mongoose as pet, 1907

From the May 11, 1907 issue of "Country-side: a wildlife magazine" comes this letter to the editor about a pet with a thing for egg yolks and warm baths:

Mongoose as Pet.—It may interest your readers to hear of a very fine specimen of the small Indian mongoose which has been an inmate of an Edinburgh suburban home for the last three years. Thuldy was brought home from Bombay three years and a half ago on board one of H. M. (Her Majesty's - curator) cruisers. She was very much teased by the officers and has never regained her confidence in people in general. She never forgets her original owner, though he may be away for many months at a time; she is always ready to welcome him, and allows him to handle her freely. In his absence she is particularly devoted to two other members of the family, always sleeping at the feet of her young master. She has no hutch, the eiderdowns of the house being her cosy corners by day when not basking in the sunshine, or on a tile hearth. She is never tied up, our only care being that she does not go out by herself. There is nothing prettier than to see her frisking about in the garden in the sunshine. A rough-haired fox terrier is her companion pet, and although they can hardly be classed as friends, they live together and give each other a great deal of amusement and exercise. Thuldy is very dainty in her food; bread and milk, a spoonful of cream, and yolk of egg form her chief diet, and tiny bits of cooked meat or fish two or three times a week; cherries and grapes seem her favourite fruit. She is exceedingly inquisitive, and likes to see all and everything that comes in to the house. Thuldy is very fond of being brushed and combed, and thoroughly enjoys a warm bath. She fears nothing but the mowing machine and dinner bell.—P. C. Ranken.

from British Naturalists' Association., British Empire Naturalist's Association. (1905). Country-side: a wildlife magazine. London [etc.]: British Naturalists Association [etc.]. V 4 (1907). 371.