Show do cats oats kill KM babies the old superstition that cats sometimes kill infants by sucking their breath has been lately revived by a story in a portland pa paper er in in which it is stated that a babe bate was recently found dead in that city with a largo cat lying upon its breast A writer for the new york tribune shows that it would be almost impossible for a cat to kill a child by sucking suching its breath alluding to the portland case he says 1 I do not doubt the death of the child or that the animal was present at the time bu but t that a cat its breath or would or could do so must be regarded as a piece of gross superstitious ignorance as such it is hurtful and ought not to pass unchallenged death is is a serious matterand there fore this subject must be treated seriously riou sly otherwise it were easy to ridicule the assumption made which I 1 do not now meet for the first time let me say then that a cat could have no possible motive for sucking C a childs breath even if it were possible to do so the breath of any animal after it has entered the lungs is disagreeable and poisonous and we know of no creature with a liking for such air 1 4 are we to suppose that the cat a applied plied piled its lips closely to those of the child and exhausted the lungs of the latter by filling its own if so what next the cat must breathe or die if it breathes the child will breathe also and live I 1 but it may be said that the cat places its mouth in such proximity to that of the child as to intercept the pure dure air and so suck suek 7 in that which the child required this would involve the death of the cat first for it is the smaller animal and the childs mouth must also be in the proper position to intercept the pure air required by the cat that the latter either from malignity or affection would voluntarily suffer semi is of couise absurd in fact the statement is absurd altogether and it would require the clearest circumstantial description of the way in which the act was performed and that by a disinterested observer to entitle the assertion even to consideration the here given the true explanation of the case me is doubtless very simple the cat lay upon the childs mouth mouthy and so smothered it or upon its stomach and chest and by its weight tired the respiratory muscles so that the they thes gradually ceased to act and t the 6 poor little infant to breathe let me say in conclusion that such ac are frequently facilitated by the senseless way in which mothers and nurses place their children deeply imbedded bedded im in soft clothes and pillows depriving them b by so doing of a full supply ot of t the 0 fresh bure pure pure puro air which is their very life |