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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


a; 


§ 


THE 


BOOK  OF  THE  CAT 


BY  ... 


FRANCES   ,SIMPSON 


WITH  12  COLOURED  PLATES,  AND  NEARLY 
350  ILLUSTRATIONS  IN  THE  TEXT  FROM 
PHOTOGRAPHS  AND  DRAWINGS 


CASSELL  AND  COMPANY,  LIMITED 
LONDON,  PARIS,  NEW  YORK  AND 
MELBOURNE.  MCMIII 

ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


S 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  PACE 

I. — CATS  OF  THE  PAST          ...  i 

II.— CATS  OF  TO-DAY  .                      .  18 

III. — CARE  AND  MANAGEMENT                       .                                 .  37 

IV.— HOUSING  OF  CATS            ...                      .  49 

V.— EXHIBITING             .........  61 

VI. — THE   POINTS  OF  A   CAT  ........  96 

VII. — LONG-HAIREI)    OR    PERSIAN    CATS                .                .                .                ,                .  .98 

VIII. — SOME   NOTABLE  CATTERIES         .......      101 

IX.— BLACK   PERSIANS    .                       ....'.  .112 

X. — WHITE   PERSIANS    .  .......      118 

XI.— BLUE   PERSIANS      .....                      .  .125 

XII.— SILVER  OR  CHINCHILLA  PERSIANS         .           .           .           .           .  137 

XIII.— SILVER  TABBY   PERSIANS.  .......       165 

XIV.— SMOKE   PERSIANS    .....                                   .  .       178 

XV.— ORANGE  PERSIANS             .....  .187 

XVI. — CREAM   on   FAWN    PERSIANS        .....  .201 

XVII. — TORTOISE-SHELL    PERSIANS                 .                .                .                .                .  2O8 

XVIII. — TORTOISESHELL-AND-WHITE    PERSIANS    .                                 ...  212 

XIX. — BROWN   TABBY  PERSIANS             .                                 .  2IS 

XX. — "ANY  OTHER  COLOUR"   PERSIANS         ....  231 

XXL— NEUTER   CATS         ....                       .                       •  •      237 

XXII.— MANX   CATS                                                                       .                       .  .244 

XXIII.— SIAMESE   CATS  .      254 


iv  THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIV. — SHORT-HAIRED  CATS         ........  274 

XXV. — SHORT-HAIRED  CATS   (continued)              ......  282 

XXVI. — SOME  FOREIGN   CATS        ........  297 

XXVII. — CATS  IN   AMERICA            .           .           .           .           .           ...           .  303 

XXVIII.— MAINE  CATS           .........  325 

XXIX. — CAT  PHOTOGRAPHY  FOR  AMATEURS      ......  332 

XXX. — REARING  OF  KITTENS      ........  337 

XXXI. — COLOUR  BREEDING            .....                      .  344 

XXXII. — THE  PLACE  OF  THE  CAT  IN   NATURE            .....  350 

THE  DISEASES  OF  CATS,  AND  THEIR  TREATMENT    .  .  .  .358 

INDEX          ..........  377 


LIST    OF    COLOURED    PLATES. 


BLACK  PERSIAN       .            .            .            .                        .            .  .  Frontispiece 

BLACK  AND  WHITE  PERSIAN   CATS          ....  To  face  t>age     116 

BLUE  AND   CREAM   PERSIANS          .            .            .            .            .  .  .126 

BROWN  TABBY  AND   SILVER   PERSIANS     .            .            .            .  .  .160 

SMOKE  AND  ORANGE   PERSIANS     .            .            .            .            .  .  .186 

TORTOISESHELL  AND  ToRTOISESHELL- AND- WHITE  PERSIANS       .  .  .      2IO 

SILVER  TABBY  AND   ORANGE  AND 'WHITE  PERSIANS     .            .  .  .234 

MANX  AND  SIAMESE           .            .            .            .            .            .  .  .252 

BLUE  AND  WHITE   SHORT-HAIRED  CATS  .            .            .            .  .  .274 

BROWN  TABBY  AND   ORANGE  TABBY   SHORT-HAIRED   CATS       .  .  .       288 

TORTOISESHELL  TOM,  AND   SILVER  TABBY   SHORT-HAIRED  CATS  .       294 

FOREIGN  CATS         .            .           .            .           .            .           .  .  .      300 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


"  White  to  Move  "  i 

Mummy  of  a  Cat  .....  i 

The  God  Cat 2 

An  Egyptian  Wall-Painting:  The  Ador- 
ation of  the  Goddess  Pasht     .         .  2 
The  Worship  of  Pasht  in  the  Temple  of 

Bubastes 3 

Mummified  Kitten         ....  3 
A  Cat  God  of  Egypt      ....  3 
Puss  as  a  Retriever  :  An  Egyptian  Wall- 
Painting         4 

An  Egyptian  Toy  Cat    ....  5 

A  Mineral  Lusus 6 

Puss  in  Warfare    .....  7 

A  Group  of  Cats  in  Pottery   ...  9 
Tomb  of   a    Cat   which    belonged    to 

Madame  de  Lesdiguieres        .         .  10 
The  Printer's  Mark  of  Melchior  Sessa 

of  Venice 12 

A  Cat  in  Heraldry 12 

A  Merchant's  Mark       ....  12 

Alice  and  the  Cheshire  Cat   ...  13 

A  Study 14 

Madame  Ronner  at  Work     ...  15 
"Crystal,"  the  property  of  Mrs.   Finnic 

Young 16 

Lady  Alexander's  "  Brother  Bump  "     .  17 

Sleeping  Beauties 18 

Miss  F.  Simpson's  "  Bonnie  Boy"         .  18 

Kitten  at  Work  and  Play       ...  19 

Kitten  belonging  to  Mrs.  Owen    .         .  20 

The  Antiquaries 21 

"  Kepwick     Violet  "    and    "  Kepwick 

Hyacinth "      .         .         .         .         .22 

Miss  Savery's  Blue  Persian  Kitten         .  23 

A  Pair  of  Short-haired  Brown  Tabbies  .  23 

Cat  Calendar 24 

Cat  Calendar 24 

Cat  Calendar         .....  25 

Mr.  Harrison  Weir        ....  26 

Mr.  Louis  Wain    .....  27 

Lady  Marcus  Beresford         ...  28 

Litter  of  Siamese  Kittens      ...  29 

"  Puck  III." 30 

Mrs.  Clinton  Locke  and   ber  Siamese 

Kittens  "Calif"  and  "  Bangkok  "  .  31 

The  Cat's  Playground  ....  32 
Royal  London  Institution  fcr  Lost  and 

Starving  Cats          ....  33 

The  Cart  of  the  R.  L.  1 34 

The  Hon.  Philip  Wodehouse's  "  Silver 

Saint " 35 

A   Bevy  of    Blues    belonging   to   Miss 

Savery 35 

Cats'  Tombstones  at  the  Dogs'  Ceme- 
tery, Hyde  Park     ....  36 
Tabbies  up  a  Tree,        ....  37 


Blue  Persian  belonging  to  Her  Majesty 

the  Queen 37 

Three  Little  Maids        ....  39 

A  Perilous  Perch 4° 

Mrs.  Hardy's  Neuter  "  Pharaoh "         .  41 

"  The  Raiders "  Caught        ...  43 

Kittens  belonging  to  Miss  Bromley       .  45 
Neuter  Pets  owned  by  Mrs.   Hastings 

Lees 46 

Carolling       ......  48 

In  a  Playful  Sort  of  Way       ...  49 

A  Musical  Party 5° 

The  Ideal  Cattery          ....  53 

A  Litter  Box 55 

A  Useful  Cat  House     ....  55 

A  Portable  Hutch          .         .         .  56 

Lethal  Chamber,  R.L.I.        .         .         .  57 

Spratt's  Travelling  Basket     ...  58 

A  Useful  Cat  Basket     ....  58 

A  Gang  of  Poachers      .         .         •  *      •  59 

Waking  Beauties 61 

Richmond  Cat  Show  :  Arrangement  of 

Tents 65 

Mrs.  Gregory's ' '  Skellingthorpe  Patrick ' '  67 

"  Inquiry" 67 

Richmond  Cat  Show :  Judges  at  Work  69 
Type  of  Cage  at   the  Richmond  Cat 

Show .71 

Mr.  C.  A.  House 72 

Mr.  T.  B.  Mason 72 

The  Toilet 73 

Blue  Persian  Kittens     ....  74 

Kits  with  a  Taste  for  Flowers       .        .  75 

Two  Kittens  bred  by  Miss  Williams     .  75 

Richmond  Cat  Show :  The  Ring  Class  77 

Minding  Shop 78 

Thieves 79 

Mrs.  Drury's  Brown  Tabby  "  Periwig  "  80 

Miss  Simpson's  "  Cambyses "        .         .  So 

A  Litter  of  Blues 81 

Judging   in   the    Ring   at   the    Crystal 

Palace 83 

Miss  Kirkpatrick's  Blue  Kittens   .        .  84 
"  Rose  of  Persia "          .        .        .        '85 

Mischief 88 

Our  Play-room 89 

Mr.  F.  W.  Western      ....  91 

Officials  of  the  N.C.C.C.       ...  92 

Sandy  Stealing  the  Milk        ...  94 
Silver  Cats  belonging  to  Mrs.  Clark  of 

Ashbrittle                ....  95 

The  Points  of  a  Cat      ....  96 

Tailpiece 97 

Blue  Persians  belonging  to  Mrs.  Wells  98 
"Gentian,"   owned    by  Lady  Marcus 

Beresford 99 

Mrs.  Herring's  "  Champion  Jimmy  "    .  100 


PAGE 
The   Hon.   Mrs.   McLaren   Morrison's 

Cattery 101 

Scenes  at  "  Bishopsgate "  .  .  .  103 
A  Sleeping  Box  at  Lady  Decies'  Cattery  104 
Lady  Decies  Visiting  her  Pets  .  .  104 
Mrs.  Mackenzie  Stewart's  Cattery  .  105 
The  Imitation  Tree,  Mrs.  Clarke's 

Cattery 106 

Mrs.  Clarke's  Cattery   ....     107 

The  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison       .     108 
Mrs.  Collingwood  and  "James  II."      .     109 
A  Morning  Meal  at  Bossington     .         .     in 
Black  Persian  "  Johnny  Fawe  "     .         .112 
"Champion  Menelik  III."    .         .         .113 
Kitten  Bred  by  Miss  Kirkpatrick .         .     115 
Mrs.  Little's  Black  Persian  "  Colleen  "     115 
The  Carol  Singers         .         .         .         .116 

"Jungfrau"  ......     118 

Mrs.  McLaren's  White  Persian  ' '  Lady- 
smith  "   119 

Mrs.  Pettit  with  her  White  Persians    .     121 

"Crystal" 122 

"  White  Butterfly "        .         .         .         .123 

"  Musafer" 124 

"Jack"  and  "Jill"       .         .         .         .125 

The  Artist 128 

Blue  Kittens  bred  by  Miss  Kirkpatrick  129 
Mrs.  Robinson's  Blue  Kittens  .  .  129 
Mrs.  Wells's  Cattery  .  .  .  .130 

"Rokeles  Kissi  " 131 

Scared 132 

Cast  of  the  Cat  Club  Medal .  .  .133 
Miss  G.  Jay's  Cattery  .  .  .  .134 
Rev.  P.  L.  Cosway's  "  Imperial  Blue"  135 
"  Un  Saut  Ptrilleux  "  .  .  .  .136 
"Jack  Frost"  .  :  .  .  .137 

"StarDuvals" 138 

"  The  Absent-Minded  Beggar "    .         .     138 

"Omar" 139 

Three  Pretty  Silvers  .  .  .  .140 
"  Shah  of  Persia "  .  .  .  .141 

"  Fulmer  Zaida  " 142 

' '  Troubadour  '^ 143 

A  Perfect  Chinchilla  (two  views)  .  .  145 
Mrs.  Balding's  "  Silver  Lambkin  "  .  146 
Mrs.  Balding's  "  Flume  Tod  "  .  .  147 

"Sea  Foam" 148 

Mrs.  Wellbye's  "  Silver  Lotus  "  .  .  149 
Mrs.  Wellbye's  "  Silver  Dossie "  .  .  150 
Mrs.  Wellbye's  Silver  "  Veronica  '  .  151 
Two  Views  of  Woodheys  Cattery  .  .  153 
"  Silver  Blossom "  ....  154 
"  Silver  Blossom's "  Two  Buds  .  .  155 

"Wild  Tom" 156 

"  Fur  and  Feather "  .  .  .  .158 
"  The  Silver  Lambkins "  .  .  .  159 
"  Jupiter  Duvals  "  ....  161 


VI 


THE   BOOK    OF   THE    CAT. 


"  The  Elder  Miss  Blossom  " 

"  Dolly  Daydream  " 

"  I  want  to  go  home  !  " 

"  The  Marquis  of  Dingley  "  . 

Miss  Leake's  Summer  Cattery 


PAGE 
162 

163 
164 

'65 
166 


Silver  Tabby  Kittens  owned  by  Princess 

Victoria  of  Schleswig-Holstein        .  167 

"  Beautiful  Duchess  "    ....  168 

Winter  Quarters  at  Dingley  Hill  .         .  169 

In  the  Studio 171 

Miss  Cope's  "  Starlet ".        .        .        .172 

A  Pair  of  Silver  Tabbies        .         .         .173 

"  Thames  Valley  Silver  King "      .         .  174 
"  Roiall  Fiuffball "        .         .          .         .177 

Mrs.  Stead's  Smoke  Litter  by  "  Ranji  "  178 

"  Jo  "  and  "  Tiny  "         ....  178 

Miss  Bartlett's  Two  Smoke  Kittens       .  179 
Mrs.  James's  Cat  Houses  at  Backwell   .  181 
Mrs.  Stead's   Smoke  Persian    "Cham- 
pion Ranji "...         .         .         .  182 

"  Champion  Backwell  Jogram  "     .         .  183 

Mrs.  Sinking'  Smoke  Persian  "Teufel"  185 

"Lucy  Claire" 186 

Mrs.  Singleton's  "  Orange  Girl  ".         .  187 

"Puck" 188 

"Swagger" 188 

"  Benjamin  of  the  Durharns  "        .         .  189 

"Toirington  Sunnysides"     .        .        .  190 

"Lifeguard" 191 

One  of  Mrs.  Neate's  Outdoor  Catteries 

at  Wernham 192 

"Curiosity" 193 

Mrs.  Neate's  Cat  Houses  (two  views)    .  194 

"Musing" 197 

"  Out  in  the  Cold  "        ....  199 

"  Higher  Education  "    ....  200 

Mrs.  Clinton  Locke's  Cream  Kitten      .  201 

A  Creamy  Smile    .         .         .         .         .  201 

Mrs.  Norris's  Cream  Kitten  .         .         .  202 

"  Kew  Ronald"  and  "  Kew  Laddie"   .  203 

Miss  Beal  and  her  Kittens     .         .         .  204 

Mrs.  D'Arcy  Hildyard's  Cream  Kittens  204 

"  Miriam  of  the  Durhams  "  .         .         .  205 

"  Champion  Romaldkirk  Admiral  "      .  206 
Mrs.  F.   Western's   "  Matthew   of  the 

Durhams"      .....  207 
"  Topsy  of  Merevale"          .        .        .  208 
Miss  H.  Cochran's  Tortoisesheil  "  Bru- 
nette"       209 

Miss  Sargent's  "  Topsy "       .         .         .  210 
Miss    Kate  gangster's    "  Royal    Yum 

Yum" 2ii 

"  Peggy  Primrose "     .   .         .         .         .  212 

Miss  Yeoman's  "  Mary  II."  .        .        .  213 

"At  Home".        .....  214 

Miss  Simpson's  "  Persimmon "      .         .  215 
Miss  Mellor's  "  Lady  Sholto  "        .         .216 

"  Champion  Crystal  "  (American)         .  217 

A  Room  in  Brayfort  Cattery          .         .  218 
Miss  Whitney  and  her  Neuter  Brown 

Tabby 219 

"Brayfort    Princess",    and    "Brayfort 

Fina "......  220 

"  Lonsdale  Chrysalis  "  and  "  Lonsdale 

Moth" 221 

Mrs.  D'Arcy  Hildyard's  "  Sulpherland  "  222 

"Pioneer  Bobs"   .....  223 

"LornaDoone" 225 

"  Birkdale  Ruffle  "  226 


PAC;E 

"  Birkdale  Ruffiie's  "  Cattery         .         .  227 

Brown  Tabby  "Goozie"       .         .         .  229 

A  Trio  of  Tabbies          ....  230 

A  Picturesque  Group     ....  231 

A  Grotesquely-marked  Kitten        .         .  232 

"  Lockhaven  Colburn "          .         .         .  233 

"The  Conquest  of  the  Air  "  .         .         .  234 

"Grace  before  Meat"  ....  235 

"  Marcus  Superbus,"  a  Silver  Smoke    .  235 

"  Blue  Robin  " 236 

Miss  Kirkpatrick's  "  Chili"  .         .         .  237 
"  KingCy  "...                 .237 

Miss  Chamberlayne's  "Belvedere  Tiger"  238 

"  Benoni " 239 

Miss  Adamson's  Chinchilla  Neuter        .  240 

"  Nigel  the  Raven  "       ....  241 

Madame  Portier's  Neuter  "  Blue  Boy  "  242 

Rascals .......  243 

Type  of  Manx  Kitten    ....  244 

"  Golfsticks  " 245 

Specimen  of  a  Manx  Tabby  .         .         .  246 

Orange  Manx 248 

Mrs.  H.  C.  Brooke's  Manx  "  Katzen- 

jammer " 249 

"  Ballochmyle  Bell  Spitz "    .        .        .  250 
Manx  Cat      .         .         .         .         .         .251 

Mr.  Ward's  Manx  "  Silverwing  "  .         .  253 

A  Litter  by  "Tachin"  ....  254 

The  Garden  Cattery  at  Bishopsgate      .  255 
Mrs.    Roberts    Locke,   with    "  Calif," 

"Siam,"  and  "  Bangkok "      .         .  256 
"Si"     .         .         .         .         .         .         .257 

"  Tiam-o-Shian  "           ....  257 

"It" 258 

Mr.  Ratcliffe's  Siamese         .        .        .  259 

Lady  Marcus  Beresford's  "  Ursula"     .  260 

Miss  Armitage's  "  Cora "       .         .         .  262 
Pair    of    Siamese    belonging    to   Mrs. 

Armitage 263 

Mrs.  Robinson's  "  Ah  Choo  "       .        .  265 

"  Champion  Wankee ".         .         .         .  265 

"Mafeking" 266 

The  late  "  King  Kesho  "       .         .         .  267 

Lady  Marcus  Beresford's  "  Cambodia  "  268 
Pugs  Paying  a   Visit   to  the  Siamese, 

Mrs.  Hawkins'  Cattery  .         .         .  269 

"  Romeo  "  and  "  Juliette  "    .         .         .  271 

A  Cosy  Corner 273 

"  Ashbrittle  Peter  "        ....  274 

"  Ballochmyle  Blue  Queen  ".        .         .  275 

Mrs.  Carew  Cox's  Blue  male  "  Bayard  "  276 

"  Sherdley  Michael  "      ....  277 

"  Sherdley  Alexis  "         ....  277 

"Sherdley  Sacha  I."  and  "  II."     .        .  277 

Maria 278 

Mrs.  Carew  Cox's  "  Yula  "   .         .        .  279 

Lady  Alexander  of  Ballochmyle    .         .  280 
"  Champion       Ballochmyle       Brother 

Bump " 281 

Short-haired  Tabby  Kittens  .         .         .  282 

Another  View  of  Lady  Decies'  Cattery  .  283 

Lady  Decies'  "  Champion  Xenophon"  .  284 

An  American  Begging  Cat     .         .         .  285 

"  Ebony  ol  Wigan  "      ....  286 

Sleeping  and  Waking  Tabbies       .         .  287 

A  Black-and-White  Britisher          .         .  288 

"  Champion  Ballochmyle  Otter  ".         .  289 

"  Champion  Ballochmyle  Perfection  "  .  290 

Mrs.  Barker's  "  Tyneside  Lily  "    .         .  291 


PACE 

Two  Views  of  Briarlea  Catteries    .         .  292 

A  Corner  of  the  Bossington  Catteries   .  293 

Tortoisesheil  Male  "  Samson  "      .         .  294 

Mrs.  A.  M.  Stead's  Brown  Tabby .         .  295 

Mrs.  Collingwood's  "James  II."  .         .  295 

"  Ben  My  Chree"          ....  296 

liurmese  Cat          .....  297 

Mexican  Hairless  Cats  ....  299 

African  Cat 300 

Manx  and  Abyssinian    ....  301 

Geoffrey's  Wild  Cat       ....  302 

"  The  Storm  King"      ....  303 

"Rado" 303 

The  Old  Fort  Cattery    ....  305 

Mrs.  Colburn  and   her  White    Persian 

"  Paris  "          .....  306 

Brushwood  Catterv        ....  307 

Miss  Johnston's  "  Persimmon  Squirrel  "  308 

A  Reception  Room  in  aChicago  Cattery  309 
Mrs.  E.  N.  Barker          .         .         .         -311 

"  Silver  Hair  "  and  "  Tiptoe  "        .         ,  312 

Miss  Ward's  "  Robin ".         .         .         .  313 

Three  Little  Grandchildren   of    "  Per- 
simmon ".....  314 

An  American  Beauty      .        .         .  317 

"Champion  Miss  Detroit"   .         .         .  318 

"  The  Commissioner  "  ....  319 

"  Ajax "          ......  321 

Orchard  Ridge  Cattery           .         .         .  322 

Mrs.  Charles  A.  White  .  323 

"  The  Blessed  Damozel  "...  324 

"  Tobey,"  a  Maine  Trick  Cat        .         .  325 

"  Henessey" 326 

"  Blue  Danube  " 327 

"  Leo,"  owned  by  Mrs.  Martin      .         .  329 

"  Yellow  H.  I4th  Beauty"     .         .         .  330 

Mrs  Bagster's  "  Demidoff "  .         .         .  331 

A  Snapshot 332 

Amateur  Photographers         .         .         .  334 

Playing  at  Work 335 

In  the  Studio 336 

Tabitha's  Afternoon  Tea       .         .         .  337 

A  Happy  Mother 338 

Mrs.  Bonny's  "  Dame  Fortune"   .         .  339 

"Derebie" 339 

A    Litter   of  Eight    belonging   to  Mi.ss 

Savery 341 

"  Star  of  the  Spheres"  and  "Son  of  Roy  "  342 

The  Foster-Mother         ....  343 

The  Foster-Mother  in  Action         .         .  343 

"  Arrived  Safely  " 344 

"Patricia" 345 

Miss  Goddard's  Pair  of  Kittens     .         .  346 

"  Lollypop" 347 

Three  Little  Americans          .         .         .  348 

"  Holmlea  Thistledown "      .         .         .  349 

Brain  of  Cat 350 

Skull  of  the  Great  Sabre-toothed  Cat     .  351 
Superficial    Flexor  Tendons  of  a  Cat's 

Left  Foot 352 

Bones   and    Principal    Ligaments  of  a 

Cat's  Toe 352 

Pads  of  Cat's  Left  Forefoot  .         .         .  352 

Skull  of  a  Cat 353 

Skeleton  of  a  Cat 351 

Skeleton  of  a  Cat 355 

A  Cat's  Eye 3S6 

Tongue  of  a  Cat 357 

Giving  Medicine 358 


INTRODUCTION. 


FANCIERS  have  long  felt  the  want  of  a  work  dealing  in  a  popular  manner 
with  cats,  and  it  was  therefore  with  great  pleasure  that  I  undertook  to 
write  THE  BOOK  OF  THE  CAT,  and  to  give  the  results  of  a  long  ex- 
perience in  as  simple  and  interesting  a  form  as  possible,  so  that  the  book 
might  be  instructive  to  cat  fanciers,  and  also  readable  to  that  portion  of  the 
community  which  loves  cats  for  themselves  and  not  only  for  their  prizes  and 
pedigrees.  It  is  possible  that  the  beautiful  reproductions  in  this  work  may 
result  in  the  conversion  of  some  cat  haters,  who,  seeing  the  error  of  their  ways, 
may  give  poor  puss  a  corner  in  their  hearts.  Dogs  are  more  essentially  the 
friends  of  men,  and  cats  may  be  considered  as  the  chosen  allies  of  womankind. 

In  the  past,  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  show,  many  noted  celebrities  of  the 
sterner  sex  have  shown  a  sympathetic  feeling  for  the  feline  race.  At  the  present 
time  the  number  of  men  fanciers  on  our  cat  club  lists  and  exhibitors  at  our 
shows  tends  to  prove  that  the  cat  is  gradually  creeping  into  the  affections  of 
mankind,  even  in  this  busy  work-a-day  world.  I  have  given  a  full  description 
of  the  various  breeds,  and  have  suggested  advice  as  to  the  feeding,  housing, 
and  general  treatment  of  cats.  The  chapters  on  the  management  of  shows, 
containing  also  simple  rules  for  the  guidance  of  exhibitors,  will,  I  trust,  prove 
useful  and  instructive. 

In  my  work  I  have  received  most  valuable  assistance,  for  which  I  am  deeply 
grateful,  from  Mr.  H.  Gray,  the  well-known  veterinary  surgeon,  whose  chapter 
on  the  diseases  of  cats  will,  I  am  sure,  be  very  interesting  to  breeders  and 
fanciers.  To  Mr.  H.  C.  Brooke  I  must  tender  my  sincere  v thanks  for  his 
chapter  on  foreign  cats,  and  to  Mr.  E.  N.  Barker  for  his  excellent  survey  of 
the  American  cat  fancy,  and  to  Mrs.  Pierce  for  her  notes  on  Maine  cats.  Mr. 
Robert  Holding's  chapter  on  the  anatomy  of  the  cat,  with  its  excellent  diagrams, 
forms  a  valuable  addition  to  the  work.  To  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke  I  am  greatly 
indebted  for  the  number  of  clever  photographs  with  which  she  has  so  kindly 
supplied  me. 

To  many  of  my  "  catty  "  friends  I  offer  grateful  thanks  for  interesting  items, 
paragraphs,  and  pretty  photographs ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  I  have  to  thank 


viii  THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 

that  veteran,  Harrison  Weir,  for  his  kindly  encouragement,  and  I  feel  I  cannot 
do  better  than  quote  from  his  letter,  received  on  the  completion  of  my  work- 
enclosing  a  few  remarks  for  my  preface : — 

"  Miss  Frances  Simpson  has  kindly  dedicated  her  labour  of  love,  the  fascinating 
BOOK  OF  THE  CAT,  to  me,  and  truly  the  honour  is  great.  Words  cannot 
convey  my  feelings,  but  out  of  its  fulness  the  heart  speaketh — Thanks !  I 
carry  my  mind  back  to  the  long,  long  ago,  when  the  cat  was  a  god  or  ideal, 
and  worshipped.  Then  later,  '  our  gentle  Will '  called  it  '  the  harmless, 
necessary  cat,'  and  that  it  has  ever  been,  and  more  than  that  to  many.  It 
is  a  lonely  home  without  a  cat ;  and  for  awhile — and  I  hope  for  long — cats  are 
the  fashion.  Thirty  years  ago  it  was  apparent  to  me  that  cats  were  not  valued 
at  their  true  worth,  and  then  I  suggested  a  show  of  cats!  Let  anyone  try  to 
start  anything  new,  though  novelty  is  said  to  charm !  Many  were  the  gibes, 
jokes,  and  jeers  that  were  thrown  at  me  then.  But  nothing  succeeds  like 
success.  Now,  if  I  may  without  offence  say  a  few  words  as  to  present-day 
shows,  it  is  that  they  have  not  answered  my  expectations.  Why  ?  Because 
particular  breeds  are  catered  for  and  run  after.  Why  such  breathless  talk  all 
about  long-haired  cats,  be  they  blues  or  silvers  ?  This  is  not  cat  breeding. 
I  want,  I  wish,  and,  if  I  live,  I  hope  to  see  far  more  of  the  '  harmless,  necessary 
cat '  at  our  shows ;  for  a  high-class  short-haired  cat  is  one  of  the  most  perfect 
animals  ever  created. 

"  Far  more  I  might,  and  perhaps  am  expected  to  add ;  but  my  life's  work  is 
well-nigh  done.  He  who  fights  honourably  the  good  fight  sinks  at  last.  Miss 
Frances  Simpson  has  rendered  me  her  debtor ;  and  others,  beside  myself,  will 
tender  her  grateful  thanks  for  her  work  in  the  cause  of  the  cat  and  for  the 
welfare  of  the  fancy.  Adieu  !  " 

Mr.  Harrison  Weir's  words  are  precious  to  me,  and  now  that  my  "  labour 
of  love "  is  ended  I  can  only  re-echo  his  wish  and  express  a  hope  that  the 
many  pages  I  have  devoted  to  the  "  harmless,  necessary  cat,"  whose  fireside 
friendship  I  have  enjoyed  all  the  years  of  my  life,  may  awaken  and  arouse  a 
greater  interest  in  and  admiration  for  these  gentle,  complex  creatures,  who  in  return 
for  a  little  understanding  will  give  a  great  deal  of  love. 

FRANCES    SIMPSON. 
KENSINGTON, 

August,  1903. 


ihoto:  Mrs.,S.f.  Uarke 


'  WHITE   TO    MOVE. 


THE   BOOK  OF  THE  CAT. 


CHAPTER     I. 


CATS     OF    THE     PAST. 


origin    of   the   cat  has 
J_       puzzled  the  learned,  and 
the  stock  from  whence  it 
sprang  is  still,  in  the  opinion  of 
some,  a  mystery  for  the  zoologist 
to  solve. 

Historians  tell  us  that  the 
feline  race  came  into  existence 
about  the  same  time  as  the  horse. 
Reference  is  made  to  the  cat  in 
Sanskrit  writings  over  2,000  years 
old,  and  still  earlier  records  are 
found  in  the  monumental  figures, 
inscriptions,  and  cat  mummies 
of  ancient  Egypt.  These  care- 
fully-preserved relics  of  the  past 
MUMMY  OF  A  assist  us  in  answering  the  ques- 
tion as  to  how  this  least  tameable 
of  animals  became  domesticated. 
There  are  many  legends  con- 
cerning Puss  and  the  manner  in  which  she  first 
sprang  into  existence.  A  surprising  account  of 


CAT. 

(At   the   British 
Afuseittii. ) 


the  cat's  creation  is  found  in  the  works  of  an 
Arabian  naturalist.  It  is  as  follows  :  "When 
Noah  made  a  couple  of  each  kind  of  animal 
enter  the  Ark,  his  companions,  as  well  as  the 
members  of  his  family,  said  to  him,  '  What 
security  can  there  be  for  us  and  for  the  animals 
so  long  as  the  lion  shall  dwell  with  us  in  the 
same  vessel  ?  '  The  patriarch  betook  himself 
to  prayer  and  entreated  the  Lord  God.  Imme- 
diately fever  came  down  from  Heaven  and 
seized  upon  the  king  of  beasts,  so  that  tran- 
quility  of  mind  was  restored  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Ark.  But  there  was  in  the  vessel  an 
enemy  no  less  harmful — this  was  the  mouse. 
The  companions  of  Noah  called  his  attention 
to  the  fact  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  them 
to  preserve  their  provisions  and  their  clothes 
intact.  After  the  patriarch  had  addressed  re- 
newed supplications  to  the  Most  High,  the  lion 
sneezed,  and  a  cat  ran  out  of  his  nostrils.  From 
that  time  forth  the  mouse  became  so  timid  that 
it  contracted  the  habit  of  hiding  itself  in  holes." 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


THE    GOD    CAT. 
(/''rani  an  old  Wood-cut.} 


So  runs  the  legend,  and  in  an  old  Italian 
picture  representing  the  departure  from  the 
Ark  we  may  observe  a  big  brindled  cat  lead- 
ing the  procession  of  animals  with  an  air  of 
dignity  and  self-satisfaction.  According  to 

the  Arabic  scholar 
Damirei,  there  was  no 
cat  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  It  is  a  singular 
fact  that  nowhere  in  the 
canonical  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  nor  in 
the  New  Testament  is 
the  cat  mentioned,  and 
if  we  take  into  con- 
sideration the  number 
of  books  connected 
with  the  life,  manners, 
customs,  and  religions 
of  the  Egyptians,  this 
omission  is  the  more 
striking.  The  only 
Biblical  reference  to 

cats  occurs  in  the  Book  of  Baruch,  chap,  vi., 
v.  22.  This  is  a  letter  by  Jeremy  to  the  Chil- 
dren of  Israel,  who  were  taken  captive  by 
Nebuchadnezzar  to  Babylon.  Some  Hebrew 
scholars  have  asserted  that  the  animals  that 
prowled  and  cried  among  the  ruins  of  Babylon 
were  jackals,  and  not  cats. 

But  however  much  the  origin  of  the  feline 
tribe  is  wrapped  in  mystery,  we  are  certain 
that  more  than  3,000  years  ago  the  cat  lived 
and  was  loved  along  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 
The  ancient  city  of  the  Pharaohs  paid  her 
homage  ;  she  was  admitted  into  the  ranks 
of  sacred  animals,  she  was  worshipped  in  the 
temples.  Jewels  were  placed  in  her  ears  and 
necklaces  about  her  neck.  Figures  of  cats 
were  kept  in  the  home  and  buried  in  the  tomb. 
Trinkets  representing  both  the  goddess  and 
the  cat  were  worn  upon  the  person,  to  indi- 
cate special  devotion  on  the  part  of  the  wearer. 
There  seems  but  little  doubt  that  the  ancient 
and  well-beloved  cat  of  the  Egyptians  was 
a  barred  or  marked  animal,  answering  to  some 
extent  to  our  homely  tabby.  Paintings  and 
statuettes  of  this  type  frequently  occur,  and 


therefore  we  may  it  take  for  granted  that  the 
Egyptians,  who  were  so  realistic  and  true  to 
Nature  when  dealing  with  the  animal  world, 
would  have  presented  cats  of  other  species  had 
they  existed. 

According  to  the  historian,  animal  worship 
was  first  introduced  into  Egypt  by  Chores,  the 
second  king  of  the  Second  Dynasty. 

The  Egyptians  made  gods  of  many  living 
creatures  of  all  kinds,  amongst  others  the 
bull,  the  crocodile,  the  ibis,  the  hawk,  the 
beetle,  and  the  asp  ;  but  the  cat  appears  to 
have  held  the  highest  place  in  their  hearts. 
Not  only  was  it  preserved  from  injury, 
beloved  and  venerated  during  life,  but  at 
its  death  it  was  buried  with  all  respect, 
and  everyone  mourned  for  it  with  out- 
ward and  visible  signs  of  grief,  even  to 
the  extent  of  shaving  off  their  eyebrows. 
The  Egyptian's  idea  of  a  correct  burial 
involved  mummification,  so  that  all  the  parts 
might  be  preserved  and  thus  kept  from 
annihilation  against  the  day  of  resurrection. 
A  rich  man's  cat  was  very  elaborately 
mummified.  Different  coloured  stuffs  were 


AN    EGYPTIAN    WALL-PAINTING  :     THE    ADORATION 

OF    THE    GODDESS    PASHT. 

(.British  Museum.) 


CATS    Of    THE    PAST. 


twisted  round  and  round  the 
body,  forming  curious  patterns 
in  two  colours.  The  head 
would  be  carefully  encased  and 
sometimes  gilded  ;  the  ears 
were  always  standing  upright. 
These  curious  mummies  look 
something  like  bottles  of  rare 
wine  done  up  in  plaited  straw. 
Sometimes  the  mummy  would 
be  enclosed  in  a  bronze  box 
with  a  statue  of  a  cat  seated 
on  the  top.  Mummies  of  cats 
with  painted  faces  have  been 
found  in  wooden  coffins  at 
Bubastes,  Specs,  Artemidos,  Thebes,  and 
elsewhere.  Here  is  an  illustration  of  a  kitten 
brought  to  me  from  the  Boulak  Museum. 
The  picture  gives  but  little  idea  of  the  care 
and  neatness  which  must  have  been  em- 
ployed in  wrapping  up  the  dear  little  dead 
bodies.  The  linen  used  is  of  the  finest.  The 
ears  of  the  tiny  kitten  are  each  separate  and 
distinct,  and  the  muzzle  of  the  creature  shows 
distinctly  through  the  delicate  wrappings. 
Scarcely  a  good  museum  in  the  country  now 
that  has  not  some  specimens  of  cat  mummies. 
In  some  of  these  we  notice  that  eyes  have 
been  added  after  the 
mummy  has  been  en- 
cased and  the  embalm- 
ment completed.  Most 
of  the  cats  that  died  in 
the  far-away  time  were 
thus  embalmed  and 
sent  for  burial  to  the 
holy  city  of  Bubastes, 
near  Thebes,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile. 

The  Temple  of  Bu- 
bastes, according  to 
Herodotus, was  the  fair- 
est in  all  Egypt,  and 
here  special  reverence 
was  paid  the  cat.  The 
local  goddess  of  this 
city  was  Pasht,  who  was 
represented  as  a  woman 


MUMMIFIED    KITTEN. 


(hi  the  poisession  of 
Miss  Simpson.) 


THE    WORSHIP    OF     PASHT     IX     THE     TEMPLE    OF     BUBASTES. 
(British  Mjtscitm.) 


with  a  cat's  head.  Cats  were  kept  in  the  temples 
sacred  to  them,  and  doubtless  the  head  cat  of 
the  Pasht's  temple  was  a  very  splendid  speci- 
men, who,  living  the  life  of  great  luxury,  would 
be  buried  with  the  pomp  and  magnificence 
of  a  royal  personage. 
It  was  at  Bubastes, 
on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile,  that  an  annual 
festival  in  honour  of 
the  goddess  Pasht  was 
held.  We  are  not  told 
whether  the  cats  took 
any  part  in  the  proceed- 
ings. From  the  towns 
and  villages  within  hail, 
pleasure  parties  were 
sent  in  boats  up  and 
down  the  river  to  the 
city,  and  on  their  pas- 
sage the  men  and  wo- 
men who  crowded  these 
boats  made  merry  all 
the  long  summer  day.  VA  CAT  GOD  OF  EGYPT. 

