Chapter VI: Part 6

"A recent writer in the new edition of the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' (art. _Cat_) expresses the opinion that the wild cat still exists in Wales and in the north of England, but gives no proof of its recent occurrence there. From time to time we see reports in the newspapers to the effect that a wild cat has been shot or trapped in some out-of-the-way part of the country; but it usually turns out to be a large example of the domestic cat, coloured like the wild form. It is remarkable that when cats in England are allowed to return to a feral state, their offspring, in the course of generations, show a tendency to revert to the wild type of the country; partly, no doubt, in consequence of former interbreeding with the wild species when the latter was common throughout all the wooded portions of the country, and partly because the light-coloured varieties of escaped cats, being more readily seen and destroyed, are gradually eliminated, while the darker wild type is perpetuated. The great increase in size observable in the offspring of escaped domestic cats is no doubt due to continuous living on freshly-killed, warm-blooded animals, and to the greater use of the muscles which their new mode of life requires. In this way I think we may account for the size and appearance of the so-called 'wild cats' which are from time to time reported south of the Tweed.

"Perhaps the last genuine wild cat seen in England was the one shot by Lord Ravensworth at Eslington, Northumberland, in 1853;[A] although so recently as March, 1883, a cat was shot in Bullington Wood, Lincolnshire, which in point of size, colour, and markings was said to be quite indistinguishable from the wild _Felis catus_. Bullington Wood is one of an almost continuous chain of great woodlands, extending from Mid-Lincolnshire to near Peterborough. Much of the district has never been preserved for game, and keepers are few and far between; hence the wild animals have enjoyed an almost complete immunity from persecution. Cats are known to have bred in these woods in a wild state for generations, and there is no improbability that the cat in question may have descended directly from the old British wild cat. Under all the circumstances, however, it seems more likely to be a case of reversion under favourable conditions from the domestic to the wild type.

[A] "Trans. Tyneside Nat. Field Club," 1864, vol. vi. p. 123.

"In Ireland, strange to say, notwithstanding reports to the contrary, all endeavours to find a genuine wild cat have failed, the so-called 'wild cat' of the natives proving to be the 'marten cat,' a very different animal.

"We thus come back to the question with which we started, namely, the question of origin of the domestic cat; and the conclusion, I think, at which we must arrive is, that although _Felis catus_ has contributed to the formation of the existing race of domestic cats, it is not the sole ancestor. Several wild species of Egyptian and Indian origin having been ages ago reclaimed, the interbreeding of their offspring and crossing with other wild species in the countries to which they have been at various times exported, has resulted in the gradual production of the many varieties, so different in shape and colour, with which we are now familiar."

Before quitting the subject, I would point to the fact that when the domestic cat takes to the woods and becomes wild, it becomes much larger, stronger, and changes in colour; and there can be little doubt that during the centuries of the existence of the cat in England there must have been numberless crosses and intercrosses, both with regard to the _males_ of the domestic cat as with wild _females_, and _vice versa_; yet the curious fact remains that the wild cat still retains its peculiar colouring and form, as is shown by the skins preserved in the British Museum and elsewhere.

Mr. Darwin, in his "Voyage of the Beagle," 1845 (p. 120), in his notes of the first colonists of La Plata, A.D. 1535, says, among other animals that he saw was "the common cat altered into a _large_ and _fierce_ animal, inhabiting the rocky hills," etc.

Another point on which I wish to give my impressions is the act of the cat in what is termed "sharpening its claws." Mr. Darwin notes certain trees where the jaguars "_sharpen their claws_," and mentions the scars were of different ages; he also thought they did this "_to tear off the horny points_." This, I believe, is the received opinion among naturalists; but I differ _entirely_ from this view of the practice. It is a fact, however, and worthy of notice, that all cats do so, even the domestic cat. I had _one_ of the legs of a kitchen table entirely torn to pieces by my cats; and after much observation I came to the conclusion that it has nothing whatever to do with _sharpening_ the claws, but is done to stretch the muscles and tendons of the feet so that they work readily and strongly, as the retraction of the claws for lengthened periods must tend to contract the tendons used for the purpose of extending or retracting; therefore the cats fix the points of their claws in something soft, and bear downwards with the whole weight of the body, simply to stretch and, by use, to strengthen the ligatures that pull the claws forward. It is also to be noted that even the domestic cat goes to one particular place or tree to insert the claws and drag forward the muscles--perhaps even in the leather of an arm-chair, a costly practice. Why one object is always selected is that they may not betray their presence by numerous marks in the neighbourhood, if wild, to other animals or their enemies. I have mentioned this to my brother, John Jenner Weir, F.L.S., and he concurs with me throughout.

I find in Strutt's "Sports and Pastimes" that of the names applied to companies of animals in the Middle Ages, several are still in use, though many have become obsolete; and also a few of the beasts have ceased to exist in a wild state. Some were very curious, such as a _skulk_ of foxes, a _cete_ of badgers, a _huske_ or _down_ of hares, a _nest_ of rabbits, and a _clowder of cats_, and a _kindle of young cats_. Now cats are said to _kitten_, and rabbits _kindle_.

The following shows the value of the cat nearly a thousand years ago; it is to be found in Bewick's "Quadrupeds": "In the time of Hoel the Good, King of Wales, who died in the year 948, laws were made as well to preserve as to fix the different prices of animals; among which the cat is included, as being at that period of great importance, on account of its scarcity and utility.

"The price of a kitten, before it could see, was fixed at one penny; till proof could be given of its having caught a mouse, twopence; after which it was rated at fourpence, which was a great sum in those days, when the value of specie was extremely high. It was likewise required that it should be perfect in its sense of hearing and seeing, should be a good mouser, have its claws whole, and, if a female, be a careful nurse. If it failed in any of these good qualities, the seller was to forfeit to the buyer a third part of its value. If any one should steal or kill a cat that guarded the Prince's granary, he was either to forfeit a milch ewe, her fleece and lamb, or as much wheat as when poured on the cat suspended by its feet (its head touching the floor), would form a heap high enough to cover the tip of the former." Bewick remarks: "Hence we may conclude that cats were not originally natives of these islands, and from the great care taken to improve the breed of this prolific creature, we may suppose were but little known at that period."

