Notable Feline Petiquette

“ He looks around the table, and without a word or suggestion, he puts out his paw, and a gentle stroke of the table bell summons the waitress to clear away the course and bring on the next. He waits for the roast, and then his special feast of sponge cake is put before him in a Sevres saucer. He eats with better manners than some folks...”–  Was Platt’s cat Julius an inspiration for Disney’s “Three Lives of Thomasina?” – photo source, Pinterest

Feline Fancies of New York’s Famous Easy Bosses

Ex-Senator Thomas O. Platt has a collection of cats which he would not part with for a nation. One of these cats is of the tiger breed, big and gentle, and rejoices in the name of Julius. This cat is the chief point of interest at Mr. Platt’s country home at Highland Mills. No meal is taken at that house that Julius is not a favored guest at the table. He has an infant’s high-chair, expressly for his use, and when the meal is announced, Julius jumps into this high chair. He sits up straight and the waitress ties about his throat an embroidered bib.

Julius is one of the most polite cats on earth. He is not fond of soup or fish or entrees and the like, but he knows full well when the course is over and the next should be brought on. He looks around the table, and without a word or suggestion, he puts out his paw, and a gentle stroke of the table bell summons the waitress to clear away the course and bring on the next. He waits for the roast, and then his special feast of sponge cake is put before him in a Sevres saucer. He eats with better manners than some folks, and does not leave the table till coffee is served. Mr. Platt takes endless delight in Julius and the six other cats on the farm, but Julius is the king pet of them all, and could not receive greater consideration if he were the ex-senator’s eldest son. – Minneapolis Times, 1896

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