township I was in the habit of going late into town on the Friday and returning the next evening. My two cats very' soon learnt when to expect me back, and would run along the paddocks inside the hedges to nearly opposite the station. Then, when they heard me coming, they would appear to welcome me and escort me home. I am sure they understood what the railway whistle

meant. And constantly in town my cats would follow me a block or two to the pillar box when I went out in the evening to post letters. I love most animals, but I have a special affinity for and sympathy with cats. They- nearly always take to me; only a very few have refused to make friends—and I felt quite hurt by their irresponsivencss. When I was a little girl we used occasionally to pay a short visit

to friends on a farm in the district. They had a house cat which was touchy' and unwilling to be handled because it had once been fired on in some way, and had some pellets of shot embedded in its body. It took to me at once, and liked to lie in my lap. I suppose I was gentler with it than many children would have been.

As to the spitefulness of the cat, when one sees a cat with arched back and bushy tail, spitting and scratching, it certainly looks a picture of malignancy. But usually it has very' good reason, or at all events good excuse, for its offensive attitude. It is quite common for cats to be friendly with dogs. When I had a dog and cat together the cat was perfectly willing to be friendly, but the dog was jealous and always ready- to take the aggressive. One often finds writers who appreciate cats but talk of their aloofness, their mysterious ways, and so on. People speaking thus are probably influenced by the sacredness of the cat in its ancient Egypt and its supposed connection with witches. To me there is nothing mysterious or .alien to ourselves about the cat. I regard it as a highly organised, sensitive, and intelligent creature that responds readily to kindness and affection, and is particularly liable to meet with cruel usage.