Cat Christening in New York Society.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue I, 5 July 1902, Page 59

Cat Christening in New York Society.

New York society, has found a new diversion. This time it is a cat christening which has been introduced to the smart set. The eat christening is the most absolutely new thing in New York society and in novelty it surpasses the ilonkey party, known to fame, the "looking backward” dance, or the vegetable entertainment, or pingpong. Naturally the first requirement for a eat christening is a cat, and it must be a young cat to which a name has not been officially attached. Then there must be godfathers and go i mothers, one of each for each cat to be christened. Next in line comes the minister or whoever may be selected to say the ceremony. With these assistants any society' woman can have a cat christening, but the real success of the event depends largely upon the ingenuity’ of the hostess in providing entertainment for her g-uests. For her cat christening a leading New York beauty, Mrs Comfort, sent to the choicer spirits of her large acquaintance postal cards, on which were sketched in ink two large eyes, beneath which was the date of the affair. To the initiated the eyes meant "looking for you.” Mrs Comfort had two kittens, and one was dignified with the name of Punch, while the other was christened Judy. "1 called them Punch and Judy merely because I liked the names,’ Mrs Comfort said in explaining the somewhat Undignified titles that she affixed to her pets. There were two godfathers and two godmothers, and the christening ceremony consulted, some little time. After it was over Judy went through the most startling experience of her young life. Her ears were pierced by six young physicians numbered among the guests, and a pair of screw diamond earrings were presented to her. At the conclusion of 'tne grave function the guests played ping-pong, and the thing wound up with a cake walk. “Judy is not the firs, eat to which I have given earrings,” said Mrs Comfort. “Several years ago, when travelling in California, I saw a cat in a San Francisco theatre with tassels in its ears. It looked too pretty for anything, and I decided then and there that when 1 returned to St. Louis I would have my cat’s ears pierced. “I got a darning needle and a cork when I returned. It took four people to pierce my cat’s ears. First we put on gloves to make us as pawproof as possible. Then we wrapped the pussyup in a sack, all but his head, and while three of us held him a gentleman punctured his ears with a darning- needle, using the cork as a background. "Did he cry? Well, he did scream a little when he saw the blood dropping from the holes, but he behaved ■in a manlier, or perhaps 1 had better say catlier, manner than 1 expected. "1 had a hard t in? getting the ear rings, for jewellers seemed scarcely to believe me when 1 said 1 wanted diamonds for my cat. But in the end one of them did not object to making a fair profit at my expense.” Mrs Comfort’s unique entertainment was as catty as could have been wished. She had cat favours for the cake walk, among them being black eat calendars, ornamented with biack velvet cats. The ices, too, were in cat shape.