. ... The domestic cat; bird killer, mouser and destroyer of wild life; means of utilizing and controlling it. Cats. 15 times brave, sometimes cowardly with dangerous antagonists, but bold and courageous when brought to bay. Naturalists agree that the cat is a highly organized and in- telligent animal. Mivart says that no more complete example can be found of a perfectly organized living being. As compared with the dog, its intelligence is rated lower, but is probably under- rated. The older naturalists assume that nature has destined animals of the genus Felis to subsist on the flesh of other


. ... The domestic cat; bird killer, mouser and destroyer of wild life; means of utilizing and controlling it. Cats. 15 times brave, sometimes cowardly with dangerous antagonists, but bold and courageous when brought to bay. Naturalists agree that the cat is a highly organized and in- telligent animal. Mivart says that no more complete example can be found of a perfectly organized living being. As compared with the dog, its intelligence is rated lower, but is probably under- rated. The older naturalists assume that nature has destined animals of the genus Felis to subsist on the flesh of other animals. For this purpose she has endowed them with an "insatiably bloodthirsty disposition," and has furnished them with most effective means of destruction. Their exceedingly great strength, especially that of the jaw, their keen lacerating teeth, and strong, retractile claws, sharp-edged and pointed, are terribly efficacious in inflicting wounds, while their peculiarly flexible, agile bodies enable them to spring with great force upon their victims. All are regarded as exceedingly cruel, and the domestic cat as per- haps the most cruel of all, because of its habit of tormenting its prey. Cruelty of the Cat. Romanes says that the feelings which prompt a cat to torture a captured mouse are apparently delight in torturing for tor- ture's sake. So far as he has been able to discover, the only other animals manifesting such feelings are man and the This cruelty, however, is not peculiar to Felis domes- tica; probably other small cats have similar habits. Foxes also have been known to "play" with their prey. Moreover, such habits cannot be considered blamable except in man, — the most viciously and knowingly cruel of living crea- tures. The cat evidently cannot realize as man can the poignant pains and terrible sufferings of its victims. Universally, the cat seems to take delight in torturing its prey, but this seems to be its means of developing t


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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcats, bookyear1916