The     WOmen     Clashed  (From  Hit  British  Museum.) 

their     cymbals     and 

danced,  and  the  men  played  on  their  flutes. 
Seventy  thousand  people,  it  is  said,  assembled 
at  this  feast,  and  they  sacrificed  victims  and 
drank  a  good  deal  of  wine.  Perhaps  the  cats 
were  treated  to  an  extra  dish  of  some  dainty 
to  mark  this  red-letter  day  in  the  annals  of 
their  patroness  and  goddess. 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


A  curious  custom,  which  probably  had  its 
origin  in  these  pilgrimages  to  the  sacred  shrine. 
had  until  recent  years  survived  amongst  the 
Egyptian  Moslems,  who  when  they  were  start- 
ing on  their  way  to  Mecca  always  set  apart 
one  camel  for  the  conveyance  of  several  cats, 
and  some  ancient  dame  was  told  off  to  take 


Beni  Hasan,  one  hundred  miles  from  Cairo. 
A  few  years  ago  some  excavations  were  made 
near  this  town,  and  thousands  of  little  mummied 
bodies  were  found  that  had  rested  peacefully 
for  centuries.  Their  graves  were  desecrated, 
their  burying-ground  plundered,  and  tons  and 
tons  of  mummied  forms  were  carted 'away  to 


PUSS    AS    A    RETRIEVER :     AN    EGYPTIAN    WALL    PAINTING. 
(At  tilt  British  Museum.) 


charge  of  the  precious  animals.  She  was 
honoured  with  the  title  of  "  Mother  of  Cats." 
Her  office  was  not  an  enviable  one,  and  prob- 
ably it  was  found  that  a  woman  was  unable 
to  wrestle  satisfactorily  with  the  refractory 
travellers,  for  at  a  later  date  a  man  was 
substituted  to  carry  the  pussies  to  the 
Holy  City. 

Thebes  appears  to  have  been  a  favourite 
burying-place  for  cats,  and  also  a  place  called 


the  neighbouring  fields  to  serve  the  useful, 
if  not  romantic,  purpose  of  manure  !  Accord- 
ing to  Horopollo,  the  cat  was  worshipped  in 
the  temple  of  Heliopolis,  because  the  size  of  the 
pupil  of  the  animal's  eye  is  regulated  by 
the  rising  and  waning  of  the  sun.  Plutarch, 
however,  states  in  his  treatise  on  "  Isis  and 
Osiris  "  that  the  image  of  a  female  cat  was 
placed  at  the  top  of  the  sistrum  as  an  emblem 
of  the  moon.  "  This,"  says  the  historian, 


CATS    OF    THE    PAST. 


"  was  on  account  of  the  variety  of  her  fur, 
and  because  she  is  astir  at  night  ;  and  further- 
more, because  she  bears  firstly  one  kitten  at 
a  birth,  and  at  the  second  two,  at  the  third 
three,  and  then  four,  and  then  five,  until  the 
seventh  time,  so  that  she  bears  in  all  twenty- 
eight,  as  many  as  the  moon  has  days.  Now 
this,  perchance,  is  fabulous,  but  'tis  most  true 
that  her  eyes  do  enlarge  and  grow  full  at  the 
full  moon,  and  that  on  the  contrary  they 
contract  and  diminish  at  the  decline  of  the 
same." 

Among  other  fables  of  classic  naturalists 
and  historians  may  be  mentioned  the  follow- 
ing by  Herodotus  :  "  If  a  fire  occurs,  cats  are 
subject  to  supernatural  impulses  ;  and  while 
the  Egyptians  ranged  in  lines  with  gaps  between 
them,  are  much  more  solicitous  to  save  their 
cats  than  to  extinguish  the  fire,  these  animals 
slip  through  the  empty  spaces,  spring  over  the 
men's  shoulders,  and  fling  themselves  into  the 
flames.  When  such  accidents  happen,  pro- 
found ,grief  falls  upon  the  Egyptians." 

Whether  these  frenzied  cats  did  or  did 
not  commit  suicide  is  open  to  doubt,  but  that 
they  would  plunge  fearlessly  into  water  is  an 
acknowledged  fact.  This  is  attested  by  paint- 
ings representing  sporting  scenes  in  the  valley 
of  the  Nile.  Men  and  women  used  to  go  out 
on  fowling  excursions  in  a  boat  to  the  jungles 
and  thickets  of  the  marsh  land,  or  to  lakes  in 
their  own  grounds,  which  abounded  with  wild 
fowl,  and  there  among  the  tall  reeds  knock 
down  the  bird  with  a  stick.  Into  these  happy 
hunting  grounds  they  took  a  cat  who  would 
jump  into  the  water  and  retrieve  the  game 
as  it  fell.  There  is  a  painting  taken  and 


AN     EGYPTIAN     TOY     CAT. 
(At  the  British  Museum.) 


brought  from  a  tomb  in  Thebes,  which  is  now 
in  the  British  Museum,  and  Wilkinson,  in  his 
"  Manners  and  Customs  of  Ancient  Egyptians," 
writes  as  follows  :  "A  favourite  cat  sometimes 
accompanied  the  Egyptian  sportsmen  on  these 
occasions,  and  the  artist  intends  to  show  us, 
by  the  exactness  with  which  he  represents 
the  animal  seizing  the  game,  that  cats  were 
trained  to  hunt  and  carry  the  water-fowl." 

One  of  the  earliest  representations  of  the 
cat  is  "to-be-found  in  the  Necropolis  of  Thebes, 
which  contains  the  tomb  of  Hana,  who  prob- 
ably belonged  to  the  Eleventh  Dynasty.  There 
is  a  statue  of  the  king  standing  erect,  with  his 
cat  Bouhaki  between  his  feet.  The  large 
basalt  statues,  of  which  there  are  so  many  in 
the  British  Museum,  both  seated  and  stand- 
ing, are  examples  of  great  interest.  They 
have  mostly  the  disc  of  lunar  divinity  above 
their  heads  and  the  royal  asp  above  the 
forehead. 

M.  Champfleury,  in  his  delightful  book, 
"  Les  Chats,"  gives  a  good  deal  of  information 
regarding  the  cats  of  ancient  Egypt,  and  men- 
tions the  existence  of  funerary  statues  of 
women  which  bear  the  inscription  Techau, 
the  cat,  in  token  of  the  patronage  of  the  god- 
dess Bast.  Frenchmen  occasionally  call  their 
wives  ma  chattc  without  attaching  any  hier- 
atic association  to  that  term  of  endearment. 

According  to  ancient  documents  in  the 
Louvre,  we  are  enabled  to  surmise  the  name 
by  which  the  cat  was  known  in  Egypt.  It  was 
Mau-Mai',  Maau,  or  Maon.  A  tablet  in  the 
Berlin  Museum,  bearing  the  representation 
of  a  cat,  dates  from  1600  B.C.,  and  another, 
two  hundred  years  older,  has  an  inscription 
in  which  the  word  "  Mau  "  appears. 

Amongst  old  Egyptian  images  in  bronze 
and  earthenware,  we  may  often  find  the  cat 
crouching  with  the  symbolic  eye,  emblem  of 
the  sun,  engraved  upon  its  collar.  In  the 
British  Museum  there  is  a  curious  example  of 
a  toy  in  the  shape  of  a  wooden  cat  with  inlaid 
glass  eyes  and  a  movable  lower  jaw  well  lined 
with  teeth. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  Cambyses  devised 
a  scheme  for  the  capture  of  the  town  of  Peluse, 


THE    BOOK    OF   THE    CAT. 


which,   if  true,   is  one  example  among  many  things    and    domestic    animals    belonging    to 

of  the  devotion  of  the  Egyptians  to  cats.      It  children  were  buried  with  them, 
was  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  reign  that  From  some  of  the  oldest  Indian  fables  we 

this  king  of  Persia  tried  to  effect  an  entry  into  learn  that  the  cat  was  domesticated  in  that 

Egypt,  and  he  is  said  to  have  hit  upon  a  clever  country   at    a   very   early    period.      Her  first 

strategy.     Knowing  that  the  garrison  of  the  appearance    into    China  would  seem  to   have 

town  was  entirely  comprised  of  Egyptians,  he  been    about    400    A.D.       There    is    a    curious 

put  at  the  head  of  his  army  soldiers  each  carry-  ancient    Chinese    saying    to    the    effect    that 

ing    in    their    arms    a    cat.     The    Egyptians,  "  A    lame  cat   is  better    than    a   swift    horse 

alarmed    lest    they    might    injure    the    sacred  when  rats  infest  a  palace." 
animals  when  destroying  their  enemies,  con-  Amongst  the  curious  freaks  in  the  natural 

sented    rather    to    be    vanquished.       But    for  world   are   mineral  lusus.      These   are  stones, 

their     scruples    they     might     perhaps     have  agates,  or    marbles,  which,  by    the    action   of 

repulsed  the  invaders,  for  the  Persian  soldiers  the    soil,  air,  or    water    during    thousands   of 


could  not  well  have  done  their 
share  of  the  fighting  while  clasp- 
ing in  their  arms  restless  and 
terrified  cats  ! 

It  is  strange  that  the  cat 
was  almost  neglected  by  the 
Greeks  and  Romans.  It  is  true 
that  Grecian  art  working  on 
such  grand  sweeping  lines  might 
fail  to  follow  the  insignificant 
yet  graceful  curves  of  the  cat. 
Therefore  no  Greek  monument 
is  adorned  with  a  figure  of 


A     MINERAL     I.USUS. 
(FrotH  aft  old  Engraving) 


years,  have  assumed  various 
forms,  which  we  may  interpret 
to  represent  human  heads,  trees, 
animals,  and  so  forth.  This 
illustration  of  a  mineral  lusus 
is  taken  on  a  reduced  scale 
from  a  book  by  Aldrovandus, 
an  Italian  naturalist  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  figure 
of  the  cat  occurs,  he  says,  in  a 
slab  of  marble.  It  was  also  re- 
produced by  Athanasius  Kircher, 


the  Jesuit,  who  copied  many  of 

the  idol  of  Egypt,  and  Homer  never  gives  a  Aldrovandus's  engravings, 

passing    mention     of    the    cat.     Among     the  I    think   the   most   casual   observer   would 

Greeks    the    cat    was    sacred    to    the    goddess  pronounce   this   illustration   to   be   the   repre- 

Diana.      Mythologists     pretend     that     Diana  sentation  of  a  cat  ;    and  if,  as  we  are  led  to 

created  the  cat  in  order  to  throw  ridicule  upon  believe,  this  and  other  figures  are  really  the 

the  lion,   an   animal  supposed  to  have  been  result  of  natural  causes,  we  can  only  marvel 

called  into  existence  by  Apollo  with  the  in-  at   the   wonderful  correctness   of  outline   and 

tention    of    frightening    his    sister.     This    he  form    in    which    through    countless    ages    the 

followed    up    by    producing    a    mouse,    which  substances     comprising    the    specimen     have 

Hecate's  cat  immediately  ate  up.     A  cat  was  arranged  themselves. 

often  emblazoned  on  the  shields  and  flags  of  We  have  no  record  that  the  cat  became 
Roman  soldiers.  That  the  cat  was  known  at  domesticated  in  Great  Britain  and  France 
an  early  period  in  Italy  we  have  proof  in  before  the  ninth  century,  when  it  would 
the  curious  mosaic  in  the  Museum  at  Naples,  seem  that  she  was  by  no  means  common,  and 
which  depicts  one  pouncing  upon  a  bird,  considered  of  great  value  ;  for  in  the  time  of 
The  date  of  this  has  been  fixed  at  about  one  one  of  the  old  Princes  of  Wales,  who  died  in 
hundred  years  prior  to  the  Christian  era.  In  948,  the  price  of  a  kitten  before  it  could  see 
the  Bordeaux  Museum  there  is  a  tomb  of  the  was  fixed  at  a  penny,  after  it  had  captured  a 
Gello-Roman  period  with  a  representation  of  mouse,  twopence  ;  and  if  it  gave  further 
a  girl  holding  a  cat  in  her  arms  and  with  a  proofs  of  its  usefulness  it  was  rated  at  four- 
cock  at  her  feet.  In  those  days  the  play-  pence.  This  same  prince,  Howel  the  Good, 


CATS    OF    THE    PAST. 


issued  an  order  that  anyone  who  stole  or  killed 
a  cat  that  guarded  the  prince's  granary  was 
to  forfeit  a  milch  ewe,  its  fleece,  and  lamb,  or 
as  much  wheat  as  when  poured  on  the  cat 
suspended  by  its  tail  (the  head  touching  the 
floor)  would  form  a  heap  high  enough  to  cover 
the  top  of  the  tail. 

This  is  not  only  curious,  as  being  an  evi- 
dence of  the  simplicity  of  ancient  customs, 
but  it  goes  far  to  prove  that  cats  were  not 
aborigines  of  these  islands.  The  large  price 
set  on  them — if  we  consider  the  high  value  of 
specie  at  that  time 
-  and  the  great 
care  taken  of  the 
improvement  and 
breed  of  an  animal 
that  multiplies  so 
quickly,  are  almost 
certain  proofs  of 
their  being  little 
known  at  that  pe- 
riod. No  doubt  wild 
cats  abounded  in 
our  islands,  and  this 
creature  is  described 
by  Pennant  as  be- 
ing three  or  four 
times  as  large  as 
the  house  cat.  The 
teeth  and  claws  are, 
to  use  his  expres- 
sion, "  tremendous,"  and  the  animal  is  alto- 
gether more  robust.  The  tail  of  the  wild  cat  is 
thick  and  as  large  at  the  extremity  as  it  is  in  the 
centre  and  at  the  base  ;  that  of  the  house  cat 
tapers  to  the  tip.  This  ferocious  creature, 
well  named  the  British  tiger,  was  formerly 
common  enough  in  the  wooded  and  mountain- 
ous districts  of  England,  Scotland,  and 
Wales,  but  owing  to  the  attention  paid 
to  the  preservation  of  game  it  has  gradually 
become  almost  if  not  entirely  exterminated. 
In  olden  times,  when  wild  cats  were  hunted 
and  captured,  the  principal  use  they  were  put 
to  was  to  trim  with  their  fur  the  garments  of 
the  ladies  in  the  various  nunneries  scattered 
over  the  land.  A  writer  of  the  Middle  Ages 


says :  "  The  peasants  wore  cat  skins,  badger 
skins,  &c."  It  would  appear  that  lambs'  ana 
cats'  skins  were  of  equal  value  at  that  period. 

Harrison  Weir,  in  his  work  on  cats,  tells 
us  that  in  1871  and  1872  a  wild  cat  was  ex- 
hibited at  the  Crystal  Palace  by  the  Earl  of 
Hopetoun  ;  he  also  mentions  that  as  late  as 
1889  Mr.  Edward  Hamilton,  M.D.,  writing  to 
the  Field,  gives  information  of  a  wild  cat  being 
shot  at  Inverness-shire.  He  states :  "  A  fine 
specimen- of  a  wild  cat  was  sent  to  me  on 
May  3rd,  trapped  on  the  Ben  Nevis  range.  Its 

dimensions  were  : 
"•from  nose  to  base 
of  tail,  i  foot;  height 
at  shoulders,  i  foot 
2  inches."  In  July, 
1900,  a  paragraph 
to  the  following  ef- 
fect appeared  in  the 
Stock- Keeper  : — 


"  The  Zoological 
Society  have  just  ac- 
quired a  litter  of  wild 
cats.  This  is  the  only 
instance  where  a 
whole  litter  has  been 
sent  to  the  Gardens. 
It  was  taken  not  far 
from  Spean  Bridge, 
Inverness-shire." 


PUSS     IN     WARFARE     (vide  p.   8). 
(From  a  ittfi  Century  MS.) 


The  late  Professor  Rolleston,  in  an  article 
on  the  "  Domestic  Cats  of  Ancient  and 
Modern  Times "  (Journal  of  Anatomy  and 
Physiology),  has  well  explained  much  of  the 
confusion  about  cats  in  former  writers  and 
their  so-called  interpreters.  He  shows  how 
loosely  now,  as  long  ago,  the  word  "  cat " 
and  its  classic  equivalents  may  be  employed. 
Just  as  we  still  speak  of  civet  cats  and 
martens.  Up  to  the  beginning  of  this 
century  the  wild  cat  was  wrongly  thought 
to  be  the  original  of  the  tame  species.  Yet 
apart  from  more  exact  evidence  this  is  shown 
to  be  an  error  if  we  note  the  value  set  upon 
domestic  cats  in  former  centuries.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Fleming,  in  his  "  History  of  British 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


Animals"  (1828),  points  out  some  of  the 
distinctions  between  the  two  species.  He 
also  alludes  to  the  spotted  variety,  termed 
the  Cypress  Cat,  as  noticed  by  Menet,  who 
wrote  the  earliest  book  on  British  Natural 
History  in  1667. 

"  It  is  a  curious  fact,"  says  Mr.  J.  E.  Her- 
ting,  an  eminent  naturalist,  "  that  in  Ireland, 
notwithstanding  reports  to  the  contrary,  all 
endeavours  to  find  a  genuine  wild  cat  have 
failed,  the  so-called  '  wild  cat  '  of  the  natives 
proving  to  be  the  '  marten  cat,'  a  very  differ- 
ent animal." 

In  the  early  Middle  Ages,  according  to 
tradition,  cats  were  utilised  in  a  strange  man- 
ner. The  illustration  on  p.  7  depicts  a  German 
fortress  which  it  was  desired  by  the  enemy  to 
set  on  fire.  Not  being  able,  one  may  suppose, 
to  effect  this  by  treachery,  the  foes  pressed 
into  their  service  both  biped  and  quadruped. 
On  the  back  of  the  pigeon  and  cat  alike,  a 
flask  of  inflammable  matter  is  attached,  and 
furnished  with  a  time  fuse  to  ignite  at  the 
proper  moment.  There  is  a  broad  road  for 
the  cat  to  travel,  and  we  must  presume  that 
the  gate  of  the  fortress  was  left  open  for  her 
entrance.  The  pigeon  would  be  supposed 
to  cut  the  cord  of  the  flask  with  her  beak 
when  just  over  the  magazine  and  let  it  drop 
at  an  auspicious  moment.  This  cut  is  reduced 
from  a  coloured  drawing  in  an  unpublished 
manuscript  volume  dated  1575,  in  which  is  a 
great  variety  of  illustrations  of  fireworks  for 
war  and  recreation. 

It  is  strange  that  the  cat,  which  was  an 
object  of  worship  and  adoration  to  the  Egyp- 
tians, should,  during  the  long,  dark  years  of 
mediaeval  history,  be  looked  upon  as  a  diabol- 
ical creature.  The  only  pleasant  legend  handed 
down  to  us  from  ther"Middle  Ages  is  that  of 
"  Dick  Whittington  and  his  Cat."  There  are 
records  to  show  that  this  worthy  citizen  was 
thrice  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  and  we  have 
always  been  led  to  believe  that  it  was  to  his 
cat  he  owed  his  wealth  and  prosperity.  At 
all  events,  so  long  as  London  is  London, 
Whittington  will  ever  be  associated  with  his 
cat. 


Innumerable  are  the  legends  that  gather 
round  the  cat  during  the  Middle  Ages.  It 
was  believed  that  the  devil  borrowed  the  coat 
of  a  black  cat  when  he  wished  to  torment  his 
victims.  Sorcerers  pretended  to  cure  epilepsy 
by  the  help  of  three  drops  of  blood  taken  from 
the  vein  under  a  cat's  tail.  At  numerous  trials 
for  witchcraft,  puss  figured  as  the  wicked  as- 
sociate of  the  accused.  Cats  were  offered  by 
sorcerers  as  oblations  to  Satan,  and  they  were 
flung  into  the  fire  at  the  Festival  of  St. John. 
All  praise  to  Louis  XIII.,  who  as  the  Dauphin 
interceded  for  the  lives,  of  these  poor  pussies 
thus  annually  sacrificed.  It  was  thought  to 
bring  good  luck  to  a  house  if  a  cat  were  cooked 
alive  in  a  brick  oven,  and  in  Scotland  she  was 
roasted  before  a  slow  fire  as  a  means  of  divin- 
ing the  future. 

The  mania  of  witchcraft  had  pervaded  all 
ranks,  even  the  holy  profession,  whose  duty 
it  should  be  to  preach  peace  and  goodwill. 
Hundreds  of  wretched  old  women  were  sent 
out  of  life  "  in  a  red  gown  "  (the  slang  of  that 
day  for  being  burnt  "  quick  "  or  alive),  after 
undergoing  the  most  excruciating  tortures  to 
make  them  confess  the  impossibilities  for  which 
they  suffered. 

In  1591,  when  King  James  of  Scotland  was 
crossing  from  Denmark,  a  great  tempest  arose 
at  sea.  This  was  supposed  to  have  been 
caused  by  a  "  christened  cat  "  being  placed 
in  the  vessel  by  witches.  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  an  old  pamphlet  :  "  Againe  it  is 
confessed  that  the  said  christened  cat  was  the 
cause  that  the  Kings  Majestie's  shippe  had 
a  contrarie  wind  to  the  rest  of  the  shippes  in 
his  companie,  for  when  the  rest  of  the  shippes 
had  a  fair  and  good  winde,  then  was  the  winde 
contrarie  and  altogether  against  his  Majestie." 
Thus,  in  the  past  as  in  the  present  day,  blame 
was  laid  upon  the  poor  harmless  puss,  where 
no  blame  was  due. 

In  an  old  book  called  "  Twenty  Lookes 
over  all  the  Roundheads  of  the  World,"  pub- 
lished in  1643,  we  read  : — 

"  In  the  Reigne  of  Oueene  Mary  (at  which  time 
Popery  was  much  exalted)  then  were  the  Round- 
heads (namely,  the  monks  and  friars)  so  odious 


0 1 

'i  <3 


o  I 

02  «« 

O  £ 

" 


10 


THE   BOOK    OF   THE    CAT. 


to  the  people,  that  in  derision  of  them  a  cat  was 
taken  on  a  Sabbath  day,  with  her  head  shorne 
as  a  Fryer's  and  the  likenesse  of  a  vestment  cast 
over  her,  with  her  feet  tied  together,  and  a  round 
piece  of  paper  like  a  singing  Celse  between  them  ; 
and  thus  was  she  hanged  in  a  gallows  in  Cheap- 
side,  neere  to  the  Crosse,  in  the  Parish  of  St. 
Matthew.  Which  cat,  being  taken  down,  was 
sent  to  Doctor  Pendleton  (who  was  then  preaching 
at  St.  Paul's  Cross),  commanding  it  to  be  shown 
to  the  congregation.  The  Round-head  Fryers 
cannot  abide  to  heare  of  this  cat." 

At  the  coronation  of  Eliza- 
beth there  is  an  account 
given,  in  the  Hatton  corre- 
spondence, of  an  effigy  of  the 
Pope  being  carried  through 
the  streets  and  afterwards 
burnt  with  several  live  cats, 
which,  we  are  told,  ''  squalled 
in  a  most  hideous  manner  " 
as  soon  as  they  felt  the  fire. 

After  a  famous  French 
trial  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, a  woman  condemned  as 
a  murderess  was  hung  in  an 
iron  cage  over  a  slow  fire,  and 
fourteen  poor  unoffending  cats 
were  made  to  share  the  same 
fate.  It  is  difficult  to  con- 
ceive by  what  train  of  thought 
civilised  beings  could  arrive 
at  such  a  pitch  of  wicked  and 
horrible  cruelty.  Why  should 
a  gentle,  shrinking,  graceful  little  creature  be 
thus  made  the  savage  sport  of  devils  in  human 
form  ? 

There  seems,  however,  to  have  been  one 
haven  of  rest  for  poor  persecuted  pussy  during 
the  Middle  Ages,  and  that  was  in  the  nunneries. 
Here,  at  least,  she  would  be  kindly  treated, 
let  us  hope.  It  is  said  that  this  fact  has 
something  to  do  with  the  cat's  traditional 
association  with  old  maids. 

And  now  let  us  quit  this  dark  page  of  his- 
tory, where  the  shameful  treatment  of  an  inno- 
cent race  makes  the  lover  of  the  poor  pussies 
sorrowful  and  indignant.  It  was  in  France 


TOMB     OF    A     CAT    WHICH     BELONGED 
TO    MADAME    DE    LESDIGUIERES. 


that,  after  the  period  when  the  cat  was  given 
over  to  the  ways  of  the  witch  and  the  sorcerer, 
we  find  her  yet  again  taking  her  proper  place 
in  the  home  and  the  heart  of  the  highest  in  the 
land.  Writers  of  natural  history  and  others 
frequently  denounce  the  cat  as  an  animal  in- 
capable of  personal  attachment,  yet  puss  has 
wooed  and  won  the  friendship  and  affection  of 
many  notable  men. 

Cats,  the  most  politic,  the  most  polite,  and 
in  proportion  to  their  size  the 
most  powerful  of  beasts — real- 
ising almost  literally  Napo- 
leon's favourite  maxim,  "  Iron 
hand  in  velvet  glove  " — have 
the  permanent  fame  of  being 
loved  by  that  most  eminent 
of  Frenchmen,  Cardinal  Riche- 
lieu, who  delighted  to  watch 
the  frolics  of  a  number  of  kit- 
tens by  which  he  was  gener- 
ally surrounded  in  his  leisure 
hours.  In  this  tendrcsse  he- 
resembled  a  still  more  famous 
Churchman  !  A  cat  went  to 
sleep  once,  we  are  told,  on  the 
sleeve  of  Mahomet's  robe. 
The  hour  of  prayer  arrived, 
and  he  chose  rather  to  cut 
away  his  sleeve  than  to  dis- 
turb the  slumbers  of  his  be- 
loved Muezza. 

Chateaubriand  makes  fre- 
quent mention  of  the  cat  in 
his  "  Memoires."  He  received  a  present  of 
a  cat  from  the  Pope.  Moncrieff  wrote  a 
series  of  quaintly  worded  letters  on  cats, 
and  the  book  has  some  curious  illustra- 
tions. In  this  we  read  of  the  pussies  of  many 
grand  dames  of  the  French  Court  of  that  day. 
We  give  an  illustration  taken  from  this  book, 
which  represents  the  tomb  of  a  cat  which  be- 
longed to  Madame  Lesdiguieres,  and  bears  this 
inscription  : — 

UNE  CHATTE  JOLIE. 
Sa  maitresse  qui  n'aima  rien 
,     L'aima  jusques  a  la  folie. 
Pourquoi  le  dire  ?     On  le  voit  bien. 


CATS    OF    THE    PAST 


ii 


Moncrieff  had  to  suffer  an  immense  amount 
of  ridicule  on  account  of  his  charming  "  Lettres 
sur  les  Chats,"  which  the  author  himself  calls  "a 
gravely  frivolous  book."  Victor  Hugo  had  a 
favourite  cat  ho  called  "  Chanome,"  and 
Gautier's  cat  slept  in  his  bed,  and  always  kept 
him  company  at  meals.  Petrarch  loved  his 
cat  as  he  loved  his  Laura.  Dr.  Johnson  u^>ed 
to  indulge  his  cat  Hodge  with  oyster^  which 
he  would  go  out  himself  to  purchase.  Chestei- 
field  provided  for  his  cat  in  his  will.  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  love  of  dogs  did  not  prevent  him  de- 
lighting in  the  company  of  a  "  conversable 
cat,"  and  Hunse,  of  Hunsefield,  seems  to  have 
possessed  a  large  share  of  the  great  man's 
affection,  and  when  he  died  his  master  wrote 
thus  to  Richardson  :  "  Alack-a-day  !  my 
poor  cat,  Hime,  my  acquaintance,  and  in  some 
sort  my  friend  of  fifteen  years,  was  snapped  at 
even  by  that  paynim,  Nimrod.  What  could  I 
say  to  him,  but  what  Brantome  said  to  some 
ferraillcur  who  had  been  too  successful  in  a 
duel :  'Ah,  mon  grand  ami,  vous  avez 
tue  mon  autre  grand  ami.'  "  Amongst  famous 
French  novelists  several  have  been  cat  lovers, 
especially  Dumas,  who  in  his  "  Memoires"  makes 
notable  mention  of  "  Le  Docteur."  Cowper, 
Shelley,  Wordsworth,  Swinburne,  and  Matthew 
Arnold  all  wrote  lovingly  of  cats.  But  Shake- 
speare, although  he  makes  forty-four  distinct 
mentions  of  cats,  never  has  a  good  word  for 
poor  pussy.  In  "  All's  Well  that  Ends  Well  " 
he  gives  vent  to  his  dislike.  Bertram  rages 
forth  :— 

"  I  could  endure  anything  before  me  but  a  cat, 
and  now  he's  cat  to  me." 

In  "  Cymbeline  "  occurs  this  passage  : — "  In 
killing  creatures  vile  as  cats  and  dogs  "  ;  and 
in  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream  "  Lysander  is 
made  to  exclaim  :— "  Hang  off,  thou  cat,  thou 
burr,  thou  vile  thing." 

Romeo  cries  out  : — 

"  Every  cat  and  dog 
And  little  mouse,  every  unworthy  thing." 

From  these  quotations  alone  we  may  infer 
that,  at  any  rate,  dogs  and  cats  were  not  favour- 


ites with  the  great  bard.  There  is  only  one 
mention  of  cats  in  Dante.  He  compares  to 
cats  the  demons  who,  with  their  hooks,  claw  the 
"barterers"  (i.e.  abusers  of  their  office  as  magis- 
trates), when  these  sinners  try  to  emerge  from 
the  hot  pitch  wherein  they  are  punished.  He 
says  of  one  of  these  wretches  : — "  Tra  male  gatte 
era  venuto  il  sorco."  (Inf.  XXII.,  58.)  Trans- 
lation:— "Among  wicked  cats  the  mouse 
came." 

In  the  "  Westlosthcher  Divan  "  of  Goethe, 
written  in  his  old  age,  but  full  of  youthful  spirit 
and  of  the  freshest  allusions  to  Eastern  things, 
the  cat  is  called  one  of  the  four  "  favoured 
beasts/'  i.e.  animals  in  a  state  of  grace,  admit- 
ted into  Paradise,  in  a  verse  very  near  the  end 
of  the  poem,  which  being  literally  translated, 
reads  thua  :— 

"  This  cat  of  Abuherriras "  (a  friend  of 
the  prophet  Mahomet)  ''purrs  about  the 
Lord,  and  coaxes.  Since  he  is  ever  a  holy 
beast  whom  the  Prophet  stroked." 

Robert  Listen,  who,  as  everyone  knows, 
was  the  leading  London  surgeon  in  the  middle 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  was  passionately 
attached  to  his  cat,  and  used  to  introduce 
it  to  his  guests  at  the  dinner  parties 
which,  according  to  the  custom  of  a  past 
generation,  he  gave  his  medical  friends.  On 
these  occasions  the  cat  would  gravely  walk 
round  the  dinner  table  during  dessert  to  be 
admired  by  the  guests  in  succession,  and  it 
once  happened  that  the  top  of  its  tail  got  into 
the  wineglass  of  Dr.  Anthony  Todd  Thoruson, 
Listen's  famous  colleague  at  University  College 
Hospital.  This  man  promptly  struck  the 
animal.  Listen  was  so  enraged  that  he  started 
from  his  seat  and  denounced  his  guest  in  lan- 
guage more  forcible  than  elegant. 

Jeremy  Bentham,  who  introduced  by  their 
names  to  Lord  Brougham  the  cats  seated  on 
chairs  round  his  table,  deserves  honour,  not 
only  as  the  foremost  of  modern  jurists  but 
also  because,  in  his  "  Principles  of  Morals  and 
Legislation,"  he  had  expressed  better  than 
others  the  claims  of  brutes  to  kind  treatment. 

The  great  scholar  and  eminent  writer,  St. 
George  Mivart,  has  given  the  world  a  wonder- 


12 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


fully  comprehensive  work  on  the  Cat,  and  has 
used  the  maligned  feline  as  his  type  for  an  in- 
troduction to  the  study  of  back-boned  animals. 
It  is  he  who  remarks  : — "  We  cannot,  without 
becoming  cats,  perfectly  understand  the  cat 
mind." 

Perhaps  the  unkindest  picture  given  to  us 
of  a  cat  is  from  the  pen  of  the  naturalist 
Buffon.  "  The  cat  "  (says  this  unsympathetic 
student)  "  is  an  unfaithful  animal,  kept  only 
from  necessity  in  order  to  suppress  a  less 
domestic  and  more  unpleasant  one,  and 


THE    CAT    IN    HERALDRY. 
(From  Frank's  Collection  of  Book  Plates.) 

although  these  animals  are  pretty  creatures, 
especially  when  they  are  young,  they  have  a 
treacherous  and  perverse  disposition,  which 
increases  with  age,  and  is  only  disguised  by 
training.  They  are  inveterate  thieves  ;  only 
when  they  are  well  brought  up  they  become  as 
cunning  and  flattering  as  human  rascals." 

Chateaubriand,  referring  to  these  scathing 
remarks,  says: — "  Buffon  has  belied  this  animal. 
I  am  labouring  at  her  rehabilitation,  and  hope 
to  make  her  appear  a  tolerably  good  sort  of 
beast." 

A  charming  reference  to  the  ways  of  cats 
occurs  in  a  curious  and  interesting  book  by  a 


THE  PRINTER'S  MARK  OF  MELCHIOR  SESSA, 
OF  VENICE. 

(From  a  Print  at  the  British  Museum.) 

once  famous  Jesuit,  Father  Bougeant,  who 
lived  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
There  is  an  English  translation  of  this  work, 
which  has  passed  also  into  other  languages  and 
several  editions.  This  is  the  passage  trans- 
lated :— 

"  Such  is  one  of  those  big-whiskered  and  well- 
furred  torn  cats,  that  you  see  quiet  in  a  corner, 
digesting  at  his  leisure,  sleeping  if  it  seems  good 
to  him,  sometimes  giving  himself  the  pleasure  of 
hunting,  for  the  rest  enjoying  life  peaceably, 
without  being  troubled  by  the  events  which  agitate 
us,  without  tiring  his  mind  by  a  thousand  useless 
reflections,  and  little  caring  to  communicate 
his  thoughts  to  others.  Truly  it  needs  only  that 
a  female  cat  (une  chatte)  come  on  the  scene  to 


A     MERCHANT  S     MARK. 
(From  a  Print  at  the  British  Museum.) 


CATS    OF    THE    PAST. 


derange  all   his  philosophy  ;    but  are  our  philos- 
ophers wiser  on  such  occasions  ?  " 

The  cat,  as  the  emblem  of  independence 
and  liberty,  has  been  used  in  heraldry,  statuary, 
and  signboards.  In  the  sixteenth  century  a 
well-known  firm  of  printers  named  Sessa,  at 
Venice,  adopted  the  device  of  a  cat  surrounded 


Maison  du  chat  qui  peche."  In  the  Lombards' 
quarter  of  Paris,  "  Le  Chat  Noir  "  was  for- 
merly a  familiar  figure  above  restaurants  and 
confectioners.  In  England  we  often  come 
across  "  The  Cat  and  the  Fiddle  "  as  a  sign- 
board to  old  country  village  inns,  and  in 
Cassell's  "  Old  and  New  London  "  a  writer 


by  curious  ornamentation,  and  Dibdin  in  one  of     says  : —  "  Piccadilly  was  the  place  in  which  '  The 


his  works  tells  us  that  whenever  you  see  Sessa's 
cat  you  may  be  sure  the  book  is  a  good  one  and 
worth  reading.  Ever 
since  the  days  when 
the  Romans  carried  on 
their  banners  the  de- 
sign of  a  cat,  this  com- 
bative and  courageous 
animal  has  been  a  fa- 
vourite symbol  of  war- 
riors and  nobles.  The 
wife  of  King  Clovis, 
Clotilde,had  a  cat  sable 
upon  her  armorial 
bearings,  springing  at  a 
rat,  and  on  the  famous 
Katzen  family's  shield 
was  a  cat  holding  a 
mouse  in  its  mouth. 
In  Scotland  the  Clan 
Chattan  was  known  by 
the  emblem  of  a  wild 
cat  with  the  significant 
motto,  "  Touch  not  the 
cat,  but "  (meaning 
without)  "  the  glove." 
Their  chief  was  called 
Mohr  au  chat,  or  the  great  wild  cat. 

M.  Champfleury,  dealing  with  cats  in 
heraldry,  tells  us  that  the  French  Republic 
resumed  heraldic  possession  of  the  cat  and 
added  it  to  its  glorious  shield  of  arms  ;  and 


ALICE    AND    THE    CHESHIR1 
CAT. 


Cat  and  Fiddle  '  first  appeared  as  a  public- 
house  sign.    The  story  is  that  a  Frenchwoman,  a 

small  shopkeeper,  had 
a  very  faithful  and 
favourite  cat,  and  that 
in  lack  of  any  other 
sign,  she  put  over  her 
door  the  words  :  '  Voici 
tin  chat  fidele.'  From 
some  cause  or  other, 
the  '  Chat  Fidele  '  soon 
became  a  popular  sign 


in     France,    and    was 
speedily  Anglicised  into 


From  ''AH<e's   Adventurer   in  Won- 
derland,'' by  Lewis  Carroll. 

(By  permission  of  Messrs.  Maaitillan  & 
Co.,  Limitttt.} 


'  The  Cat  and  Fiddle,' 
because  the  words  form 
part  of  one  of  our  most 
popular  nursery 
rhymes." 

Many  are  the  popu- 
lar traditions,  maxims,  proverbs,  and  super- 
stitions connected  with  the  cat.  In  olden  days 
her  every  movement  was  looked  upon  as  a  sign 
of  ill-omen  or  of  good  luck.  Old  nurses  would 
drive  a  cat  out  of  the  bedroom  with  much  sig- 
nificance of  manner,  that  it  might  not  "  suck 
the  child's  breath."  There  is  a  superstition 
that  a  cat  will  not  remain  in  a  house  with  an 
unburied  corpse. 

M.  Presse  d'Aveunes  gives  an  account  of 
a  curious  cat  superstition.  "  When  a  woman 
gives  birth  to  twins,  boys  or  girls,  the  last 


an  illustration  is  given  in  his  book  of  the  re-  born   of    the   two,  whom   they  call  '  barecy ' 

publican  painter's  figure  of  Liberty  holding  a  (sometimes  both),  has  at   times,   and  it  may 

pike  surmounted  with  a  Phrygian  cap,  and  at  be  all  its  life  long,  an  irresistible  craving  for 

her  feet  is  seated  a  cat.  particular  eatables  ;    and  in  order  to  satisfy 

In  past,  rather  than  in  present,  days  the  more  easily  its  gluttonous  desires,  it  assumes 

cat    was    used    on    signboards,    especially    in  the    shape    of   different    animals,    and     espe- 

France.     We    read   of    "  La    Maison    du   chat  cially    that    of   the    cat.      During    the    trans- 

pelote  "  (i.e.  which  rolls  itself  up),  and  "  La  migration  of  the  spirit  into  another  shell,  the 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


human  body  is  as  a  corpse,  but  when  the 
spirit  has  satisfied  its  desires  it  retakes  its 
proper  form." 