I scarcely think this the right conclusion, the English wild cat being anatomically different. In Hone's popular works it is stated that "Cats are supposed to have been brought into England from the island of Cyprus by some foreign merchants, who came hither for tin." Mr. Hone further says: "Wild cats were kept by our ancient kings for hunting. The officers who had charge of these cats seem to have had appointments of equal consequence with the masters of the king's hounds; they were called _Catatores_."

Beaumont and Fletcher in _The Scornful Lady_ allude to the hunting of cats in the line,

"Bring out the _cat-hounds_, I'll make you take a tree."

But although large and ferocious, the wild cat was not considered a match for some of the lesser animals, for in Salmon's "English Physician," 1693, we read that "The weasel is an enemy to ravens, crows, and _cats_, and although cats may sometimes set upon them, yet they can scarcely overcome them."

Nevertheless, we find in Daniel's "Rural Sports," 1813, that "_Wild cats_ formerly were an object of _sport_ to huntsmen. Thus, Gerard Camvile, 6 John, had special licence to hunt the hare, fox, and wild cat, throughout all the King's _forests_; and 23 Henry III., Earl Warren, by giving Simon de Pierpont a _goshawk_, obtained leave to hunt the buck, doe, hart, hind, hare, fox, goat, _cat_, or any other wild beast, in certain lands of Simon's. But it was not for diversion alone that this animal was pursued; for the _skin_ was much used by the nuns in their habits, as a _fur_."

Still it appears from Mr. Charles Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle," that tastes vary. "Doctor Shaw was laughed at for stating the flesh of the lion is in great esteem, having no small affinity with veal, both in the colour, taste, and flavour. Such certainly is the case with the puma. The Guachos differ in their opinion whether the jaguar is good eating; but were unanimous in saying the _cat_ is _excellent_."

It is also stated that the Chinese fatten and eat cats with considerable relish; but of this I can obtain no reliable information, some of my friends from China not having heard of the custom, if such it is.

Again referring to the skin of the cat, _vide_ Strutt: "In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Edward III., it was decreed, after enumerating the various kinds of cloth that were to be worn by the nobles, knights, dames, and others, that (Article 2) tradesmen, artificers, and men in office, called yeomen, their wives and children, shall wear no kind of furs excepting those of lambs, of rabbits, of _cats_, and of foxes." Further: "No man, unless he be possessed of the yearly value of forty shillings, shall wear any furs but black and white lambs' skins." Lambs' and cats' skins were equivalent in value and order.

In the twenty-second year of this monarch's reign, all the former statutes "against excess in apparel" were repealed.

My old friend Fairholt, in his useful work on costume, says of the Middle Ages: "The peasants wore cat skins, badger skins, etc."

One of the reasons why the skin of cats was used on cloaks and other garments for trimming, being that it showed humility in dress, and not by way of affectation or vanity, but for warmth and comfort, it being of the lowest value of any, with the exception of lambs' skin and badgers'; and adopted by some priests as well as nuns, when wishing to impress others with their deep sense of humility in all things, even to their wearing-apparel. The proof of which Strutt's "Habits of the Anglo-Normans," _circa_ twelfth century, fully illustrates:

"William of Malmesbury, speaking of Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, assures us that he avoided all appearance of pride and ostentation in his dress, and though he was very wealthy, he never used any furs finer than lambs' skin for the lining of his garments. Being blamed for such needless humility by Geoffrey, Bishop of Constans, who told him that 'He not only could afford, but even ought to wear those of sables, of beavers, or of foxes,' he replied: 'It may indeed be proper for you politicians, skilful in the affairs of the world, to adorn yourselves in the skins of such cunning animals; but for me, who am a plain man, and not subject to change my opinion, the skins of lambs are quite sufficient.' 'If,' returned his opponent, 'the finer furs are unpleasant, you might at least make use of those of the cat.' 'Believe me,' answered the facetious prelate, 'the lamb of God is much oftener sung in the Church than the cat of God.' This witty retort put Geoffrey to the blush, and threw the whole company into a violent fit of laughter."

Of a very different character was the usage of the cat at clerical festivals. In Mill's "History of the Crusades," one reads with some degree of horror that "In the Middle Ages the cat was a very important personage in religious festivals. At Aix, in Provence, on the festival of the Corpus Christi, the finest he-cat of the country, wrapped like a child in swaddling clothes, was exhibited in a magnificent shrine to public admiration. Every knee was bent, every hand strewed flowers or poured incense; and pussy was treated in all respects as the god of the day. On the festival, however, of St. John (June 24), the poor cat's fate was reversed. A number of cats were put in a wicker basket, and thrown alive into the midst of a large fire, kindled in the public square by the bishop and his clergy. Hymns and anthems were sung, and processions were made by the priests and people in honour of the sacrifice."

While the foregoing was about being printed, Mr. Edward Hamilton, M.D., writing to _The Field_, May 11th, 1889, gives information of a wild cat being shot in Inverness-shire. I therefore insert the paragraph, as every record of so scarce an animal is of importance and value, especially when it is descriptive. He states: "A fine specimen of the wild cat (_Felis sylvestris_) was sent to me on May 3rd, trapped in Inverness-shire on the Ben Nevis range. It was too much decomposed to exhibit. Its dimensions were: from nose to base of tail, 1 foot 11 inches; length of tail, 1 foot; height at shoulder, 1 foot 2 inches; the length of small intestine, 1 foot 8-1/2 inches; and the large intestine, 1 foot 1 inch." It will be seen by these measurements that the animal was not so large as some that have been taken, though excelling in size many of the domestic varieties.

CONCERNING CATS.

CAT.--Irish, _Cat_; French, _Chat_; Dutch, _Kat_; Danish, _Kat_; Swedish, _Katt_; German, _Katti_ or _Katze_; Latin, _Catus_; Italian, _Gatto_; Portuguese and Spanish, _Gato_; Polish, _Kot_; Russian, _Kots_; Turkish, _Keti_; Welsh, _Cath_; Cornish, _Kath_; Basque, _Catua_; Armenian, _Gaz_ or _Katz_. In Armenic, _Kitta_, or _Kaita_, is a male cat.

