G. A. Puckett

“ He will get into the box and wash their faces just like the mother cat. Betty does not forget Blue Bell as her first baby. She is almost two years old now, but Betty washes her face and ears every day just like she did when Blue Bell was a little kitten.
Betty is very fond of going down to the lake and catching craw-fish for the kittens. She will sit near the water until a craw-fish comes in sight near the edge and then with one grab she has it. She always catches them by the back so they cannot pinch her with their sharp pinchers. ”

“ Betty expects a treat of good meat on Saturday. When the lady gets home from town Betty always goes to the hand bag and smells for meat. If she finds none she will go back to her box and lie down greatly disappointed. If she smells the meat then she sits upon her hind feet begging for it and is not satisfied until she and the kittens have the special Saturday treat.
When the lady goes to the mail box for mail Betty always desires to go along. She climbs the post and looks into the box when her mistress opens it but she has never learned to carry the mail to the house. ”

“ This he greatly enjoys, but little does he realize that many poor kittens which have no homes have to sleep out in the cold. Many times they go to bed on the cold ground and their little ears freeze because they cannot keep warm.
One of the greatest delights of this kitten is to play with a little rubber ball which was bought for him. He will chase it from room to room, like playing with a mouse. He makes it roll by striking it with his feet or jumping at it. One day the ball rolled under the pantry door and the mistress heard Snooks meowing but did not go to see what he wanted. ”

“ When baby kittens were born in the neighborhood Pete was always one of the first visitors and took charge of the kittens along with the mother cat. He would fight for the baby kittens and protect them with his own life. No mother cat was afraid to leave her kittens in charge of Pete because they all knew his daring spirit and courageous nature.
After the death of the kind mistress Pete missed her very much. He missed her loving caresses and the good meals which she always provided for him. ”

“ One of the neighbors had a big cat next door, but Dump would never let him come through the yard fence if he saw him. He must have been a [28] little selfish but probably it was because he loved his mistress more than other kittens.
Many times Dump would go to the woodshed and watch for mice. He nearly always caught one and he loved to play with it for hours at a time before eating it. One hot summer day he played too long and it cost him his life for he became overheated and died in just a little while. The little girl did everything she could for him but could not save his life. ”

“ It is often a good thing to have a cat that will catch mice, but sometimes it proves very fatal as mice are often poisoned and thrown out or die where the kittens can find them. Sammy was not allowed to eat meat either, especially raw meat. Feeding raw meat has proven very costly to many valuable cats as it has made them of vicious or cross disposition. ”

“ Sometimes Frank or one of the clerks would give him a small paste board box and tell him to lie down in it. He would turn ’round and ’round in it until the sides were mashed and then he would lie down on the flat piece of the box. Sometimes they would give him a very small pill box and he would try to get into it. He would walk all around it and at last would lie down on top of it.
As the years went by Tiger became the pet of all who knew him. His master grew to be a young man but the close friendship with the kitten always existed. Tiger never failed to receive good meals and kind treatment. ”

“ Almost any kitten is satisfied to have a good place to sleep and plenty to eat. There is another thing most kittens like, and that is kind treatment. They like to be petted and loved as well as being cared for with home and food.
After leaving Chicago, Mack moved to Kansas City with his kind mistress. ”

“ His fur was striped like a tiger and in the show he received first prize as the best tiger cat shown. He also won first prize as a stray, but to receive the premium his master had to take three witnesses before a notary public and make affidavit that Jimmie was found in the alley and that no one knew of his birth or his pedigree. After receiving these prizes Jimmie’s master thought more of him than ever. He attracted much attention in his home town, too, when the news went out that Jimmie had won first at tiger and stray. ”

“ Mitch was a beautiful Persian kitten and lived in Kansas City, Missouri. City kittens do not have such large playgrounds as kittens on the farm for many times they are kept in the house almost all the time. There are many dangers for kittens outside in the big cities, too. Some one may steal them and take them away from their homes or they may get run over by the cars and big trucks.
A little girl whose name was Mitchell gave the kitten to the lady who told me this story. ”

“ Betty goes with her mistress every morning and looks into all the nests. If she finds eggs in the nests she will wait until her mistress takes them out. If she looks into a nest and finds no eggs she goes on to the next. In this way Betty helps her mistress every evening. ”

“ At night he slept in the basement of the store. He kept the store free from mice, as he was a good mouser. He was well cared for, too, as he had plenty to eat of everything that he liked which the store furnished.
Because of kind treatment and plenty to eat the kitten grew very [38] rapidly and made a large cat when fully grown. Many months before his death he weighed thirteen or fourteen pounds and was always fat and sleek. So many poor, wretched cats that have no home could be more like Thomas if people would give them a home and treat them kindly. ”

“ Sometime during each day Snooks has a big romp from room to room. He has learned to run fast and then jump on little rugs and slide on the floor. Many times a day these rugs have to be straightened and put back [21] into place. On cold nights he is allowed to sleep in the house on a little bed which is all his own. ”

“ His fur was scorched a little but he was not seriously burned. The mother said that five minutes more and the blaze would have been beyond control and would have made its way into the little girl’s bedroom. She feels that Mack saved her daughter’s life by calling for her to open the door.
When the lady and her daughter moved from Albany, New York, to Chicago, they did not leave Mack behind. He moved with them as one of the family and lived for a long [14] time in a boarding house in the big city. There are so many kittens that do not get to travel over the country ”

“ No doubt you have seen such kittens along the roads or on the streets. Sometimes they will go for miles in search of food and home. In cities and towns they will go from house to house or to the stores in search of scraps of food to eat. ”