Pat Harmon, age 12, of Shreveport, La  , for question:

Why do they say a cat has nine lives?

The cat was perhaps the first wild animal to lose her fear of the human family  This was thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt and her first human friends knew her true value  They named her Mau, which is what she calls herself and treated her as a respected member of the family  Pretty, playful Mau was well‑loved and her furry heart was filled with love in return,, especially for the children  She ate the mice which nibbled at the food supplies and destroyed the rats which carried the dread bubonic plague through the cities 

But since the cat was the first of our cuddly pets, she had a stern duty to perform  She taught, she still teaches, her human friends how to treat their small animals  When they ruffled her neat fur or tweaked her flusy tail, she used her claws and teeth to discipline them and teach them proper manners  Some people resent this catty discipline  They fear the claws without bothering to discover that most oats would far rather cuddle than scratch, Others dislike her independent character, her firm refusal to take orders 

For these reasons, many people have a strong dislike for cats  When it comes to dogs and budgies, hamsters and guinea pigs, most people do not feel very strongly either way  But when it comes to cats, almost everyone has a very definite opinion  They love cats very match or hate them very mush 

 Some of the human hostility towards oats dates back to the Middle Ages 

This was a grim period of human history when honest curiosity was out of fashion  People tended to fear what that' did not understand, And, goodness knows, even her friends must admit that Miss Puss is a very mysterious animal  Her senses of small and hearing are keener than mrs She can see better in a dam light, She is very quick and agile and when she falls she turns in mid air to land on her paddy paws  For her small size she is very strong 

In the Middle Ages, the cat‑haters used these mysterious qualities to stir up fear of cats, And fear leads naturally to anger and often cruelty, Cats were brutally treated and killed without mercy  As a result, mice and rats multiplied and the bubonic plague swept across Europe  It was during this period of persecution that cats were associated with wicked witches and many of our catty sayings and superstitions originated 

Later, people regained a more sensible attitude  But there have always bean cat‑haters to hand down the old sayings, When you hear that a cat has nine lives, you remember how clever she is at falling on her feet and getting out of tight corners  Perhaps you are half tempted to believe that the furry darling can risk one of her nine lives  Thoughtless people may use this cruel notion as an excuse to neglect their cats 

Naturally, Miss Puss has only one life to lose  In spite of her strength and clever agility, she is but a small animal in a world full of dangers, She can be killed by a dog or a passing car  She needs meaty food and milk to remain healthy and playful  She needs injections to protect her from cat distemper and rabies  Above all she needs your affection ‑ arid in this matter she excells  For every ounce of love you give to her, she returns to you one hundred ounces ‑ right from the middle of her purry, furry heart,