_Abram cat._--This I first thought simply meant a male cat; but I find in Nares, "Abram" is the corruption of "auburn," so, no doubt, a red or sandy tabby cat is intended.

_A Wheen cat, a Queen cat (Catus femina)._--"Queen" was used by the Saxons to signify the female sex, in that "queen fugol" was used for "hen fowl." Farmers in Kent and Sussex used also to call heifers "little queens."

_Carl cat._--A boar or he-cat, from the old Saxon carle or karle, a male, and cat.

_Cat._--It was used to denote "Liberty." No animal is more impatient of restriction or confinement, nor yet _seeming_ to bear it with more resignation. The Romans made their goddess of Liberty holding a cup in one hand and a broken sceptre in the other, with a cat lying at her feet. Among the goddesses, Diana is said to have assumed the form of a cat. The Egyptians worshipped the cat as an emblem of the moon, not only because it was more active after sunset, but from the dilation and contraction of its orb, symbolical of the waxing and waning of the night goddess. But Bailey, in his dictionary, says cats see best as the sun approaches, and that their eyesight decays as it goes down in the evening. Yet, "on this account," says Mr. Thiselton Dyer, in his "English Folk-lore," "it was so highly esteemed as to receive sacrifices, and even to have stately temples erected to its honour. Whenever a cat died, Brand tells us, all the family shaved their eyebrows; and Diodorus Siculus relates that a Roman happening accidentally to kill a cat, the mob immediately gathered round the house where he was, and neither the entreaties of some principal men by the king, nor the fear of the Romans, with whom the Egyptians were then negotiating a peace, could save the man's life. In so much esteem also was it held, that on the death of its owner the favourite cat, or even kitten, was sacrificed, embalmed, and placed in the same sarcophagus."

Some few years ago, Mr. E. Long, R.A., exhibited at the Royal Academy a very fine picture of Egyptians idol-making, idol worshippers and sellers; the lines from Juvenal being descriptive:

"All know what monsters Egypt venerates;
It worships crocodiles, or it adores
The snake-gorged ibis; and sacred ape
Graven in gold is seen ...Whole cities pray
To _cats_ and fishes, or the dog invoke."

_Cat._--A metal tripod for holding a plate or Dutch oven before the fire. So called because, in whatever position it is placed, it is supported by the spokes; as it is said a cat will always light on its feet, so the plate-holder will stand firmly in any position. These old brass appliances have now gone out of use and are seldom seen, the new mode of "handing round" not requiring them. Another reason, doubtless, is the lowness of the fire compared with the stove of former years, which was high up in the bygone "parlour grate."

_Cat._--A cross old woman was called "a cat"; or to a shrewish, the epithet was applied tauntingly.

"But will you woo this wild cat?"

_Taming of the Shrew_, Act I., Scene 2.

CAT.--A ship formed on the Norwegian model, having a narrow stern, projecting quarters, and a deep waist. It is strongly built, from four to six hundred tons' burden, and employed in the coal trade.

_Cat._--A strong tackle, or combination of pulleys, to hook and draw in the anchor perpendicularly up to the cat-head of the ship.

_Cat._--A small kind of anchor is sometimes called a cat or ketch; by the Dutch, "Kat."

_Cat._--"At the edge of the moat, opposite the wooden tower, a strong penthouse, which they called a 'cat,' might be seen stealing towards the curtain, and gradually filling up the moat with facines and rubbish."--Read _Cloister and Hearth_, chap, xliii. (Davis' "Glossary.")

_Catacide._--A cat-killer (BAILEY, 1726).

_Catamount._--Cat of the mountain, the ordinary wild cat, when found on the mountains, among the rocks or woods.

_Cat and trap._--A game or play (AINSWORTH). This is probably that known as "trap, bat, and ball," as on striking the trap, after the ball is placed on the lever, it is propelled upwards, and then struck by the batsman.

_Catapult._--A military engine for battering or attacking purposes. A modern toy, by which much mischief and evil is done by unthinking boys.

_Cat-bird._--An American bird, whose cry resembles that of a cat, the _Turdus felivox._

_Cat-block._--A two or threefold block with an iron strap and large hook, used to draw up an anchor to the cat-head.

_Cat-call._--"A tin whistle. The ancients divided their dramas into four parts: _pro'tasis_ (introduction), _epit'asis_ (continuation), _catas'tasis_ (climax), and _catas'trophe_ (conclusion or _denouement_). The cat-call is the call for the cat or _catastrophe._"--BREWER'S _Dictionary of Phrase and Fable._

"Sound, sound, ye viols; be the cat-call dumb."
DUNCIADE, I. 303.

The modern imitation of "cat-calls" is caused by whistling with two fingers in the mouth, and so making an intensely shrill noise, with waulings imitating "catterwaulings." Also a shrill tin whistle, round and flat, set against the teeth.

_Cat-eaten Street._--In London; properly "Catte Street" (STOW).

_Caterpillar._--"_Catyrpelwyrm_ among fruit" is corrupted from old French _Chatte peleuse_ (PALSGRAVE, 1530). "Hairy cat;" the last part of the word was probably assimilated to _piller_, a robber or despoiler (PALMER'S _Folk Etymology_).

_Caterwauling._--The wrawl of cats in rutting times; any hideous noise. Topsel gives _catwralling_, to "wrall;" "wrawl," to rail or quarrel with a loud voice; hence the Yorkshire expression, "raising a wrow," meaning a row or quarrel. There is also the archaic adjective _wraw_ (angry). Caterwaul, therefore, is the wawl or wrawl of cats; the _er_ being either a plural, similar to "childer" (children), or a corrupted genitive.--BREWER'S _Dictionary of Phrase and Fable._

"What a caterwawling do you keep here!"
SHAKESPEARE, _Twelfth Night_, Act II., Scene 3.

"To yawl.--To squall or scream harshly like an enraged cat."--HOLLOWAY (Norfolk).

"Thou must be patient; we came crying hither;
Thou knowest the first time that we smell air,
We _waul_ and cry."
_King John_, Act IV.

_Cat-eyed._--Sly, gray eyes, or with large pupils, watchful.

_Cat-fall._--A rope used in ships for hoisting the anchor to the cat-head.

_Catfish._--A species of the squalus, or shark (_Felis marinus_). The catfish of North America is a species of _cottus_, or bull-head.

