As Pretty grows older, Jenny will learn that she cannot expect her cat to obey her the way her brother’s dog obeys him. Even though they may love their owner very much, cats have a mind of their own.

        There is a big oak tree in the garden that Pretty loves to scratch on. Jenny’s father tells her that a cat’s claws are always growing, just as our fingernails are. We cute our fingernails when they are too long, but cats must wear their claws down by scratching on trees and other rough things. This also keeps their claws clean.

        Jenny’s parents are wise. They have made a special scratching post from a piece of old carpet. They keep this scratching post inside the house beside Pretty’s box so she will to scratch the furniture.

        A day will come when Pretty will begin to catch birds and other small animals. Jenny will scold her cat, but it will not make much difference to Pretty. It would be useless to spank Pretty, for she would not understand.

        Catching small animals is parts of God’s plan for cats. If some birds and other small animals were not caught, there would be too many of there animals. They would starve because there would not be enough food for all of them. And think of the diseases that would spread if mice and rats were not killed by cats!

        One morning Pretty will catch a mouse. Instead of eating it, she will pick it up and lay it at Jenny’s feet as a gift. This may not seem like much of a gift to Jenny, but to Pretty giving up the mouse is a big sacrifice. This is just a cat’s way of saying, “Thank you for taking good care of me. I think you are pretty special!”