He  continues  :  "  Having  one  day  killed 
a  cat  which  had  made  inroads  upon  my 
larder,  a  druggist  of  the  neighbourhood  came 
to  me  in  a  great  fright  and  entreated  me  to 
spare  all  animals,  for  he  said  he  had  a  daughter 
who  had  the  misfortune  to  be  a  '  barecy,'  and 
that  she  was  often  in  the  habit  of  assuming 


part  in  little  rhythmical  dramas,  cunningly 
presented  to  the  drowsy  child,  who  falls  asleep 
with  a  familiar  image  parading  fantastically 
through  his  brain."  French  nursery  rhymes 
are  much  prettier  than  English.  For  instance, 
this  bald  and  commonplace  statement  is  not 
calculated  to  catch  the  attention  of  the  juvenile 
mind  :— 

"  Great  A,  little  A,  bouncing  B, 
Cats  in  the  cupboard,  and  can't  see  me." 


A     STUDY. 
(From  the  painting  by  Madame  Ronner.) 


the  shape  of  a  cat  in  order  to  eat  the  sweet- 
meats served  at  my  table." 

Milton  tells  us  "  that  when  the  cat  washes 
her  face  over  her  eares,  we  shall  have  a  great 
store  of  raine."  A  cat  sneezing  is  supposed  to 
bring  luck  to  a  bride  on  her  wedding  day. 
Sailors  have  in  all  times  been  prone  to  super- 
stition as  regards  cats.  A  black  cat's  appear- 
ance on  the  ship  foretells  disaster,  but  if  a 
cat  should  disappear  overboard  the  greatest 
consternation  is  caused  amongst  the  crew. 

Very  plentiful  are  the  nursery  rhymes,  fairy 
tales,  and  stories  concerning  cats—  a  good-sized 
book  would  not  contain  them.  "  The  cat," 
says  M.  Champfleury,  "  is  the  nurse's  favourite 
and  the  baby's  earliest  friend.  It  plays  its 


How  much  softer  and  daintier  are  the  fol- 
lowing lines  : — 

"A,  B,  C, 

Le  chat  est  alle 
Dans  la  neige  ;    en  retournant 

II  avait  les  soulicrs  tout  blancs." 

In  passing,  I  should  say  it  is  strange  that  to 
the  French  a  cat  is  always  masculine,  and  to 
the  English  feminine. 

In  the  days  of  good  Queen  Anne  the  story 
of  pussy's  venturesome  journey  to  London 
was  put  into  verse,  and  what  child  has  not 
listened  eagerly  to  these  lines  from  that  time 
down  to  our  present  day  ? 


CATS    OF    THE    PAST. 


"  '  Pussy-cat,  Pussy-cat, 

Where  have  you  been  ?  ' 
'  I've  been  to  London 
To  see  the  Queen.' 

"  '  Pussy-cat,  Pussy-cat, 

\Yhat  did  you  do  there  ?  ' 
'  I  frightened  a  little  mouse 
Under  her  chair.'  " 

In  "  Alice  in  Wonderland  "  Lewis  Carroll 
has  given  the  world  "  a  childish  story  "  which 
will  never  cease  to 
delight  both  young 
and  old.  In  this  we 
read  of  the  "Che- 
shire Cat "  which 
grinned  down  upon 
the  guests  assem- 
bled at  the  royal 
croquet  party,  and 
having  incurred  the 
anger  of  the  Queen, 
was  in  danger  of 
having  its  head  cut 
off  by  order  of  the 
infuriated  monarch. 
The  other  volume 
by  the  same  author 
"  Alice  Through 
the  Looking-Glass  " 
— opens  with  a  de- 
scription of  the  way 
in  which  Dinah  the 
cat  washed  her  chil- 
dren's  faces  :  — 
"  First  she  held  the 
poor  thing  down  by 
its  ear  with  one 

paw,  and  then  with  the  other  paw  she  rubbed 
its  face  all  over  the  wrong  way,  beginning  at 
the  nose."  Then  follows  an  animated  con- 
versation between  Alice  and  the  kitten.  All 
the  world  knows  of  the  love  Lewis  Carroll  had 
for  children,  and  I  can  assert  he  had  an  affection 
also  for  cats,  for  when  a  child  he  spoilt  and 
petted  me  and  my  kitten.  I  only  wish  I  could 
remember  the  deliciously  impossible  stories  he 
was  wont  to  tell  me  of  fairies,  goblins,  and 
pussy-cats. 


MADAME    RONNER    AT    WORK 
(Photo:  Alexandre^  Brussels.) 


Harrison  Weir,  in  his  book  on  cats,  has 
gathered  together  a  number  of  curious  cat 
proverbs.  Some  are  very  familiar,  such  as : 
"  A  cat  may  look  at  a  king  "  ;  "  Care  will  kill 
the  cat  "  ;  "  When  the  cat  is  away  the  mice  will 
play,"  and  a  very  significant  one  is :  "  When 
the  maid  leaves  the  door  open  the  cat's  in 
fault."  The  quaint  saying,  "When  candles  are 
out  all  cats  are  gray  "  is  a  very  expressive  one. 
When  we  consider  the  cat  in  art,  it  is  among 

Eastern  painters  we 
find  the  most  deli- 
cate and  skilful 
studies.  Next  to 
the  Egyptians,  the 
Chinese  and  Japan- 
ese have  excelled  in 
the  artistic  treat- 
ment of  animals. 
In  many  of  the 
Dutch  interiors 
given  to  us  by  Flem- 
ish artists,  the  do- 
mestic cat  may  be 
seen  curled  up  on 
the  hearth,  or  sit- 
ting erect,  bearing 
somewhat  the  ap- 
pearance of  being 
stuffed  with  bran. 

In  many  of  the 
early  Italian  sacred 
pictures  we  find  the 
cat  depicted,  but 
great  painters,  like 
Titian,  Velasquez, 
and  Murillo,  seem 
to  have  preferred  the  dog  as  an  adjunct  to  their 
portraits.  Raphael  and  Salvator  both  con- 
sidered puss  a  worthy  subject  for  their  brush. 
In  M.  Champfleury's  interesting  book  on  cats 
he  gives  a  facsimile  from  the  powerful  pencil 
of  Mind,  whom  Madame  Lebrun  has  termed 
"  the  Raphael  of  Cats."  The  attitudes  are  so 
true  to  nature  that  the  cat  seems  alive.  Mind 
was  a  native  of  Berne,  and  in  1809,  on  account 
of  a  scare  of  madness  amongst  cats,  eight  hun- 
dred were  put  to  death.  This  was  a  heart- 


i6 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


break  to  the  cat-loving  painter,  who,  however, 
managed  to  save  his  favourite  pet  Minette  from 
the  wholesale  massacre. 

Very  quaint  reproductions  of  cats  have  been 
made  in  the  following  wares  :  Whieldon,  Salt 
Cilaze,  Agate,  and  Staffordshire.  With  Chinese 
and  Japanese  cat  figures  we  are  all  familiar  ; 
they  are  grotesque  rather  than  beautiful. 

Coming  down  to  the  cat  artists  of  the  present 
day,  we  would  mention  Madame  Henriette 
Ronner,  who  has  justly  deserved  the  great  repu- 
tation that  she  has  acquired  in  her  own  country 
as  well  as  ours.  It  is  in  depicting  kittens  in 
their  ever-vary- 
ing moods  that 
MadameRonner 
most  excels. 
Whether  play- 
ing havoc  with 
antique  lace,  as 
in  "  Un  Bout 
de  Toilette," 
scattering  an 
artist's  materi- 
als, as  in  "  Mis- 
chief," or  drag- 
ging jewels  from 
a  casket,  her 
kittens  are 
instinct  with 
vitality,  and  are 
portrayed  in  a  manner  implying  knowledge  of 
their  anatomical  structure,  as  well  as  in  a  most 
appreciative  perception  of  their  youth  and 
beauty.  Most  lovers  of  cats  are  acquainted 
with  Madame  Ronner's  artistic  volume  con- 
taining so  many  faithful  and  lovely  reproduc- 
tions of  several  of  her  best  pictures,  and  an 
interesting  account  of  her  life  and  work  written 
by  Mr.  M.  H.  Spielmann. 

Another  famous  painter  of  cats  is  M.  Eugene 
Lambert,  who  may  be  said  to  divide  the  honours 
with  Madame  Ronner  in  portraying  with  fidelity 
and  artistic  taste  the  feline  race.  Among 
English  animal  painters  we  have  none  who  can 
come  anywhere  near  to  these  two  celebrated 
French  artists  in  their  marvellous  delicacy  of 
touch  andsubtle  skill  in  depicting  cat  and  kittens. 


"  CRYSTAL," 
THE  PROPERTY  OF  MRS.  FINNIE  YOUNG.     (Photo:  C.  Reid,   Wishaiu.') 


In  these  latter  days  who  is  there  amongst 
us,  young  and  old,  who  has  not  enjoyed 
a  hearty  laugh  over  the  comical  cats  of 
Louis  Wain  ?  In  his  particular  line,  he 
is  unique,  for  no  one  has  ever  portrayed 
cats  in  such  various  attitudes  and  with 
such  deliciously  expressive  countenances.  The 
adjectives  and  adverbs  of  the  Cataract  of 
Lodore  would  not  suffice  to  describe  the 
varied  emotions  of  these  funny  felines.  A 
Christmas  without  one  of  Louis  Wain's 
clever  mcatty  pictures  would  be  like  a 
Christmas  pudding  without  the  currants  ! 

To  Harrison 
Weir  cats  and 
cat  lovers  owe 
a  debt  of  grati- 
tude. He  has 
done  much  to 
raise  the  stand- 
ard of  the  feline 
race,  and  in  his 
excellent  book 
called  "Our 
Cats,"  he  thus 
writes  in  his 
preface  :— 

"Long ages  of 
neglect,  ill  treat- 
ment, and  abso- 
lute cruelty,  with 
little  or  no  gentleness,  kindness,  or  train- 
ing, have  made  the  cat  self-reliant ;  and  from 
this  emanates  the  marvellous  powers  of 
observation,  the  concentration  of  which  has  pro- 
duced a  style  analogous  to  reasoning,  not  unmixed 
with  timidity,  caution,  wildness,  and  a  retaliative 
nature.  But  should  a  new  order  of  things  arise, 
and  it  is  nurtured,  petted,  cosseted,  talked  to, 
noticed,  and  tamed  with  mellowed  firmness 
and  tender  gentleness,  then  in  but  a  few  genera- 
tions much  evil  that  bygone  cruelty  has  stamped 
into  its  wretched  existence  will  disappear,  and 
it  will  be  more  than  ever,  not  only  a  useful,  ser- 
viceable helpmate,  but  an  object  of  unceasing 
interest,  admiration,  and  cultured  beauty,  and 
thus  being  of  value,  it  will  be  profitable." 

It  was  Harrison  Weir  who  instituted  and 
carried  out  the  first  Cat  Show  held  at  the 


CATS    OF    THE   PAST. 


Crystal  Palace  in  1871,  and  since  then  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  cat  world.  Of  late 
years,  however,  he  has  been  failing  in  health, 
and  it  was  suggested  that  some  testimonial 
should  be  offered  to  him  in  his  declining  years 
by  his  many  admirers  and  cat-loving  friends. 
Our  Cats,  that  popular  weekly  publication, 
opened  a  list  in  their  columns,  the  result  being 
a  handsome  piece  of  plate,  which  the  veteran 
F.R.H.S.  was  asked  to  accept.  In  his  reply 
acknovyledging  the  gift,  he  writes  : — "  Kindest 
and  best  wishes  to  those  warm-hearted  and 
truly  unforgetful  friends  who  have  contributed 
towards  the  very  handsome  testimonial." 
Then  he  goes  on  to  allude  to  the  first  cat  show 
and  to  his  prophecy  regarding  the  growing 
popularity  of  the  cat  family  : —  "  Did  I  expect 
the  outcome  to  be  what  it  is  ?  Yes,  and  no. 
I  fully  expected  large  shows  and  more  of  them, 
and  a  '  Cat  Press,'  and  in  the  papers  cat 


columns  for  the  universal  and  worthy  favourite 
cat.  But  in  another  way  I  am  disappointed, 
and  that  is  for  the  neglect  of  the  short-haired 
English  cat  by  the  ascendancy  of  the  foreign 
long-hair.  Both  are  truly  beautiful,  but  the 
first  in  intelligence,  in  my  opinion,  is  far  in 
advance  of  the  latter."  Therefore,  with  a  hope 
that  Harrison  Weir  may  yet  live  to  see  the 
English  short-haired  cats  still  more  widely 
loved  and  appreciated,  and  given  better  classi- 
fication at^otir  shows,  I  will  pass  on  to  my 
chapter  on  present-day  cats  and  cat  clubs. 
and  the  many  other  institutions  and  societies 
which  are  the  outcome  of  the  rapid  strides 
that  have  been  made  in  the  cat  fancy  since 
the  day  when  Harrison  Weir  was  laughed 
at  by  his  incredulous  and  astonished  rail- 
way companion  as  they  travelled  together 
to  the  first  Cat  Show  held  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  in  1871. 


LADY  ALEXANDER'S  "  BROTHER   BUMP." 

CHAMPION  SHORT-HAIRED  BLUB. 


i8 


SLEEPING    BEAUTIES. 
(.Photo:  Mrs.  S.   Francis  Clarke.) 


CHAPTER    II. 


CATS     OF     TO-DAY. 


THE  term  "  Cat  "  is  applied  in  its  widest 
sense  to  all  feline  animals.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  various  names  by  which  the 
cat  is  known  in  different  countries,  and  it  is 
curious  to  note  that,  with  two  exceptions, 
they  all  begin  with  a  "  C  "  or  a  "  K,"  and 
differ  very  little  in  pronunciation  :  Irish  and 
Scotch,  Cat ;  French,  Chat ;  Dutch,  Kat ;  Dan- 
ish, Kat ;  Swedish,  Katt  ; 
German,  Katti  or  Katze>  ; 
Italian,  Gatto ;  Portuguese 
and  Spanish,  Gato  ;  Polish, 
Kot ;  Russian,  Kots  ;  Turk- 
ish, Keti;  Welsh,  Cetti;  Corn- 
ish, Katt ;  American,  Katz. 
In  the  English  house  and 
home  we  call  her  "  puss," 
and  it  is  the  name  which  ap- 
peals most  to  our  hearts. 
No  woman  likes  to  be  called 
a  "  cat,"  but  to  be  likened  to 
a  puss  or  pussy  is  suggestive 
of  something  or  someone  soft 
and  pretty,  with  gentle,  win- 
ning ways.  Archbishop 
Whately  has  said  that  only 
one  English  noun  had  a  true 
vocative  case,  "  Nominative, 


MISS   F.  SIMPSON'S  "  BONNIE   BOY. 

(Photo:  Gunn  &*  Stuart,  Richmond.') 


cat  ;  vocative,  puss."  I  do  not  think  that  in 
any  other  country  there  is  a  pet  name  for  the 
cat,  just  as  there  is  no  word  in  any  foreign 
language  that  breathes  the  same  tender 
truth  to  the  hearts  as  "  home."  Puss  and 
home  !  The  terms  seem  so  closely  connected 
with  each  other,  and  suggest  peaceful  hap- 
piness and  restful  repose. 

Truly,  the  history  of 
the  cat  has  been  a  strangely 
chequered  one.  Perhaps, 
because  she  is  such  a  secret, 
complex,  and  independent 
creature  she  has  remained 
somewhat  of  a  puzzle  to 
humankind,  and  is  therefore 
to  a  great  extent  misunder- 
stood ;  but  those  who  will 
take  the  trouble  to  consider 
the  cat  and  try  to  understand 
her,  will  find  that  puss  is- 
none  of  those  things  she  has 
been  accused  of  being.  It 
is  only  those  who  are  in 
constant  contact  with  cats 
who  understand  how  intelli- 
gent they  really  are ;  al- 
though their  intelligence  is 


CATS    OF    TO-DAY. 


quite  in  a  different  mould  from  that  of  the 
dog.  I  may  mention  that  the  household  cat 
outnumbers,  it  is  said,  the  household  dog  in 
London  by  the  proportion  of  four  to  one.  This 
fact  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  non-taxation 
of  cats.  The  question  of  the  taxation  of  cats 
has  very  often  been  raised,  and  I  do  not  think 
that  anyone  who  really  values  his  cat  would 
object  to  pay  a  yearly  tax  ;  but  the  proposal 
is  as  unpractical  as  it  is  ridiculous,  and  it  is 
certain  that  taxation  would  not  help  in 
exterminating  the  poor,  disreputable,  half- 
starved  members  of  the  feline  tribe,  who  have 
no  fixed  abode  and  whose  only  means  of  exist- 
ence is  by  plunder. 

The  figure  and  number  nine  seems  to  be 
an  important  one  in  connection  with  cats. 
There  is  a  popular  saying  that  a  cat  has  nine 
lives.  The  expostulating  tabby  in  Gay's 
Fables  says  to  the  old  beldame  : — 

"  'Tis  infamy  to  serve  a  hag, 
Cats  are  thought  imps,  her  broom  a  nag  ; 
And  boys  against  our  lives  combine, 
Because,  'tis  said,  your  cats  have  nine." 

Cats  probably  owe  this  reputation  to  their 
extraordinary  powers  of  endurance,  and  cer- 
tain it  is  that  they  have  a  greater  tenacity 
to  life  than  any  other  animal.  At  the  Batter- 


sea  Home  a  dog  and  a  cat  have  been  placed 
in  the  lethal  chamber,  and  it  was  observed 
that  the  dog  died  in  five  minutes,  whereas 
the  cat  breathed  for  forty  minutes  longer.  A 
short  time  ago  I  received  the  following  letter 
from  a  cat  fancier  : — 

"  At  ii  p.m.  two  kittens,  a  few  hours  old,  were 
placed  in  a  pail  of  water,  and  left  there  for  rather 
over  ten  minutes.  Seeing  them  at  the  bottom 
with  their  months  open,  it  was  taken  for  granted 
they  were  dead  ;  the  bodies  were  then  trans- 
ferred to  the  ashpit,  and  early  next  morning  they 
were  discovered  to  be  alive  and  quite  chirpy. 
Restoring  them  to  the  mother,  they  have  grown 
nice,  strong,  healthy  little  kits,  and  have  just- 
left  for  comfortable  homes." 

In  Thistleton  Dyer's  interesting  book  on 
"  English  Folk-lore,"  reference  is  made  to- 
this  subject.  "  Cats,"  he  says,  "  from  their 
great  suppleness  and  aptitude  to  fall  on  their 
feet,  are  commonly  said  to  have  nine  lives  ; 
hence  Ben  Johnson,  in  '  Every  Man  in  his 
Humour,'  says,  '  'Tis  a  pity  you  had  not  ten 
lives — a  cat's  and  your  own.' ' 

"  In  the  Middle  Ages  a  witch  was  empow- 
ered to  take  cat's  body  nine  times,"  so  writes 
an  eminent  old  zoologist. 

The  "cat-o'-wme-tails"  is  a  dreaded  object 
to  some  light-fingered  and  heavy-handed 
miscreants.  I  have  heard  a  magistrate 
remark  that  he  considers  this  form  of  pun- 
ishment the  best  way  in  which  to  give  hints 


"     AT    WORK    AND    PLAY 
(Photo:  C.  Reui,  Wis 


20 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


to  the  wicked.  Garrotting  was  virtually  stamped 
out  by  its  use.  Wife-beating  would  be  less 
common  if  the  brute-husband  were  treated 
to  a  taste  of  the  cat-o'-nine-tails.  This  imple- 
ment of  torture  consists  of  nine  pieces  of  cord 
put  together,  and  in  each  cord  are  nine  knots. 
Consequently  every  stroke  inflicts  a  large 
number  of  long  and  severe  marks  not  unlike 
the  clawing  and  scratching  of  a  savage  cat, 
producing  crossing  and  re-crossing  wounds. 

In  my  long  and  varied 
experience  of  cats,  I  have 
noticed  that  more  of 
these  creatures  succumb 
to  the  common  enemy  at 
about  nine  years  of  age 
than  at  any  other  period. 
We  have  heard  of  cats 
attaining  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  but  the 
following  account  sur- 
passes all  previous  re- 
cords of  longevity  in 
the  feline  world  : — 

To  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE 
Stock-Keeper, 

Sir, — Seeing  you  have 
a  column  in  your  paper  de- 
voted to  cats,  I  thought  it 
might  interest  your  read- 
ers to  hear  that  in  our  vil- 
lage there  is  a  cat  thirty- 
one  years  old.  She  is  quite 
lively,  and  looks  like  living 
a  few  more  years.  It 
belongs  to  a  poor  widow,  who  told  me  she  had 
it  as  a  kitten  when  she  married.  (Her  hus- 
band lived  twenty-seven  years,  and  has  been 
dead  four.) 

Newbury,  Bucks.  W.  B.  HERMAN. 

It  is  strange  that  the  poor  dead  bodies  of 
cats  have  often  been  used  as  objects  of  foolish 
and  vulgar  so-called  sport.  Dead  cats  and 
rotten  eggs  were,  and  are  sometimes  still,  con- 
sidered legitimate  missiles  to  make  use  of  at 
borough  and  county  elections. 

All  sorts  of  stories  are  related  of  pussy's 
superhuman  intelligence,  but  the  most  uncanny 


KITTEN    BELONGING   TO    MRS.    E.    S.    OWEN, 

DETROIT,    MICHIGAN. 

BY  "KlNG  OF   THE   SILVERS" — "BLESSED   DAMOZEL." 
(Pflota :  Albany  Art  Union,  New  York.} 


one  of  very  recent  date  I  will  refer  to  here. 
It  may  be  remembered  that  in  the  winter  of 
1901  a  vessel  named  the  Salmon  was  wrecked. 
On  the  morning  of  the  accident,  this  vessel 
was  lying  alongside  the  Sturgeon,  and  her 
two  cats,  who  had  all  their  lives  shown  the 
most  perfect  contentment  with  their  home 
and  surroundings,  made  desperate  efforts  to  get 
on  board  the  Sturgeon.  The  crew  drove  them 
off  again  and  again,  and  the  ship's  dog  attacked 
them,  but  they  would  not 
be  deterred,  and  when 
the  Salmon  at  last  cast 
off,  the  two  cats  landed 
with  one  frantic  and  final 
spring  on  to  the  Sturgeon's 
deck.  It  seems  absurd 
to  argue  that  those  cats 
knew  of  the  coming  dis- 
aster, yet  why  should 
they  take  such  a  sudden 
and  utterly  unreasonable 
aversion  to  the  ship  which 
had  always  been  their 
home  ?  And  why  should 
they  insist  on  making 
their  way  to  another 
vessel  from  which  they 
had  been  so  inhospitably 
repulsed  ? 

We  have  many  proofs 
of  the  extraordinary  ex- 
tent to  which  a  cat's 
sense  of  hearing  and  smell 
are  developed.  On  my 
voyage  out  to  Australia  flying  fish  would  some- 
times fall  on  to  the  deck.  The  cats  that  are 
always  somewhere  about  the  ship  might  be 
comfortably  curled  up  asleep  below,  but  the 
peculiar  sound  would  fetch  them  up  in  a  greal 
hurry,  and  they  would  rush  to  secure  the  prize. 
The  crew  used  to  amuse  themselves  sometimes 
by  trying  to  imitate  the  noise  in  various  ways 
to  deceive  them  ;  but  the  cats  were  not  to  be 
"  had  " — they  could  distinguish  the  peculiar 
thud  of  the  flying  fish  from  all  other  sounds. 

Various  theories  have  been  put  forward  to 
account  for  the  marvellous  instinct  which  a 


THE   ANTIQUARIES. 

(From  t/ie  painting  by  Madame  Runner.) 


2* 


22 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


cat  possesses,  enabling  her  to  find  her  way 
home  although  miles  and  miles  of  untraversed 
country  lay  between  her  and  the  place  from 
which  she  has  been  taken.  It  is  contended 
that  a  cat  which  is  conveyed  in  a  bag  or  blind- 
folded will  have  its  sense  of  smell  in  full  exer- 
cise, and  will,  by  this  means  take  note  of  the 
successive  odours  encountered  on  the  way, 
and  that  these  will  leave  in  its  mind  sufficient 
information  of  the  route  so  as  to  make  it  an 
easy  matter  for  the  animal  to  find  its  way  back 
again.  Be  this  as  it  may,  many  of  us  can  state 
facts  which  are 
even  stranger 
than  fiction  of 
mysterious  reap- 
pearances of  cats 
who,  with  a  hom- 
ing instinct  as 
true  as  any  car- 
rier -  pigeon,  re- 
turn to  the  haven 
where  they  would 
be. 

The  instinct 
of  maternity  is, 
perhaps,  more 
largely  developed 
in  the  cat  than  in 
any  other  animal. 
No  creature 
shows  such  anx- 
iety for  the  safety  and  welfare  of  her  offspring 
as  she  does,  and  often  her  natural  timidness  will 
give  place  to  bold  and  fearless  courage  when 
her  little  ones  have  been  in  any  difficulty  or 
danger.  Mivart  tells  us  of  a  cat  that  plunged 
into  a  swiftly  running  stream  and  rescued  her 
three  drowning  kittens,  bringing  them  one  by 
one  in  safety  to  the  shore.  During  a  fire  in  a 
London  theatre,  which  took  place  a  few  years 
ago,  a  poor  cat  with  her  family  was  left  for- 
gotten at  the  back  of  the  stage.  Three  times 
the  faithful  mother  rushed  into  the  flaming 
building  and  reappeared  each  time  with  a  kitten 
in  her  mouth.  But  alas!  with  fatal  persistence 
the  devoted  creature  returned  to  rescue  the 


KEPWICK      VIOLET         AND      "  KEPWICK      HYACINTH 

BLUES   BELONGING  TO   THE   HON.    MRS.   MACLAREN   MORRISON. 

(Photo :  J.  R.  Clarke,  Think.) 


was  proved,  for  after  the  fire  was  extinguished, 
the  charred  bodies  of  mother  and  child  were 
found  lying  side  by  side. 

A  clever  writer  has  stated  that  "  the  human 
race  may  be  divided  into  people  who  love  cats 
and  people  who  hate  them  ;  the  neutrals  being 
few  in  numbers."     This  is  very  true.     There 
are  also  differences  of  opinion  as  to  whether 
cats  are  desirable  inmates  of  a  household  or 
not,  but  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  great 
utility  of  these  animals,  and  it  is  only  natural 
to  suppose  that  they  were  created  for  the  pur- 
pose of  suppress- 
ing rats  and  mice 
and  other  ver- 
min.    There  is  a 
popular  notion 
that  if  a  cat    is 
petted   and  well 
fed  she   will  be- 
come less  useful 
as    a    mouser. 
This  is  a  fallacy, 
for   the  cat's  in- 
clination is   to 
hunt  the   mouse 
or    rat,    not    for 
food,  but  for 
sport,  and  an  ani- 
mal  that   is   en- 
feebled byneglect 
and  starvation  is 

not  in  the  best  condition  to  successfully  catch 
its  prey.  This  love  of  sport  is  not,  however, 
inherent  in  all  cats,  but  is  hereditary  in  the 
feline  tribe  as  it  is  in  the  human  race. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the 
Government  pays  annual  sums  for  the  purpose 
of  providing,  keeping,  and  feeding  numerous 
"  harmless,  necessary  cats "  in  their  public 
offices,  dockyards,  and  stores,  thereby  attest- 
ing to  the  worth  and  capability  of  pussy's 
services. 

In  the  National  Printing  Office  in  France 
a  considerable  number  of  cats  are  employed 
in  keeping  the  premises  clear  of  rats  and  mice 
which  would  otherwise  work  havoc  amongst 


remaining  one,  and  that  she  reached  the  spot     the   stock   of   paper   always   stored   in   large 


OF    TO-DAY. 


quantities.     In    Vienna,    cats    are    placed    on     mice.     Now  rarely  one  is  nibbled,  and  every 
active  service  in  the  municipal  buildings.     At     morning  dozens  of  lifeless  bodies  are  cleared 


many  of  our  great  rail- 
way stations  there  is  a 
feline  staff  engaged  in 
the  various  warehouses 
and  offices.  The  farmer 
will  readily  admit  the 
usefulness  of  puss  in 
his  barns,  stables,  out- 
houses and  fields 
Farmers  are  notori 
ous  grumblers,  but  they 
would  have  gr  ater 
cause  for  discontent 
and  disappointment  if 
rats  and  mice  were  al- 
lowed to  live  and  thrive, 
and  breed  and  multiply 
on  their  premises.  The 
newly  sown  peas  and 
corn  stacks  would  suffer 


MISS    SAVERYS    BLUE    PERSIAN    KITTEN. 
(Photo:  H    Warschaiuski,  Si   Leonards-on-Sea.) 


away.  Curiously 
enough  these  dead  mice 
have  their  tails  eaten 
off,  for  apparently  this 
cat  has  a  weakness  for 
the  appendage,  whereas, 
usually  the  head  is 
considered  the  delicate 
morsel  amongst  the  fe- 
line race.  It  seems  that 
although  the  cat  is  left 
alone  with  all  the  flut- 
tering birds  at  night, 
she  never  has  attempt- 
ed to  molest  them  in 
any  way. 

I  lately  had  occa- 
sion to  visit  one  of  our 
London  theatres  during 
the  daytime,  when  it 


to  a  terrible  extent,  and  the  broods  of  ducklings  was  empty ;  and  observing  a  big  brown  cat 
and  chickens  would  speedily  vanish  if  puss  did  walking  about  amongst  the  stalls,  I  made 
not  keep  a  vigilant  eye  and  silently  but  surely  some  remark  about  him  to  the  official  who 


fulfil    the    duties  of  her 
calling. 

In  the  live  stock  de- 
partment   of  the  Army 
and  Navy  Stores  in  Lon- 
don, an   orange   Persian 
cat  may  be  seen 
strolling    about 
amongst     the 
cages    of    birds 
of    every    sort. 
The     attendant 
informed     me 
she    had    been 
on  the  premises 
three     or     four 
years,  and  had 
saved  the  com- 
pany   a    "  tidy 
sum."     Previ- 


accompanied    me.       He 
said  they  found  it  quite 
impossible  to  get   along 
without  a  cat ;  they  had 
tried,  but  the  place  be- 
came overrun  with  mice. 
During    pussy's 
occupation  of 
the  empty  play- 
house plenty  of 
bodies  were  dis- 
covered,    but 
never    a    live 
mouse  had  been 
seen   disporting 
itself. 

The  cats  in 
Gove  r n  m  e  n t 
service  in  Ame- 


A   PAIR    OF    SHORT-HAIRED    BROWN    TABBIES. 
(Photo:  T.  Fall,  Baker  St.,  W.) 

rica  are  very 

ous  to  obtaining  ner  services  the  packets  of  numerous.  The  army  has  a  regular  corps  of 
bird-seed  disappeared  like  magic,  for  they  them  kept  at  the  commissary  depots  of  the 
were  demolished  wholesale  by  the  swarms  of  great  cities.  It  is  customary  for  the  officer 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


in    charge    of    each    depot    to    submit  to  the 

War  Department  a  request  for  an  allowance 

for   the   cats   of   meat    and    milk. 

More  than  three  hundred  cats  are 

in  the  employ  of  the   Post  Office 

Department,     distributed     among 

about  fifty  of  the  largest  offices. 

The  New  York  City  office  expends 

sixty    dollars    annually    in    cats'- 

meat.      At   Pittsburg,   there   is   a 

"cold-storage"    breed    of     cats, 

which    has    special    qualifications 

for  enduring  extreme  cold.     These 

cats   are   short   tailed,   with    long 

and  heavy  fur,  and  their  eyebrows 

and   whiskers    are   extraordinarily 

long  and   strong.     It  is  said  they 

do    not    thrive   when  transferred 

to   an  ordinary  atmosphere. 

The  following  extract  from  the 
Daily  Mail  of  February  ist,  1902, 
gives  us  an  account  of  a  most 
exemplary,  well  trained,  and  up-  CAT  CALENDAR. 

to-date  cat,  and  opens  up  a  fresh    (.By  kind  permission  of  Ra 
field  for  the  utility  and  agility  of 
our   domestic    pets — not    an   absolutely   fresh 
field  indeed,  if  one  recalls  the  fact  that  Puss 
was  already  a  "  retriever "  in   ancient  Egypt. 


A    PING-PONG   CAT. 

Hunting  for  balls  is  un- 
doubtedly the  one  great  draw- 
back to  ping-pong.  Might  I 
suggest  a  novel  and  easy 
method  of  accomplishing  this 
difficult  and  unpleasant  task  ? 

My  cat  is  now  an  expert  in 
the  art  of  finding  ping-pong 
balls.  Immediately  the  ball 
touches  the  floor  the  cat  is 
after  it,  and  brings  it  from  its 
hiding-place  to  the  side  of  the 
table  at  which  I  am  playing, 
thus  saving  me  from  unneces- 
sary exertion.  F.  S.  W. 


CAT    CALENDAR. 

(By  kind  permission  o/  Raphael  Tuck  &>  Co.) 


The  thought  suggests  itself  that  pussy's  teeth 
and  claws  might  work  serious  havoc  amongst 
the  ping-pong  balls,  and  that  some  of  these 
would  be  produced  in  a  mutilated  condition. 


Of  all  animals  the  cat  appears  most  to  re- 
sent being  taught  or  trained  to  do  tricks.  Puss 
has  a  natural  antipathy  to  be 
forced  to  do  anything,  or  remain 
anywhere  against  her  will.  Hence 
the  few  exhibitions  of  really  clever 
performing  cats  in  comparison 
with  the  marvellous  feats  achieved 
by  dogs.  It  has  been  stated  that 
the  cat  is  the  hardest  animal  to 
teach  ;  it  takes  years  to  train  a 
cat  to  perform  some  simple  trick 
which  a  dog  would  learn  in  as 
many  weeks.  Once  a  cat  is  trained, 
it  becomes  a  very  valuable  pos- 
session. We  have  all  seen  the 
Happy  Family,  consisting  of 
monkeys,  guinea-pigs,  canaries, 
pigeons,  and  mice,  whilst  a  cat 
is  seated  demurely  in  the  midst 
of  this  incongruous  assembly.  No 
doubt  some  training  was  required 
to  cause  puss  to  disregard  the 
natural  instincts  of  her  race. 

The  cat  is  a  most  cleanly  crea- 
ture, and  perhaps  more  particular  about  her 
appearance  than  any  other  animal.  As  Miss 
Agnes  Repplier,  in  her  delightful  book.  "  The 
Fireside  Sphinx,"  says: 
"Pussy's  adroitness  is 
equalled  only  by  her  deli- 
cacy and  tact.  Her  clean- 
liness and  her  careful  atten- 
tion to  her  toilet  show  re- 
spect for  herself  and  for  us." 
One  of  the  strangest 
and  most  profitable  trades 
in  London  is  the  wholesale 
and  retail  business  of  horse- 
meat  for  cats.  In  barrows 
and  carts  the  hawkers  of 
this  horse-flesh  cry  their 
wares  throughout  the  city 
and  suburbs,  and  find  a 
ready  sale  for  them.  It  is  stated  that 
26,000  horses,  maimed,  or  past  work,  are 
slaughtered  and  cut  up  every  year  to  feed  our 
household  pets.  Each  horse  means  on  an 


CATS    OF    TO-DAY. 


average  275  pounds  of  meat,  and  this  is  sold 
by  pussy's  butcher  in  half  pennyworths  skew- 
ered on  bits  of  wood.  The  magnitude  of  this 


birthday.      His     occupation     was     also     given — 
'  mouse-catcher,  worker  on  his  own  account.'  " 

A  description  of  the  ordinary  domestic  cat 


trade  can  be  estimated  by  the  fact  that  it  keeps  is  hardly  necessary,  but  before  I  pass  on  to 
constantly  employed  thirty  wholesale  sales-  mention  matters  of  general  interest  concern- 
men.  I  may  here  mention  that  a  cats'-meat  ing  cats  of  to-day,  I  will  give  a  quotation  from 
men's  supper  was  organised  last  year  in  London  a  Board  School  boy's  essay,  which  speaks  for 
by  the  editor  of  Our  Cats,  assisted  by  Mr.  Louis  itself  : 

"The  house-cat  is   a   four-legged    quadruped, 
the   legs   as_usual    being    at    the   corners.     It   is 


Wain    and    others  ;     and    a    most 
entertainment  was  given  at  the  City  of  New 


York  Restaurant.     The  applications  for  tickets     what  is  sometimes  called  a  tame  animal,  though 


were  so  numerous  that  400  men  had  to  be  re- 
fused ;  and  when  the  250  guests  were  seated, 
it  was  clearly  proved  that 
every  available  inch  of 
accommodation  had  been 
utilised.  Having  been 
present,  I  can  testify  to 
the  excellent  supper  and 
entertainment  provided 
for  the  cats'-meat  men 
of  London. 

The  most  casual  ob- 
server cannot  have  failed 
to  remark  the  wonderful 
development  of  late  years 
in  "  Catty "  Christmas 
souvenirs,  thus  giving 
proof  of  the  growth  of 
love  and  admiration  for 
pussy.  We  have  cat  al- 
manacks, cat  calendars,  and  cat  annuals,  and 
I  can  testify  to  the  innumerable  Christmas 


CAT    CALENDAR. 

{By  kind  permission  of  Raphael  Tuck  d-3  Co.) 


it  feeds  on  mice  and  birds  of  prey.  Its  colours 
are  striped,  it  does  not  bark,  but  breathes  through 
its  nose  instead  of  its  mouth: 
Cats  also  mow,  which  you 
have  all  heard.  Cats  have 
nine  liveses,  but  which  is 
seldom  wanted  in  this 
country,  coz'  of  Christian- 
ity. Cats  eat  meat  and 
most  anythink  speshuelly 
where  you  can't  afford; 
This  is  all  about  cats." 