_Catgut._--A corruption of "gut-cord." The intestines of a sheep, twisted and dried; not that of a cat, as generally supposed. Also, it is stated by some, the finer strings for viols were made from the cat. Mr. Timbs says the original reading in Shakespeare was "_calves'_-gut." "A sort of linen or canvas with wide interstices."--WEBSTER.

_Cat-hamed._, or _hammed._--Awkward; sometimes applied to a horse with weak hind-legs, and which drops suddenly behind on its haunches, as a cat is said to do.

_Cat-handed._--A Devonshire term for awkward.

_Cat-harpings._--"Rope sewing to brace in the shrouds of the lower masts behind their respective yards, to tighten the shrouds and give more room to draw in the yards when the ship is close hauled."--_Marine Dictionary._

_Cat-harping fashion._--Drinking crossways, and not as usual, over the left thumb. Sea term.--GROSE.

_Cat-head._--"A strong beam, projecting horizontally over the ship's bows, carrying two or three sheaves, above which a rope, called the cat-fall, passes, and communicates with the cat-block."--_Marine Dictionary._

_Cathood._--The time when a kitten is full grown, it is then a cat and has attained maturity, that is, cathood.

_Cat-hook._--A strong hook fitted to the cat-block.

_Cat-lap._--Weak tea, only fit for the cat to lap, or thin milk and water. In Kent and Sussex it is also often applied to small, _very_ small beer; even thin gruel is called "cat-lap." Weak tea is also called "scandal-broth."

_Cat-like._--Stealthy, slow, yet appertaining more to appearance.

_Catlings._--Down, or moss, growing about walnut-trees, resembling the hair of a cat.

_Cat o' Nine Tails._--So called from being nine pieces of cord put together, in each cord nine knots; and this, when used vigorously, makes several long marks not unlike the clawing or scratching of a cat, producing crossing and re-crossing wounds; a fearful and severe punishment, formerly too often exercised for trivial offences.

_Cat_ or _dog wool._--"Of which cotte or coarse blankets were formerly made" (BAILEY). "Cot gase" (refuse wool). "Cat" no doubt was a corruption of "cot."

_Cat-pear._--A pear, shaped like a hen's egg, that ripens in October.

_Cat pellet._--The pop-gun of boys, one pellet of paper driving out the other. Davis in his "Glossary" thinks it means "tip-cat." Probably it may be the sharpened piece of wood, not the game, that is different altogether, he quotes.

"Who beats the boys from cat pellet, and stool ball."
_British Bellman_, 1648.

_Cat-salt._--A salt obtained from butter.

_Cat-salt._--"A sort of salt beautifully granulated, formed out of the bittern or leach brine, used for making hard soap."--_Encyclopaedia._

_Cat's-eye._--A precious stone, resembling, when polished, the eye of a cat. It has lately become fashionable.

A large collection of Burmese, Indian, and Japanese curiosities was lately sold by auction. The great attraction of the sale was "The Hindoo Lingam God," consisting of a chrysoberyl _cat's-eye_ fixed in a topaz, and mounted in a pyramidal base studded with diamonds and precious stones. This curious relic stood 2-1/4 inches in height. It was preserved for more than a thousand years in an ancient temple at Delhi, where acts of devotion were paid before it by women anxious to have children. The base is of solid gold, and around it are set nine gems or charms, a diamond, ruby, sapphire, _chrysoberyl cat's-eye_, coral, pearl, hyacinthine garnet, yellow sapphire, and emerald. Round the apex of this gold pyramid is a plinth set with diamonds. On the apex is a topaz 1 10-16ths inch in length, and 9-16ths of an inch in depth, shaped like a horseshoe; in the centre of the horseshoe the _great chrysoberyl cat's-eye_ stands upright. This is 15-16ths of an inch in height, and dark brown in colour, and shaped like a pear. An extremely mobile opalescent light crosses the length of the stone in an oblique direction. When Bad Shah Bahadoor Shah, the last King of Delhi, was captured and exiled to the Andaman Isles, his Queen secreted this gem, and it was never seen again until, being distressed during the Mutiny, she sold it to the present owner. The gem was finally knocked down at L2,450 to Mr. S. J. Phillips, jeweller, New Bond Street.

_Cat's-foot._--To live under the cat's foot, to be under the dominion of a wife, hen-pecked.

_Cat's-foot._--A plant of the genus _Glechoma pes felinus_, ground ivy or gill.

_Cat's-head apple._--A large culinary apple, considered by some in form to bear a resemblance to a cat's head. Philips in his poem "Cyder" thus describes it:

" ...The cat's head's weighty orb,
Enormous in growth, for various use."

_Cat-silver._--An old popular name for mica or talc.

_Cat-sleep._--A light doze, a watchful sleep, like that of a hare or of a cat who sits in front of a mouse-hole, a dozy or a sleeping wakefulness.

_Cat's-paw._--Any one used by another for getting them out of a difficulty, and for no other reason, is made a cat's-paw of. The simile is from the fable of the monkey using the cat's paw to take his chestnuts out of the fire. A light breeze just ruffling the water in a calm is called a cat's-paw. Also a particular kind of turn in the bight of a rope made to hook tackle on.

_Cat's-tail._ (_Typha latifolia_).--A kind of reed which bears a spike like the tail of a cat, which some call reed mace; its long, flat leaves are much used for the bottoms of chairs.

_Cats'-tails._--Mares' tails (_equisetum_).

_Cat-stane._--"Battle-stone. A monolith in Scotland (sometimes falsely called a Druidical stone). The Norwegian term, banta stein, means the same thing. Celtic--_cath_ (battle)."--BREWER'S _Dictionary of Phrase and Fable._

_Cat-sticks._--Thin legs; compared to the thin sticks with which boys play at cat (Grose).

_Catsup_ or _ketchup._--A corruption of the Eastern name of "Kitjap." Is then the syllable "cat" a pun on "kit" or "kitten" (a young cat)? Surely not.

_Cattaria._--_Nepeta Cattaria._ _Mentha felina_, the herb cat-mint.

_Cattery._--A place where cats are kept, the ordinary name when a person keeps a collection of cats.

_Cattish._--Having stealthy ways, slow and cautious in movements, watchful.

