The Crime of Thomas Cat

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 134, 27 August 1927, Page 24

The Crime of Thomas Cat

T> ABBITS are by nature gregarious 11 but the female when about to give birth to young makes a separate burrow with a single entrance for he: litter. The ordinary residence is pro vide i always with a postern gate for escape. When born, young rabbits unlike hares, are blind and almost naked. The mother rabbit suckles her young under cover of darkness only At dawn she leaves them and cate fully covers up the entrance with soil, not to return until after dark. This practice of sealing up the entrance to the breeding burrow ans deserting it in the daytime is due to the nature of the young rabbit, enemies. The chief of these are stoats, weasels and rats, which ar ever on the lookout for an uncloset burrow. A certain cat had kittens, whit! not being wanted, were at once destroyed. After having got rid of the kittens the cat’s owner, while dlggin; in his field, came across a litter o’ very young rabbits, which he brough: home and placed with the mother ! the deceased kittens. The cat took to them almost immediately, and suckle! them as her own offspring, and, j may well he imagined, a good deal af interest was aroused locally in tbt brood of young rabbits which vs; being diligently raised by a cat. Now comes the tragic part of ti story. All went well with the cat sc her changeling family for about ie: days, but the domestic arrangemec apparently, did not meet with the arproval of Mr. Thomas Cat, who. ' discovering the foisted family, avoid-! any possible future discussion of ft family problem by promptly devour,!: the lot.