Perhaps  my  readers 
may  think  that  after 
such  a  lucid  description 
of  the  subject  in  hand, 
further  comments  are 
unnecessary ! 

I  will  proceed,  how- 
ever, to  give  a  glance 

round  at  the  Cat  Fancy  in  general  before  men- 
tioning particulars  of  Clubs  and  Cats  of  the 


cards  with  designs  of  cats  of  all  sorts  and  present  day.  The  question  has  often  been 
conditions  which  have  found  their  way  into  asked  whether  the  Cat  Fancy  will  ever  be- 
my  hands  expressive  of  good  wishes  at  the  come  as  popular  and  fashionable  as  the  breed- 
festive  season.  ing  of  dogs,  poultry,  and  birds  ?  I  think  this 
The  official  mind  would  probably  frown  at  question  may  be  answered  in  the  affirmative, 
the  suggestion  that  the  census  returns  should  when  we  consider  that  during  last  year  a  dozen 
be  enlivened  with  incidental  humour.  How-  and  more  large  cat  shows  have  been  held  in 
ever,  after  the  last  census,  the  following  state-  different  parts  of  England  and  Scotland,  to 


ment  appeared  in  the  press  : — 

"  An  enumerator  in  going  over  a  return  paper 
found  that  the  household  cat  had  been  included 
as  a  member  of  the  family.  It  was  described 
as  '  Jim,'  the  relationship  to  the  head  of  the 


say  nothing  of  numerous  mixed  shows  where 
a  section  for  cats  was  provided.  Every  year 
the  number  of  fanciers  increases,  and  although 
this  particular  hobby  is  almost  entirely 
confined  to  the  gentler  sex,  yet  it  is  really  sur- 


family   being    '  lodger.'      The  entry   then    stated      prising  to  find  how  many  more  men  are  be- 
that  he  was  of  the  male  sex,  single,  aged  one  last     ginning  to  take  an  interest  in  the  pussies,  and 


26 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


are  keenly  excited  in  the  winnings  of  the 
household  pet  or  the  king  of  the  cattery.  As 
a  friend  once  said  to  me,  "  You  know  what 
men  are  ;  if  only  the  cats  win  prizes,  my  hus- 
band does  not  mind,  but  it  is  a  different 
matter  if  I  return  from  a  show  with  no  award  ; 
then  he  declares  we  must  get  rid  of  all  the 
cats  !  "  I  am  afraid  that  cat  fanciers  must 
be  looked  upon  as  a  rather  quarrelsome  set, 


interest  has  been  manifested,  better  classifi- 
cation given,  and  a  larger  number  of  cats 
exhibited.  It  was,  therefore,  considered  ad- 
visable to  have  some  definite  organisation, 
and  the  National  Cat  Club  was  instituted  in 
1887,  with  Mr.  Harrison  Weir  as  president.  I  will 
now  proceed  to  give  a  list,  which  I  believe  to  be 
complete  and  correct,  of  the  various  other  clubs 
and  societies  in  England  and  America  which 


and  there  is  no  doubt  that  petty  jealousies     have  been  organised  and  which  are  all  at  this 
and  spiteful  gossip  retard  in  many  ways  the 
development    and   im- 
provement of  the  fancy. 

Another  question 
that  is  often  asked  is 
whether  cats  can  be 
made  to  pay  —  or,  in 
other  words,  whether 
cat  breeding  is  a  profit- 
able undertaking. 
From  my  own  experi- 
ence, which  has  ex- 
tended over  a  number 
of  years,  I  can  unhesi- 
tatingly say  I  have  de- 
rived not  only  much 
pleasure  but  a  good 
deal  of  profit  from 
keeping  cats,  and  also 

I   have   started    many  MR.  HARRISON  WEIR. 

friends    in    the    fancy  (piuto-.  c.  E.  corke,  smenoaks.) 

who  have  gone  on  and 

prospered.  The  dangers  that  beset  begin-  well,  near  Bristol, 
ners  are  many,  and  the  chief  difficulty  is  to 
know  how  to  limit  the  number  of  our  pussies 
and  so  avoid  overcrowding,  or  retaining  poor 
stock  which  will  not  prove  creditable  or  profit- 
able. Cat  keeping  on  an  extensive  scale  means 
a  large  outlay,  followed  by  constant  and  un- 
tiring attention.  I  do  not  intend,  however, 
in'  this  chapter  to  enter  into  any  details  as  to 
the  care  and  management  of  cats,  for  this  and 
other  subjects  connected  with  their  interests 
will  be  fully  dealt  with  later  on. 

In  my  preceding  chapter  I  alluded  to  the 
first  Cat  Show  held  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in 
1871.  This  exhibition  of  cats  has  become 


present  time  in  thoroughly  good  working  order. 

LIST    OF   CAT    CLUBS 
AND    SOCIETIES. 

The  National  Cat  Club, 
founded  1887.  Hon.  sec., 
Mrs.  A.  Stennard-Robin- 
son,  5, Great  James  Street, 
Bedford  Row,  London, 
W.C.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, i  guinea. 

The  Cat  Club,  founded 
1898.  Hon.  sec.,  Mrs. 
Bagster,  15  A,  Paternoster 
Row,  London,  E.G.  An- 
nual subscription, 
i  guinea. 

The  Northern  Counties' 
Cat   Club,    founded  1900. 
Hon.    sec.,    Mrs.   Herbert 
Ra.nsome,        Altrincham. 
Annual  subscription,  IDS. 
The  Silver  and  Smoke 
Persian       Cat       Society, 
founded  1900.     Hon.  sec., 
Mrs.  H.  V.  James,  Back- 
Annual  subscription,  55. 

Black  and  White  Club.  Hon.  sees.,  Miss  Kerswill 
and  Miss  White  Atkins.  Entrance  fee,  is.;  annual 
subscription,  45. 

The  Blue  Persian  Cat  Society,  founded  1901.  Hon. 
sec.,  Miss  Frances  Simpson,  Durdans  House,  St. 
Margaret's-on-Thames.  Annual  subscription,  55. 

The  Siamese  Club,  founded  1900.  Hon.  sec., 
Mrs. Baker,  i3,Wyndham  Place,  Bryanston Square, W. 
Annual  subscription,  4.5.  ;  to  working  classes,  2s.  6d. 
The  Orange,  Cream,  Fawn  and  Tortoise-shell 
Society,  founded  1900.  Hon.  sec.,  Miss  Mildred  Beal, 
Ronaldkirk  Rectory,  Darlington.  Annual  subscrip- 
tion, IDS. 

The  Chinchilla  Cat  Club,  founded  May,  1901 .  Hon. 
sec.,  Mrs.  Balding,  92,  Goldsmith  Avenue,  Acton. 
Annual  subscription,  53. 

The  Short-haired  Cat  Club,  founded  1901.     Hon. 


an  annual  fixture,  and  year  by  year  greater     sec.,  Mrs.  Middleton,  67,  Cheyne  Court,  Chelsea. 


CATS    OF    TO-DAY. 


27 


The  Scottish  Cat  Club,  founded  1894.  Hon.  sec., 
J.  F.  Dewar,  2,  St.  Patrick  Square,  Edinburgh.  An- 
nual subscription,  53. 

The  Midland  Counties  Cat  Club,  founded  at 
Wolverhampton,  1901.  Hon  sec.,  Miss  Cope,  136, 
Bristol  Road,  Birmingham.  Annual  subscription,  53. 

The  British  Cat  Club,  founded  1901:  Hon.  sec., 
Sir  Claude  Alexander,  Faygate  Wood,  Sussex.  Sub- 
scription, 53. 

The  Manx  Cat  Club,  founded  1901.  Miss  Hester 
Cochran,Witchampton,Wimborne.  Subscription,  53. 

The  Beresford  Cat  Club  (Chicago),  founded  1899. 
President,  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke  ;    corresponding  secre- 
tary,  Mrs.   A.  Michelson,   220, 
East  Sixtieth  Street,  Chicago. 
Annual    subscription,    resident 
members,  2  dollars  ;   non-resi- 
dent, i  dollar. 

The  Chicago  Cat  Club, 
founded  1899.  President,  Mrs. 
Leland  Norton,  Drexel  Ken- 
nels, Drexel  Boulevarde, 
Chicago. 

The  Louisville  Cat  Club, 
founded  1900.  Corresponding 
secretary,  Miss  E.  Converse. 
Annual  subscription,  50  cents. 

The  Pacific  Cat  Club,  found- 
ed 1900.  Corresponding  secre- 
tary, Mrs.  A.  H.  Brod,  114, 
Brodcrick  Street, San  Francisco. 
Annual  subscription,  i  dollar. 

The  Atlantic  Club,  founded 
in  New  York,  1902.  Correspond- 
ing secretary,  Dr.  Ottolengui, 
So,  West  Fortieth  Street,  New 
York. 


MR.  LOUIS   WAIN. 
(Photo  :    Lascelles  &°  Co.) 


Since  the  formation  of  the  National  Cat 
Club,  many  changes  in  its  constitution  have 
taken  place.  On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Harri- 
son Weir  from  the  presidency,  Mr.  Louis  Wain 
was  appointed,  and  still  holds  the  office.  The 
N.C.C.  is  fortunate  in  having  so  energetic  a 
hon.  sec.  and  treasurer  as  Mrs.  Stennard- 
Robinson,  whose  name  is  so  well  known  in  the 
"  doggy  "  world.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
officers  of  the  National  Cat  Club  at  the  time 


V ice-Presidents. — The  Right  Hon.  the  Countess 
of  Warwick,  The  Viscountess  Maitland,  The  Mar- 
chioness of  Dufferin  and  Ava,  The  Countess  of 
Aberdeen,  The  Lady  Hothfield,  Lady  Willoughby, 
Lady  Reid,  The  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison,  The 
Lady  Granville  Gordon,  Lady  Decies,  The  Hon.  Mrs. 
Baillie,  Madame  Ronner,  Mr.  Isaac  Woodiwiss,  Mr. 
Sam  Woodiwiss. 

Committee. — Louis  Wain  (President),  Lady  Decies, 
Lady  Alexander,  The  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison, 
Mrs.Vallance,  Mrs.  Balding,  Miss  Hamilton,  Dr.  Roper, 
Mrs.  Herring,  Mrs.  Ransome,  Mrs.  G.  H.  Walker. 
Hon.    Sec.    and    Treasurer. — Mrs.    A.    Stennardj 
Robinson,  13,  Wyndham  Place, 
Bryanstone  Square,  W.     (Tele- 
graphic  address  —  "Bow-wow, 
London.") 

The  National  Cat  Club  was 
organised  (i)  to  promote  hon- 
esty in  the  breeding  of  Cats,  so 
as  to  ensure  purity  in  each  dis- 
tinct breed  or  variety  ;  (2)  to 
determine  the  classification  re- 
quired, and  to  encourage  the 
adoption  of  such  classification 
by  breeders,,  exhibitors,  judges, 
and  the  committees  of  all  Cat 
Shows  ;  (3)  to  maintain  and 
keep  the  National  Register  of 
Cats;  (4)  to  assist  the  Showing 
and  Breeding  of  Cats,  by  hold- 
ing Cat  Shows  under  the  best 
sanitary  conditions,  giving 
Championship  and  other  prizes, 
and  otherwise  doing  all  in  its 
power  to  protect  and  advance 
the  interests  of  Cats  and  their 
owners. 

The  National  Cat  Club.is  also  a  Court  of  Inquiry 
and  Appeal  in  all  matters  relating  to  Cats,  or  affect- 
ing the  ownership  of  Cats,  and  so  saves  the  expense 
to  its  Members  of  litigation. 

The  National  Cat  Club  founded  its  Stud  Book 
some  twelve  years  ago,  and  it  is  the  only  reliable  source 
of  information  concerning  the  pedigree  of  Cats.  The 
Registration  Fee  is  is.  for  the  Register  of  Names, 
but  for  the  Stud  Book  the  fee  is  55.  for  Approved 
Cats  exhibited  under  N.C.C.  Rules. 

The  two  principal  shows  of  the  National 


of  writing,  and  a  summary  of  the  objects  for     Cat  Club  are  held  annually  at  the  Botanical 


which  the  Club  was  organised  : — 


THE     NATIONAL     CAT     CLUB. 
Patron. — H.H.     Princess    Victoria    of    Schleswig 


Holstein. 

President.- 


-Her   Grace   the   Duchess  of  Bedford. 


Gardens  in  connection  with  the  Ladies'  Kennel 
Association  in  June,  and  at  the  Crystal  Palace 
in  October.  In  1901  the  total  number  of  cats 
shown  at  the  Palace  was  601,  and  the  entries 
numbered  1,021.  There  were  106  classes 


28 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


provided    for    long-    and    short  -  haired    cats. 
The  following  is  the  definition  of  the  classes  : — 

DEFINITION     OF    CLASSES. 

Open  Classes. — Open  to  all  Cats,  Prize-winners  or 
Novices. 

Limit  Classes. — For  Cats  of  any  age  that  have  not 
won  Three  First  Prizes. 

Novice  Classes. — For  Cats  of  any  age  that  have 
never  won  a  First  Prize 
at  any  Show. 

Special  Novice  Cats. 
— For  Cats  or  Kittens 
over  6  months  that  have 
never  won  a  Prize  of 
any  sort  at  a  Crystal 
Palace  Show. 

Neuter  Classes. — For 
Gelded  Cats. 

Stud  Classes.  — •  For 
Male  Cats  that  have 
sired  Kittens  which  are 
entered  a  ad  on  exhibi- 
tion in  this  Show. 

BtoodQuenn  Class. — 
For  Queen  Cats  whose 
Kittens  are  entered  in 
this  Show. 

Selling  Class.  —  For 
Cats  of  any  colour  or 
Sex  to  be  sold  at  a  price 
not  exceeding  3  guineas 
in  Long  -  haired  or  2 
guineas  in  Short:haired 
and  Foreign. 

Ring  Class. — For  Cats 
shown  in  collar,  and  lead. 

Kitten.  Classes. — 
Single  entries  to  be  over 
3  months  and  under  8 
months,  unless  other- 
wise stated. 

Brace. — For  2  Cats,  age  over  6  months. 

Team. — For  three  or  more  Cats,  age  over  6  months. 

No  Cats  can  be  entered  in  brace  or  teams  unless 
also  entered  in  one  other  class. 

The  money  prizes  in  each  class  are  First, 
£i  ;  Second,  ros.  ;  Third,  53.  The  list  of 
special  prizes,  including  Challenge  Trophies 
and  medals,  numbered  262  at  the  last  Crystal 
Palace  Show  in  1901. 

In  addition  to  the  two  regular  fixtures  of  the 
N  .C.C. ,  other  catshows  are  held  in  different  places 
in  connection  with  the  Club  and  under  its  rules. 


LADY    MARCUS 
(From  a  painting  by 


The  National  Cat  Club  reigned  alone  until 
1898,  when  Lady  Marcus  Beresford  started 
and  founded  the  Cat  Club.  This  ardent  cat 
lover  has  done  more  for  pussy  than  anyone  in 
the  fancy.  She  is  most  lavish  in  her  generosity 
and  unwearying  in  her  efforts  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  Club.  It  was  Lady  Marcus  who 
first  started  the  idea  of  holding  cat  shows  in 

aid  of  charity.  The 
Cat  Club's  first  show, 
held  at  St.  Stephen's 
Hall,  Westminster,  in 
1899,  was  in  aid  of  the 
Children's  Guild  of 
the  Deptford  Fund. 
In  1900  the  fami- 
lies of  the  soldiers 
and  sailors  who  had 
fallen  in  the  Trans- 
vaal were  benefited 
to  a  large  extent  by 
the  proceeds  of  the 
show.  In  1901  the 
Children's  Hospital, 
Great  Ormond  Street, 
was  the  charity  se- 
lected to  receive  a 
handsome  donation 
of  £100.  The  West- 
minster shows  have 
always  been  splen- 
didly managed,  a 
noticeable  feature 
being  the  wonderful 
array  of  beautiful 
special  prizes  offered 
for  competition.  The  following  is  the  list  of 
officials  connected  with  the  Cat  Club  : — 

THE    CAT    CLUB. 
(Founded  by  Lady  Marcus  Beresford.) 

The  objects  of  the  Club  are  the  general  good  of  the 
Cat,  the  promoting  of  true  breeding  of  Cats,  the  hold- 
ing of  a  Winter  Show,  so  that  Cats  may  be  exhibited 
at  their  best,  and  taking  other  steps  that  shall  be  for 
the  welfare  of  the  Cat. 

The  annual  Subscription  is  £i  is.,  payable  on 
election,  and  on  the  ist  of  January  in  each  succeed- 
ing year. 


BERESFORD. 
Edward  Hushes.) 


CATS    OF     TO-DAY. 


29 


A  Stud  Book  and  a  Register  of  Cats  are  kept  by 
the  Club. 

Presidents. — Lily,  Duchess  of  Marlborough  :  Edith, 
Duchess  of  Wellington  ;  Lord  Marcus  Beresforu. 

Vice-Presidents. — Isabella,  Countess  Howe  ;  Vis- 
countess Maitland,  Viscountess  Esher,  Lady  Ridley, 
Lady  de  Trafford,  The  Hon.  Mrs.  Bampfylde,  Lady 
Lister,  Lady  Gooch,  Mrs.  Barnet,  Mrs.  Alfred  files, 
Mrs.  Walter  Campbell,  Mrs.  Chaine,  Mrs.  George 
Dawkins,  Mrs.  Gary  Elwes,  Mrs.  C.  Hill,  Mrs.  King, 
Mrs.  Nicholay,  Mrs.  Tottie,  Mrs.  Pestoa  Whyte, 
Lord  Walter  Gordon  Lennox,  A,  E.  Bateman,  Esq., 
Colonel  Chaine,  Henry  King,  Esq. 


and  required  to  register  their  cats  in  each 
club  if  they  exhibit  at  the  respective  shows. 
It  would  be  a  great  benefit  to  the  cat  world 
in  general  and  to  the  exhibitor  in  particular 
if  some  arrangement  could  be  made  whereby 
one  independent  register  should  be  kept, 
and  that  both  clubs  might  work  together 
and  assist  each  other  in  endeavouring  to 
scrutinise  and  verify  all  entries  made  in  the 
joint  register,  so  that  inaccuracies  should  be 
detected  and  fraud  prevented. 


LITTER    OF    SIAMESE    KITTENS. 

BELONGING   TO    LADY    MARCUS    BERESFORD. 

(Photo.:   T.  Fall,  Baker  St.,  W.) 


Committee. — Lady  Marcus  Beresford,  Mrs.  Vary 
Campbell,  Mrs  Dean,  Mrs.  Paul  Hardy,  Mrs.  C.  Hill, 
Miss  Anderson  Leake,  Mrs.  R.  Blair  Maconochie, 
Mrs.  Neild,  Mrs.  Simon,  Mrs.  Mackenzie  Stewart, 
Mr.  L.  P.  C.  Astley,  Mr.  Gambier  Bolton,  Rev.  P.  L. 
Cosway,  Mr.  W.  R.  Hawkins,  Mr.  E.  W.  Witt. 

Hon.  Treasurer. — Lord  Marcus  Beresford. 

Hon.  Secretary. — Mrs.  C.  J.  Bagster,  15 A,  Pater- 
noster Row,  London,  E.G. 

There  is  really  ample  room  for  two  parent 
clubs,  as  the  Fancy  is  making  such  rapid  strides, 
and,  no  doubt,  well-appointed  shows  with  good 
classification  do  a  great  deal  to  benefit  breeders 
and  assist  fanciers.  Between  the  National 
Cat  Club  and  the  Cat  Club  there  is  one  point 
of  serious  disagreement,  namely,  as  regards  reg- 
istration. At  present  members  are  expected 


The  Northern  Counties  Cat  Club  is  affiliated 
with  the  N.C.C.,  and  has  quite  a  large  number 
of  members.  This  enterprising  club  holds 
two  shows  in  Manchester  every  year,  which 
hitherto  have  been  capitally  managed  by  the 
energetic  hon.  sec.  As  a  natural  sequence  a 
Midland  Counties  Club  has  lately  been  started, 
having  its  working  centre  at  Birmingham.  No 
doubt  arrangements  will  be  made  for  holding 
a  cat  show  in  this  or  some  other  equally  central 
Midland  town. 

The  Scottish  Cat  Club  is  in  a  flourishing 
condition,  and  has  been  steadily  working  up 
members  since  1894.  A  show  is  annually  held 
in  Edinburgh,  and  fanciers  over  the  border  are 
taking  a  much  keener  interest  in  cats. 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


In  America  the  fancy  has  gone  ahead  in  a 
wonderful  way.  It  was  in  1895  that  the  first 
cat  show  of  general  interest  was  held  at  Madison 
Square  Gardens,  New  York.  There  had  pre- 
viously been  some  private  attempts  to  have 
exhibitions  of  cats  in  connection  with  poultry 
and  pigeon  shows.  In  1896  an  American  Cat 
Club  was  organised,  which  did  some  good  work. 
Then  Chicago  started  a  Cat  Club  in  January, 

1899,  and  this  was  followed  by  a  most  success- 
ful enterprise  on  the  part  of  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke, 
who  founded  the  Beresford  Cat  Club,  called 
after  Lady  Marcus  Beresford, 

and   now  numbering  about 
200  members.     In  January, 

1900,  the  club  held  its  first 
big  show.     The  classification 
was  of  a  most  comprehensive 
nature,  and  the  list  of  special 
prizes    a    very    liberal   one. 
This  show  is  now  an  annual 
fixture,  and  the  Cat  Club  of 
England  sends  medals  and 
prizes  to  be   competed  for. 
Many  of   the  best  cats  ex- 
hibited at  these  shows  have 
been    exported    from    Eng- 
land,   and    Americans     are 
very  keen  in  trying  to  pro- 
cure the  very  best  possible 
stock — high  prices  in  many 

cases  being  offered  to  induce  English  fanciers 
to  part  with  prize-winning  specimens. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  officials  of  the 

BERESFORD  CAT  CLUB  OF  AMERICA. 

Officers. 

Mrs.  Clinton  Locke,  2825  Indiana  Ave.,  (President); 
Mrs.  Charles  H.  Lane,  5323  Madison  Ave.,  (First  Vice- 
President}  ;  Mrs.  F.  A.  Howe,  3041  Grand  Boulevard 
(Second  Vice-President)  ;  Mrs.  A.  A.  Michelson,  220 
E.  6oth  Street  (Corresponding  Secretary)  ;  Miss  L.  C. 
Johnstone,  5323  Madison  Ave.  (Recording  Secretary)  ; 
Mrs.  Elwood  H.  Tolman,  5403  Madison  Ave.  (Trea- 
surer). 

Directors. 

Mrs.  J.H.Pratt,  5816  Rosalie  Court;  Mrs.  Lincoln 
Nicholson,  Lee  Centre,  Illinois  ;  Miss  Louise  Fergus, 


"PUCK  III. 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  THE  PRINCESS  VICTORIA  OF 
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 


At  the  Cat  Show  held  in  January,  1902,  as 
many  as  75  classes  were  provided,  and  it  is 
plain  to  see  from  these  that  Americans  have 
not  the  same  antipathy  for  broken  colours — 
that  is,  cats  with  white  markings — as  we  have 
in  England,  as  there  are  classes  specially  for 
orange  and  white,  and  black  and  white  cats. 
In  another  part  of  this  work  I  shall  refer  to 
varieties  and  breeds  of  cats  existing  in  America 
which  differ  from  those  in  England.  The 
Beresford  Cat  Club  have  an  extremely  well 
arranged  stud  book  and  register,  which  is  pub- 
lished annually.  I  am  sure 
that  the  Cat  Fancy  in  Ame- 
rica has  a  great  future  before 
it,  and  we  cannot  help  being 
greatly  struck  with  the  earn- 
estness, thoroughness,  and 
enthusiasm  with  which 
Americans  have  taken  up 
this  hobby.  When  we  con- 
sider the  great  distances  in 
the  States  and  the  paucity 
of  good  stud  cats,  and  the 
few  opportunities  of  exhibit- 
ing at  well  organised  shows, 
we  cannot  fail  to  admire  the 
energy  and  enterprise  dis- 
played by  our  American 
fellow-fanciers. 

Specialist  Clubs  for  Cats 

are  of  very  recent  growth.  The  first  was 
started  by  an  ardent  breeder  of  silver  Persians 
in  1900.  It  was  then  called  the  Silver  Society, 
and  it  included  smokes  and  silver  tabbies.  The 
title  of  this  society  has  since  been  changed  to 
the  Silver  and  Smoke  Persian  Cat  Society.  In 
the  following  year  Blue  Persian  Breeders  be- 
stirred themselves  and  formed  a  society  for  this 
most  popular  breed.  In  the  same  year  the 
Orange,  Cream,  and  Tortoiseshell  Society,  the 
Siamese  Club,  and  the  Chinchilla  Club  were  in- 
augurated, also  a  Manx  Club  came  into  exist- 
ence, and  two  clubs  for  short-haired  cats  were 
started.  Particulars  concerning  these  special- 
ist societies  and  their  objects  will  be  found  in 


3220    Sheridan     Road  ;     Mrs.    Blanch    P.    Robinson, 

6,  Langley  Place ;  Mrs.  Vincent  E.  Gregg,  736  North      future  chapters  on  the  various  breeds  of  cats. 


Park  Avenue. 


It  will  be  noticed  bv  the  list  of  clubs  given 


CATS    OF    TO-DAY. 


that  for  brown  tabby  and  black  and  white 
Persians  no  societies  have  as  yet  been  formed, 
but  doubtless  ere  long  these  varieties  will  be 
gathered  into  the  fold  of  specialist  clubs. 

A  good  deal  of  discussion  has  taken  place 
in"catty  circles  as  to  the  desirability  of  having 
specialist  societies,  but  I  am  sure  a  vast  and 
marked  improvement  has  taken  place  in  the 
different  breeds  since  their  formation,  and  the 
fact  of  publishing   a  standard   of  points  has 
certainly  assisted  breeders  in  coming  to  a  more 
correct  idea  of  what  constitutes  a  good  cat  of 
a    particular    breed.      The 
number  of  challenge  prizes, 
medals  and  specials  offered 
by  these  societies  at  various 
shows  act  as  an  incentive  to 
exhibitors,  and  thus  entries 
increase     and     competition 
becomes  keener.     Specialist 
cl,ubs  are  not  altogether 
popular    with    the     parent 
clubs,  who  regard  them  with 
rather    a    suspicious      and 
jealous    eye.      They    think 
that    exhibitors    may    join 
these  less  expensive   socie- 
ties   and    yet    continue   to 
show  and  win  prizes  with- 
out subscribing  to  the  club 
that    holds   the  show.     No 
doubt    there    is    something 
in  this,  and  specialist  clubs 
should    be    ready    and    willing    not    only    to 
offer  prizes  for  which  their  members  only  can 
compete,   but   they   ought   also   to   guarantee 
classes,  and  perhaps  give  a  donation  towards 
the  expenses  of  the  show. 

There  have  been  quite  a  number  of  catty 
cases  in  our  courts  of  late  years,  and  these 
generally  seem  to  cause  considerable  amuse- 
ment to  the  legal  as  well  as  to  the  public  mind. 
At  a  recent  trial,  where  a  lady  was  wrongfully 
accused  of  starving  a  Persian  cat,  the  magis- 
trate, wishing  for  information,  inquired  of  the 
witness  (who  was  a  veterinary  surgeon)  how 
long  a  cat  could  live  without  food.  The  reply 
was,  "  I  am  sure  I  could  not  say,  sir,  for  cats 


MRS.  CLINTON  LOCKE  AND    HER   SIAMESE 
AND  "  BANGKOK." 


KITTENS    "CALIF 


are  the  funniest  animals  we  have  to  deal  with." 
And  it  is  very  true  that  these  creatures,  being 
so  complex,  require  to  be  specially  studied, 
and  our  principal  veterinaries,  who  lead  busy 
lives,  are  just  a  little  superior  to  the  many  ail- 
ments and  infirmities  of  these  too  often  despised 
animals.  It  is  therefore  a  subject  of  satis- 
faction for  cat  fanciers  that  two  clever  and  kind 
animal-loving  men  have  taken  up  the  doctoring 
of  cats,  and_by  personal  experience  are  learn- 
ing "  pretty  pussy's  ways  "  in  sickness  and 
in  health.  Mr.  Ward,  of  Manchester,  and 
"Salvo,"  of  Hertford  Heath, 
are  now  two  household 
names  in  the  cat  fancier's 
vocabulary.  To  the  many 
excellent  remedies  prepared 
by  these  clever  specialists  I 
shall  refer  later  on  in  my 
work.  Suffice  it  here  to  say 
that  when  in  doubt  or  diffi- 
culty about  your  pussy's 
state  of  health  I  would  re- 
commend you  to  write  to 
either  of  these  common- 
sense  practitioners. 

The  cat  literature  of  the 
present  day  has  been 
steadily  on  the  increase. 
The  first  paper  to  supply 
special  cat  columns  was 
Fur  and  Feather,  which, 
as  its  title  infers,  treats  be- 
sides of  birds,  rabbits,  poultry,  cavies,  mice. 
This  weekly  paper  has  a  large  circulation 
amongst  the  various  fanciers.  In  1899  Our 
Cats  was  started,  and  is  widely  read  by  the 
ever-growing  circle  of  cat  lovers,  and  claims  the 
unique  distinction  of  being  "  The  only  newsj 
paper  in  the  world  solely  devoted  to  cats."  In 
both  these  papers  there  are  stud  advertise- 
ments of  cats  and  a  register  of  visits  of  queens 
and  births  of  kittens. 

In  America  the  chief  organs  in  the  cat 
world  are  The  Cat  Journal,  The  Pet  Stock 
News,  and  Field  and  Fancy. 

And  now  a  few  words  on  those  most  ex- 
cellent institutions  which  should  appeal  to  the 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


hearts  of  the  animal  loving  public — I  mean  the 
homes  for  poor  stray  and  starving  cats.  It  is 
a  mercy  that  there  are  now  several  of  these 
refuges  in  our  great  metropolis.  I  have  per- 
sonally visited  Gordon  Cottage  at  Argyle  Road, 
Hammersmith,  and  the  London  Institution  in 
Camden  Town.  The  objects  of  both  these 
institutions  are  practically  the  same,  namely  :— 
(i)  To  receive  and  collect  homeless  and 
diseased  cats  and  painlessly  destroy  them. 


have  been  taken  in.  Not  a  day  passes  without 
several  wretched  cats  having  to  be  destroyed 
at  once  on  admission,  and  80  per  cent,  are 
destroyed  within  twenty-four  hours  of  admit- 
tance. No  charge  is  made  to  the  poor,  and  only 
is.  6d.  for  a  painless  death  in  the  lethal  cham- 
ber is  asked  from  those  who  can  afford  this 
most  merciful  mode  of  destroying  life.  The 
dead  cats  are  cremated  at  the  Battersea  Dogs' 
Home  at  a  charge  of  3d.  each  body.  A  motor- 


THE    CATS     PLAYGROUND  :     ROYAL    LONDON    INSTITUTION    FOR    STARVING 

CATS   AT   CAMDEN    TOWN. 
{Photo:    Cassell  &>  Company.  Limited.') 


(2)  To    provide    a    temporary    home  "for 
lost  cats. 

(3)  To  board  cats  at  a  moderate   weekly 
charge. 

The  Camden  Town  Institution  to  which  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen  has  graciously  given  Her 
Patronage,  was  founded  by  Mrs.  Morgan  in 
1896,  and  up  to  the  end  of  1901  has  received 
the  enormous  number  of  47,212  lost  and 
starving  cats.  The  average  received  weekly 
is  300,  and  in  one  day  as  many  as  91  cats 


car  is  employed  to  go  round  and  collect  stray 
cats,  and  will  call  at  any  house  if  due  notice 
has  been  given  to  the  hon.  manageress.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  number  of  cats  in  London 
is  close  upon  three  quarters  of  a  million,  of 
which  from  80,000  to  100,000  are  homeless.  It 
is  during  the  summer  months,  when  house- 
holders leave  town  for  their  holidays,  that  poor 
pussy  is  forsaken  and  forgotten,  and  no  pro- 
vision being  made  for  her,  she  is  forced  to  take 
to  the  streets,  where  she  seeks  in  vain  to  stalk 


CATS    OF    TO-DAY. 


33 


the  wily  London  sparrow  or  pick  up  any  scraps 
from  the  gutter.  The  humbler  folk  very  fre- 
quently manifest  vastly  greater  solicitude  for 
the  Tom  or  the  Tabby  of  their  hearths  than  do 
their  social  superiors.  All  lovers  of  cats  owe  a 
debt  of  gratitude  to  those  truly  noble  ladies 
who  have  begun  and  carry  on  such  a  merciful 
work  in  our  midst.  To  attempt  to  alleviate 
suffering  must  appeal  to  all  ;  and  even  those 


In  our  sister  isle  there  is  a  Cats'  Home, 
established  sixteen  years  ago  by  Miss  Swifte 
in  Dublin,  and  she  has  most  gallantly  carried 
out  the  beneficent  objects  with  which  she 
started  her  humane  work.  No  doubt  she  and 
other  founders  of  similar  institutions  have  had 
to  suffer  a  considerable  amount  of  ridicule, 
for  with  many  human  beings  the  cat  is 
regarded  as  little  deserving  of  commiseration 


ROYAL    LONDON'    INSTITUTION    FOR   LOST   AND    STARVING   CATS. 

(Photo  :    Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


who  have  an  instinctive  dislike  to  harmless 
cats  cannot  fail  to  see  the  immense  benefit 
to  be  derived  by  the  public  at  large  from 
the  noble  endeavour  to  clear  our  London 
streets,  squares,  parks,  and  empty  houses  of 
these  poor  forlorn  and  friendless  creatures. 

At.  the  Battersea  Home  for  Lost  Dogs  there 
are  also  splendid  arrangements  for  stray  cats, 
and  at  a  very  small  charge  per  week  cats  can 
be  ^ taken  in  to  board.  The  catteries  are 
capitally  arranged,  and  the  feeding  is  ex- 
cellent. 


or  kindness.  It  is,  however,  a  sign  of  increased 
justice  and  benevolence  that  these  homes  for 
cats  do  exist  and  obtain  public  support,  al- 
though the  funds  received  are,  according  to 
all  accounts,  very  inadequate  to  meet  all 
the  expenses.  This  must  surely  be  partly 
because  these  splendid  institutions  are  so 
little  known  to  the  general  public. 

Our  American  cousins  are  not  behindhand 
in  their  laudable  endeavours  to  cope  with  the 
question  of  lost  and  starving  cats,  and  an 
institution  similar  to  our  Battersea  Home  was 


34 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


started  in  the  early  'eighties  in  the  district 
of  Boston,  and  is  called  the  "  Ellen  M.  Gifford 
Sheltering  Home  for  Animals."  The  lady 
giving  her  name  to  this  humane  institution 
left  a  large  sum  of  money  to  endow  the  home, 
and  over  the  office  is  a  tablet  bearing  the 
following  extract  from  one  of  Miss  Gifford's 
letters  about  the  time  the  home  was  opened  :— 


It  was  as  early  as  1874  that  this  institution 
was  founded,  and  in  1889  it  was  reorganised 
and  incorporated  as  the  "  Morris  Refuge  for 
Homeless  and  Suffering  Animals,"  having  for 
its  motto  "  The  Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  His 
tender  mercies  are  over  all  His  works." 

The  efforts  of  the  charitable  ladies  who  so 
ably  assisted  in  the  establishment  of  these  in- 


THE   CART   OF   THE    ROYAL   LONDON    INSTITUTION    FOR    LOST   AND    STARVING   CATS. 

(Photo:   Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


"  If  only  the  waifs,  the  strays,  the  sick,  the 
abused  would  be  sure  to  get  entrance  to  the 
home,  and  anybody  could  feel  at  liberty  to  bring 
in  a  starved  or  ill-treated  animal  and  have  it 
cared  for  without  pay,  my  object  would  be 
attained.  March  27,  1884." 

According  to  Miss  Helen  Winslow,  the 
authoress  of  "  Concerning  Cats,"  there  is 
another  institution  in  Philadelphia  which  does 
not  limit  its  good  work  to  tending  cats  and 
dogs,  but  cares  for  all  living  and  suffering 
animals,  bringing  relief  to  the  unfortunate 
creatures  by  means  of  a  painless  death. 


stitutions  have  been  followed  by  others,  and  a 
proposal  to  found  a  home  for  animals  in 
Montreal  has,  I  believe,  proved  successful. 
Miss  Winslow  tells  us  that  there  are  several 
cat  asylums  and  refuges  in  the  Far  West,  and 
a  Sheltering  Home  at  Brighton,  Mass.  In 
1901  a  Cat  Refuge  was  started  in  Chicago  by 
a  well-known  cat-lover,  Mrs.  Leland  Norton, 
and  probably,  as  time  goes  on,  some  further 
organised  attempt  will  be  made  to  deal  with 
the  question  of  lost  and  starving  cats  in 
American  towns. 

The  love  of   the  cat  still  lingers  in  Egypt, 


CATS    OF    TO-DAY. 


35 


in 


and  I  have  been  told  that  free  rations  to  starv- 
ing cats  are  dealt  out  every  day  at  the  Palace 
of  the  Cadi  and  the  Bazar  of  Khan  Kheleel ; 
also  that  a  cats'  home  has  been  founded 
Cairo  for  the  lodg- 
ing and  feeding  of 
homeless  cats. 

There  was  a  re- 
port that  in  order 
to  cope  with  the 
innumerable  lost 
and  starving  cats 
the  American  Legis- 
lature had  decided 
to  enforce  a  bill  for 
licensing  cats,  but 
if  such  a  law  came 
into  existence  in 
any  country  the  re- 
sult would  surely 

be  that  thousands  of  cats  with  good  homes 
would  be  thrust  out  into  the  streets,  and  that 
rats  and  mice  would  multiply  to  an  alarming 
extent.  It  is  estimated  that  in  New  York  city 
alone  60,000  cats  depend  for  their  daily  food 
on  gar- 
bage and 
the  mice 
and  rats 
that  they 
capture. 
Therefore, 
if  each  cat 
catches 
three  mice 
or  rats  a 
week,  the 
sum  total 
am  ounts 
to  over 
9,000,000 
a  year  ! 