_Catwater._ (Plymouth).--"This is a remarkable instance of mistranslation. The castle at the mouth of the Plym used to be called the Chateau; but some one, thinking it would be better to Anglicise the French, divided the word into two parts: _chat_ (cat), _eau_ (water)."--BREWER'S _Dictionary of Phrase and Fable._

_Catwhin._--_Rosa spinosissima._ Burnet Rose is the name of the _plant_.

_Cat with two tails._--The earwig. _Northumberland_; Holloway.

_Gil cat._--A male cat; some say an old male. Nares says, an expression exactly analogous to "Jack ass;" the one being formerly called "Gil" or "Gilbert," as commonly as the other "Jack." "Tom cat" is now the usual term, and for a similar reason. "Tibert" is said to be the old French for "Gilbert." From "Tibert," "Tib," "Tibby," also was a common name for a cat. Wilkins, in his "Index to Philosophical Language," has "Gil" (male) cat in the same way as a male cat is called a "Tom" cat. In some counties the cock fowl is called a "Tom." It is unknown whence the origin of the latter term.

_Grimalkin._--Poetical name for a cat (Bailey). "Mawkin" signifies a hare in Scotland (Grose). In Sussex a hare is often called "puss" or "pussy." "Puss" is also a common name for a cat.

_Grinagog, the cat's uncle._--A foolish, grinning fellow. One who grins without reason (Grose). In Norfolk, if one say "she," the reply is, "Who's 'she'? The cat's aunt?"

_Hang me in a bottle like a cat._--"BENEDICT. If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat, and shoot at me, and he that hits me, let him be clapt on the shoulder and called Adam" (meaning Adam Bell, the famous archer).--_Much Ado About Nothing_, Act I.

A note in the "Percy Reliques," vol. i., 1812, states: "Bottles were formerly of leather, though perhaps a wooden bottle might be here meant. It is still a diversion in Scotland (1812) to hang up a cat in a small cask or firkin, half filled with soot, and then a parcel of clowns on horseback try to beat out the ends of it, in order to show their dexterity in escaping before the contents fall on them."

From "Demandes Joyeuses" (amusing questions), 1511:

"_Q._ What is that that never was and never will be?

"_A._ A mouse nest in a cat's ear.

"_Q._ Why does a cat cross the road?

"_A._ Because it wants to get to the other side."

_Mrs. Evans._--"A local name for a she-cat, owing, it is said, to a witch of the name of Evans, who assumed the appearance of a cat."--GROSE.

_Nine lives like a cat._--"Cats, from their great suppleness and aptitude to fall on their feet, are commonly said to have nine lives; hence Ben Jonson, in 'Every Man in His Humour,' says: ''Tis a pity you had not ten lives--a cat's and your own.'"--THISELTON DYER'S _English Folk-lore._

"TYB. What wouldst thou have with me?

MER. Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives."
_Romeo and Juliet_, III. I.

Middleton says in "Blurt Master Constable," 1602:

"They have nine lives apiece, like a woman."

_Pussy cats._--Male blossom of the willow.

_Salt-cat_, or _salt-cate._--A mixture of salt, gravel, clay, old mortar, cumin seed, ginger, and other ingredients, in a pan, which is placed in pigeon lofts.

_Sick as a Cat._--Cats are subject to sickness or vomiting for the purpose of throwing up indigestible matter, such as the fur of mice, feathers of birds, which would otherwise collect and form balls internally. For this reason they eat grass, which produces the desired effect; hence arises the phrase "as sick as a cat."

_Tabby._--"An old maid; either from Tabitha, a formal antiquated name, or else from a tabby cat; old maids, by the rude, weak-minded, and vulgar, being often compared to cats. 'To drive tab,' to go out on a party of pleasure with wife and family."--GROSE'S _Glossary._

"The neighbour's old cat often
Came to pay us a visit;
We made her a bow and courtesy,
Each with a compliment in it.

After her health we asked,
Our care and regard to evince;
(We have made the very same speeches
To many an old cat since)."

MRS. B. BROWNING (translation of "Heine").

_Tip-cat._--A pleasant game for those engaged in it; not so, too often, for others, medical reports of late tending to show that many cases of the loss of sight have occurred.

_To turn Cat in Pan._--This phrase has been a source of much contention, and many different derivations have been given; but all tend to show that it means a complete _turn over_, that is, to quit one side and go to the other, to turn traitor, to turncoat. "To turn cat in pan: _Praevaricor_" (Ainsworth). Bacon, in his Essays "On Cunning," p. 81, says: "There is a cunning which we in England call 'the turning of the cat in the pan,' which is when that a man says to another, 'he lays it as if another had said it to him.'" This is somewhat obscure in definition. Toone says: "The proverbial expression, 'to turn a cat in a pan,' denotes a sudden change in one's party, or politics, or religion, for the sake of being in the ascendant, as a cat always comes down on its legs, however thrown." The Vicar of Bray is quoted as simply a "turncoat," but this does _not_ affect the argument. I quite think, and in this others agree with me, that it has nothing to do with the _cat_, but was originally cate. In olden times, and until lately, it was the custom _to toss_ pancakes (to turn them over). It was no easy matter; frequently the _cake_ or _cate_ went in the fire or lodged in the chimney. To turn the cat or cate in the pan was to toss and _turn it completely over_, that is, from one side to the other. The meaning given to the phrase _helps to prove_ this view. I merely introduce this because so many have asked for an explanation as regards "the _cat_ in pan." I consider the "far-fetched" origins of the term are complete errors. It was a custom to toss pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, and it required great skill to do it well, cleanly, and completely. Some cooks were noted for it, and thought clever if it was done without injury to themselves or clothes.

It appears from "The Westmoreland Dialect," by A. Walker (1790), that cock-fighting and "casting" of pancakes were then common in that county, thus: "Whaar ther wor tae be cock-feightin', for it war pankeak Tuesday," and "we met sum lads an' lasses gangin' to kest (cast) their pankeaks."

* * * * *

_To whip the cat._--"To practise the most pinching parsimony, grudging even the scraps and orts, or remnants of food given to the cat."--HOLLOWAY (_Norfolk_).

A phrase applied to the village tailor going round from house to house for work.

