Cats Meow

To the Editors:

Cats intrigue and exasperate us [Dec. 7] because they respond to life as if they were in control of their existences. They relax, eat, sleep, copulate and play only when they are moved, enjoying themselves with no guilt. I think we envy them.

Judy Andronici

Medford, N.J.

At the end of a hectic workday it's refreshing to come home to a cat whose only concerns are "feed me," "love me," and then "leave me alone." It is a good formula for humans as well.

Becky Roby

Louisville

One rainy night last month a half-grown stray moved into our house. Through the miracles of feline medicine, this new family member will likely be eating my plants, shinnying up my pants leg and sleeping on my face for the next 20 years. My parents didn't keep me that long!

C. Andrew Millard

Dallas, N.C.

Please, the Rex cat does not look like a rat. If you must liken this unique animal to another, the Rex should be known as the greyhound or whippet of catdom. With its curly, nonshedding coat the Rex is a cat that people with allergies can often keep.

Lee Jennings

Racine, Wis.

I never met a cat I didn't hate. It's not just that I dislike the moon-wailing, shrub-fouling, people-using critters. What gets me is they don't have to be licensed, while my house-confined mutt does!

Ed Krug

Old Bethpage, N. Y.

Your story contains not a word about how old folks feel about pets. Millions of us love our cats and dogs and are being deprived of their company when we need them most. The state of Massachusetts, for example, has a "no pets" clause in its Elderly Housing leases. In the town where I live, nearly all rented premises run ads with the admonition "No Pets."

Harry P. Knapp

Marblehead, Mass.

Since I am unable to hear, I have a hearing cat. She wakes me in the morning by gently patting me with her paw. She alerts me to unusual sounds like door knocks. When given love and the chance, cats and dogs are sensitive to their owners.

Lynn Dee

Chicago

I have studied my cat thoroughly, as he has me, and have concluded that cats have allowed themselves to be domesticated only because they can't open doors.

Robert L. Magee

Hammondsport, N. Y.

I took your cat picture and affixed it to my dart board. What would you do if your feline used the top of your waterbed as a scratching post?

Michael Rotstan

Pasadena, Calif.

Man of the Year?

With a major part of the free world following monetarist economic strategies, Milton Friedman should be a candidate. Thatcherism and Reaganomics have changed more people's lives than any other event this year.

Dennis S. Fulmer

Canton, Ohio

The Columbia space-shuttle team. Thanks to them, the future is unlimited.

Richard S. Russell

Madison, Wis.

French President Mitterrand.

Bernard Sinsheimer

Boulogne, France

David Stockman. The first to desert a sinking ship is the first to discover the ship is sinking.

Rae Cohn

Philadelphia

Scientists Who Cheat

Fudging data [Dec. 7] is unfortunately a distressing reality in science. Physicians depend greatly on medical science and its breakthroughs. It's scary to think my patient's health and life may depend on someone's egotistical falsification.

Joel S. Shoolin, DO.

Wheeling, Ill.

Your article on the victimless crime of fudging data might have mentioned another kind of ethical lapse among men of science. It is routine for senior scientists to claim credit for the work of their junior colleagues. You may rightfully suspect any scientific researcher whose resume contains an awesome list of publications. He is either a writer of trash, a genius or a scoundrel. And genius is in short supply.

Myron Robinson

Queensborough Community College

Bayside, N. Y.

Balancing Billions

The fight over the budget [Dec. 7] is not "a ridiculous squabble," "nightmare" or "an absolute disgrace." This battle is necessary and long overdue.

This is what $2 billion could buy in the hands of the American consumer: 29,806 one-family homes; 250,000 midsize cars ($8,000 each); 716,845,880 lbs. of ground chuck ($2.79 per lb.); 16 million families' groceries for one week ($125 per week); 1,058,201,100 gal. of milk ($1.89 per gal.); 2.25 billion loaves of bread (whole wheat, 89-c- per loaf).

Michael J. Wald

Hackettstown, N.J.

Europe's Pacifism

What is needed in Europe is not nuclear disarmament [Nov. 30] but a massive public awareness campaign. The recent demonstrations portray the Soviets as the goodies and the Americans as the baddies. Europeans must be made to realize that the Soviets constitute the greatest danger to peace and stability in Western Europe. Soviet peace overtures are just what your article suggests: pieces of well-calculated rhetoric.

George Orban

Sydney

Unisex Education

The supporters of all-male colleges [Nov. 30] have missed a central point. They assume that young men fail to reach their potential in a co-ed classroom. Yet with women playing an increasingly important role in business and politics, it is essential for men to learn to work with us. Segregation of the sexes in education is not only inappropriate, it may be harmful to the professional training these all-male colleges purport to enhance.

Janice Mathews-Gordon

St. Louis

The three all-male colleges in Virginia you mention are segregated only in the eyes of their registrars. In the same neighborhood are several women's schools that have also not given in to the current vogue. Most of these institutions have had a course-and-credit-swapping arrangement for years and together form a large educational and social consortium.

Robert S. Keefe

Toronto

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