I  have  often  wondered  why  some  of  our 
numerous  "distressed  ladies"  do  not  set  up 
private  homes  for  the  care  of  cats.  A  really 
comfortable  country  home  for  cats  is  an 
enterprise  in  which  many  a  woman,  who  is 
hopelessly  at  sea  for  some  means  of  earning 


THE    HON.    PHILIP    WODEHOUSE  S    "  SILVER    SAINT. 
(Photo  :   Clarke  &•  Co.,  Norwich.) 


an  honest  livelihood  in  this  overcrowded 
work-a-day  world,  might  thus  combine 
pleasure  with  profit.  Many  fanciers  feel  the 
difficulty  and  well  nigh  impossibility  of  leaving 

their  catteries  for 
any  length  of  time, 
and  few  have  a  per- 
manent and  respon- 
sible caretaker  on 
the  premises.  An 
opening,  therefore, 
presents  itself  not 
only  for  boarding 
homes  for  cats,  but 
for  temporary  helps 
who  could  be  en- 
gaged by  the  week 
or  month  to  take 
charge  of  the  cat- 
tery during  the  ab- 
sence of  the  owner.  Of  course,  such  a  person 
should  have  had  experience  with  cats  and  kit- 
tens, and  above  all  should  be  an  animal  lover. 
To  dwellers  in  any  of  our  large  cities  the 
sojourn  in  some  country  place  would  come  as 

a  boon  and 


A    BEVY    OF    BLUES    BELONGING   TO    MISS    SAVERV 
(Photo  :    ll'aschenki,  St.  Leonanls-on-Sea.) 


a  blessing, 
and  if  the 
owner  of 
thecattery 
is  fully  as- 
sured  of 
the  capa- 
bilities of 
the  care  - 
taker,  then 
all  anxiety 
of  mind  as 
to  the  wel- 
fare of  the 
pets  would 
be  allayed. 

There  is  a  secluded  corner  in  Hyde  Park 
known  as  the  Dog's  Cemetery,  and  amongst 
the  many  headstones  I  noticed  two  or  three 
erected  in  memory  of  lost  pussies  who  have 
been  privileged  to  rest  in  this  quiet  burying 
ground. 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


When  we  see  poor  pussies  packed  into  dirty 
cages  in  the  shops  of  dealers  of  beasts  and 
birds  in  our  great  metropolis,  and  when  we 
are  made  sad  by  the  sight  of  the  wretched 
starving  cats  of  our  streets,  we  can  breathe 
no  better  wish  for  them  than  a  speedy 
deliverance  from  their  life  of  misery,  even  if 
it  be  to  embark  with  the  grim  ferryman  in 
their  free  transportation  to  the  Feline 
Elysium. 

"  There  shall  the  worthies  of  the  whiskered  race, 
Elysian  mice  o'er  floors  of  sapphire  chace, 
'Midst  beds  of  aromatic  marum  stray, 
Or  raptur'd  rove  beside  the  milky  way." 

A  French  writer  of  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  a  famous  Jesuit  Father, 
suggests  a  very  strange  theory  on  the  old  idea 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  soul  of  animals.  I  am 
sure  that  the  question  of  a  future  existence  for 
those  pets  who  during  so  short  a  time  in  this 
world  have  been  our  faithful  and  loving  com- 
panions must  have  often  entered  into  the 
hearts  and  minds  of  true  animal  lovers. 

A  wise  and  good  man — a  writer  of  some  of 
our  most  beautiful  hymns,  and  who  passed  to 
his  rest  within  the  last  year — wrote  and  gave 
me  these  lines  when  he  lost  his  faithful  dog  :— 


SANCHO  :    AN  OLD  FRIEND. 
A  large  brown  Irish  retriever  :    buried  in 
the  Vicarage  Garden  of  St.  Paul's,  Hagger- 
ston  :   a  stone  to  his  memory  is  on  the  school 
wall,  with  this  inscription  : — • 

"  In  the  centre  of  this  lawn  lies 

SANCHO, 

a  gentleman  in  all  but  humanity  ; 
thorough-bred,  single  in  mind,  true 
of  heart  ;  for  seventeen  years  the 
faithful  and  affectionate  friend  of 
his  master,  who  loved  him,  and  now 
for  him  '  faintly  trusts  the  larger 
Hope  '  contained,  it  may  be,  in 
Romans  viii.  19-21. 

He  died  April  26,  1883." 

NOT  sparse  of  friends  the  world  has  been  to  me 
By  grace  of  GOD  •  sweetness  and  light  to  life 
Their  love  has  given  ;    many  a  stormy  strife, 

Many  a  pulseless  torpor,  on  my  sea, 

Through  them — their  presence  or  their  memory— 

Have  been  or  stilled  or  quickened  ;    and  to  thee, 
My  Dog,  the  tribute,  as  the  term,  is  due, 
My  Friend  !  not  least  of  all  dear,  near,  and  true 

These  seventeen  years — and  through  the  years  to  be 

Sure  in  my  heart  of  immortality. 

Must  this  be  all  ?     I'  the  great  Day  of  the  LORD, 
Shall  aught  that  is  of  good  and  beauty  now 

Be  missing  ?     Shall  not  each  gift  be  restored  ? 
Paul  says  "  the  whole  creation  " — why  not  thou  ? 


CATS'    TOMBSTONES    IN   THK    DOGS'    CKMETKKV,    HYDK    PARK. 
(Photo :  Cassell  &  Co.,  Ltd.) 


37 


TABBIKS    UP    A    TKKK. 


1'hotc:  C.  Reitt,  Wishaia. 


I 


CHAPTER    III. 

CARE    AND    MANAGEMENT. 

N    the   care,    management,  and    feeding   of     haps  with    rice  or  Freeman's  Scientific  Food, 

raw  meat  twice  or  three  times  a  week  cut  up 
into  fairly  small  pieces,  horse-flesh  (if  obtained 


cats  no  hard  and    fast    rule   can  be  laid 
down,   for  the  dispositions  and  constitu- 


tions of  these  animals  differ  just  as  much  as  from  a  reliable  source)  twice  a  week.     Lights, 

clo  those   of  human  beings.      Fanciers    must  liver,  or  sardines  may  be  given  occasionally, 

therefore  learn  to  treat  their  cats  individually  Sloppy  food  in  any  large  quantity  should  be 

and  not  collectively  ;    they  must  study  their  avoided  ;    but  oatmeal  well  boiled,  cornflour, 


character  and    make    allowances   for  the  fads 
and  fancies  of  the  feline  race.    I  am  convinced 
that   a  varied  diet  is  the  best   for  cats,  and 
fanciers   should  bear   in    mind 
the  importance  of  regularity  in 
the  hours  of  feeding,  whether 
two  or  three  or   four   times  a 
day.      Fresh   water  should  al- 
ways   be    supplied,    and     un- 
finished food  should  not  be  left 
standing   about.     For   one   or 
two  pet   cats   the   scraps 
from  the  table  given  with 
judgment    will    probably 
suffice ;     but   in   the  case 
of    a    large    cattery   with 
several  inmates,  some  sort 
of    system    in    feeding   is 
necessary.     I  would  sug- 
gest that  the   chief  meal 
for   two    days    a   week 
should  be  fish,  mixed  per- 


BLUE   PERSIAN. 


3* 


PRESENTED  BY  Miss  PATTERSON  TO  HER  MAJESTY 
THE  QUEEN. 


arrowroot,    and    several    of    the    well-known 
foods,    such   as   Neave's  or   Mellin's,   make   a 
nice     change.     Spratt's     biscuits     of     various 
kinds,  soaked  and  mixed  with 
stock,    are    relished    by    some 
cats.       Vegetables    should    be 
given    frequently,    and    grass 
supplied,  as  green  food  purifies 
the  blood  and  keeps  the  bowels 
in    good    condition.       Persian 
cats    require   special  attention 
as  regards  their  coats,  and 
should    be    combed    and 
brushed  regularly,  and,  if 
the  fur  becomes  matted, 
the   knots  should   be  cut 
away.       Avoid      washing 
your  cats  ;  there  are  other 
means  of  cleansing  their 
coats,  particulars  of  which 
will    be     given     in     the 
chapter  on  exhibiting. 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


FEMALE  CATS  AND  KITTENS. 
As  regards  the  management  of  female  cats, 
it  is  necessary  to  start  from  the  time  when 
they  first  arrive  at  maturity,  viz.  when  they 
are  first  capable  of  becoming  mothers.  This 
usually  takes  place — or  they  "  come  in  season," 
as  it  is  called — after  they  are  seven  or  eight 
months  old  ;  and  though  cases  have  been 
known  when  this  has  happened  before  six 
months,  it  is  very  unusual.  It  may  there- 
fore be  laid  down  as  a  rule  that  if  a  kitten 
exhibits  extraordinary  high  spirits,  racing  and 
tearing  about,  it  should  be  carefully  watched, 
and  not  allowed  its  freedom  without  super- 
vision, either  out  of  doors  or  in  the  house. 
Queens  may  be  known  to  be  in  season  by 
several  symptoms,  such  as  rolling  on  the  ground, 
rubbing  up  against  furniture,  increased  affection 
for  their  owners,  and  often  by  the  curious  cries 
they  utter,  at  times  by  a  soft  note  of  invitation, 
at  other  times  by  shouts  of  impatience  or  dis- 
tress which  resound  through  the  house.  Cats 
should  not  be  mated  until  they  are  nine  or  ten 
months  old  at  least  ;  twelve  months  is  a  better 
age,  though  if  they  are  insistent  it  will  not  do 
to  put  them  off  more  than  three  times,  as 
there  are  records  of  cats  who,  having  been  kept 
back  on  account  of  extreme  youth,  have  been 
seriously  ill  or  have  never  had  families  at  all. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  these  cats 
may  have  had  the  reproductive  instinct  abnor- 
mally strong,  though  for  some  cause  or  another 
they  would  always  have  been  unfertile.  Pow- 
ders are  sold  to  quiet  cats  who  are  considered 
too  young  to  become  mothers,  and  two  or  three 
small  doses  of  bromide  have  a  decidedly  calm- 
ing effect.  This  drug  should,  however,  be 
given  with  caution,  as  it  is  a  dangerous  one 
in  unskilled  hands.  Cats  come  in  season  about 
every  three  weeks  during  the  spring  and 
summer  ;  but  in  the  autumn  and  early  winter 
months  nature  seems  to  intend  that  they 
should  rest ;  therefore,  as  soon  as  the  year  has 
turned,  and  in  very  mild  winters  even  before 
Christmas,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  selecting 
the  best  sires  for  the  various  breeding  queens, 
and  arrangements  made  with  their  respective 
owners,  so  that  as  soon  as  ever  a  queen  is 


ready  she  may  be  mated  without  delay,  as 
some  cats  go  off  in  two  or  three  days,  while 
others  are  not  safe  for  a  fortnight.  If  possible, 
it  is  well  to  select  a  stud  cat  near  at  hand, 
especially  if  your  queen  is  timid  and  frightened, 
as  a  long  railway  journey  may  upset  her. 

It  is  most  essential  that  female  cats 
should  be  freed  from  worms  before  being 
allowed  to  mate  or  breed,  otherwise  the  kittens 
will  probably  fall  victims  to  these  pests  by 
sucking  in  the  disease  with  the  mother's  milk. 
Most  cat  fanciers  know  the  symptoms  which 
are  suggestive  of  worms  ;  and  whenever  there 
is  a  reasonable  suspicion  of  their  presence,  then 
it  is  best  at  once  to  resort  to  some  of  the  many 
remedies  to  be  obtained  from  veterinaries  and 
cat  specialists. 

A  cat's  period  of  gestation  is  nine  weeks,  but 
this  is  often  extended  to  a  day  or  two  longer, 
so  that  it  is  best  to  expect  a  litter  about  nine 
weeks  from  the  date  of  the  queen's  return 
from  visiting  the  stud  cat.  An  experienced 
breeder  will  most  likely  see  symptoms  of  a  cat 
coming  in  season,  and  will  then  do  well  to 
give  a  worm  powder.  Salvo's  No.  3  powder 
may  be  given  one  morning,  and  the  cat  sent 
off  the  next  day  quite  safely.  Visiting  queens 
should  be  despatched  as  early  in  the  morning 
as  possible  and  insured,  to  save  delay  on  the 
road,  with  the  owner's  name  and  address  in- 
side package,  also  the  name  of  the  cat,  as  poor 
pussie  will  be  far  happier  if  on  her  arrival' she 
hears  herself  called  by  her  pet  name.  Tull 
instructions  should  be  sent  as  to  the  return 
journey  ;  also  it  should  be  stated  if  the  cat 
is  kept  out  of  doors  or  indoors,  and  what  food 
she  is  accustomed  to  have,  number  of  meals 
per  diem,  etc.  If  going  a  very  long  journey 
the  queen  should  not  be  nailed  into  a  box,  or 
padlocked,  as  occasional  delays  occur,  and 
the  railway  authorities  will  feed  and  look  after 
an  insured  cat  if  packed  in  a  hamper  or  box 
where  they  can  get  at  the  occupant.  Boxes 
or  hampers  with  skeleton  lids  are  by  far  the 
best  on  this  account.  If  the  weather  is  very 
cold  and  a  basket  is  used,  it  should  be  lined, 
and  round  the  sides  brown  paper  is  an  addi- 
tional safeguard  against  draughts,  for  which 


CARE    AND    MANAGEMENT. 


39 


all  stations  are  proverbial.  A  very  delicate 
cat  or  young  kitten  finds  great  comfort  in 
winter  from  a  hot-water  bottle  placed  inside 
the  hamper  for  it  to  rest  against.  Queens 
should  have  a  good  meal  an  hour  or  two  before 
starting,  as  they  often  arrive  upset  with  the 
journey,  and  in  their  strange  new  home  will 
not  at  first  touch  any  food.  Do  not  put  any 
food  in  the  travelling  basket.  It  is  not  well 
for  a  queen  to  mate  just  after  a  heavy  meal. 

Fish  and  warm  milk,  if  these  agree  with  the 
queen,  or  a  small  meat  meal,  may  be  offered 
after  a  long,  cold  journey,  and,  if  eaten,  the 
queen  should  be  allowed  to  rest  an  hour  or 
two  before  introducing  her  to  the  stud  cat. 

After  mating,  a  queen  should  be  kept  quiet 
for  a  few  days  on  her  return  home,  as  much 
apart  from  other  cats  as  possible  ;  but  no  un- 
easiness need  be  felt  if  the  visit  does  not  seem 
to  have  quieted  the  queen,  as  she  will  settle 
down  in  a  few  days  and  cease  to  think  about 
her  mate.  With  regard  to  treatment  of  cats 
in  kitten,  some  queens  are  gentle  and  quiet, 
and  very  careful  of  themselves,  others  are 
exceedingly  bad-tempered,  fighting  and  quar- 
relling, while  some  amuse  themselves  by  climb- 
ing up  high  places  and  jumping  down,  be- 
having in  such  a  wild  and  excitable  fashion 
that  they  not  only  endanger  their  own  lives, 
but  run  the  risk  of  bringing  maimed  and 
deformed  offspring  into  the  world.  Cats  such 
as  these  should  be  kept  isolated,  if  possible, 
or  at  most  with  only  one 
other  quiet  queen,  and 
all  high  shelves  or  tall 
articles  of  furniture 
should  be  removed.  It 
is  always  well  to  be  very 
careful  in  handling  cats 
in  kitten.  They  must 
never  be  lifted  up  by 
their  fore  legs,  but  when 
absolutely  necessary  to 
move  or  carry  them,  both 
hands  should  be  used  to 
do  so,  one  being  placed 
under  the  body  by  the 
shoulders  to  carry  the 


weight,  while  the  other  hand  gently  supports 
the  hind-quarters ;  but  the  less  a  cat  is 
lifted  about  the  better.  All  medicines  should 
be  given  quietly  and  quickly,  so  that  there 
may  be  no  struggling.  The  cat's  head  should 
be  grasped  firmly  with  the  left  hand,  the 
fingers  and  thumb  on  each  side  of  the 
corners  of  the  mouth,  and  forced  back  on 
the  shoulders  with  a  firm  pressure  ;  this 
will  cause~heT  to  open  her  mouth,  when  medi- 
cine can  be  popped  quickly  down  the  throat 
from  a  spoon  held  in  the  right  hand.  In  the 
case  of  a  very  restless  cat,  it  is  advisable  to 
have  an  assis'tant  in  administering  medicine. 
Amateurs  would  do  well  to  practise  giving 
water  in  a  spoon  to  queens  who  are  in  health, 
so  that  they  may  become  used  to  this  simple 
method  of  administering  medicine.  Cats  in 
kit  require  three  or  four  meals  daily  of  nour- 
ishing food — raw  meat  from  four  to  six  ounces 
night  and  morning,  and  fish  and  scraps  and 
vegetables  or  biscuit,  etc.,  for  the  midday 
meal.  Half  a  teaspoonful  of  cod-liver  oil  on 
their  food  two  or  three  times  a  week  is  very 
good  for  the  queens  in  cold  weather ;  but 
if  sickness  ensues,  of  course  the  oil  must  be 
discontinued.  Never  suffer  dianhce-a  to  go  on 


THREE      UTTLE      MAIDS. 
(Photo:    E.  Landor,  Ealing.) 


4o 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


unchecked.  This  applies  to  all  cats  and  kittens 
of  whatever  age,  sex,  or  condition,  but  is 
especially  dangerous  when  a  cat  is  in  kit  or 
nursing  her  young.  Mr.  Ward  and  Salvo 
prepare  powders  which  will  stop  the  diarrhoea, 
and  if  persevered  with  will  restore  the  bowels 
to  their  normal  condition.  Change  of  diet  is 
also  very  helpful.  If  the  diarrhoea  is  very 
violent  or  persistent,  or  if  no  medicine  can  be 
procured,  a  small  quantity  of  powdered  chalk, 
as  much  as  will  lie  on  a  sixpence,  may  be  given 
every  hour  or  two,  three  or  four  times  ;  but 
the  primary  cause,  of  which  diarrhoea  is  only 
a  symptom,  should  be  sought  out,  and  if  not 
discoverable,  the  advice  of  a  cat  doctor  should 
be  obtained. 

Persistent  diarrhoea  (if  not  the  accompani- 
ment of  diseases,  such  as  inflammation  of  the 
bowels,  etc.),  is  usually  caused  by  indigestion 
or  worms,  and  sometimes  by  a  stoppage  of  fur 
or  food  imperfectly  digested,  which  nature 
in  this  way  tries  to  get  rid  of  ;  and  if  this  is 
the  case,  or  there  is  even  reason  to  suspect 
it  may  be,  a  dose  or  two  of  warm  salad  oil, 
a  teaspoon ful  every  two  hours,  will  often 
bring  away  the  obstruction.  Cats  in  kitten 


A      PERILOUS      PERCH. 

(1'hoto:   C.  Reid,   Wishaw.) 


frequently  suffer  from  constipation,  for  which 
also  warm  salad  oil  is  far  better  than  castor 
oil,  as  the  latter  is  irritative  to  the  bowels,  and 
though  acting  as  an  aperient,  the  after  effects 
are  increased  costiveness.  Warm  salad  oil, 
given  a  few  hours  before  the  birth  of  kittens, 
is  helpful  to  the  mother.  For  at  least  a  week 
before  the  kittens  are  expected,  a  nice  cosy 
bed  should  be  prepared  in  some  retired  spot  ; 
and,  to  a  novice,  the  caution  would  not  be 
amiss — do  not  let  a  cat  in  kitten  sleep  on  your 
bed,  or  she  will  either  have  her  kittens  there, 
or  will  drag  the  poor  little  things  into  the  bed 
the  first  chance  she  gets.  If  a  box  is  to  be 
made  ready  for  the  cat,  it  should  be  of  a  fair 
size  (about  twenty-six  inches  by  eighteen 
inches),  and  should  be  placed  on  its  side,  and 
a  bit  of  wood  about  three  inches  deep  nailed 
on  to  the  bottom  of  the  side,  standing  up  to 
keep  the  bedding  in  its  place  and  the  kittens 
from  rolling  out.  This  box  may  be  placed 
on  a  table  or  two  chairs,  so  arranged  that  the 
cat  can  step  in  and  out  from  another  chair. 

The  floor  of  the  box  should  be  covered 
with  several  thicknesses  of  flannel  or  blanket 
in  the  winter  and  paper  in  the  summer.  Avoid 
coloured  materials,  as  the  dye  will  come  out 
if  they  get  wet.  A  bolster  may  be  placed  at 
one  side  of  the  box  stuffed  with  straw,  or  hay 
or  paper  torn  up  very  small,  to  support  the 
cat's  back  ;  but  should  the  weather  be  very 
cold  and  the  mother  delicate,  a  hot-water 
bottle  covered  with  flannel  may  be  used  instead, 
and  is  a  great  comfort.  A  covering  should  be 
thrown  over  the  box,  which  may 
be  pulled  down  to  hide  the  in- 
terior, as  cats  love  to  be  screened 
from  observation  ;  and  also  it  is 
very  essential  that  the  tiny 
babies  should  be  kept  al- 
most in  the  dark  for  the 
first  fortnight,  after  which 
time,  when  their  eyes  are 
open,  the  covering  can  be 
raised  in  the  day  and  low- 
ered at  night  in  cold  weather. 
This  box  must  be  placed  on 
the  ground  as  soon  as  the 


CARE    AND    MANAGEMENT. 


kittens  can  walk  about,  but  retaining  the  ledge 
already  referred  to,  which  will  keep  them  from 
ground  draughts  to  a  great  extent.    A  nice  little 
box  with  run  attached  is  the  best  house  for  a 
cat  and  kittens  ;    but  as  these  cost  about  253. 
each,  a  number  of  them  become  costly  and 
beyond    the    means    of    some   breeders.      The 
bed  described  is  the  next  best  thing,  far  better 
for  shy  queens  than  a  box  or  basket  used  in 
the  ordinary  way.     An  empty  drawer  makes  a 
good  place,  but   the  kit- 
tens should  be  moved  out 
of  it  as  soon  as  they  can 
see,  as   it   is   rather  too 
dark  and  close  after  the 
blind  period  is  past. 

A  cat  should  sleep 
in  whatever  bed  is  ar- 
ranged for  her  for  at 
least  a  week  before  the 
kittens  are  expected,  and 
when  that  day  arrives 
the  queen  should  be 
carefully  watched,  as 
some  cats  will  have  their 
kittens  anywhere  if  not 
looked  after.  For  the 
sake  of  those  new  to  the 
fancy,  it  may  be  as  well 
to  remark  that  cats 
become  very  restless, 
walking  about  some- 
times purring  loudly,  and 
looking  in  cupboards  and  dark  corners,  while 
occasionally  the  first  noticeable  indication  that 
the  event  is  about  to  come  off  is  that  the  fur 
behind  is  wet,  and  if  this  should  be  the  case 
no  time  should  be  lost  in  carrying  the  cat  most 
carefully  to  her  bed,  as  the  kittens  may  then 
be  expected  any  moment.  Some  animals  like 
to  be  left  entirely  alone  while  giving  birth  to 
their  young ;  others,  especially  pets,  prefer 
to  have  their  owners  near  to  them  ;  but  if 
there  is  any  uncertainty  it  is  better  to  leave 
her  to  herself. 

Experienced  breeders  will  know  that  should 
the  labour  be  dry  or  very  prolonged  it  is  a 
great  help  to  a  cat  to  pass  the  hand  firmly 


MRS.  HARDY'S  NEUTER  "  PHARAOH 

(Photo  :   Schutk's  Photographic  Galleries.) 


and  slowly  down  the  side  during  an  expulsive 
pain,  as  the  pressure  will  help  the  mother  and 
hasten  the  birth  of  the  kittens. 

After  the  first  is  born,  the  rest  come  compara- 
tively easily.  Very  occasionally  there  is  a  cross 
presentation  ;  but  as  only  those  really  com- 
petent should  attempt  to  do  anything  in  this 
case,  no  time  should  be  lost  in  sending  for  the 
nearest  cat  doctor  or  veterinary.  After  the 
first  kitten~has  arrived — the  birth  of  which  is 
usually  heralded  by  a 
loud  cry  of  pain  from 
the  mother — some  milk 
should  be  made  hot,  and 
as  soon  as  the  new  baby 
has  been  cleaned  the 
mother  will  gladly  drink 
this  ;  but  on  no  account 
should  cold  or  even  luke- 
warm milk  be  given  the 
same  day,  or,  indeed,  for 
two  or  three  days.  Nov- 
ices are  sometimes  start- 
led at  seeing  the  cat  eat- 
ing a  lump  of  something 
which  they  fear  may  be 
a  kitten  ;  but  there  is 
no  occasion  for  alarm, 
as  it  is  merely  the  after- 
birth, the  consumption 
of  which  is  probably 
Nature's  provision  for 
affording  sustenance  to 
the  mother,"  as  an  animal  in  a  wild  state 
could  get  no  food  for  at  least  several  hours 
after  the  birth  of  its  offspring.  If  a  cat  is 
wild  or  shy,  it  is  better  to  leave  her  alone  (with 
the  exception  of  offering  hot  milk  from  time 
to  time)  until  all  the  kittens  are  born,  and 
they  should  not  be  examined  or  handled  for 
some  days. 

With  a  gentle  queen  the  first  kitten  may 
be  taken  away  when  the  second  is  born, 
well  wrapped  up  in  warm  flannel  and  put 
by  the  fire,  and  so  on,  always  leaving  one 
kitten  until  the  last  is  warm  and  dry,  when 
the  others  should  be  returned  to  the  mother. 
This  plan  is  most  necessary  in  cold  weather 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT-. 


(especially  if  the  kittens  are  born  out-of-doors), 
for  if  the  labour  is  easy  and  quick  it  is  quite 
impossible  for  the  queen  to  dry  one  kitten 
before  the  advent  of  the  next,  and  by  the  time 
they  are  all  born  they  are  frequently  stone 
cold,  and  so  wet  that  the  mother  gives  up 
the  attempt  to  dry  them  in  despair ;  and 
many  kittens,  thought  to  be  stillborn,  have 
died  in  the  night  in  this  way.  Kittens  quite 
cold  and  nearly  dead  have  been  restored  (and 
have  lived  to  a  good  old  age)  by  being  taken  at 
once  to  the  fire  and  warmed  and  dried,  and 
though  at  first  life  may  appear  extinct,  time 
and  patience  will  work  wonders.  If  the  kittens 
are  taken  away  from  the  mother  at  birth  as 
described  above,  it  is  a  good  opportunity  for 
destroying  any  that  are  not  wanted,  because 
of  sex  or  colour.  When  the  litter  is  given  to 
the  mother  she  should  be  offered  milk  again, 
and  should  after:  that  be  left  alone  several 
hours;  but  she  will  most  likely  welcome  a 
few  kind  words  and  loving  pats  as  a  reward 
for-  all-  she  has  'gone  through,  and  will  then 
cuddle  down;  contentedly  with  her  little  ones. 
;  In  giving  milk  do  not  take  the  mother  out,  or 
even  make  he'r  get  .up  to  drink  it,  on  the  day 
of  her  confinement  ;  ;  if'  she  cannot  reach  it 
comfortably,  Taise  her  head  and  shoulders  with 
one  hand;  until  'she  can  reach  the  saucer  held 
itt  the"0trfer~canvenicntly,  and  do  not  be  in  a 
hurryV'as  she  knows' well  the  temperature  the 
milk  ought  to"  be,  arid  will  not  take  it  if  too 
hot  or  too  cold.  Milk  should  be  given  night 
and  morning,  and  offered  during  the  day,  for 
some  days  after  the  kittens  are  born.  Cats 
that  never  like  it  at  other  times  are  thankful 
for  it  when  nursing  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
cats  that  have  been  fond  of  milk  will  turn  away 
from  it  at"  these  times.  Queens  usually  come 
out  every  few  hours  for  food,  and  their  meat  or 
ordinary  meal  should  be  ready  for  them,  as 
they  will  want  to  eat  it  quickly  and  return  to 
their  little  ones.  After  the  second  or  third  day 
a  warm,  clean  blanket  should  be  substituted 
for  the  one  on  which  the  kittens  were  born,  and 
it  is  well  to  do  this  when  the  mother  is  present, 
as  some  cats  resent  interference  during  their 
absence. 


As  soon  as  the  kittens  are  about  a  week  old, 
a  finger  should  be  passed  over  their  eyes,  and 
if  there  is  a  little  ridge  on  the  lids,  the  eye 
should  be  moistened  with  eye-lotion  twice 
daily  with  a  camel-hair  brush.  If,  after  ten 
days,  they  do  not  open  as  is  usual,  the  eyes 
should  be  sponged  with  warm  water,  as  in  this 
case  they  must  have  become  glued  together 
with  mucus,  which  should  be  cleared  away, 
and  the  eye  moistened  with  eye-lotion,  taking 
care  a  little  goes  well  into  the  eye.  The  lid 
should  then  be  smeared  with  olive  oil  to  pre- 
vent adhesion.  It  is  this  adhesion  of  the  lids 
which  causes  inflammation,  and  the  eyes  must 
be  frequently  attended  to,  so  that  they  may 
be  kept  open,  avoiding  any  very  strong  light. 

If  the  kittens  are  born  indoors  in  the  summer, 
windows  should  be  kept  open  during  the  day, 
and  when  the  little  creatures  are  about  a  fort- 
night old  put  them  out  in  the  sunshine  for  an 
hour  or  so  daily.  The  mother  must  be  as  well 
fed  as  she  was  before  the  kittens  were  born,  but 
carefully  notice  if  she  suffers  from  diarrhoea, 
for  if  this  is  the  case,  and  change  of  diet  does 
not  cure  it,  you  may  be  certain  that  she  is 
nursing  too  many  kittens,  and  if  some  of  them 
are  not  speedily  removed  you  will  lose  them  all. 

If  a  foster-mother  can  be  procured,  by  all 
means  have  one,  accompanied  by  one  of  her 
own  kittens  if  possible.  Make  a  cosy  bed 
for  her,  warming  the  blanket,  and  leave  her 
in  it  till  night,  when,  if  she  seems  settled  down, 
give  her  two  or  more  kittens  as  the  case  may 
be,  removing  her  own  the  following  night. 
Do  not  attempt  to  interfere  with  the  kittens 
while  the  mother  is  away,  and  act  very  gently, 
talking  to,  and  stroking  her  so  that  she  may 
not  resent  your  interference.  If  no  foster- 
mother  can  be  procured,  Mr.  Ward,  of  Man- 
chester, has  a  clever  little  appliance  which  he 
claims  can  be  used  instead  of  a  foster-mother. 

Some  fanciers  may  take  upon  themselves 
the  task  of  bringing  up  the  kittens  by  hand, 
and  in  that  case  wrap  them  up  in  warm  flannel, 
keeping  them  by  the  fire  by  day,  and  giving 
them  a  hot  bottle  at  night,  feeding  with 
weak  milk  and  water  about  every  two  hours 
(this  should  be  about  half  and  half),  with  a 


O  jjj 

D  -S 

<  "3 

U  <0 

5.1 


44 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


teaspoonful  of  lime-water  to  each  cup  of  milk 
and  water.  It  should  be  given  warm,  not  hot, 
and  the  milk  scalded,  not  boiled.  In  London 
or  large  towns  unsweetened  condensed  milk 
is  better  than  cow's  milk,  as  the  colouring  or 
preservative  acids  used  by  dairymen  in  the 
latter  is  very  injurious  to  kittens.  This  con- 
densed milk  should  be  much  diluted,  and 
flavoured  with  small  quantities  of  salt  and 
sugar.  If  too  strong  or  too  sweet,  the  food 
will  cause  diarrhoea.  Kittens  will  soon  learn  to 
suck  out  of  an  eggspoon  ;  but  do  not  give  too 
much  at  once,  or  force  the  food  down  their  little 
throats  when  they  object  to  take  any  more. 

At  about  five  weeks  old  the  kittens  will 
begin  to  lap  and  possibly  to  eat.  Many 
fanciers  are  delighted  if  they  will  eat  and  drink 
before  a  month  old,  and  some  make  the  serious 
mistake  of  trying  to  coax  the  little  ones  to  eat 
solid  food  at  this  tender  age.  Such  persons 
do  not  stop  to  think  how  weak  are  all  the 
digestive  organs  of  these  tiny  creatures.  The 
milk  of  the  mother  supplies  all  that  is  needful 
for  their  growth  and  well-being  until  such  time 
as  Nature  makes  itself  heard  in  her  demands 
for  further  nourishment,  and  if  substantial 
food  is  given  to  them  too  soon,  or  too  strong, 
it  merely  goes  through  the  stomach,  passing 
out  into  the  bowels  undigested,  decomposes, 
and  forms  slimy  mucus  which  is  the  hotbed  for 
worms,  even  if  it  does  not  set  up  inflammation 
of  the  bowels.  More  kittens  die  from  worms 
and  consumption  of  the  bowels  than  from  any 
other  complaint,  and  much  of  this  loss  of  life 
is  directly  traceable  to  strong  food  at  too  tender 
an  age. 

Lung  disease,  gastric  catarrh,  gastro-enter- 
itis,  are  all  directly  or  indirectly  set  up 
by  the  non-assimilation  of  food  ;  hence  the 
supreme  importance  of  giving  nourishment 
which  can  be  digested  easily.  After  six  weeks 
scraped  raw  beef  may  be  given  (if  the  kittens 
want  to  eat)  three  times  daily  in  very  small 
quantities,  about  half  a  teaspoonful  to  start 
with,  and  they  may  have  warm  milk  and  water 
with  lime  in  it.  This  should  be  followed  by 
Mellin's,  or  Benger's  Frame  Food,  as  directed 
for  infants.  It  is  advisable  not  to  allow  kittens 


to  overload  their  stomachs,  but  to  feed  them 
about  four  times  daily.  If  healthy  they  will 
eat  eagerly,  but  not  ravenously  ;  a  kitten  who 
is  greed}'  and  precipitates  itself  into  the  saucer 
in  its  anxiety  to  get  its  dinner  may  be  suspected 
of  worms,  and  when  about  eight  weeks  old 
a  course  of  Salvo's  No.  I  powders  may  be  given 
with  safety. 

As  soon  as  the  kittens  are  about  a  month 
old,  a  shallow  tin  of  dry  earth  or  ashes  (I  do 
not  recommend  sawdust)  should  be  provided 
for  them,  and  it  will  well  repay  their  owners 
to  spend  some  portion  of  the  day  with  the 
little  ones  and  lift  them  into  the  earth-pan 
when  necessary.  If  this  is  done  two  or  three 
times,  the  lesson  is  probably  learnt  for  life. 
Kittens  are  naturally  clean,  and  will  get  out 
of  their  beds,  and  run  about  crying  loudly 
for  some  accommodation  for  their  wants  ; 
and  if  this  is  neglected  the  seeds  of  dirty  habits 
are  sown,  and  the  poor  untaught  little  ones 
reap  a  sad  harvest  of  cuffs  and  sometimes 
kicks  from  servants,  who  naturally  dislike  the 
trouble  caused  by  dirty  house  pets.  Even 
in  catteries  cleanly  habits  in  cats  are  much 
to  be  desired.  If  a  cat  or  kitten  gets  into 
dirty  ways,  it  should  never  be  beaten  and  put 
into  the  tin,  but  should  be  gently  stroked  and 
coaxed  into  good  habits.  Those  who  only 
keep  one  or  two  queens  will  find  that  if  they 
spend  a  few  minutes  playing  with  the  kittens 
before  their  meals,  they  will  be  well  rewarded 
by  the  quicker  growth  and  better  digestion 
of  the  little  ones  ;  but,  of  course,  this  is  out 
of  the  question  in  a  large  cattery. 

In  summer,  kittens  should  be  combed  daily 
with  a  small  tooth  comb,  as  the  insects  which 
inhabit  their  coats  not  only  worry  them  and 
cause  them  to  scratch  out  their  fur,  but  they 
convey  disease  from  one  to  another,  to  say 
nothing  of  sucking  out  so  much  blood  that 
the  poor  little  creatures  become  absolutely 
anaemic,  and  in  this  state  they  fall  an  easy  prey 
to  the  first  disease  that  attacks  them.  Fleas 
were  formerly  treated  as  irritating  but  other- 
wise harmless  insects  ;  but  we  are  assured  on 
the  best  authority  that  they  are  a  dangerous 
medium  of  disease,  and  that  tape-worms  are 


CARE     AND     MANAGEMENT. 


45 


generated  in  dogs  and  cats  by  their  means. 
The  poor  animals,  wildly  resenting  the  annoy- 
ance of  these  pests,  hunt  for  them  with  teeth 
and  tongue,  and,  swallowing  their  enemy,  may 
also  swallow  a  number  of  undeveloped  tape- 
worms, which  in  their  larval  or  grub  state  are 
secreted  in  the  abdomen  of  the  flea.  Tape- 
worms are  said  to  undergo  certain  metamor- 
phoses or  transformations,  and  require  to 
pass  through  the  body  of  some  other  creature 
than  the  one  they  exist  in  in  their  mature 
state  of  being. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  keep  kittens 
in  heated  rooms,  and 
worse  still  to  allow 
them  to  be  close  to  a 
fire  by  day  and  then  to 
let  the  room  get  cold 
at  night.  An  even 
temperature,  cold  and 
dry,  is  better  than  sud- 
den changes ;  cats  and 
kittens  love  warmth 
and  comfort,  but,  at 
the  same  time,  all  ex- 
tremes of  heat  and  cold 
are  bad.  Never  neglect 
the  first  symptoms  of 
illness  ;  note  the  signs, 
and  if  you  are  not  able 
to  dose  the  invalid 
yourself  send  off  a  wire 

to  some  competent  cat  doctor  describing  the 
form  the  indisposition  has  taken,  and  while 
waiting  for  medicine  no  harm  can  be  done  by 
giving  as  much  carbonate  of  soda  as  will  lie  on 
a  threepenny-bit  in  a  little  water  two  or  three 
times  daily.  Salvo  has  lately  advertised  a 
medicine  which  is  said  to  be  very  valuable  for 
giving  on  the  first  signs  of  a  cat  or  kitten 
being  out  of  sorts,  and  which,  he  says,  will  take 
down  fever,  stop  colds,  and  modify  attacks  of 
bronchitis,  pneumonia,  etc.  ;  and  for  such 
fragile  little  beings  as  kittens  fanciers  would  do 
well  to  keep  this  medicine  by  them.  People 
often  say  that  their  cats  and  kittens  seem  ill 
or  out  of  sorts,  and  allow  this  sort  of  thing  to 
go  on  quite  calmly  for  a  week  or  so,  when  one 


KITTB;NS  BELONGING  TO  MISS  BROMI.EV 


day  they  wake  up  to  the  fact  that  the  poor 
creature  is  very  seriously  ill,  and  they  then 
send  off  in  a  hurry  for  medicine  which  fre- 
quently arrives  too  late  ;  and  the  sufferer  may 
be  beyond  all  human  aid. 