"To be drunk."--HEYWOOD'S _Philoconothista_, 1635, p. 60.

An itinerant parson is said to "whip the cat."

"A trick practised on ignorant country fellows, vain of their strength, by laying a wager with them that they may be pulled through a pond by a cat. The bet being made, a rope is fixed round the waist of the party to be catted, and the end thrown across the pond, to which the cat is also fastened by a pack-thread, and three or four sturdy fellows are appointed to lead and 'whip the cat.' These, on a signal being given, seize the end of the cord, and, pretending to whip the cat, haul the astonished booby through the water."--GROSE, 1785.

* * * * *

The following are culled from the well-known and useful book, Jamieson's "Scottish Dictionary":

_Cat._--A small bit of rag, rolled up and put between the handle of a pot and the hook which suspends it over the fire, to raise it a little.--_Roxb._

_Cat._--A handful of straw, with or without corn upon it, or of reaped grain, laid on the ground by the reaper without being put into a sheaf (_Roxb., Dumfr._). Perhaps from the Belg. word _katt-en_, to throw, the handful of corn being cast on the ground; whence _kat_, a small anchor.

_Cat._--The name given to a bit of wood, a horn, or anything which is struck in place of a ball in certain games.

_To Cat a Chimney._--To enclose a vent by the process called _Cat and Clay_ (_Teviotd._).

_Cat and Clay._--The materials of which a mud wall is constructed in many parts of S. Straw and clay are well wrought together, and being formed into pretty large rolls, are laid between the different wooden posts by means of which the wall is formed, and carefully pressed down so as to incorporate with each other, or with the twigs that are sometimes plaited from one post to another (_S._).

_Cat and Dog._--The name of an ancient sport (_S._). It seems to be an early form of _Cricket._ (Query, is this the same as Cat and Trap?)

_Catband._--1. The name given to the strong hook used on the inside of a door or gate, which, being fixed to the wall, keeps it shut. 2. A chain drawn across a street for defence in time of war. Germ., _kette_, a chain, and _band_.

_Cat-fish, Sea-cat._--The sea-wolf (_S._). _Anarhicas lupus_ (LINN.) Sw., _haf-cat_--_i.e._ sea-cat.--SIBBALD.

_Cat-gut._--Thread fucus, or sea laces. _Fucus filum_ (LINN.), _Orkney_, "Neill's Tour."

_Cat-Harrow._--"_They draw the Cat-Harrow_"--that is, they thwart one another.--_Loth. Ang._, LYNDSEY.

_Cat-heather._--A finer species of heath, low and slender, growing more in separate, upright stalks than the common heath, and flowering only at the top (_Aberd._).

_Cat-hole._--1. The name given to the loop-holes or narrow openings in the wall of a barn (_S._). 2. A sort of niche in the wall of a barn, in which keys and other necessaries are deposited in the inside, where it is not perforated.

_Cat-hud._--The name given to a large stone, which serves as a back to a fire on the hearth in the house of a cottager (_Dumfr._). Sw. G., _kaette_, denotes a small cell or apartment, which corresponds to the form of the country fireside; also a bed; a pen. _Hud_ might seem allied to Teut. _huyd-en_, _conservare_, as the stone is meant to guard this enclosure from the effects of the fire.

_Catling._--Small catgut strings for musical instruments, also a kind of knife used in surgery.

_Cat-loup._--1. A very short distance as to space (_S._); q. as far as a cat may leap (HOGG). 2. A moment; as, "I'se be wi' ye in a _catloup_"--_i.e._, instantly. "I will be with you as quickly as a cat can leap."

_Catmaw._--"To tumble the _catmaw_," to go topsy-turvy, to tumble (_S. B._).

_Catmint._--An herbaceous plant (_Mentha felina_), that cats delight to roll on.

_Cat's Carriage._--The same play that is otherwise called the "King's Cushion," q.v. (_Loth._).

_Cat's Cradle._--A plaything for children, made of pack-thread on the fingers of one person, and transferred from them to those of another (_S._).

_Cat's Crammocks._--Clouds like hairs streaming from an animal's tail (_Shetland_).

_Cat's Hair._--1. The down that covers unfledged birds (_Fife_); synon. _Paddockhair_. 2. The down on the face of boys before the beard grows (_S._). 3. Applied also to the thin hair that often grows on the bodies of persons in bad health (_S._).

_Cat-siller._.--The mica of mineralogists (_S._); the _katzen silber_ of the vulgar in Germany. Teut., _katten silver_, _amiantus_, _mica_, _vulgo argentum felium_; Kilian.

_Cat's Lug._--The name given to the _Auricula ursi._--LINN. (_Roxburgh._).

_Cat's Stairs._--A plaything for children, made of thread, small cord, or tape, which is so disposed by the hands as to fall down like steps of a stair (_Dumfr._, _Gall._).

_Catstone._--One of the upright stones which support a grate, there being one on each side (_Roxb._). Since the introduction of Carron grates these _stones_ are found in kitchens only. The term is said to originate from this being the favourite seat of the _cat._ _See_ Catstone (English).

_Catstone-head._--The flat top of the Catstone (_ibid._).

_Catsteps._--The projections of the stones in the slanting part of a gable (_Roxb._). _Corbie-steps_, synon.

_Cat's-Tails._--Hare's Tail Rush (_Eriophorum vaginatum_). LINN. _Mearns_; also called _Canna-down_, Cat Tails (_Galloway_).

_Catten-Clover._, _Cat-in-Clover._--The Lotus (_South of S._). Sw., _Katt-klor_ (Cat's Claws).

_Catter._--1. Catarrh (BELLENDEN). 2. A supposed disease of the fingers from handling cats.

_Catterbatch._--A broil, a quarrel (_Fife_). Teut., _kater_, a he-cat, and _boetse_, rendered _cavillatio, q._, "a cat's quarrel."

_Catwittit._--Harebrained, unsettled; _q._, having the _wits_ of a _cat_ (_S._).

_Kittie._--A North-country name for a cat, male or female.

_Kitling._--Sharp; kitten-like.

"His _kitling_ eyes begin to run
Quite through the table where he spies
The horns of paperie butterflys."

HERRICK, _Hesperides_.

_Kittenhood._--State of being a kitten.

