- "Aunts Kate and Chatty call him Dusty Miller, because that is his name, and Rebecca Dew calls him That Cat because she resents him and resents the fact that she has to give him a square inch of liver every morning and evening, clean his hairs off the parlor arm-chair seat with an old tooth-brush whenever he has sneaked in and hunt him up if he is out late at night."
- —Anne Shirley writes about Dusty Miller[src]
Dusty Miller was the infamous cat of Windy Poplars. Anne was warned not to pet him, due to the fact that Rebecca Dew disliked him, and would likely not approve of Anne if she showed any warmth towards that particular feline.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Dusty Miller, then a scrawny bundle of 'skin and bones', was brought to Windy Poplars by Mrs. Campbell's dog. Rebecca Dew's guess was that he knew he couldn't take it to Mrs. Campbell. Kate MacComber and Charlotte MacLean, the widows of Windy Poplars, immediately softened towards him, and took the cat in.
Life with Rebecca Dew[]
Life with Rebecca Dew could be considered unpleasant, from Dusty Miller's perspective. Such condescending titles as "That Cat", and "Pampered Animal" could and would be used on the cat. Complaints often filled Windy Poplars from Rebecca Dew concerning Dusty Miller, and finally Kate and Chatty had had enough!
They gave Dusty Miller away to Mrs. Edmonds, who lives on the other side of Summerside when Rebecca Dew was out!
Rebecca Dew was most certainly thinking in exclamation points, when she returned and found Dusty gone. "I did not train that animal just for someone else's cat!" She declared. "Why, Rebecca," the widows said somewhat feebly, "We thought you didn't like him!" "Like or not," Rebecca returned, "he is OUR cat, and I will not give him away!"
The widows decided to get the cat back, and peace reigned again... but Anne forever wondered if the whole thing was a deeply laid plot configured by Aunt Kate and Aunt Chatty!
Personality[]
Physical appearance[]
- "The cat is a lovely big Tommy-cat with golden eyes, an elegant coat of dusty Maltese and irreproachable linen."
- —Anne writes about Dusty Miller[src]
Appearances[]
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