Double    pneumonia,  which    is    perhaps   the 
quickest  and  most  fatal  of  all  diseases,  is  not 
so  sudden  but  that  it  is  ushered  in  by  various 
symptoms,  beginning  often  a  week  before  the 
attack  becomes  acute.     An  animal  will  seem 
cold,  will  creep  near  the  fire,  or  sit  in  the  fender, 
mope  about,  refusing  to  play,  sit  in  a  hunch 
with  its  back  up,  or  is  very  sleepy  and  stupid ; 
the  fur  is  rough  ;   there 
may   be   sickness,   and 
the  evacuations  are  of 
a  bright  yellow  colour  ; 
perhaps  it  has  not  quite 
finished  its  meals  for  a 
few  days  ;  and  the  nose 
is  hot  and  dry,  and,  if 
taken  up,  the  cat  feels 
hot  and   dry  all  over. 
When  there  are  several 
of  these  symptoms,  no 
time  should  be  lost  in 
administering  the  reme- 
dies named  above  every 
hour  or  two  until  suit- 
able  remedies   can    be 
obtained  ;    but  do  not 
rely  upon  them  alone, 

or  think  if  you  give  them  persistently  they 
will  pull  the"  animal  through  the  illness,  for 
they  will  not,  special  remedies  being  needed 
for  special  symptoms  and  for  various  stages 
of  disease.  No  two  animals  are  exactly  alike, 
and  the  experienced  cat  doctor  will  prescribe 
carefully  for  each  individual  cat  in  the  same 
way  as  a  physician  will  give  different  prescrip- 
tions to  suit  the  needs  of  different  patients. 

One  thing  should  never  be  neglected,  and  this 
is  keeping  up  the  strength  from  the  first  with 
beef-tea,  eggs  and  milk,  Brand's  Essence, 
or  animal  Kreochyle  —  a  teaspoonful  every 
hour.  As  soon  as  an  animal  has  refused 
two  meals,  begin  feeding  with  spoon,  as  it 
will  have  so  much  more  strength  with  which 


46 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


to  battle  against  disease  if  fed  up  well  from 
the  first. 

People  who  desire  to  sell  kittens  for  profit 
will  do  well  to  part  with  them  at  about  two 
months  old,  before  they  start  teething,  for  at 
this  period  of  their  little  lives  fresh  troubles 
begin.  Occasionally  they  suffer  from  fits, 
but  though  these  are  sometimes  caused  by 
cutting  their  teeth,  they  are  oftener  due  to  the 
presence  of  worms.  If  the  gums  are  swollen 
and  inflamed,  a  quarter  of  one  of  Steedman's 


in  noxious  gases  which  escape  through  the 
skin,  causing  eczema,  or  in  many  cases  pro- 
ducing inflammation  of  the  bowels  or  enteritis. 
Nothing  needs  more  careful  attention  than 
the  diet  of  kittens,  and  nothing  is  so  little 
studied.  It  would  be  no  exaggeration  to  say- 
that  all  disease,  apart  from  outside  or  acci- 
dental causes,  such  as  draughts,  cold  winds, 
contagion,  etc.,  is  in  the  first  place  set  up 
by  undigested  food,  and  even  what  may  be 
railed  external  causes  would  often  not  be  harm- 


N'KUTER    PETS    OWNED    KY    MRS.    HASTINGS    LEES. 
(Photo:  The  Royal  Central  Photo  Co.,  Bournemouth.) 


teething  powders  will  soothe  them,  or  a  few 
doses  of  bromide,  as  prescribed  before  for 
kittens  desiring  to  mate  too  early,  may  be 
given,  and  excitable  kittens  should  be  kept 
quiet.  If  kittens  are  troubled  with  diarrhoea, 
all  starchy  food  should  be  avoided,  as  it  is 
never  easily  digested  by  animals.  The  reason 
of  this  is  not  far  to  seek,  when  we  know  that 
the  saliva  partly  digests  starch,  while  the 
juices  of  the  stomach  act  directly  on  meat. 

Animals,  instead  of  masticating  their  food. 
by  which  means  the  saliva  acts  vipon  it,  often 
bolt  it,  and  it  goes  into  the  stomach  and  is 
passed  out  into  the  large  bowel  practically 
undigested,  where  it  decomposes,  working  off 


ful  to  an  animal  if  the  digestive  organs  were 
in  proper  working  order.  Remember,  it  is 
not  the  quantity  of  food  a  kitten  takes  that 
benefits  it.  The  secret  of  its  health  and  well- 
being  is  in  the  quantity  it  digests.  A  kitten 
should  only  digest  certain  things  in  certain 
proportions,  and  whatever  remains  undigested 
produces  irritation,  and  in  this  case  the  kitten 
cannot  possibly  develop,  and  is  generally 
weakly  and  fretful. 

Those  who  have  never  cared  much  for  cats 
will  be  interested  and  amused  if  they  bring 
up  a  family  of  kittens,  and  the  love  and  trust 
of  the  little  creatures  will  well  repay  them 
for  all  their  care. 


CARE    AND    MANAGEMENT. 


47 


STUD    CATS. 

A  male  cat  should  not  be  allowed  to  mate 
under  a  year  old,  and  if  you  wish  to  keep  your 
stud  in  good  condition  do  not  allow  more 
than  two,  or  at  most  three,  lady  visitors  a 
week.  There  is  no  doubt  that  a  really  reliable 
stud  cat  is  a  very  profitable  possession.  The 
most  essential  recommendations  are  a  sound 
constitution  and  absolute  health,  combined 
with  a  good  pedigree  and  a  list  of  prize-win- 
ning progeny.  It  is  necessary  to  exhibit  your 
stud  cat  at  the  best  cat  shows  from  time  to 
time,  and  thus  to  keep  him  before  the  public. 
It  is  also  advisable  to  advertise  him  in  the 
cat  papers,  and  it  is  often  useful  to  have  a 
photograph  to  forward  to  fanciers  who  may 
be  unable  otherwise  to  obtain  any  idea  of 
your  cat.  Needless  to  say  that  for  stud  pur- 
poses a  cat  should  possess  the  highest  possible 
qualifications  of  the  breed  to  which  he  be- 
longs, and  a  massive  frame  and  broad  head 
are  most  desirable  in  all  stud  cats.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  allow  the  visiting  queen  to  be 
within  sight  of  the  male  for  a  short  time 
before  she  is  put  in  the  stud  cat's  house,  and 
for  this  purpose  it  is  convenient  to  have  a 
small  movable  pen  or  hutch  to  place  where 
the  two  pussies  can  hold  catty  conversation, 

A  stud  cat  cannot,  for  many  and  obvious 
reasons,  be  allowed  his  full  freedom  ;  but  it 
is  essential  that  his  dwelling  place  should  have 
as  long  and  roomy  an  exercise  ground  as  pos- 
sible. It  is  also  possible  with  some  male  cats 
to  tether  them  out-of-doors  for  a  short  period 
during  the  day,  in  which  case  great  care  should 
be  taken  to  have  the  lead  only  as  long  as  will 
permit  of  exercise  within  a  safe  distance  of 
dangerous  pitfalls  or  spreading  trees  and  shrubs. 
The  best  time  for  mating  is  about  one  hour 
atter  feeding. 

It  is  most  important  that  stud  cats  should 
be  in  good  coat  at  the  time  of  mating,  and  that 
they  should  be  free  from  worms. 

The  usual  fee  for  a  visit  to  a  stud  cat  is 
£i  is.,  and  this  should  be  sent  at  the  same 
time  as  the  request  for  permission  to  send  a 
queen.  A  second  visit  is  generally  considered 
allowable  if  the  first  one  has  proved  unsuccess- 


ful. An  additional  amount  of  food  may  be 
given  to  a  cat  whilst  he  is  being  used  at  stud, 
and  always  remember  to  provide  grass  in 
some  form  or  other  in  your  stud  cat's  house. 

There  is  no  universal  remedy  for  all  cats, 
neither  can  there  be  any  rule  for  feeding  them. 
Different  cats  need  different  treatment,  and 
those  which  are  kept  in  a  captive  state,  as  are 
stud  cats,  should  not  be  fed  on  the  same  lines 
as  those  tfrnt  are  allowed  full  liberty. 

NEUTER    CATS. 

Opinions  differ  as  to  the  best  period  for  a 
cat  to  be  made  neuter,  but  it  is  generally 
considered  advisable  to  have  the  operation 
performed  between  the  ages  of  five  and  eight 
months.  A  male  cat  can  be  kept  as  a  house- 
hold pet  till  he  is  about  nine  or  ten  months 
old  without  any  unpleasantness,  but  after  that 
period  he  must  be  relegated  to  an  outside 
cattery  or  stud  house.  It  is  cruel  to  put  off 
gelding  a  cat  till  he  shows  signs  of  wishing  to 
mate,  A  duly  qualified  veterinary  ought  to 
be  employed,  and  an  anaesthetic  used.  The 
cat  should  be  kept  on  a  low  diet  for  a  day  or 
two  before 'and  after  the  operation.  It  is  very 
seldom  that  any  evil  effects  ensue,  and  after 
a  few  days  the  puss  is  quite  himself  again. 
Neuter  cats  grow  to  an  immense  size,  and  the 
Persian  varieties  develop  great  length  of  fur, 
which  is  generally  not  shed  so  frequently  or 
to  such  an  extent  as  in  the  males  and  females. 
Neuter  cats  are  very  docile,  and  generally 
rather  lazy- and  listless  ;  for  this  reason  they 
are  not  accounted  such  good  mousers. 

Female  cats  can  also  be  rendered  sexless,  but 
in  their  case  the  operation  is  more  likely  to  be 
attended  with  dangerous  results.  I  have 
heard  it  stated  that  a  female  cat  ought  to  be 
allowed  one  litter  of  kittens  before  being  oper- 
ated upon.  There  are  not.  many  very  fine 
neuters  on  exhibition  at  our  shows,  and  this 
fact  may  perhaps  be  accounted  for  by  reason 
of  fanciers  picking  out  weedy  and  altogether 
below  the  mark  specimens  of  their  litters  to 
be  gelded  because  they  do  not  consider  them 
worth  keeping  to  breed  from.  In  this  way 
several  poor  specimens  of  neuters  are  to  be 


48 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


seen  with  indifferent  markings,  white  spots, 
incorrect  coloured  eyes,  and  long  noses.  For 
a  home  pet  there  is,  of  course,  nothing  to  come 
up  to  a  fine  neuter  cat  who  will  not  roam,  who 
does  not  attract  amorous  females,  and  who 
is  content  to  lie  for  hours  stretched  out  on 
the  drawing-room  rug  or  the  kitchen  hearth, 
the  admired  of  all  admirers.  From  the  lips 
of  many  rioted  breeders  of  Persian  cats  who 
have  been  troubled  by  wandering  males  and 


prolific  females,  I  have  heard  the  exclamation, 
"  I  shall  end  by  keeping  only  neuters  !  " 

Cat  owners  in  general,  and  lovers  of  neuters 
in  particular,  might  do  worse  than  agitate  for 
more  consideration  to  be  extended  to  these 
grand  pets  at  our  leading  shows,  and  I  cannot 
help  thinking  that  a  neuter  club  or  society 
might  be  formed  to  assist  in  this  and  other 
objects  connected  with  the  general  improve- 
ment of  our  neuter  cats. 


CAROLLING. 

(Photo :   Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


49 


'  IN    A    PLAYFUL    SORT    OF    WAY. 
(Photo:   E.  Landof,  Baling.) 


CHAPTER    IV. 


HOUSING     OF     CATS. 


'  T^HE  proper  housing  of  valuable  stock 
J_  is  the  first  essential  subject  to  be 
studied  by  the  beginner  in  the  cat 
fancy,  and  one  requiring  both  careful  thought 
and  attention.  For  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 
that,  of  all  the  domestic  animals,  the  cat  is 
the  most  difficult  to  keep  healthy  and  happy 
in  the  unnatural  condition  of  total  or  partial 
confinement.  Belonging  to  the  ferae,  its  ori- 
ginal and  savage  nature  still  shows  glimpses, 
not  wholly  tamed,  in  its  independence  of 
character  and  its  roving  habits  ;  while  yet 
its  civilised  side  shows  the  keenest  appreci- 
ation of  the  comforts  to  be  found  in  the 
home  life.  A  house  cat  that  enjoys  its  free- 
dom to  go  out  as  it  pleases,  to  climb  the 
garden  walls,  and  anon  to  lie  in  purring  con- 
tentment before  the  kitchen  hearth,  is  a 
creature  ailing  little.  It  is  the  pedigreed  pets, 
in  their  luxurious  prisons,  that  too  often  fall 
a  prey  to  disease.  To  establish  a  cattery, 


therefore,  that  shall  be  a  pleasure  and  a  pride 
to  the  owner,  and  not  a  source  of  worry  and 
grief  over  perpetual  illness  amongst  the  in- 
mates, it  is  necessary  in  the  very  first  incep- 
tion to  study  the  chief  needs  of  cat  nature. 

Let  us  consider  these  in  order.  How  our 
typical  healthy  cattery  may  be  best  arranged. 
It  must  be  dry — was  ever  a  cat  yet  seen  of 
choice  sitting  in  the  wet  ?  It  must  have 
ample  space,  both  of  houses  and  runs,  and 
inducements  for  exercise  —  a  well-branched 
dead  tree  sunk  in  the  gravelled  run  is  good, 
besides  divers  posts,  shelves,  and  benches. 
Let  the  aspect  be  bright,  with  lots  of  sunshine. 
A  cat  is  a  devotee  of  the  sun — it  is  the  life  of 
young  growing  things,  and  the  greatest  de- 
stroyer of  disease  germs  ;  and  it  is  very  easy 
by  coverings  or  the  growth  of  climbing  plants 
to  provide  temporary  shade  during  the  height 
of  summer.  For  this  last,  nothing  is  better 
than  that  most  useful  and  least  fastidious  king 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


of  climbers,  the  Virginian  creeper,  as  it  bestows 
its  leafy  shade  just  when  required,  and  har- 
bours no  damp,  as  the  growth  of  thick,  tall 
trees  is  apt  to  do. 

Lastly,  let  the  outlook  of  the  cattery  be 
cheerful.  Do  not  select  a  spot  so  far  from 
the  house  life  that  the  attendant  who  feeds 
and  cleans  is  practically  the  only  person  the 
cats  see  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  A  cat 


cat  fancier  is  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to 
disregard  expense,  he  can  indulge  in  brick 
houses  with  every  appliance  for  comfort  and 
elegance  of  construction.  For  others,  who 
can  supply  a  working  plan,  an  intelligent  local 
carpenter  (when  found)  can  do  much.  Occa- 
sionally, also,  it  is  possible  to  convert  a  portion 
of  existing  stabling  to  very  efficient  uses.  But 
I  must  advise  the  beginner,  as  regards  this 


A    MUSICAL    PARTY. 
(Photo  :   E.  Landor,  Ealing.) 


loves  to  observe,  preferably  from  some  secure 
high  perch,  whence  it  may  see  all  that  passes 
— to  exchange  greetings  with  the  dogs,  the 
gardener,  the  maids,  the  tradesmen  coming 
to  the  door,  and  thus  fill  its  imprisoned  hours 
with  interest.  If  you  disregard  this,  and  put 
your  cats  out  of  sight  in  some  back  yard,  they 
will  mope  badly,  and  also  grow  very  stupid. 

These  principal  requirements  being  borne 
in  mind,  individual  fancy  of  building  and 
arrangement  may  follow.  Every  breeder  of 
experience  has  his  own  ideas  of  best  design, 
according  to  means  and  circumstance.  If  a 


last  suggestion,  to  be  careful.  If  the  stabling 
is  modern,  and  possesses  the  main  requisites 
I  have  already  spoken  about  (of  dryness,  and 
space,  and  cheerful  light),  then  all  is,  and  will 
be,  well.  But  if,  as  is  often  the  case,  the  stable 
of  temptation  is  old,  perhaps  unused  for  some 
years,  is  dark,  with  more  than  a  suspicion  of 
damp,  and  a  very  certain  habitat  of  rats,  then 
our  fancier  is  emphatically  warned  against 
making  any  trial  of  it.  short  of  pulling  down 
and  rebuilding.  Let  him  rest  assured,  it 
would  in  the  end  mean  the  loss  of  money, 
time,  care,  and,  most  likely,  breeding  stock 


HOUSING    OF    CATS. 


too,  and  certain  ill-health  among  the  poor  in- 
mates. I  know  a  case  in  point  where  a  cat 
fancier  thus  utilised  a  stable.  A  converted 
portion  of  old  stabling  that  looked  most  de- 
sirable, and  kept  scrupulously  clean,  was 
used  for  a  number  of  young  kittens.  Very 
soon  a  peculiar  and  most  violent  form  of  skin 
disease  appeared  amongst  them,  at  first  as 
mere  scurfy  patches,  but  swiftly  assuming  the 
form  of  contagious  fever,  which  spread  with 
frightful  rapidity,  infecting  every  cat  with 
whom  they  came  in  contact.  Not  until  after 
many  deaths,  and  the  most  cruel  sufferings 
of  those-  who  struggled  through  the  disease, 
was  it  at  last  discovered  to  be  acute  blood 
poisoning,  produced  by  the  exhalation  of  sewer 
gas  from  an  old  sewer  running  underneath 
the  floors.  Rats  were  probably  responsible, 
either  by  gnawing  through  the  pipes,  or  coming 
up  into  the  cattery,  themselves  stricken  with 
the  foul  disease. 

The  site  of  the  cattery  selected,  the  pre- 
paration of  the  ground  may  be  advisable, 
certainly  on  all  clay  soils.  To  ensure  perfect 
dryncss,  the  top  soil  should  be  removed  a  foot 
or  so  and  filled  in  with  brick  rubble  or  builders' 
rubbish.  On  this  foundation,  cement  con- 
crete or  asphalt  may  be  laid  down.  Person- 
ally, for  runs  and  floors,  I  prefer  the  cement  ; 
it  is  easier  to  keep  clean — a  bucket  of  water 
can  swill  it  from  end  to  end,  while  it  dries 
much  faster  than  the  asphalt.  Asphalt  in 
outside  runs  is  apt  to  soften  in  the  summer 
sun,  and  depress  into  holes,  and  within  the 
houses  the  smell  of  the  tar  remains  strong 
for  some  months.  The  cost  of  the  two  is  much 
about  the  same,  but  in  very  damp  situations 
the  asphalt  is  preferable,  as  it  prevents  all 
ground-damp  rising  through. 

Now  to  plan  out  a  medium-size  cattery  that 
shall  be  simple  in  construction  and  not  ruin- 
ous to  the  modest  beginner,  let  us  suppose  we 
have  at  our  disposal  a  fair  length  of  brick 
wall  —  say  60  to  70  feet  in  length  —  facing 
south,  on  slightly  sloping  ground.  Our  first 
proceeding  will  be  to  level  and  render  damp- 
proof  by  a  foot  of  rubble,  as  heretofore  sug- 
gested, a  strip  n  feet  wide  and  about  45  feet 


along  the  wall,  and  to  surface  this  strip  with 
cement  or  asphalt.  Upon  this,  and  against 
the  wall,  we  will  erect  our  houses,  a  long 
wooden  shed  with  lean-to  roof,  divided  into 
three  main  divisions  by  matchboarding  par- 
titions, and  with  a  smaller  house  at  either  end, 
as  shown  in  plan. 

A,  the  sleeping-room  ;  B,  a  playroom  for 
queens  and  kittens  ;  and  C,  the  third  apart- 
ment for  kittening,  or  cats  it  is  desirable  to 
isolate  awhile.  The  smaller  houses  at  the 
outside  ends  reserved  for  stud  cats.  D,  doors 
from  one  apartment  to  another  of  wood.  The 
outside  woodwork  is  of  i-inch  feather-edged 
matchboarding,  well-seasoned  deal,  a  roof 
of  wood,  felted  and  tarred,  being  preferable 
to  the  use  of  corrugated  iron,  which  is  very  hot 
in  summer  and  very  cold  in  winter  ;  an  annual 
dressing  of  sand  and  tar  keeps  the  felt  water- 
tight for  many  years.  Allow  good  wide  eaves, 
and  have  gutter  pipes  all  round.  Inside,  line 
the  walls  with  wall  felt,  and  limevvash  ;  or  an 
inner  lining  of  i-inch  matchboarding,  allow- 
ing a  two-inch  space  to  be  packed  with  saw- 
dust, keeps  the  house  very  warm  and  dry. 

For  the  brick  back  wall,  .j-inch  matchboard- 
ing should  be  sufficient  as  lining.  The  dimen- 
sions of  the  sleeping-room,  A,  are  12  feet  long 
by  ii  feet  wide,  and  a  wire  frame  partition  with 
door  subdivides  this  again  into  two  equal 
parts.  !  Against  the  back  wall,  at  a  height  of 
about  20  inches  from  the  floor,  runs  a  broad 
shelf  4  feet  wide,  having  inch-mesh  wire  net- 
ting frontage,  half  to  open  on  hinges,  and 
movable  wooden  partitions  sliding  in  a  slot ; 
these  for  the  sleeping-pens,  each  4  feet  deep  by 
3  feet  wide,  two  on  either  side  the  wire  frame 
partition,  or  convertible  into  one  4  feet  by 
6  by  removal  of  sliding  wooden  division. 
It  will  be  warmer  for  the  occupants  if  these 
pens  are  roofed  in  at  a  height  of  3  feet.  Cover 
the  bench  with  oilcloth  before  putting  up  the 
divisions.  This  can  be  washed  over  daily  if 
necessary,  and  will  dry  in  a  few  moments,  thus 
avoiding  the  dangers  of  scrubbing  wood  in 
damp  weather.  As  nothing  offensive  can  soak 
in,  a  pure  atmosphere  is  preserved,  and  risk 
of  infection  is  greatly  minimised. 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


A  comfortable  sleeping  box  or  basket  should 
be  provided  for  each  pen,  filled  in  winter  with 
plenty  of  sweet  hay,  and  in  summer  with  sheets 
of  newspaper  or  brown  paper.  A  cat  loves  to 
repose  on  paper,  and  it  has  the  advantage  of 
being  cheaply  renewable  and  easily  burnt  after 
a  day  or  two's  use.  Never  use  old  packing 
straw  for  bedding.  It  is  frequently  full  of 
infectious  germs,  and  many  skin  complaints 
have  been  traced  to  its  use.  Neither  are 
cushions,  blankets,  old  bits  of  carpet,  matting, 
etc.,  to  be  recommended.  They  are  apt  to 
become  damp  in  prolonged  wet  weather,  and 
retain  both  dirt  and  odour.  A  sanitary  tin 
to  hold  dry  earth  or  sawdust  should  be  placed 
in  each  cat  house,  emptied  and  washed  out 
every  morning  by  the  attendant,  when  the 
floors  are  also  swept  out  cr  washed  over. 

A  fair-sized  window,  to  open,  must  be  in 
the  front,  and  a  door,  the  upper  half  of  which 
might  also  be  of  glass,  to  open  out  into  a  gravel 
run.  Outside  wooden  shutters  for  cold  nights 
are  a  great  help  in  keeping  the  house  warm,  and 
should  be  provided. 

Having  arranged  our  first  room,  the  playing 
room,  B,  next  must  come  under  consideration. 
This  being  the  central  division,  the  felt  lining 
could  here  be  dispensed  with,  and  instead  the 
boards  can  either  be  plainly  stained  and  var- 
nished— which  is  also  easy  to  keep  perfectly 
clean — or  Willesden  damp-proof  paper  might 
be  nailed  over  the  walls.  This  paper,  made 
at  the  Willesden  Company's  works,  Willesden 
Junction,  N.W.,  is  made  in  several  good 
colours  for  interior  lining,  and  a  house  so  hung 
looks  very  comfortable,  and  shows  to  advan- 
tage such  mural  decorations  as  show  prize 
cards,  photos  of  winners,  etc.  The  frontage 
of  this  room  is  to  be  entirely  glazed,  in  small 
panes  set  in  a  wooden  framework,  with  a 
6-inch  high  weather  board  at  floor  to  protect 
from  draughts,  the  glass  protected  on  the 
inside  by  wire  netting  fastened  over  it.  A 
window  here  to  open  outwards  with  a  bolt, 
and  fairly  high  up,  to  ensure  fresh  air  in  rainy 
weather  without  the  wet  and  damp  driving 
in  on  a  level  with  the  cats  ;  a  half-glass  door 
also  to  run,  but  no  outside  shutters  will  be 


here  needed,  the  cats  net  occupying  this  room 
at  night.  Cover  the  asphalt  floor  with  lino- 
leum or  oilcloth,  and  put  up  some  shelves 
15  inches  wide,  fairly  high  up,  but  within 
leaping  distance,  against  the  walls  ;  a  mov- 
able bench  too,  to  place  the  cats  upon  fcr 
brushing  and  attending  to  them.  Old  chairs 
that  can  be  spared  from  the  house  might  end 
their  service  here  ;  or  if  the  luxury  of  a  plain 
wicker  chair  could  be  permitted,  and  furnished 
with  one  or  two  cushions  in  washable  slip 
covers,  it  would  be  as  pleasant  for  the  owner 
when  making  her  visits  as  for  the  pussies  them- 
selves. A  ball  for  the  kittens,  a  reel  hanging 
from  a  string,  will  stimulate  healthy  romps, 
even  amongst  the  staid  grown-up  cats,  when 
weary  of  indoor  dozing. 

Room  C  C  is  primarily  intended  for  the 
interesting  occasions  when  new  little  prize- 
winners are  -expected.  This  is  subdivided  by- 
wire  as  in  sleeping-room,  but  the  partition  three 
feet  from  back  wall  should  be  of  wood,  to  ensure 
privacy  to  the  anxious  mother,  and  to  temper 
the  light  ;  oilcloth  on  floor. 

For  the  littering  nests  themselves  I  describe, 
and  advise  my  friends  to  make  trial  of,  the 
following  plan.  Have  a  sort  of  shallow 
wooden  box,  or  tray  with  sides,  made  about 
4  feet  6  inches  long  by  24  inches  high  and 
4-inch  sides.  This  is  stained,  varnished,  and 
mounted  on  wooden  feet  at  the  four  corners 
about  two  inches  high  ;  a  good  bed  of  hay 
is  put  in  it,  the  box  is  put  in  a  quiet 
corner  away  from  the  light,  and  a  truss  of 
new  straw  placed  upright  at  one  end  of  ^he 
box,  leaning  against  the  angle  of  the  wall.  A 
little  of  the  straw  at  the  bottom  may  be 
pulled  out  to  suggest  the  idea  of  a  hole  to 
the  cat  ;  but  as  a  rule  she  takes  to  the  noticn 
brilliantly,  and  will  set  to  work  to  dig  out  a 
nest  for  herself  with  the  greatest  zest.  In 
this  the  kittens  are  born,  safe  in  a  cosy  nest 
at  the  end  of  a  tunnel  of  straw.  There  is  ample 
ventilation;  they  ore  protected  from  all 
draughts,  so  that  doors  may  be  left  open 
to  the  fresh  air  with  impunity  ;  and  they  rnv 
in  the  dark,  as  kittens  naturally  should  be  till 
they  walk  out  into  the  daylight  of  their  own 


54 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


desire  to  explore  the  world.  Then  the  rest 
of  the  tray  forms  a  glorious  playground  for 
the  first  week  or  two,  when  one  adventurous 
mite  finds  out  he  can  climb  up  the  shallow 
sides,  and  tumble  out  on  a  large  strange  world 
of  floor  and  trot  after  mamma.  A  well-known 
fancier  tells  me  she  has  not  had  one  litter  with 
weak  or  bad  eyes  since  she  adopted  the  straw 
truss  plan. 

One  of  these  trays  might  be  placed  each 
side  of  the  wooden  partition,  and  if  necessary 
to  shut  a  nervous  or  surly  cat  up  with  her 
family,  one  might  be  enclosed  in  a  wire  front- 
age with  door,  as  the  sleeping-pens  were  ar- 
ranged. Let  there  be  a  good  large  window  in 
this  room,  as  the  kittens,  when  running  about, 
will  want  all  the  sunshine  and  air  possible. 
This  run  should  be  of  asphalt,  for  dryness  and 
warmth,  with  plenty  of  play  places  arranged 
in  it.  An  old  barrel  with  the  bottom  knocked 
out  affords  great  games,  also  the  tree  I  have 
before  spoken  of  ;  a  tree-stump  or  two,  or  a 
heap  of  dry  brushwood  stacked  in  a  corner, 
will  supply  those  climbing  and  hiding  holes 
kittens  so  greatly  enjoy,  and  afford  protection 
from  winds. 

A  grass  run  and  a  gravelled  one  are  designed 
in  the  plan,  each  having  access  to  the  other,  and 
will  allow  the  cats  ample  exercising  ground 
according  to  weather.  An  oval  flower-bed  in 
the  centre  of  the  grass  plot,  planted  with 
some  evergreen  bushes,  is  a  good  idea.  It 
affords  shelter,  and  the  cats  can  dig  in  the  dry 
earth.  For  the  benches  in  the  gravel  run,  an 
old  outhouse  door,  painted  and  mounted  on 
stout  legs,  makes  a  very  good  one,  which  the 
cats  love  to  sit  upon. 

The  stud  houses  are  simple :  a  wired-in 
space  of  12  feet  by  n  feet  contains  a  house  wiih 
lean-to  roof  4  feet  by  8  feet  long,  iitted 
with  sleeping  bench  and  box,  wired  win- 
dows, door  for  attendant,  and  small  trap- 
door for  cat.  En  passant,  all  doors  should 
be  fitted  with  good  locks,  and  locked  up 
after  feeding  at  night  is  done.  The  stud 
run  is  gravelled,  but  a  border  of  grass  might 
be  left  on  two  sides — grass  is  such  a  necessity 
for  cats  in  confinement,  and  they  prefer  to 


select  it  growing  for  themselves.  The  design 
here  suggested  is  capable  of  either  modification 
or  extension.  The  plan  can  be  enlarged  to 
any  extent.  For  instance,  if  desired,  an 
attendant's  cottage  could  be  built  at  one  end 
instead  of  the  stud  house,  and  comprise  a 
special  kitchen,  and  also  an  upper  room,  fitted 
with  convenient  pens  for  a  hospital  for  the  sick 
members — a  very  necessary  adjunct  to  the 
cattery,  as  a  sick  cat  should  be  at  once  re- 
moved from  its  healthy  companions  and  kept 
in  a  place  quite  apart.  More  stud  houses 
could  be  arranged  at  an  angle  on  one  side  of 
the  chief  runs,  or,  if  only  a  very  few  cats  are 
intended  to  be  kept,  one  of  the  divisions  could 
be  dispensed  with,  perhaps,  and  the  dimensions 
of  the  other  two  made  smaller.  But  whatever 
your  ambitions  may  be,  great  or  small,  when 
you  are  about  it  have  the  work  well  done. 

The  heating  of  catteries  is  a  rather  vexed 
question,  many  famous  breeders  affirming  that 
stock  raised  without  it  are  healthier  and 
harder ;  others  maintaining  that  a  certain 
amount  of  heat  is  a  necessity  for  producing  a 
good  coat.  A  very  experienced  breeder  once 
told  me  the  heaviest-coated  kittens  she  ever 
bred  were  reared  over  some  hot-water  pipes, 
:n  a  temperature  of  70°  !  With  adult  cats 
having  partial  freedom  and  allowed  to  come 
into  the  house  in  severe  weather,  and 
with  stud  cats,  I  consider  the  no-heat  plan 
decidedly  the  best  ;  but  I  do  not  think  it 
possible  to  rear  young  stock  during  the  colder 
part  of  the  year  in  an  outdoor  cattery  without 
artificial  heat.  It  is  the  damp  of  the  English 
winter  which  proves  so  fatal,  and  damp  can- 
not be  kept  out  of  the  very  best  constructed 
houses  except  by  the  admission  of  dry  heat. 

Kittens  that  are  cold  will  not  play,  and  if 
you  see  them  huddled  together  on  a  cold  day 
looking  listless  and  uneasy,  instead  of  romping, 
be  sure  it  is  fire  heat  they  need. 

A  thermometer  should  hang  in  each  house, 
and  the  heat  be  carefully  regulated  by  that,  a 
minimum  of  48°  and  a  maximum  of  55°  being 
suggested.  In  houses  where  a  flue  is  practic- 
able, a  stove  of  the  Tortoise  pattern  is  to  be 
recommended,  but  it  needs  a  high  guard  around 


HOUSING    OF    CATS. 


55 


it.  For  a  long  range  of  brick-built  houses,  an 
outside  flue  and  boiler,  with  hot-water  pipes 
running  the  length  of  the  cattery,  would  be 
found  of  most  service,  as  it  maintains  an  even 
and  medium  warmth  throughout,  keeps  the 
building  perfectly  dry, 
and  can  be  stoked  with 
less  trouble.  In  small 
wooden  houses,  very 
excellent  results  are 
given  by  the  use  of  an 
oil  stove  with  hot- 
water  apparatus,  such 
as  are  supplied  for 
small  greenhouses. 
The  lamp  will  usually 

burn  twenty -four  hours  without  attention, 
is  un-get-at-able  by  the  cats,  who  can  neither 
singe  their  tails  nor  knock  it  over  during 
the  wildest  gambols,  and  if  kept  clean  and 
looked  to  with  care  will  not  cause  the  slight- 
est odour.  A  quart  of  paraffin  in  one  of  these 
oil  stoves  will  burn 
twenty  -  four  hours, 
and  heat  a  building  12 
feet  by  10  feet  to  50°. 
Now,  in  concluding 
this  little  discourse 
upon  catteries,  the 
final  word  of  advice 
is  always  to  remem- 
ber the  importance 
of  absolute  cleanliness. 
There  should  never 
be  the  least  offensive 
smell  in  the  cattery, 
and  if  such  be  noticed 
on  entering  the 
houses  in  the  morn- 
ing, discover  the  cause  and  remedy  it  at 
once.  And  do  not  rely  solely  upon  disinfect- 


A    LITTER    BOX. 


A    USEFUL   CAT    HOUSE. 


sote  in  any  quantity,  or  carbolic,  I  do  not 
approve  of,  except  in  cases  of  illness  of  an 
infectious  type,  when  stronger  measures  are 
obligatory. 

Xo  dirty  food  dishes,  no  unchanged  water, 
no  soil  of  any  kind, 
should  ever  be  left 
about  on  flooring  or 
bedding.  Let  your 
cattery  be  kept 
as  scrupulously  clean 
and  sweet  as  a  hos- 
pital, then  will  your 
cats  thrive  and  kit- 
tens be  healthy  and 
sturdy. 

Do  not  elect  to  start  a  cattery  unless  you 
yourself  intend  to  bestow  both  time  and 
trouble  upon  it.  In  this,  as  in  every  other 
occupation  or  hobby,  the  one  golden  rule 
is,  "  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do, 
do  it  with  all  thy  might." 

APPLIANCES. 

In  the  preceding 
section  on  the  cat- 
tery proper,  I  have 
not  spoken  of  the 
very  useful  variety  of 
portable  houses 
which  are  now  made 
a  speciality  of  many 
firms,  considering 
them  more  or  less  as 
accessories  to  the  well 
appointed  cattery. 
But  in  small  town 
gardens,  where  space 
is  valuable  and  it  is 


not  convenient  to 

build  a  large  permanent  structure,  it  is  quite 
possible  to  succeed  extremely  well  when  two 


ants  to  do  this.     Too    frequently   this  is  but  or   three   cats  only  are  kept   by   using  these 

overcoming  a  bad  smell  by  a  stronger,  the  evil  portable  houses.     They  also  have  the  advan- 

remaining.     A  good  and  non-injurious  disin-  tage    of    being    removable    and   a   "  tenant's 

fectant  should  always  be  used  in  the  water  for  fixture"  in  the  event  of  leaving  one's  house, 

the   daily  cleansing   of    pans  and  floors,    etc.  A     very    good     house    is     one     built     by 

Camphaleyne  or  Salubrene  are  both  safe  and  Messrs.    Boulton   and   Paul,   of   Norwich    (see 

effective,  but  disinfectants  that  contain  creo-  illustration).      It    is  a  very   pretty   and   well 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


designed  structure,  and  would  be  exceedingly 
ornamental  in  a  sheltered  corner  of  the  garden. 
In  putting  up,  however,  it  should  be  stood 
•upon  brick  piers  to  raise  it  at  least  four  inches 
from  the  ground,  or  the  wooden  flooring  would 
soon  show  damp.  Cats  kept  in  these  small 
houses,  it  must  be  understood,  should  have 
their  liberty  at  least  a  portion  of  every  fine 
and  dry  day,  the  runs  being  wholly  inadequate 
for  a  cat  to  be  shut  in  continuously  without 
further  scope  for  exercise. 

Another  illustration  is  a  handy  portable 
hutch,  intended  to  be  used  chiefly  in  a  house  or 
room,  although  it  is  also  convenient  for  penning 
young  kittens  out-of-doors  on  a  sunny  day.  the 
wire  run  prevent- 
ing their  straying 
away.  It  consists 
of  a  sleeping-box 
and  small  wire  run 
hooked  on,  and 
can  be  made  at 
the  cost  of  a  few 
shillings. 

The  sleeping-box 
is  24  inches  long 
by  17  inches  wide 
and  22  inches  high, 
is  raised  three 

inches  from  floor  by  a  false  bottom,  and  has 
a  large  door  at  back  opening  with  a  brass 
catch.  In  front,  two  side-pieces  reduce  the 
entry  to  12  inches.  A  handle  screwed  on  the 
top  of  the  box  is  convenient  for  carrying. 
The  run  is  3  feet  6  inches  by  24  inches-,  made 
in  four  sections,  two  sides,  top  and  end  piece, 
all  fitted  and  hooked  together  with  i-inch 
mesh  wire  netting  that  it  may  be  easily  taken 
apart  for  carrying  or  storing  away.  It  makes 
a  useful  sleeping-pen,  too,  for  young  toms  that 
are  inclined  to  quarrel  together,  and  so  have  to 
be  shut  up  separately  at  night.  All  the  wood- 
work is  stained  and  varnished,  and  a  square 
of  oilcloth  laid  on  the  floor  of  the  sleeping-box. 