"For thou art as beautiful as ever a cat
That wantoned in the joy of kittenhood."

SOUTHEY.

_Kittenish_, kitten-like.

"Such a kittenish disposition in her, I called it; ...the love of playfulness."--RICHARDSON.

_Kit_, or _kitten._--A young cat. A young cat is a kitten until it is full-grown, then kittenhood ceases.

A school-boy being asked to describe a _kitten_, replied: "A _kitten_ is chiefly remarkable for rushing like mad at nothing whatever, and generally stopping before it gets there."

_Puss gentleman._--An effeminate man.--DAVIS, _Glossary._

"I cannot talk with civet in th' room,
A fine puss gentleman that's all perfume."

COWPER'S _Conversations._

CAT

PROVERBS.

_A BLATE cat makes a proud mouse_ (Scotch). An idle, or stupid, or timid foe is never feared.

_A cat has nine lives, a woman has nine lives._ In Middleton's _Blurt Master Constable_, 1602, we have: "They have nine lives apiece, like a woman."

_A cat may look at a king._ In Cornwall they say a cat may look at a king if he carries his eyes about him.

"A Cat may Look at a King," is the title of a book on history, published in the early part of the last century. On the frontispiece is the picture of a cat, over it the inscription, "A cat may look at a king," and a king's head and shoulders on the title-page, with the same inscription above.

_A cat's walk_, a little way and back (Cornwall). No place like home. Idling about.

_A dead cat feels no cold._ No life, no pain, nor reproach.

_A dog hath a day._--HEYWOOD. In Essex folks add: _And a cat has two Sundays._ Why?

The shape of a good greyhound:

A head like a snake, a neck like a drake, A back like a beam,
sided like a bream, A _foot like a cat_, a tail like a rat.

_Ale that would make a cat talk._ Strong enough to make even the dumb speak.

"A spicy pot,
Then do's us reason,
Would make a cat
To talk high treason."--D'URFEY.

_A half-penny cat may look at a king_ (Scotch). A jeering saying of offence--"One is as good as another," and as a Scotchman once said, "and better."

_A muffled cat is no good mouser._--CLARKE, 1639. No good workman wears gloves. By some is said "muzzled."

_A piece of a kid is worth two of a cat._ A little of good is better than much that is bad.

_A scalded cat fears cold water._ Once bit always shy. What was may be again.

_As cat or cap case_.

"Bouser I am not, but mild sober Tuesday,
_As catte in cap case_, if I like not St. Hewsday."

_The Christmas Prince_, 1607.

_As gray as Grannum's cat._--HAZLITT. So old as to be likely to be doubly gray.

_As melancholy as a cat._--WALKER. The voice of the cat is melancholy.

_As melancholy as a gib-cat_ (Scotch). As an old, worn-out cat.--JOHNSTON.

"I am as melancholy as a gib-cat or a lugged bear."[B]
SHAKESPEARE.

[B] A lugged bear is a bear with its ears cut off, so that when used for baiting there is less hold for the dogs.

Gib-cat; an old, lonely, melancholy cat.

_Before the cat can lick her ear._ "Nay, you were not quite out of hearing ere the cat could lick her ear."--_Oviddius Exultans_, 1673, p. 50. That is never.

Dun, besides being the name of one who arrested for debt in Henry VII.'s time, was also the name of the hangman before "Jack Ketch."--GROSE.

"And presently a halter got,
Made of the best strong teer,
And ere a cat could lick her ear,
Had tied it up with so much art."

1664, COTTON'S _Virgile_, Book 4.

_By biting and scratching dogs and cats come together._--HEYWOOD. Quarrelling oft makes friends.

_Care clammed a cat._--SIR G. C. LEWIS'S "Herefordshire Glossary." Clammed means starvation; that is, care killed the cat; for want of food the entrails get "clammed."

_Care killed the cat, but ye canna live without it._ To all some trouble, though not all take heed. None know another's burden.

_Care will kill a cat._

"Then hang care and sorrow,
'Tis able to kill a cat."--D'URFEY.

Alluding to its tenacity of life and the carking wear of care.

_Cats after kind good mouse hunt._--HEYWOOD. Letter by F. A. touching the quarrel between Arthur Hall and Melch Mallorie, in 1575-6, repr. of ed. 1580, in "Misc^{y}. Antiq. Anglic." 1816, p. 93. "For never yet was good cat out of kinde."--_English Proverbs_, HAZLITT.

_Cats and Carlins sit in the sun._ When work is done then warmth and rest.

_Cats eat what hussies spare._ Nothing is lost. Also refers to giving away, and saying "the cat took it."

_Cats hide their claws._ All is not fair that seems so. Trust not to appearances.

_Cry you mercy, killed my cat._--CLARKE, 1639. Better away, than stay and ask pardon.

_Every day's no yule; cast the cat a castock._ The stump of a cabbage, and the proverb means much the same thing as "Spare no expense, bring another bottle of _small beer_."--DENHAM'S _Popular Sayings_, 1846.

OF FALSE PERSONS.

_He bydes as fast as a cat bound with a sacer._ He does as he likes; nothing holds him.

OF WITTIE PERSONS.

_He can hold the cat to the sun._ Bold and foolish enough for anything.

INCONSTANT PERSONS.

_He is like a dog or a cat._ Not reliable.

_He looks like a wild cat out of a bush._ Fiercely afraid.

_He's like a cat; fling him which way you will, he'll not hurt._ Some are always superior to misfortune, or fortune favours many.

_He's like a singed cat, better than he's likely._ He's better than he looks or seems.

_He stands in great need that borrows the cat's dish._--CLARKE, 1639. The starving are not particular. The hungry cannot choose.

_He lives at the sign of the cat's foot._ He is hen-pecked, his wife scratches him.--RAY.

_He wald gar a man trow that the moon is made of green cheis, or the cat took the heron._ Never believe all that is laid to another.

_Honest as the cat when the meat is out of reach._ Some are honest, but others not by choice.

_How can the cat help it when the maid is a fool?_ Often things lost, given, or stolen, are laid to the cat.

_If thou 'scap'st, thou hast cat's luck_, in Fletcher's _Knight of Malta_, alluding to the activity and caution of the cat, which generally stands it in good stead.

