Page:The fireside sphinx.djvu/291

 Rh the little girl's ears,—after which she returned to her slumbers.

Instances of friendship among cats—as that charming bond of intimacy which united Moumoutte Blanche and Moumoutte Chinoise—are very rare. The dog, it is said, lives contentedly without companions of his own species, because his all-absorbing affection for his master satisfies the desires of his heart. He has been well termed the friend of man. But nobody would dream of calling Pussy the friend of man. She is nothing of the kind; yet neither is she the friend of other pussies. Two cats will live for years under the same roof, without vulgar jealousy or coarse contention, but also without any approach to confidential intercourse. If one of them has a fancy for companionship, she will "take up" with a horse,—her favourite animal, especially if he be thoroughbred. Many racers have had warm friendships with cats, and the famous stallion, Godolphin, lived for years on terms of the closest intimacy with a black cat, who, it is stated, pined away with grief after his death. Failing horses, Pussy has been known to entertain herself with the society of a dog, a chicken, a rabbit, any alien thing rather than one of her own reserved race. Cats living in zoölogical gardens have formed erratic attachments for elephants,—big, gentle beasts, depressed