The  next  appliance  to  be  considered  is  a 
somewhat  gruesome  adjunct  to  the  cattery, 
and  belongs  to  the  darker  side  of  our  hobby. 
In  spite  of  every  care,  illness  and  death  must 


A    POKTABLK    HUTCH. 


enter  now  and  again,  when  we  are  fain  to  retire 
worsted  from  the  conflict  with  disease,  and 
the  wisest  and  kindest  thing  to  do  is  to  put 
our  pet  to  sleep.  The  illustration  given  on 
the  opposite  page  depicts  a  lethal  box,  as  used 
at  the  Royal  London  Institution  for  Lost  and 
Starving  Cats  at  Camden  Town,  and  is  capable 
of  holding  twelve  animals  at  a  time. 

Mr.  Ward,  the  well-known  feline  specialist 
of  Manchester,  has  patented  a  lethal  box 
of  more  moderate  dimensions.  Mr.  Ward, 
not  yet  having  an  illustration  of  it,  kindly 
writes  me  the  description  as  follows  : — "  The 
box  inside  is  15  inches  by  12  inches  by 
12  inches.  A  sheet  of  glass  is  inserted  in  the 

lid,  so  that  the 
operator  in  a  y 
watch  the  process. 
The  vapour — coal 
gas  passed  through 
chloroform— enters 
through  a  tube  at 
end.  Two  minutes 
is  sufficient  time." 
Fanciers,  I 
think,  will  agree 
that  this  simple 
peace-giving  box 
is  not  among  the 

least  of  Mr.  W'ard's  kindly  ministrations  to  the 
cats  he  loves  so  well.  Few  amongst  us  can 
bear  to  see  unmoved  the  terrible  last  pains  of 
a  pet  who  in  its  days  of  health  delighted  us 
with  its  beauty. 

Feeding  utensils  we  turn  to  next.  For 
them  nothing  is  more  satisfactory  than  the 
unbreakable  enamelled  ware  in  white  or  blue 
—except,  perhaps,  for  the  water  pans,  for 
which  it  is  scarcely  weighty  enough,  and  it 
not  infrequently  happens  that  a  gay  and 
frolicsome  company  of  kittens  will  knock 
against  them,  sending  them  spinning,  and 
the  water  is  spilt  upon  the  floor. 

The  circular,  heavy  glazed  earthenware 
dishes,  spittoon-shaped,  and  generally  in- 
scribed "  Pussy,"  are  excellent,  and  cannot 
be  overturned. 

Besides  the  plates  and  saucers  for  feeding, 


HOUSING    OF    CATS. 


57 


let  the  cats  have  also  a  saucepan  of  their  own, 
a  deep  stewpan-shaped  one.  of  blue  enamel, 
large  enough  to  cook  a  sheep's  head  with 
biscuits.  Cook  will  be  far  less  prone  to  grum- 
ble at  the  necessary  cooking  for  the  cats — I 
speak  here  of  a  small  cattery,  when  no  attend- 
ant is  kept — if  her  saucepans  are  not  pressed 
into  the  service. 

But  see  that  all  are  kept  scrupulously  clean, 
nothing  "  left  over  " 
in  thesaucepan  to  be- 
come sour  or  tainted 
in  hot  weather ; 
and  after  each  meal 
is  cooked,  the  sauce- 
pin  should  be  boiled 
out  with  soda  and 
scoured  clean. 

Earth  tins.  A 
great  mistake  made 
in  these  necessary 
items  is  having  them 
too  deep.  I  have 
seen  an  old  zinc  foot- 
bath supplied  to  two 
months  old  kittens 
with  quite  six  inches 
of  sawdust  in  it,  and 
the  owner  wondered 
why  she  could  not 
teach  her  kittens  to 
be  cleanly  in  their 
habits ! 

A  4  inch  deep  tray 
is  quite  deep  enough, 
and  this  should  not 
be  tilled  more  than 

Uvn  thirds  full,  or  the  cat  rakes  so  much  earth 
out  on  the  floor.  Neither  do  they  require  to 
be  very  large,  as  their  weight  when  filled  with 
soil  makes  them  very  cumbersome  to  move, 
and  they  get  the  more  quickly  knocked  out  of 
shape.  The  best  size  is  about  17  inches  by 
14  inches  and  4  inches  deep,  made  in  stout 
galvanised  iron,  with  a  rim  round  the  edge, 
and  these  might  be  painted  some  light  colour 
with  Aspinall's  enamel  paint.  (I  advocate 
"  light  paint."  as  any  dirt  stains  are  seen  at 


I.KTHAL    CHAMUKK,    ROYAL    LONDON    INSTITI'TION 
HOME   FOR   LOST   AND    STARVING   CATS. 
(Photo  :   Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


once.)  They  will  then  last  free  from  rust,  and 
can  be  washed  out  every  morning.  Two  or 
three  tins  of  smaller  size — say,  12  inches  by 
8  inches  by  2  1-  inches — are  suggested  for  kittens, 
or  for  placing  in  small  pens  in  an  emergency. 
Baking  tins  answer  this  purpose. 

After  washing,  it  is  well  to  stand  these  trays 
in  the  air  to  sweeten,  as  if  they  smell  disagree- 
able the  cats  will  not  u~e  them. 

Messrs.  Whiteley 
supply  these  zinc 
tins,  or  they  can  be 
made  by  any  local 
ironmonger  to  di- 
mensions given. 

Hot  -  water  appli- 
ances. These  are 
very  necessary  in  the 
cattery,  and  should 
by  no  means  be  for- 
gotten. 

Many  a  sick  cat's 
life  has  been  saved, 
and  the  critical 
corner  in  an  illness 
turned,  by  the  timely 
comfort  and  strength 
bestowed  by  the  hot- 
water  bottle  or  bag, 
or  even  a  brick  made 
hot  in  the  oven  and 
wrapped  up.  In  the 
event  of  winter  lit- 
ters, too,  a  hot-water 
bag  should  be  always 
in  readiness,  in  case 
it  is  advisable  to 

remove  the  first-born  kittens  from  the  mother 
for  a  few  hours.  Heat  will  restore  a  seemingly 
dead  kitten,  as  I  have  said  before.  The 
outside  dwellers  also,  how  they  appreciate 
on  a  bitter  winter's  night  the  hot  bottle  or 
wrapped  up  hot  brick  to  keep  them  cosy  ! 

I  know  a  luxurious  stud  cat  who  has  a 
hot-water  tin  made  to  fit  his  sleeping  box, 
which  is  filled  by  the  maid  every  cold  night  and 
slid  beneath  his  hay  bed.  Assuredly,  there  is 
no  greater  safeguard  against  winter's  chills  and 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


SPRATT'S  TRAVELLING  BASKET. 


changes  of  temperature  than  to  provide  for 
your  pets  sleeping  warmly  and  comfortably 
at  night.  The  hot-bottle  plan  has  many 
advantages  over  the  heating  of  the  sleeping 
houses  by  stove  or  lamp  during  the  night.  It 
is  better  for  the  animals  themselves,  as  the  air 

is  not  ex- 
hausted, and 
they  are  not 
so  prone  to 
take  a  chill 
going  from 
heated  air  to 
the  outside 
rawness  of 
a  w  i  n  t  e  r's 
morning.  It 
is  much  safer, 
and  it  is  also 
much  more 
economical. 

Personally  I  prefer  the  indiarubber  bag  to 
the  old-fashioned  stone  bottle,  and  in  the 
smaller  sizes  (which  are  quite  large  enough) 
are  not  much  more  expensive  than  the  latter. 
If  not  filled  too  full,  and  wrapped  in  a  wash- 
able cover — flannelette  is  very  good — it  can 
be  laid  flat  under  the  hay,  and  the  cat  will 
remain  upon  it  all  night.  In  the  case  of  a 
sick  cat  the  cover  should  always  be  of  flannel, 
to  avoid  any  chill  as  the  bag  grows  colder. 

Then,  in  our  list  of  appliances,  proper  travel- 
ling baskets  must  come  under  consideration. 
I  say  "  proper "  advisedly,  for  how  hetero- 
geneous is  the  collection  of  hampers,  .boxes, 
baskets — I  had  almost  added  bundles — one 
sees  brought  in  by  the  officials  during  the  re- 
ceiving hours  before  a  big  show  !  Every 
variety  of  package,  very  many  of  which  are 
exactly  what  they  ought  not  to  be.  Some 
unnecessarily  elaborate,  polished  wooden  cases 
with  brass  fittings — handsome  and  durable 
no  doubt,  but  far  too  cumbersome,  and  by 
their  very  weight  inflicting  much  jar  on  the 
occupant  when  moved  about  ;  while  others 
are  a  disgrace  to  anyone  pretending  to  care 
about  a  cat  or  even  to  know  what  a  cat  is, 
many  deserving  to  be  straightway  brought 


under  the  notice  of  the  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cruelty  to  Animals. 

I  have  seen  big  heavy  cats  jammed  into 
margarine  hampers,  a  thin  wicker  receptacle 
whose  sides  slope  inwards  like  a  flower-pot, 
where  the  animal  must  have  suffered  agonies 
of  cramp  in  a  veritable  chamber  of  "  little 
ease."  Others  are  sent  weary  distances  in 
shallow,  rough  grocery  boxes  with  a  few  holes 
bored  for  ventilation,  subject  to  be  thrown 
about  in  transit,  first  on  one  side  then  oil  the 
oth'er,  the  lid  perchance  nailed  on,  giving 
thereby  much  extra  trouble  to  the  penning 
officials.  Little  wonder  if  the  cat  arrives 
bruised,  shaken,  frightened  nearly  to  death, 
and  very  probably  wild  and  savage. 

Now,  as  evil  is  wrought  bv  want  of  thought 
(and  common  sense)  as  well  as  want  of  heart, 
I  have  thought  it  well  to  comment  on  these 
very  wrong  and  stupid  ways  of  sending  our 
cats  on  their  journeys  before  advising  better 
arrangements. 

Here  are  two  illustrations  of  excellent 
travelling  baskets,  which  fulfil  pretty  nearly 
all  requirements  for  cats  travelling  singly. 

The  first  is  made  by  Messrs.  Spratt,  and 
has  an  inner  skeleton  lid,  which  is  much  to  be 
recommended  when  sending  a  vicious  or  very 
timid  cat  that  is  likely  to  make  a  bolt  on  the 
basket  being  opened. 

The  second,  bee- 
hive shaped,  is  de- 
signed by  Mrs.  Paul 
Hardy,  of  Chobham. 
It  is  of  strong  white 
wicker,  the  lid  fas- 
tening with  a  rim  of 
about  two  inches 
deep  over  the  body 
of  the  basket,  aper- 
tures in  the  rim 
allowing  the  wicker 

loops  of  the  fastenings  to  project  ;  when  the 
cane  stick  is  thrust  through  these  the  basket 
is  absolutely  secure — not  a  paw  can  get  out. 

This  beehive  shape  has  several  advantages. 
The  cat  can  stand  up  and  stretch  itself  at  ease, 
when  tired  of  lying  down.  The  handle  being 


A  USEFUL  CAT  HASKET. 


1 

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1 


to 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


at  the  apex,  it  is  carried — even  by  porters — 
without  the  cat  being  tilted  off  its  legs  ;  whilst 
the  dome  top  prevents  any  other  package  being 
piled  upon  it — a  disadvantage  the  flat-typed 
hamper  always  has.  I  line  my  baskets  out- 
side with  brown  paper  or  oil  baize  up  to  the 
rim,  and  inside  with  curtaiji  serge,  leaving  the 
lid  free  for  ventilation.  TTien,  with  plenty  of 
hay  at  the  bottom  of  the  basket,  the  cat  will 
travel  from  one  end  of  England  to  the  other  in 
comfort  and  safety,  with  no  danger  of  taking 
cold  even  if  left  about  draughty  platforms  or 
in  parcel  offices.  This  basket  is  made  by 
Messrs.  Bull,  of  Guildford,  at  a  very  moderate 
cost,  and  lasts  for  years. 

These  baskets  are,  of  course,  intended  for 
one  cat  only,  or  a  pair  of  kittens.  A  really 
safe  and  capable  travelling  arrangement  for  a 
litter  with  the  mother  has  yet,  I  think,  to  be 
devised.  I  have  seen  none  I  think  good. 
The  double  compartment  hamper  I  much  dis- 
like. The  handles  are  perforce  at  each  end, 
necessitating  two  carriers — who  never  do  it 
— so  the  hamper  is  dragged  by  the  porter  or 
official  with  one  end  tilted  (the  other  cat  being 
nearly  upside  down),  is  leant  up  against  other 


luggage,  or  dropped  flat  with  a  bang.  \Vith 
young  kittens  inside  this  leads  to  fatalities. 

A  label  for  the  travelling  basket  seems  an 
insignificant  item  to  mention,  but  an  efficient 
one  is  as  important  as  that  proverbial  nail  fcr 
whose  absence  the  horse  and  the  kingdom  were 
lost. 

I  have  just  made  the  acquaintance  of  a 
first-rate  label,  devised  and  sent  out  by  a  Mr. 
Foalstone,  at  sixpence  per  dozen,  from  the 
Aerefair  Engineering  Works,  near  Ruabon.  It 
is  a  stout  linen  label,  printed  "  Valuable  Live 
Cat  "  in  big  block  letters  ;  below  is  "  Urgent  " 
in  red — a  good  idea,  red  being  more  likely  to 
attract  the  casual  eye  of  the  railway  official. 
Spaces  are  left  below  for  line  of  travel,  via,  etc., 
and  date  and  time  of  despatch.  It  is  revers- 
ible, so  the  sender  can  fill  up  witli  the  return 
address  if  necessary.  I  always  prefer  to  fasten 
the  label  down  at  both  ends,  flat  to  the  basket : 
it  is  less  likely  to  be  torn  away  than  when  left 
hanging  loose  from  one  eyelet. 

It  is  by  due  attention  to  the  details  that 
cat  fanciers  can  to  some  extent  mitigate  the 
dangers  and  risks  that  must  necessarily  attend 
the  transit  of  live  stock  by  rail. 


6i 


WAKING    BKACTIKS. 
(Pholo:   Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.-; 


CHAPTER    V. 


EXHIBITING. 


MONGST  cat  fanciers  there  is  a  laudable 
ambition  not  only  to  breed  good  stock 
but  to  exhibit  it.  Certainly  there  is 
vastly  more  gratification  and  satisfaction  in 
obtaining  high  honours  for  cats  and  kittens 
that  we  have  bred  ourselves,  rather  than  for 
those  specimens  which  money  has  purchased. 
If  we  consider  that  our  cats  have  sufficiently 
good  points  to  merit  their  being  entered  for 
a  show,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  all  the 
beauty  and  form  and  feature  will  be  thrown 
away  unless  our  pussies  are  in  good  show 
condition.  For  exhibition  purposes  condition 
means  everything,  and  this  is  more  especially 
the  case  with  the  long-haired  breeds.  A 
first-class  specimen  whose  coat  is  ragged  and 
matted  cannot  fail  to  suffer  in  the  judges' 
estimation  when  compared  with  another 
cat,  of  inferior  quality  perhaps  as  regards 
points,  but  yet  in  the  pink  of  condition,  with 
its  coat  well  groomed,  its  eye  bright,  its  fur 
soft  and  silky.  In  the  present  day  many  of  the 
sp  imens  penned  are  so  close  together  in  point 
of  breed  merit  that  a  very  little  turns  the  scale 
one  way  or  the  other.  I  have  often  said  to 
myself,  when  judging  a  class  of  cats,  "This 


exhibit  would  be  a  winner  but  for  its  condi- 
tion," and  I  have  had  to  put  it  down  in  the 
list.  There  is  no  doubt  that  with  long-haired 
cats  a  fine  full  coat  will  cover  a  multitude  of 
sins,  but  it  cannot  alter  a  long  nose  or  pool- 
shape  and  bad-coloured  eye  ;  and  in  urging 
the  importance  of  condition,  I  at  the  same  time 
deprecate  the  awarding  of  prizes  to  cats  that 
have  nothing  to  recommend  them  but  their 
pelage.  Seeing,  therefore,  that  a  handsome 
specimen  may  go  to  the  wall  for  the  lack  of 
attention  on  the  part  of  the  owner,  it  behoves 
all  cat1  fanciers  and  would-be  exhibitors  to  do 
everything  in  their  power  to  make  their  cats 
look  their  very  best,  so  that  their  pets  may  be 
things  of  beauty  in  the  show  pen.  In  the  dog, 
rabbit,  and  pigeon  fancy  a  great  deal  more 
attention  is  given  to  condition  than  amongst 
cat  fanciers,  who  need  waking  up  to  the  fact 
that  nothing  goes  so  far  to  propitiate  a  judge 
as  superb  show  form  and  general  good  appear- 
ance. There  may  be  standards  of  points  for 
the  guidance  of  the  awards,  but  assuredly  a 
common-sense  judge  will  look  with  disfavour 
on  a  specimen  with  excellence  of  breed  and 
correct  colour  of  eye  if  his  coat  is  draggled  and 


62 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


matted,  his  tail  dirty,  and  his  fur  soiled.  We 
have  only  to  run  our  minds  back  to  the  various 
exhibits  of  well-known  fanciers  at  our  large 
shows,  and  we  shall  find  that  the  most  per- 
sistently successful  exhibitors  have  been  those 
who  have  sent  their  cats  to  the  shows  in  the 
best  condition.  Some  fanciers,  wishing  to 
help  on  entries  at  a  show,  will  exhibit  their 
Persian  cats  when  quite  out  of  coat.  This  is 
a  mistake  ;  send  your  entry  money  if  you  like 
to  the  secretary,  but  keep  your  coatless  cats  at 
home.  As  regards  the  short-haired  breeds, 
these  cats  should  have  coats  with  a  gloss  and 
brilliancy  like  that  of  a  well-groomed  horse, 
shining  like  satin  ;  a  spiky  appearance  in  the 
fur  denotes  poor  condition  in  both  long  and 
short  breeds. 

In  getting  cats  ready  for  exhibition  owners 
should  look  to  their  comforts  in  every  way. 
Their  houses  and  beds  should  be  kept  clean, 
their  coats  combed  and  brushed  daily.  At- 
tention shouid  be  paid  to  their  ears,  for  if  these 
are  neglected  a  cat  will  continually  scratch 
them,  and  thus  injure  its  appearance  by  tear- 
ing out  its  fur.  Some  fanciers  are  in  favour 
of  washing  their  cats,  but  when  we  take  into 
consideration  the  usually  delicate  constitutions 
of  Persian  cats,  and  the  restless,  impatient 
nature  of  these  animals,  it  behoves  us  to  try 
to  find  some  other  effectual  means  of  cleansing 
their  coats,  which  in  the  case  of  white  and 
silver  cats  are  naturally  easily  soiled.  Experi- 
ence has  taught  me  that  very  good  results  can 
be  obtained  by  damping  the  coats  with  a  soft 
cloth  dipped  in  a  weak  solution  of  ammonia 
and  water.  Follow  this  up  by  rubbing  some 
white  powder  into  the  fur  and  well  fingering 
the  parts  that  are  at  all  greasy.  Pears'  white 
precipitated  fuller's  earth  is  the  best  prepara- 
tion, and  is  perfectly  harmless.  To  clean  away 
the  powder  use  a  fairly  soft  brush,  and  after 
this  process  has  been  gone  through  several 
times  your  cat  will  be  fit  for  show.  Another 
method  of  cleaning  long-haired  cats  is  to 
heat  a  quantity  of  bran  in  the  oven.  Put  it 
into  a  large  bowl  or  footbath,  and  stand  the 
puss  in  it.  Rub  the  hot  bran  well  amongst  the 
fur  for  some  minutes,  and  afterwards  carefully 


brush  it  out.  This  treatment  will  give  a  soft 
and  silky  appearance  to  the  coat,  but  for  light- 
coloured  cats  the  powder  is  more  cleansing. 

Cats  require  to  be  educated  to  the  show  pen, 
and  it  is  very  necessary  in  some  cases  to  give 
a  course  of  training.  For  this  purpose  it  is 
well  to  obtain  a  similar  pen  to  those  used  at 
shows,  and  to  place  your  puss  in  this  for  an 
hour  or  two  daily.  In  time  he  will  learn  to 
come  and  sit  and  look  out  of  his  temporary 
prison,  and  when  lie  makes  his  d/'but  he  will 
not  spoil  his  chances  by  crouching  at  the  back 
of  the  show  pen,  or  vex  his  would-be  admirers, 
who  may  have  recourse  to  the  use  of  an  um- 
brella or  stick  to  make  the  exhibit  move  into 
a  more  convenient  and  conspicuous  position. 

Taking  it  for  granted  you  have  decided  to 
send  your  cat  to  a  show,  the  first  step  is  to 
register  it  in  the  club  under  whose  rules  the 
show  is  to  be  held.  At  present  the  National 
Cat  Club  and  the  Cat  Club  both  require 
separate  registration,  the  charge  being  one 
shilling.  It  is,  however,  to  be  hoped  that  the 
earnest  wish  of  all  cat  fanciers  and  exhibitors 
will  ere  long  be  fulfilled,  and  that  one  register 
will  be  kept  by  an  independent  person,  so  that 
pedigrees  can  be  verified  and  mistakes  rectified, 
and  the  confusion  caused  by  a  double  regis- 
tration will  cease  to  worry  and  perplex  the 
cat-loving  community.  Registration  forms 
are  supplied  by  the  secretaries  of  the  respective 
clubs,  and  you  must  fill  in  the  particulars  of 
your  cats  as  set  forth  on  the  forms,  a  sample 
of  which  is  here  given,  together  with  the  regis- 
tration rules  of  the  National  Cat  Club  : — 


REGISTRATION. 

The  registration  rules  of  the  National  Cat  Club  are 
as  follow  : — 

I.  Every  Cat  exhibited  at  a  show  under  National  Cat  Club 
Rules  must  (except  such  as  are  exhibited  exclusively  in  Local 
Classes,  or  exhibited  in  Classes  exclusively  for  litters  of 
kittens),  previous  to  the  time  of  entry  for  such  show,  have 
been  entered  in  a  registry  kept  by  the  National  Cat  Club  at 
their  offices.  A  charge  of  is.  each  shall  be  made  for  regis- 
tration. In  such  registry  shall  be  inserted  the  name  and 
breed  of  the  cat,  and  its  breeder's  name,  the  date  of  birth, 
names  of  sire  and  dam,  and  of  grand-sires  and  grand-dams, 
and  if  the  dam  was  served  by  two  or  more  cats  their  several 
names  must  be  stated.  If  the  age,  pedigree,  or  breeder's 
name  be  not  known  the  cat  must  be  registered  as  breeder, 


EXHIBITING. 


age  or  pedigree  "  unknown,"  any  or  all,  as  the  case  may  be. 
If  the  name  of  a  cat  be  changed,  or  an  old  name  re-assumed, 
such  cat  must  be  again  registered  and  identified  before 
exhibition  in  its  altered  name. 

2.  A  name  which  has  been  duly  registered  in  accordance 
with  Rule  i  cannot  be  again  accepted  for  registration  of  a  cat 
of  the  same  breed,  without  the  addition  of  a  distinguishing 
number,  prefix,  or  affix,  for  a  period  of  five  years,  calculated 
from  the  first  day  of  the  year  next  after  the  one  in  which 
the  name  was  last  registered ;  but  the  name  of  a  cat  after 
publication  in  "Our  Cats"  and  the  Stud  Book,  or  which  has 
become  eligible  for  free  entry  therein,  cannot  again  be 
assumed. 

N.13. — The  name  of  a  cat  that  has  become  eligible  for  free 
entry  in  the  Stud  Booh  in  any  year  shall  not  be  changed  after 
the  3ist  of  December  of  that  year. 

Cats  do  not  receive  a  number  on  registration.  Numbers 
are  only  assigned  to  Prize  Winners  or  cats  entered  in  the 
Stud  Book  on  its  publication,  on  payment  of  a  fee  of  Five 
Shillings,  in  addition  to  One  Shilling  for  registration. 

The  application  for  registration  must  be  made  on  a 
form  as  follows : — 

XIMDKK  OK  BREED  AS  PER  LIST  IN  MARGIN _COLOUR 

I  wish  to  register  the  following        (Sex)  by  the  name  of 

Previously  registered  by  the  name  of 


The  various  varieties  as  recognised  by  the  Club  are 
as  follow  : — 


Signature  af  Oancr 
(Mr.,  Mrs.  or  Miss) 

Address 


LATE  OWNER  (if  any) 
SIRE 


I  G.  SIRE 


OWNER  01-  SIKE 


DAM 


DAM 


OWNER  OF  DAM 
DATE  OF  BIRTH 


}  G.  SlRE_ 

_JG.  DAM_ 


NAME  &  ADDRESS  OF  BREEDER 


NOTE.  —  If  this  name  cannot  be  registered,  I  select  one  of  the 
following,  and  nama  them  in  the  order  named  :  (i) 


Only  one  cat  must  bo  entered  on  one  form,  which 
must  be  forwarded  with  a  remittance  of  one  shilling  to 
-Mrs.  A.  Stennard  Robinson,  Hon.  Sec.,  at  5,  Great 
James  Street,  Bedford  Row,  London,  W.C. 


LONG-HAIRED  CATS. 

15.  BLACK. 

16.  WHITE. 

17.  BLUE. 

18.  ORANGE. 

19.  CREAM. 

20.  SABLE. 

21.  SMOKE. 

22.  TABBY. 

23.  SPOTTED. 

24.  CHINCHILLA. 

25.  TORTOISESHELL. 

26.  BlCOLOUR. 

27.  TRICOLOUR. 


SHORT-HAIRED  CATS. 

1.  SIAMESE. 

2.  BLUE. 

3.  MANX. 

4.  FOREIGN. 

5.  TABBY. 

6.  SPOTTED. 

7.  BICOLOUR. 

8.  TRICOLOUR. 

Q.  TORTOISKSHELL. 

10.  BLACK. 

11.  WHITE. 

12.  SABLE. 

13.  TICKS. 

14.  ABYSSINIAN. 

It  will  be  seen  that  you  are  requested  to 
give   more    than    one   name,    and    it    is    very 
desirable    in    the  first    instance  to    select  an 
uncommon  one,  which  may  be  considered  your 
cat's  exhibition   title,  but  you  will  doubtless 
have  some  short  pet  name  for  home  use.     A 
prefix,    probably    the   name    of    the    town    or 
village    in    which   you   live,    can    be    used    to 
specially    identify    your    cat.      For    this    an 
extra   charge    is    made.      It    is    well    to    fill 
in  the  pedigree  as  far  as  possible,  and  every 
exhibitor    should    strive     to     obtain    correct 
particulars  of  date  of  birth  and  name  of  breeder 
of 'the  cat  to  be  exhibited.     It  is  a  pity  to 
label  your  cat  "  unknown,"  if    with  a  small 
amount  of  trouble   exact    details  can  be  ob- 
tained.     At    any   rate,    it    is    important    to 
state    the    names   of   the    two    parents.     The 
age  of  kittens  should  be  counted  by  months — 
that    is,    say,    from    the    2Oth    to    the    20th. 
Having    registered    your    cat,    you   receive    a 
notification  of  such  registration,  and  whether 
you    are    intending    to    exhibit    or   not    it    is 
very  necessary  and  advisable    that  your  cat 
should   be   duly  registered  in  at   least  one  of 
the  parent  clubs. 

A  separate  fee  is  charged  for  each  cat  or 
kitten  in  each  class,  and  the  amount  must  be 
forwarded  at  the  same  time  as  the  entry  is 
made.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  entry 
form  used  at  the  Cat  Club's  Show  at  Brighton 
in  1901,  and  I  may  mention  that  the  fee  for 
registration  has  since  been  raised  from  6d. 
to  is. : — 


64 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


ENTRIES  CLOSE  MONDAY,  NOVEMBER  4th,  igoi. 

BRIGHTON     CHAMPIONSHIP     SHOW    OF     THE    CAT     CLUB, 

TO     BE     HKLD    AT 

MELLISOVS    HALL,    WEST    STREET,    BRIGHTON, 

ON   WEDNESDAY   AND   THURSDAY,   NOVEMBER   13™  AND  i4TH,  1901, 
Under  the  Exhibition  Rules  of  The  Cat  Club. 

RULE  AS  TO  REGISTRATION  OF  NAMES  OF  CATS  AND  KITTENS. 

Every  Cat  or  Kitten  exhibited  at  a  Show  under  The  Cat  Club  Exhibition  Rules  MUST 
be  Registered  at  the  Cat  Club.  Fee  6d. 

Every  Cat  or  Kitten  which  may  have  changed  ownership  since  Registration  MUST, 
before  Exhibition,  be  Transferred  to  its  new  owner  in  the  books  of  The  Cat  Club, 
Fee  One  Shilling. 

To  change  the  name  of  a  Cat  or  Kitten,  when  allowable,  the  fee  is  One  Shilling. 
See  The  Cat  Club  Exhibition  Rules,  Nos.  i  to  6,  in  the  Schedule. 


CERTIFICATE    OF    ENTRY. 


E  f)U'fbj_)  <ffrt'ttf)J  that  the  Cat  or  Kitten  to  be  exhibited  by  me  as  below  is  bona.  H 
Jide  my  property,  and  I  enter  it  at  my  own  risk,  subject  to  the  Exhibit  on  Rules  of  The  -* 
Cat  Club,  and  the  Regulations  of  this  Exhibition  as  arranged  by  the  Committee- 


Has  this  Cat  been  Registered  at  The  Cat  Club  (see  note  abovc)- 

Hns  this  Cat  been  Transferred  (if  purchased)  to  yourself  as  owner  in  Iht 
books  of  The  Cat  Club  (sec  note  above) 

Name  of  Exhibitor  (in  full) 

(Title,  Rev.,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  or  Miss.     (See  Rule  3.)" 

Address 

Name  oT  Cat  or  Kitten  (as  registered  at  The  Cat  Club) 

(If  in  Stud  Book,  add  number.) 


Breed- 


Colo 


See       *" 

Exhibition^ 

Rules     tl 

.    1166      §j5 

of  The  ,l?<Sire 
Cat  Club  •&- 


in  the     —  & 
Schedule.  .5 


Price  .£ 


Date  of  Birth 


Sex—  - 

(Male,  Female  or  Neuttr.) 


lireeder- 


D« 


Prizes  won  - 


(If  for  Sale.) 


Dale   - 


N.B. — No  MILK  will  be  given  to  any  Cat  or  Kitten  unless  specially  requested 
here Water  will  be  provided  otherwise. 


Class  as  per  Schedule. 


No. 


Also  Entered  in  Classes  num- 
bered as  per  Schedule. 

Nos. 


Please  not  to  write  in  this 
space 


Kindly  fill  in  the  amount  en- 
closed for  Fees,  &c.,  as 
under  :  — 


Cheque 


Post      Office 
Order       ... 

Postal  Order... 
Cash 


Total     £ 


No  Entries  will  be  accepted  without  Fees.  Postage  Stamps  taken  Thirteen  to  the  Shilling. 

Exhibitors  are  particularly  requested  to  write  distinctly,  and  also  to  be  careful  to  name  correctly  the  Class  in  which  they 

intend  to  exhibit  their  Cat  or  Cats. 
All  Correspondence  and  Entries  to  be  addressed  to  Miss  F.  SIMPSON,  Durdans  House,  St.  Margaret's-on-Thames. 


The  exhibiting  rules  should  be  carefully 
studied,  and  intending  exhibitors  must  pay 
great  attention  to  the  classification  set  forth 
in  the  schedule  so  as  to  determine  the  correct 
class  in  which  to  enter  their  cats.  If  there 
remains  any  cloubt  in  the  mind  of  the  novice, 
then  it  is  best  to  consult  some  reliable  and 
well-known  breeder,  giving  a  full  description 
of  the  cat  you  wish  to  show. 

It  is  a  grievous  disappointment  if  through 
ignorance  or  carelessness  a  good  specimen  is 
labelled  "  Wrong  class." 


It  is  always  stated  in  the  schedules  that  the 
entries  close  on  a  particular  date,  and  that 
after  tin's  none  can  or  will  be  received.  Ex- 
perience proves,  however,  that  this  is  often 
not  a  law  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  for  the  date 
is  frequently  of  an  elastic  nature,  and  thereforr- 
it  is  always  worth  while  for  an  intending 
exhibitor  to  write  requesting  that,  if  possible, 
his  entry  may  be  received,  although  it  is  im- 
wardcd  after  the  advertised  time  of  closing. 
Many  exhibitors  are  not  aware  that  by  pay- 
ing an  extra  shilling  they  can  generally  secure 


EXHIBITING, 


a  double  pen  for  their  cats.  It  is  not  usual 
for  the  secretary  of  a  show  to  send  a  receipt 
for  entries  and  fees,  as  the  tallies  and  labels 
which  are  forwarded  later  serve  as  an  acknow- 
ledgment for  these.  When  by  any  chance 
labels,  etc.,  are  not  received  in  time  to  be 
used  by  exhibitors,  or  they  are  lost  or  mis- 
laid, then  the  hampers  should  be  addressed 
to  the  secretary  of  the  show,  and  a  note  of 


is  taken  into  consideration  in  judging,  and 
perhaps  a  large  litter  of  six  may  take  over  a 
smaller  litter  of  three,  even  though  the  quality 
of  the  trio  is  in  advance  of  the  larger  family. 
As  regards  pairs  of  kittens,  I  would  say  select 
two  kittens  as  near  alike  as  possible  in  colour, 
size,  and  quality  ;  they  need  not  be  of  the 
same  litter,  but  it  is  as  a  "  pair  "  they  will  be 
judged,  so  if  one  exhibit  is  much  inferior  to 


RICHMOND   CAT    SHOW  :    ARRANGEMENT   OF   TENTS. 

(Photo:   Cassell  &  Compan",  Limited.) 


explanation  enclosed.  The  entry  can  then 
be  looked  up,  and  the  pen  number  discovered. 
If  cats  are  entered  in  joint  names,  then  it  is 
desirable  that  the  owners  should  let  the  secre- 
tary know  to  whom  to  send  the  labels  and 
tallies,  as  if  these  are  only  forwarded  a  day 
or  two  before  the  show  to  the  partner  who 
does  not  keep  the  cat,  complications  may 
arise.  If  litter  classes  are  provided  at  a  show, 
it  is  well  for  the  intending  exhibitor  to  send 
the  whole  litter,  as  the  number  of  the  family 


its  fellow  then  the  value  of  the  pair  is  seriously 
diminished.  A  defective  eye  or  damaged  tail 
will  tell  against  a  cat  or  kitten  in  the  show 
pen,  therefore  it  is  useless  to  throw  away 
entry  fees  upon  these  blemished,  though  per- 
chance dearly  loved,  creatures. 

The  question  of  ribbons  to  suit  the  colours 
of  the  various  cats  is  one  deserving  of  con- 
sideration. Many  exhibitors  make  the  mistake 
of  using  broad  ribbons  and  making  very 
big  bows,  but  both  long  and  short  haired 


56 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


cats  present  a  neater  appearance  with  narrow 
ribbons,  and  the  bow  should  be  stitched  in  the 
centre,  so  that  it  cannot  come  undone  and  thus 
give  a  dishevelled  appearance  to  the  puss. 
The  metal  tallies  will  hang  more  gracefully 
roimd  the  neck  if  a  slip  ring  is  ran  through 
the  hole  of  the  tally  and  then  the  ribbon  is 
put  through  the  ring.  Cushions  and  hang- 
ings for  the  pens  are  not  at  all  desirable,  even 
if  they  are  permitted.  They  collect  germs 
and  become  offensive,  and  moreover  it  is 
much  better  that  all  exhibits  should  be  placed 
on  the  same  footing — namely,  a  bed  of  hay 
or  straw. 

If  owners  are  unable  to  accompany  their 
exhibits  to  the  show,  it  is  more  than  ever 
necessary  that  secure,  comfortable,  and  safe 
travelling  boxes  or  hampers  should  be  used 
for  the  transit  of  the  cats.  It  is  not  advisable, 
nor  is  it  generally  allowable,  for  more  than  one 
cat  to  be  sent  in  a  hamper  to  a  show. 

The  question  of  hampers  and  travelling 
appliances  has  been  dealt  with  in  a  previous 
chapter,  but  I  would  earnestly  impress  upon 
exhibitors  not  to  send  their  cats  away  on 
journeys,  long  or  short,  in  tumble-down 
hampers  and  unsafe  packing  cases.  Whether 
hampers  or  boxes,  I  would  here  suggest  that 
whichever  is  used  let  the  fasteners  be  secure 
and  yet  easy  to  manipulate.  Straps  should 
be  attached  to  the  box  or  hamper,  as  in  the 
confusion  and  hurry  of  show  work  these,  if 
left  loose,  may  get  mislaid.  The  labels  should 
be  so  arranged  that  they  may  be  conveniently 
turned  over  for  the  return  journey,  where, 
on  the  reverse  side,  ought  to  be  the  owner's 
name  and  full  address.  It  is  most  important 
that  these  should  be  distinctly  written.  I 
recommend  all  exhibitors  to  insure  their  cats 
when  sending  them  to  a  show.  The  charge 
is  3d.  for  every  £i,  and  having  paid  our  money 
we  take  our  chance,  which  is  perhaps  a  less 
hazardous  one  than  if  this  precaution  had 
been  neglected. 

The  arrangements,  or  rather  want  of  ar- 
rangements, as  regards  the  transit  of  live  stock 
on  our  railways  leave  much  to  be  desired,  and 
therefore  it  behoves  fanciers  and  exhibitors 


who  value  their  cats  for  their  own  sakes  and 
for  their  intrinsic  worth,  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  mitigate  the  discomforts  of  a  journey  and 
the  risks  that  must  necessarily  attend  the 
conveyance  of  live  stock  by  rail.  Some  fanciers 
make  it  a  rule  never  to  exhibit  unless  they 
themselves  can  take  and  bring  back  their 
cats,  and  though  this  necessarily  entails  a 
great  .deal  of  trouble  and  some  expense,  yet 
there  is  an  immense  satisfaction  in  feeling  our 
pets  are  under  our  own  supervision.  There 
is  also  an  advantage  in  penning  your  own 
cats,  and  if  you  arm  yourself  with  a  brush  and 
comb  you  are  able  to  give  some  finishing 
touches  to  pussy's  toilet  previous  to  the  judges' 
inspection  and  awards.  Let  me  recommend 
a  metal  comb,  and  a  brush  such  as  is  used  for 
Yorkshire  terriers,  which  has  long  penetrating 
bristles,  but  is  neither  too  hard  nor  too  soft. 