_I'll not buy a cat in a poke._ F., _Chat en Poche_. See what you buy; bargain not on another's word.

_Just as quick as a cat up a walnut-tree._--D'URFEY. To climb well and easily. To be alert and sudden.

_Let the cat wink, and let the mouse run._ For want of watching and care much is lost.--HAZLITT'S "Dodsley," i. 265. The first portion is in the interlude of "The World and the Child," 1522.

_Like a cat he'll fall on his legs._ To succeed, never to fail, always right.

_Like a cat round hot milk._ Wait and have; all things come to those who wait.

_Little and little the cat eateth the stickle._--HEYWOOD. Constant dropping weareth a stone.

_Long and slender like a cat's elbow._--HAZLITT. A sneer at the ill-favoured.

_Love me, love my cat._--This refers to one marrying; in taking a wife he must take her belongings. Or, where you like, you must avoid contention.

_Never was cat or dog drowned that could see the shore._ To know the way often brings a right ending.

_None but cats and dogs are allowed to quarrel here._ All else agree.

_No playing with a straw before an old cat._--HEYWOOD, 1562. Every trifling toy age cannot laugh at.--"Youth and Folly, Age and Wisdom."

_Rats walk at their ease if cats do not them meese._--WODROEPHE, 1623. Rogues abound where laws are weak.

_Send not a cat for lard._--GEORGE HERBERT. Put not any to temptation.

_So as cat is after kind._ Near friends are dearest. Birds of a feather flock together.

_Take the chestnuts out of the fire with the cat's paw._ Making use of others to save oneself.

_That comes of a cat will catch mice._ What is bred in the bone comes out in the flesh. Like father, like son.

_The cat and dog may kiss, but are none the better friends._ Policy is one thing, friendship another.

_The cat invites the mouse to her feast._ It is difficult for the weak to refuse the strong.

_The cat is in the cream-pot._ Any one's fault but hers. A row in the house (Northern).

_The cat is hungry when a crust contents her._ Hunger is a good sauce.

_The cat is out of kind that sweet milk will not lap._ One is wrong who forsakes custom.--"History of Jacob and Esau," 1568.

_The cat, the rat, and Lovel the dog, rule England under one hog._--"A Myrrour for Magistrates," edition 1563, fol. 143. This couplet is a satire on Richard III. (who carried a boar on his escutcheon) and his myrmidons, _Cat_esby, _Rat_cliffe, and Lovell.

_The cat would eat fish, and would not wet her feet._--HEYWOOD, 1562.

"Fain would the cat fish eat,
But she is loth to wet her feet."
"What cat's averse to fish?"--GRAY.

Dr. Trench has pointed out the allusion to this saying in _Macbeth_, when Lady Macbeth speaks of her husband as a man,

"Letting I dare not, wait upon I would,
Like the poor cat i' the adage."

_The cat sees not the mouse ever._--HEYWOOD. Those that should hide, see more than they who seek. The fearful eye sees far.

_The liquorish cat gets many a rap._ The wrong-doer escapes not.

_The more you rub a cat on the back, the higher she sets her tail._ Praise the vain and they are more than pleased. Flattery and vanity are near akin.

_The mouse lords it where the cat is not._--MS., 15th century. The little rule, where there are no great.

_The old cat laps as much as the young._--CLARKE. One evil is much like another.

_They agree like two cats in gutter._--HEYWOOD. To be less than friends.

_They argue like cats and dogs._ That is to quarrel.

_Thou'lt strip it, as Stack stripped the cat when he pulled her out of the churn._ To take away everything.

_Though the cat winks awhile, yet sure he is not blind._ To know all and pretend ignorance.

_To grin like a Cheshire cat._ Said to be like a cheese cat, often made in Cheshire; but this is not very clear, and the meaning doubtful.

_To go like a cat on a hot bake-stone._ To lose no time. To be swift and stay not.

_To keep a cat from the tongs._ To stop at home in idleness. It is said of a youth who stays at home with his family, when others go to the wars abroad, in "A Health to the Gentlemanly Profession of Serving Men," 1598.

_Too late repents the rat when caught by the cat._ Shun danger, nor dare too long.

_To love it as a cat loves mustard._ Not at all. To abhor.

_Two cats and a mouse, two wives in one house, two dogs and one bone, never agree._ No peace when all want to be masters, or to possess one object.

_Well might the cat wink when both her eyes were out._

"Sumwhat it was sayeth the proverbe old,
That the cat winked when here iye was out."

_Jack Juggler_, edit. 1848, p. 46.

Those bribed are worse than blind.

"_Well wots the cat whose beard she licketh._"--SKELTON'S _Garlande of Laurel_, 1523.

"Wel wot nure cat whas berd he lickat."--WRIGHT'S _Essays_, vol. i. p. 149.

"The cat knoweth whose lips she licketh."--HEYWOOD, 1562.

The first appears the most correct.

_What the good wife spares the cat eats._ Favourites are well cared for.

_When candles are out all cats are gray._ In the dark all are alike. This is said of beauty in general.

_When the cat is away the mice will play._--"The Bachelor's Banquet," 1603. Heywood's "Woman Killed with Kindness," 1607. When danger is past, it is time to rejoice.

_When the weasel and the cat make a marriage, it is very ill presage._ When enemies counsel together, take heed; when rogues agree, let the honest folk beware.

_When the maid leaves the door open, the cat's in fault._ It is always well to have another to bear the blame. The way to do ill deeds oft makes ill deeds done.

_Who shall hang the bell about the cat's neck?_--HEYWOOD, 1562.

"Who shall ty the bell about the cat's necke low?
Not I (quoth the mouse), for a thing that I know."

The mice at a consultation held how to secure themselves from the cat, resolved upon hanging a bell about her neck, to give warning when she was near; but when this was resolved, they were as far to seek; for who would do it?--R. Who will court danger to benefit others?

A Douglas in the olden time, at a meeting of conspirators, said he would "bell the cat." Afterwards the enemy was taken by him, he retaining the cognomen of "Archibald Bell-the-cat."

_You can have no more of a cat than its skin._ You can have no more of a man but what he can do or what he has, or no more from a jug than what it contains.

THE CAT OF SHAKESPEARE.