Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1898 — CAT KILLS A RATTLESNAKE. [ARTICLE]

CAT KILLS A RATTLESNAKE.

Feline Mother'* Heroic Defense of Her Progeny. William Adams, whose home Is near Wilbur, Ore., heard a tremendous hissing and rattling at the rear door of his home not long since. He knew that a rattlesnake was doing the business, but the other sounds confused him. Thinking some of his children might be in danger he ran to the door. The rattler was there all right, but there were no children. But there, militant, were three kittens of the favorite house cat, and their mother. The four were entertaining themselves and each other in a fight with the rattler, the mother, of course, doing mast of the fighting.

For a while there were movements that would have bested a kinetoscope. The eld eat had tackled the snake by the throat In such a manner as to prevent him striking his fangs Into her back, and the snake was making a powerful wriggle and squirm to get free. Its tall lashed the air like a whip, and its black fangs shot In and out like three-pronged lightning on a small scale and in different color. But kitty’s fur was up, and she was using her feline agility and quickness for all it was worth, so that the snake's venom went out Into the air or settled in the earth.

Innocent as children the little kittens had a lot of fun with the rattler’s switching tail. None of themjwemed to care particularly for the taste of it, but they pursued it, caught it and let it go again, and threw it about much as they would a whipcord. Once or twice the rattler got free, and swift as an eel made straight for the little ones, but the mother cat was too’ quick for the snake. She grabbed the creature by the back, about eight inches below the head, and stopped its course. Finally, as if to put a stop to the struggle, the cat changed her grip, sank her teth into the round body close to the head, aud held them there. The rattler soon bowed his head, doubled up his hack, squirmed In intricate curves too many to describe, and gave up the fight. Half an hour later the family of Mr. Adams returned, and he took them out to the scene of the tight. The snake was stretched out at full length, its head nearly severed from its body. The cat and the kittens sat looking down upon their victim with that self-satis-f.cd smile which can come only upon the face of a slumbering cat.—San Francisco Call.

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