Disqualification  of  cats  or  kittens  at  shows 
may  arise  from  various  causes.  First,  if  the 
cat  has  not  been  registered,  or  if  it  can  be 
proved  that  the  animal  has  not  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  exhibitor  for  fourteen  days 
before  the  show,  or  if  a  wrong  pedigree  has 
been  given,  or  the  date  of  birth  of  a  kitten 
is  incorrect.  Any  attempt  at  "  faking "  will 
disqualify  an  exhibit,  and  in  some  cases  the 
too  free  use  of  powder  on  white  and  silver  cats 
is  a  disqualification  in  the  eyes  of  some  judges. 
Exhibitors  have  been  known  to  dye  the  chins 
of  tabby  cats  and  treat  white  spots  on  self- 
coloured  cats  in  the  same  manner.  Such 
"  faking,"  as  it  is  popularly  called,  is  always 
risky,  as  well  as  a  most  undesirable  operation, 
and  if  resorted  to  ought  not  to  be  passed  over 
by  a  judge  who  might  detect  the  artifice  and 
yet  lack  the  moral  courage  to  expose  the 
offender.  Let  me  warn  exhibitors  against 
the  evil  practice  of  over  feeding  their  cats 
at  shows.  It  is  so  much  better  for  a  cat 
to  starve  for  two  days  than  to  overload  its 
stomach  with  the  plentiful  supplies  brought 
by  an  over-anxious  exhibitor.  The  sanitary 
arrangements  at  present  existing  at  cat  shows 
do  not  allow  of  such  a  course,  and  if  one  meal 
of  raw  meat  and  plenty  of  fresh  water  is  sup- 
plied by  the  show  authorities  pussy  will  fare 


EXHIBITING. 


67 


MRS.  GREGORY'S  "  SKELLIXGTHORPE  PATRICK." 

(Photo  : .  W.  J.  Smith,  Lincoln.) 

much  better  than  being  stuffed  with  a  variety 
of  dainties  brought  in  paper  bags. 

Whilst  the  inmates  of  your  cattery  are 
attending  shows  it  is  a  good  opportunity  to 
give  an  extra  cleansing  and  airing  to  their 
houses,  and  on  their  return  be  careful  to 
destroy  the  hay  or  straw  contained  in  the 
hampers  or  boxes,  and  thoroughly  disinfect 
these,  leaving  them  out  in  the  open  air  for  a 
day  or  two  before  packing  them  away.  It 
is  generally  advisable  to  give  a  slight  aperient 
to  grown  cats  after  they  come  back  from  a 
show,  for  it  often  happens  that  these  cleanly 
creatures  refuse  to  make  use  of  the  scanty 
accommodation  provided  for  them  in  the 
show  pens,  and  thus  complications  may  arise 
unless  attention  is  paid  to  their  wants  on 
their  return.  If  many  cats  are  kept,  and 
some  are  sent  to  a  show,  on  no  account  allow 
these  to  mix  with  your  other  animals  on  their 
return.  It  is  a  wise  precaution  to  keep  then 
apart  for  a  few  days,  more  especially  if  you 
have  young  kittens  to  consider. 

The  prize  cards  should  be  returned  in  the 
hampers  when  sent  back  to  exhibitors.  If 
these  are  soiled  or  broken  on  their  arrival, 
a  request  to  the  secretary  asking  for  fresh 
ones  will  probably  be  attended  to. 

Every  member  of  a  cat  club  and  exhibitor  at 


a  show  has  a  right  to  lodge  a  complaint  with 
the  secretary  and  committee  of  the  club  under 
whose  rules  the  show  is  held,  if  an  injustice 
has  been  done  to  an  exhibit  in  the  opinion 
of  the  exhibitor.  According  to  the  rules  a 
deposit  has  to  be  paid,  which  can  be  reclaimed 
unless  the  complaint  is  considered  "  frivolous." 

Show  promoters  cannot  afford  to  give  their 
money  away  without  some  return  or  pro- 
visional stipulation,  and  therefore  fanciers 
must  not  complain  if  when  a  class  does  not 
fill  it  is  either  amalgamated  or  only  half  the 
advertised  prize  money  is  given.  This  latter 
plan  is  by  far  the  more  satisfactory.  There  has 
probably  never  been  a  show  of  any  live  stock 
held  where  complete  satisfaction  has  been 
given  ;  but,  generally  speaking,  "  grumbling  " 
is  a  most  mistaken  and  pernicious  habit,  and 
exhibitors  should  strive  to  become  good  losers. 
If  they  cannot  learn  this  lesson,  then  the 
remedy  remains  in  their  own  hands,  and  they 
had  better  keep  their  cats  at  home  rather 
than  run  the  risk  of  being  disappointed  them- 
selves and  of  causing  unpleasantness  to  others. 
If  a  judgment  is  obviously  wrong,  then  the 
triumph  is  with  the  best  cat,  and  we  should 
take  our  defeat  in  a  sportsmanlike  manner. 

In  July,  1902,  a  cat  section  in  connec- 
tion with  the  annual  dog  show  was  held  in 
the  Old  Deer  Park,  Richmond.  This  proved 
a  great  success,  and  entries  numbered  over 
three  hundred.  A 
fdw  words  in  de- 
scription of  this 
show  may  be  ap- 
propriate here, 
especially 
in  view  of 


"  INQUIRY. 
(Photo :  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


68 


THE    BOOK    OF   THE    CAT. 


the  photographs  (specially  taken)  which  illus- 
trate this  chapter. 

Its  chief  features  were  the  twenty-five 
entries  in  the  litter  classes  and  the  ring 
class  for  neuters  only.  Objection  is  often 
made  to  litter  classes,  and  yet  these  are 
certainly  the  most  attractive.  I  think  that 
double  pens  should  be  provided,  and  special 
food  ought  to  be  supplied  for  the  little  ones. 
It  stands  to  reason  that  very  young  kittens 
cannot  be  fed  like  the  grown  cats,  and  it  is  only 
natural  that  if  big  pieces  of  meat  are  thrust 
into  the  pen  for  the  mother  the  hungry  little 
creatures  will  make  a  rush  for  it.  They  bolt 
down  the  hard  lumps,  and  these  remain  un- 
digested in  their  tender  little  stomachs.  It  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  if  gastritis,  inflamma- 
tion, and  other  distressing  ailments  supervene. 
It  is  much  better  to  let  the  mother  do  with- 
out her  usual  meat  rations  and  content  her- 
self with  good,  nourishing  baby  food,  such  as 
Mellin's  or  Ridge's,  rather  than  run  the  risk 
of  providing  her  with  such  which  will  injure 
her  little  kittens.  With  ordinary  supervision 
no  evil  consequences  should  ensue  from  the 
introduction  of  litter  classes,  especially  at 
a  one  day  show.  It  is  not,  however,  advis- 
able to  have  litter  classes  at  shows  held  during 
the  winter  months.  But  in  perfect,  warm 
weather  no  fatalities  will  be  reported.  Cer- 
tainly the  mothers  with  their  families  prove 
a  great  attraction,  and  as  woollen  balls,  at- 
tached from  the  top  of  the  pens,  are  provided 
for  the  amusement  of  the  kittens,  they  de- 
light themselves  and  their  audience  with -their 
playful  frolics. 

The  ring  class  for  neuters  only  was  an  inno- 
vation and  proved  very  successful,  and  although 
some  of  these  pet  pussies  declined  to  show 
themselves  off  to  the  best  advantage,  yet 
they  did  not  "  go  "  for  each  other  as  is  some- 
times the  case  when  .the  males  are  within 
measurable  distance  of  each  other.  The  illus- 
tration given  is  from  a  photo  specially  taken 
for  this  work,  and  shows  the  judges  deliberat- 
ing on  the  respective  merits  of  the  neuter  cats. 
On  this  occasion  a  famous  Blue  Persian  owned 
by  Madame  Portier  carried  off  the  honours. 


He  behaved  very  well  on  the  lead,  and  his 
grand  shape  and  wonderful  coat  made  him 
an  easy  first. 

Another  illustration  shows  the  judges  at 
work  awarding  the  special  prizes,  which  in 
many  cases  have  to  be  decided  conjointly. 
Miss  Frances  Simpson  and  Mr.  C.  A.  House  are 
comparing  notes  and  determining  which  of  the 
first  prize  kittens  is  deserving  of  the  special 
for  the  best  in  the  show.  On  this  occasion 
Mrs.  Bennet,  a  well-known  breeder  of  Blue 
Persians,  was  awarded  the  coveted  prize. 

A  general  view  of  one  of  the  rows  of  pens 
is  given,  but  on  this  particular  occasion  no 
covering  was  supplied  for  the  benching,  and, 
therefore,  the  aspect  of  the  show  pens  leaves 
much  to  be  desired.  The  travelling  baskets 
being  placed  under  the  pens,  these  should  be 
hidden  from  the  public  gaze  in  order  to  give 
a  neat  and  tidy  appearance  to  the  show.  The 
best  material  for  this  purpose  is  red  baize. 
The  custom  of  allowing  exhibitors  to  pen  their 
own  cats  enables  them  to  give  their  pussies 
a  final  brush  up  before  they  are  subjected  to 
the  critical  examination  of  the  judge.  Our 
illustration  represents  Mrs.  Peter  Brown,  a 
well-known  breeder  of  Blue  Persians,  attending 
to  the  toilet  of  her  beautiful  "  Bunch,"  who 
on  this  occasion  repeated  her  successes  at 
the  Botanic  Gardens,  and  carried  off  the 
highest  honours  in  the  Blue  Female  Persian 
class  (see  page  73).  And  now  to  pass  on  to 
another  portion  of  our  subject. 

JUDGING. 

A  standard  of  points  for  all  long  and  short 
haired  cats  was  drawn  up  by  a  sub-committee 
of  the  Cat  Club,  of  which  I  was  a  member ; 
but  since  specialist  clubs  have  come  into 
existence,  having  each  their  own  list  of  points, 
nothing  much  has  been  seen  or  heard  of  the 
Cat  Club's  standard.  It  is  just  as  well  to 
have  some  definite  lines  upon  which  fanciers 
and  exhibitors  may  base  their  ideas,  and  so 
aim  at,  if  they  cannot  attain  to,  the  height 
of  perfection  set  forth  in  these  standards. 
They  are  really  not  meant  for  judges,  because 
I  venture  to  assert  that  a  judge  is  no  judge 


RICHMOND     CAT     SHOW :     JUDGES     AT    WORK. 
(I'hoto  :   Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


7o 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


if  he  requires  anything  besides  his  own  per- 
sonal conviction,  experience,  and  common 
sense  when  called  upon  to  decide  the  various 
points  in  the  different  breeds.  A  good  judge 
of  old  china  will  not  search  for  the  mark  to 
know  whether  the  specimen  is  Chelsea  or 
Worcester.  He  will  tell  you  "it  is  marked 
all  over"— that  is.  he  knows  a  good  bit  of 
stuff,  even  if  it  should  not  have  the  gold 
anchor  of  Chelsea  or  the  square  mark  of 
Worcester  ware.  So  it  is  with  a  good  all- 
round  cat.  It  appeals  at  once  to  the  eye  of 
the  connoisseur,  just  as  a  worthless  specimen 
is  at  once  put  out  of  the  ranks  of  winners. 

It  is  the  greatest  error  not  to  have  thorough 
confidence  in  oneself  when  undertaking  to 
judge  cats,  or,  in  fact,  in  judging  any  animal, 
or  any  thing.  No  one  should  undertake  to 
judge  if  they  wish  to  seek  the  counsel  of  others. 
The}'  must  have  the  courage  of  their  own 
convictions,  and,  although  some  amount  of 
training  may  be  required,  I  think  that  judges 
are  born,  not  made ;  and  people  who  have  not 
a  keen  power  of  observation  and  a  faculty 
of  coming  rapidly  to  a  fixed  conclusion  can 
never  hope  to  become  satisfactory  or  com- 
petent judges.  There  are  many  cat  fanciers 
on  whose  judgment  of  a  cat  I  should  implicitly 
rely,  and  who  know  a  good  specimen  when 
they  see  it,  but  if  placed  before  a  row  of  twenty 
or  thirty  cats  of  a  breed  they  seem  to 
lose  their  heads  and  get  hopelessly  confused, 
and  then  the  reporter  says,  "  We  could  not 
follow  the  awards."  There  is  no  doubt  that 
judges  of  cats  are  severely  handicapped. 
Firstly,  cats  are  such  terribly  timid,  shrink- 
ing animals  that  when  dragged  out  of  their 
pens  with  great  difficulty — for  the  doors  are 
most  inconveniently  small — they  often  strug- 
gle so  violently  that,  for  fear  of  hurting  the 
animal  or  of  its  escaping,  the  judge  will  swiftly 
restore  it  to  its  resting  place  without  having 
obtained  much  satisfaction  from  his  cursory 
examination.  Unless  judging  pens  are  pro- 
vided, there  is  really  no  chance  of  making 
fair  comparisons  between  two  cats  which  may 
appear  of  almost  equal  merit.  How  is  a  judge 
to  decide  on  the  form  of  limbs  and  general 


build  of  a  cat  when  holding  it  in  his  arms  or 
seeing  it  huddled  up  at  the  back  of  its  pen  ? 

An  agitation  is  now  on  foot  for  having  cats 
judged  in  a  ring,  and,  no  doubt,  in  time  this 
will  be  the  order  of  the  day  at  our  shows  ; 
but  fanciers  will  have  to  train  up  their  cats 
in  the  way  they  should  go — namely,  when 
quite  young  they  mus't  be  accustomed  to  a 
lead  and  also  be  constantly  brought  out 
amongst  strangers.  As  an  example,  I  would 
refer  to  the  starting  gate  recently  introduced 
into  this  country  on  the  racecourse.  It  was 
no  use  to  attempt  it  for  the  old  stagers,  but 
trainers  soon  accustomed  the  two-year-olds 
to  the  innovation,  and  I  believe  many,  if  not 
all,  the  objectors  are  now  converted  to  the 
new  system  of  starting  racehorses. 

In  judging  a  class,  I  first  go  round  and  mark 
the  absent  cats ;  then  I  note  down  those  that 
could  not  under  any  circumstances  take  a 
prize.  If  there  is  a  large  class — say,  of  twenty 
to  thirty  specimens — I  mark  off  all  poor  and 
seedy-looking  cats  until  the  number  is  re- 
duced to  about  eight  or  ten ;  then  I  begin  to 
search  for  the  winners.  At  this  point  I  take 
out  each  specimen,  and,  if  no  judging  pen  is 
provided,  I  get  someone  to  assist  me,  and 
by  bringing  out  two  cats  at  a  time  I  can  make 
comparisons  and  note  down  any  remarks  in 
my  book  for  further  reference.  It  often 
happens  that  one  particular  cat  will  stand 
out  prominently  from  all  the  rest  in  a  class, 
and  then  there  is  no  difficulty  about  the  first 
award.  It  is  always  well  to  give  a  "  reserve  " 
and  to  distribute — but  not  too  freely — the 
V.H.C.,  H.C.,  and  C.  cards.  It  does  not  do 
to  make  these  too  cheap,  and  scatter  them 
all  over  the  class.  V.H.C.  might  be  awarded 
to  a  cat  in  splendid  coat,  but  which  failed  in 
head  and  eyes ;  H.C.  to  another  specimen 
with  hardly  any  coat  and  poor  head,  but 
correct  in  eye  ;  and  C.  to  a  promising  young- 
ster without  any  serious  fault,  only  with  no 
striking  point  of  merit.  A  good  judge  must 
thus  weigh  the  pros  and  cons  and  have  a 
reason  to  give  himself  or  anyone  else  for  each 
degree  of  merit,  from  first  prize  to  the  humble 
C.  And  here  I  would  mention  that  there  is 


EXHIBITING. 


a  nice  and  a  very  nasty  way  for  an  exhibitor 
to  question  a  judge's  award.  To  be  attacked 
suddenly  with  the  query,  "  Why  have  you 
not  given  ray  cat  a  prize  ?  "  is  quite  enough 
to  make  a  judge  retire  into  his  shell  and  refuse 
any  explanation  ;  but  if  asked  to  kindly  give 
a  reason  why  a  certain  animal  has  failed  to 
win,  and  to  explain  why  one  specimen,  appar- 
ently a  fine  cat,  should  be  lower  than  another, 
I  am  sure  any  judge  would  gladly  give  the 
inquirer  the  benefit  of  his  larger  experience 


specimens  ;  and  if  he  has  withheld  others  in 
a  poor  and  badly  filled  class  then  there  is  no 
extra  burden  put  on  to  the  funds  of  the  club. 
A  great  deal  should  be  left  to  the  discretion 
of  the  judge,  and  in  the  matter  of  special 
prizes,  if  one  is  offered  for,  say,  the  best  long- 
haired white  cat,  and  only  one  or  two  specimens 
are  on  show,  and  these  are  neither  of  them 
good  types  of  tin's  breed,  then  the  judge  should 
be  empowered  to  withhold  the  prize.  Such 
a  course  may  be  an  unpopular  one,  but  I  am 


TYPE   OF    CAGE   AT   THE    RICHMOND    CAT   SHOW. 
{Photo :   Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


and  the  reason  for  his  awards.  It  is  a  mistake 
for  a  judge  to  distribute  the  full  complement 
of  prizes  in  a  class  when  and  where  the /ex- 
hibits are  not  possessing  of  sufficient  merit. 
A  first  prize  cat  should  be  a  good  specimen  of 
its  kind,  and  it  is  much  better  to  withhold  this 
award  than  to  give  it  to  a  poor  representative 
of  his  breed.  It  also  reflects  discredit  on  a 
ludge,  for  an  exhibitor  wishing  to  boast  of 
his  honours  may  publish  that  his  "  Tommy 
Atkins "  took  first  under  so-and-so,  when 
perhaps  there  were  only  two  cats  in  the  class. 
It  is  quite  legitimate  for  a  judge  to  ask  per- 
mission of  the  show  authorities  to  award  an 
extra  prize  in  a  large  class  with  several  fine 


sure  it  is  the  correct  and  fairest  one,  for  it  is 
a  farce  to  award  first  prize  and  specials  to  an 
inferior  animal  just  because  he  happens  to  be 
without  other  competitors.  Anyone  who  has 
judged  the  large  classes  of  blues  and  silvers 
which  now  appear  at  our  principal  shows  will 
bear  me  out  in  my  suggestion  that  such  classes, 
numbering  perhaps  thirty  and  more  exhibits, 
should  be  subdivided  according  to  age.  Such 
an  arrangement  would  be  welcomed  by  judge 
and  exhibitor  alike.  At  the  Crystal  Palace 
Show  in  1901  the  blue  kittens  numbered 
thirty-nine  in  the  class,  male  and  female,  the 
age  limit  being  three  to  eight  months.  How 
could  a  judge  be  expected  to  satisfactorily 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


MK.    C.    A    HOUSE, 

EDITOR  OF  "  FUR  AND  FEATHER." 

(Photo:  A.  &  G.  Taylor.) 

award  three  prizes  in  such  a  huge  class  ?  And 
I  know  that  many  superb  specimens  on  this 
occasion  had  to  be  content  with  a  V.H.C.  card, 
which  it  would  have  gone  to  my  heart  as  a 
judge  to  place  on  their  pen. 

If  there  is  a  prize  offered  for  the  best  cat  in 
the  show,  the  judge  or  judges  have  not  to  con- 
sider which  is  their  favourite  breed  or  which 
is  the  most  fashionable  colour,  but  just  which 
cat  is  the  best  possible  type,  which  specimen 
is  the  nearest  perfection,  and  which  is  exhibited 
in  the  best  all-round  show  condition.  In  long- 
haired classes  the  length  and  quality  of' coat 
and  fulness  of  ruff  go  a  long  way  towards  a 
high  place  in  the  awards,  and,  as  I  have  before 
remarked,  condition  is  a  most  important  factor 
in  the  judges'  estimation.  In  the  self-coloured 
classes  of  blues  and  blacks  a  judge  should 
make  diligent  search  for  white  spots  on  throat 
or  stomach.  Formerly  cats  thus  blemished 
were  relegated  to  the  "any  other"  class,  but 
it  has  been  wisely  decided  by  both  clubs  that 
cats  with  white  spots  should  be  judged  in  their 
own  classes,  and  that  this  defect  should  count 
as  a  point  or  points  against  them.  This  is  as 
it  should  be,  for  to  place  self-coloured  cats  in 


an  "  any  other  colour  "  class  seems  absurd.  They 
are  black  and  blue  cats  in  spite  of  a  few  white 
hairs,  and  should  be  judged  as  such.  They 
may  never  aspire  to  a  first  prize,  at  any  rate 
at  a  large  show  ;  but  surely  a  really  fine  black 
or  blue  cat,  with  correct  eyes,  grand  head,  and 
good  shape,  even  with  the  unfortunate  spot, 
should  and  ought  to  score  over  a  poor  specimen 
with  green  eyes  and  long  nose.  In  the  tabby 
classes  a  judge  will  first  consider  the  ground- 
work and  markings,  and  to  these  premier  points 
special  attention  should  be  given,  as  there  is 
a  tendency  to  breed  tabby  cats  which  are 
barred  only  on  heads  and  legs,  the  body  mark- 
ings being  blurred  and  indistinct.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  in  due  time  the  "any  other  colour" 
class  will  no  longer  form  part  of  the  classifica- 
tion at  our  large  shows.  Formerly  this  used 
to  be  the  largest  class  of  any,  but  nowadays  the- 
entries  are  becoming  small  and  beautifully  less. 
It  is  not  worth  while  for  a  fancier  to  keep  these 
specimens — they  do  not  fetch  any  price,  they 
are  not  valuable  as  breeders,  and  it  is  quite  a 
toss  up  whether  they  can  win  in  such  a  mixed 
company.  I  remember  the  time  when  blues 
were  entered  in  the  "  any  other  colour  "  class, 
and  when  blue  tabbies  were  more  numerous 


MR.    T.    Ii.    MASON. 
(Photo:   C.  L.  Eastlake,  Leeits.) 


EXHIBITING. 


73 


than  silvers  or  blues.  It  is  really  a  most  diffi- 
cult task  for  a  judge  to  give  his  awards  at  a 
local  show  where  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
cats  are  placed  in  the  one  class.  Such  an 
arrangement  is  good  for  neither  man  nor  beast. 


and  the  sarcasm  of  the  reporter  will  be  poured 
out  upon  him.  No  doubt  it  is  a  grave  mistake 
to  reverse  one's  own  awards,  and  yet  judges 
are  but  mortal,  and  "  to  err  is  human."  It 
is  hard  when  cat  fanciers  take  to  judging  the 


THK    TOILET. 

MRS.  PETER  BROWN  AND  HER  PRIZE  CAT. 
{Photo  :  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


And  then,  again,  at  our  large  shows  it  behoves 
a  judge  to  be  very  level-headed  to  cope  with 
the  numerous  brace,  team,  and  novice  classes, 
for  one  cat  may  be  entered  in  all  these,  be- 
sides being  in  the  open  cat  and  kitten  class  ; 
and  woe  betide  the  unfortunate  judge  who 
makes  a  slip,  for  the  wrath  of  the  exhibitor 


judges  and  their  judgments.  A  judge  may  be 
absolutely  ignorant  of  the  owners  of  the  cats, 
and  thus  utterly  unbiased ;  yet  there  will  not 
be  wanting  those  who  will  pick  holes  in  their 
characters,  and  see  in  their  awards  clear  proof 
of  personal  spite  and  party  favour.  The  in- 
tense suspiciousness  of  some  fanciers  and  the 


74 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


readiness  with  which  they  impute  low  motives 
to  others  is  greatly  to  be  deplored. 

I  will  here  quote  from  an  article  by  Mr.  C.  A. 
House,  the  well-known  editor  and  judge  of 
live  stock.  Under  the  heading  of  "  The 
Judging  of  Cats,"  Mr.  House  says: — "All  my 
awards  are  based  on  the  idea  that  each  breed 
possesses  a  distinctive  fea.- 
ture,  and  that  distinctive 
feature  must  be  the  one  to 
which  most  consideration 
is  given.  After  the  chief 
features  come  others,  such 
as  shape,  coat,  colour,  etc., 
and  the  premier  awards 
should  be  given  to  cats 
possessing  the  best  all- 
round  properties.  .  .  . 
Selfs,  above  all  things, 
should  be  pure  in  colour. 
For  instance,  a  blue  should 
be  blue,  and  a  black,  black. 
Yet  a  little  rustiness  of 
colour  should  not  be  al- 
lowed to  outweigh  a  host 
of  other  good  properties. 
Colour,  however,  is  hard 
to  breed  rich  and  pure, 
and  should  at  all  times  be 
more  highly  valued  than ' 
size,  or  even  coat.  The 
same  with  markings.  Only 
those  who  have  tried  to 
breed  markings  know  how 
difficult  it  is  to  get  them 
anything  approaching  per- 
fection. Nothing  is  more 
fleeting  than  marking,  and  nothing  more  tanta- 
lising to  the  breeder.  Summing  up  the  matter, 
my  own  opinion  is,  and  has  been  for  years,  that 
the  cat  fancy  has  been  hindered  and  hampered 
by  judges  judging  the  exhibits  because  they 
belong  to  so-and-so,  or  had  won  so-and-so 
under  so-and-so.  ...  I  was  much  amused 
at  one  incident  at  Westminster  where  a  big 
champion  had  suffered  defeat.  The  fair  owner 
was  heckling  the  judge,  and  he  in  reply  to  her 
remarks  made  this  answer :  '  It  makes  no 


BLUE'  PERSIAN    KITTENS 
(Photo:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


difference  to  me  had  the  cat  belonged  to  the 
Queen  herself  ;  I  should  then  have  done  the 
same.  I  don't  judge  cats  on  what  they  have 
previously  won  or  because  they  belong  to  any 
particular  person.  I  judge  them  on  their 
form  at  the  time,  and  it  makes  no  difference 
to  me  if  a  cat  has  won  fifty  firsts  or  none  at 
all.'  This  reply  was  more 
than  the  exhibitor  had 
bargained  for,  but  all 
honest-minded  fanciers 
must  acknowledge  the 
judge  was  right.  What  is 
sadly  needed  in  the  cat 
fancy  to-day  is  more  of 
this  sturdy,  unflinching 
determination  to  judge 
cats  and  not  their  own- 
ers. Cat  exhibitors  have 
much  to  learn  yet,  and 
the  sooner  the  morale  of 
the  judging  arena  is  raised 
the  more  healthy  will  the 
fancy  become  and  the 
more  quickly  will  it  adj 
vance." 

Another  of  our  well- 
known  judges,  Mr.  T.  B. 
Mason,  writing  on  the  same 
subject,  says:- — "In  my 
judging  engagements  I 
have  very  often  come 
across  exhibits  with  good 
coloured  eyes,  but  not  the 
correct  shape.  A  small  eye, 
however  good  the  colour 
may  be,  will  give  the  cat 
a  disagreeable,  sour  expression.  With  this  shape 
of  eye  we  generally  see  a  narrow,  long  face, 
which  should  keep  any  exhibit  out  of  the  prize 
list  in  good  competitions.  Let  it,  however,  be 
clearly  understood,  I  do  not  want  eyes  to  have 
undue  weight  in  the  general  conditions  of  cat 
judging  ;  but  they  are  important,  and  as  such 
ought  to  have  due  and  careful  attention  at 
the  hands  of  breeders  and  judges  alike.  Two 
things  in  the  judging  of  short-hairs  weigh 
heavily  with  me,  namely,  pale  colours  and 


EXHIBITING, 


75 


light-marked  heads  and  white  lips. 
These  defects,  in  my  opinion,  ought  to 
put  out  of  the  money  those  that  possess 
them  in  good  competition.  I  perfectly 
agree  with  Mr.  House  about  the  stand- 
ards. They  are  useful  both  to  the  breeder 
and  judge  ;  but  for  the  judge  to  take  the 
standards  and  try  to  judge  by  them  at 
any  show  would  be  foolish  indeed.  All 
judges  are  expected  to  know  the  varieties 
they  are  called  upon  to  judge,  and  to 
have  the  faculty  to  weigh  up  the  good 
points  and  defects  of  the  specimens  be- 
fore them,  and  place  them  accordingly." 


MANAGEMENT   OF   SHOWS. 

Now  to  turn  our  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  shows,  and  upon  this  question  I  feel 
I  am  fairly  competent  to  give  an  opinion,  as  I 
have  acted  as  show  manager  and  as  show 
secretary  to  some  of  our  largest  exhibitions 
in  London  and  at  Brighton.  The  office  is 
indeed  no  sinecure,  and  very  few  fanciers, 
exhibitors,  or  visitors  have  any  idea  of  the 
enormous  amount  of  forethought  required,  to 
say  nothing  of  physical  and  secretarial  labours, 
to  make  a  big  show  run  smoothly.  The  re- 
sponsibility also  is  great,  for  a  conscientious 


KITS    WITH    A    TASTE    FOK    FLOWERS. 
(Photo  :   Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


TWO    KITTKXS    BRED    BY    MISS    WILLIAMS. 
(I'lwto  :   H.  Jenkins,  Lovesto/t.) 

manager  feels  he  has  valuable  live  stock  in  his 
temporary  possession,  of  which  he  has,  so  to 
speak,  to  render  up  account.  There  are  many 
mixed  shows  held  throughout  the  country 
where  a  cat  section  is  given,  and  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  in  most,  if  not  all  cases  the 
poor  pussies  are  badly  provided  for  and 
generally  go  to  the  wall.  At  a  dog  and  cat 
show  everything  goes  to  the  dogs !  Secre- 
taries wishing  to  promote  successful  cat  sec- 
tions at  their  mixed  shows  should  secure 
some  well-qualified  person  to  have  entire 
control  of  this  department.  It  is  certainly 
true  that,  of  all  live  stock,  cats  require  the 
most  consideration  and  supervision,  and  yet 
to  the  masculine  mind  of  a  show  secretary 
it  would  appear  that  the  cats  can  look  after 
themselves.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  first 
step  towards  making  a  show  successful  is  to 
engage  the  services  of  a  competent, 
energetic,  and  painstaking  manager 
and  secretary.  It  is  also  very  de- 
sirable to  appoint  a  really  good 
working  show  committee,  the 
members  of  which  should 
each  undertake  some  partic- 
ular duty  in  connection  with 
the  show.  For  instance,  one 
member  might  superintend 
the  feeding,  another  could 
be  responsible  for  obtaining 
promises  of  special  prizes, 


76 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


another  devote  him-  or  herself  to  verifying  the 
prize  tickets  placed  on  the  pens,  and  so  on.  A 
system  of  advertising  a  show  must  be  decided 
upon  by  the  show  committee,  and  notices  sent 
to  the  various  journals  which  are  circulated 
amongst  fanciers.  The  class  and  prize  tickets 
must  be  ordered  in  good  time  either  by  the 
secretary  of  the  club  or  the  manager  of  the 
show. 

The  best  time  of  the  year  for  a  show  as 
regards  the  appearance  of  Persian  cats  is  in 
December  or  January.  Then,  if  ever,  these 
particular  cats  should  be  in  the  best  show  con- 
dition. As  regards  kittens,  the  early  summer 
or  autumn  is  the  best  period,  as  spring  kittens 
will  then  be  ready  to  make  their  bow  to  the 
public.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the 
two  principal  shows  of  the  National  Cat  Club 
—namely,  the  Botanic  Gardens  and  the 
Crystal  Palace  Shows — should  be  held  re- 
spectively in  June  and  October,  when  Persian 
cats  are  in  poor  coat. 

Quite  three  months  before  the  date  of  the 
show  a  managing  secretary  will  start  work. 
Catalogues  of  previous  shows  must  be  collected 
together,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  names  and 
addresses  of  likely  exhibitors. 

Special  prizes  are  now  a  great  feature  at  all 
cat  shows,  and  a  good  deal  of  extra  work  is 
entailed  by  writing  to  obtain  promises  of  these 
for  the  various  breeds.  If  possible,  it  is  well 
to  appoint  someone  who  is  in  touch  with  those 
who  are  likely  to  become  donors,  and  to  hand 
over  this  department.  I  would  advise  anyone 
undertaking  this  branch  of  the  show  to  have  a 
book,  and  to  head  each  page  with  the  respective 
classes  of  long  and  short  haired  breeds,  and 
then  when  a  special  is  received — say,  for  the 
best  black  Persian  cat — to  place  this  on  the 
page  set  apart  for  specials  for  this  particular 
breed.  Keep  a  separate  list  for  kittens,  and 
decline  to  accept  specials  given  in  the  form 
of  stud  visits  or  for  cats  bred  from  such-and- 
such  a  sire ;  these  savour  too  much  of  self- 
advertisement.  There  are  so  many  specialist 
societies  nowadays,  and  as  these  provide  their 
own  specials  the  show  executive  is  consider- 
ably relieved  of  the  duty  of  obtaining  prizes. 


Of  course,  there  are  always  a  certain  number 
of  challenge  cups,  medals,  and  specials  given 
by  the  club  holding  the  show,  and  care  should 
be  taken  to  distribute  these  fairly  amongst  the 
various  classes.  It  is  usual  and  advisable  to 
limit  the  competition  of  the  majority  of  these 
special  prizes  to  the  members  of  the  club. 
I  do  not  approve  of  a  special  prize  being 
offered  for  the  best  cat  in  the  show,  as  it 
is  almost  impossible  for  the  judges  to  arrive 
at  a  satisfactory  decision,  and  considerable 
heartburnings  are  generally  the  result  of 
such  a  competition.  A  very  useful  mode  of 
assisting  a  show  is  by  guaranteeing  classes  ; 
and  I  would  suggest  yet  another  plan,  namely, 
to  subscribe  so  much  towards  the  expenses  of 
the  show.  These  are  necessarily  heavy,  and 
it  has  been  stated  that  no  cat  show  can  ever 
be  made  a  paying  affair. 

As  regards  the  specialist  societies,  I  think 
it  seems  the  correct  thing  that  the  club  in- 
tending to  hold  the  show  should  instruct  its 
secretary  to  write  to  the  secretary  of  each 
specialist  society  to  ask  if  he  is  willing  to 
support  the  show  by  prizes  or  by  guaranteeing 
classes,  and  to  name  the  latest  date  for  re- 
ceiving particulars  of  the  support  to  be  given. 
The  specialist  societies  have  their  own  judges, 
and  it  is  only  natural  when  they  are  offering 
handsome  prizes  that  a  claim  should  be  made 
for  first-class  judging  in  the  interests  of  the 
breed.  It  is  therefore  essential,  as  matters 
at  present  stand,  for  one  of  the  judges  from 
the  list  of  the  specialist  club  to  be  selected 
to  give  awards  in  the  classes  connected  with 
the  society.  It  is  important  to  obtain  as  full 
a  list  as  possible  of  special  prizes  from  societies 
and  outside  donors  in  good  time  for  insertion 
in  the  schedule,  as  a  tempting  list  will  ensure 
a  better  entry.  In  the  schedule  the  exhibition 
rules  of  the  club  should  be  printed,  and  in 
addition  there  should  be  a  list  of  arrangements 
in  a  prominent  position  setting  forth  details 
as  to  the  opening  and  closing  of  the  show,  the 
time  up  to  which  exhibits  are  received,  the 
earliest  hour  at  which  they  may  be  removed, 
and  the  prices  of  admission.  The  names  of 
the  judges,  with  their  respective  classes,  should 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


be  clearly  set  forth,  and  it  should  be  mentioned 
whether  classes  will  or  will  not  be  amalgamated 
or  cancelled.  A  few  advertisements  of  stud 
cats  and  trade  notices  should  be  obtained, 
as  this  means  grist  to  the  mill  and  helps  to 
pay  for  the  printing  of  the  schedules  and 
catalogues. 

The  question  of  classification  is  an  all- 
important  one,  and  needs  the  consideration  of 
a  careful  show  committee,  well  versed  in  the 
ways  of  cats  and  of  fanciers.  A  list  of  the 
classification  used  by  one  or  two  big  cat  clubs 
has  been  given.  Of  course,  at  smaller  shows 
it  is  often  impossible  to  give  separate  classes 
for  several  breeds  or  to  divide  the  sexes ;  but 
my  remarks  in  this  chapter  will  refer  to  the 
customs  and  arrangements  of  large  shows, 
such  as  those  held  by  the  National  Cat  Club 
at  the  Crvstal  Palace,  and  the  Cat  Club  at 
Westminster.  I  do  not  think  it  is  good  policy 
on  the  part  of  a  show  committee  or  manage- 
ment to  amalgamate  classes.  It  is  much 
better  to  advertise  in  schedules  that  when 
entries  are  fewer  than,  say,  four  or  five,  then 
the  judges  are  empowered  to  withhold  any 
of  the  prizes  ;  or,  again,  in  the  case  of  a  very 
small  class,  half  prize  money  might  be  awarded. 

Having  decided   on   the   classification,  and 


given  as  liberal  and  attractive  a  one  as  is 
possible  and  practicable,  it  is  well  to  consider 
the  number  of  schedules  likely  to  be  required, 
and  then  start  addressing  the  wrappers.  In  each 
schedule  must  be  inserted  two  or  three  entrj 
and  registration  forms.  The  entry  forms, 
with  fees,  are  returned  to  the  secretary,  and 
the  registration  forms  to  the  person  who 
keeps  the  register  of  the  club  holding  the 
show.  And  here  I  would  remark  on  the  mis- 
take it  is  to  have  two  registers  for  cats.  It 
is  very  confusing  for  exhibitors,  and  a  double 
expense,  as  the  National  Cat  Club  and  the 
Cat  Club  each  charge  a  shilling.  Then,  again, 
as  the  National  Cat  Club  has  recently  passed 
a  rule  disqualifying  all  cats  exhibited  at  Cat 
Club  shows,  the  confusion  is  worse  confounded. 
Some  fanciers  having  large  catteries  divide 
their  exhibits  and  send  to  both  National  Cat 
Club  and  Cat  Club  shows  ;  but  this  ne\ 
registration  rule  falls  heavily  on  cat  fancier 
who  are  keen  to  exhibit  their  specimens  ant 
anxious  for  the  pleasure  of  obtaining  prizes, 
and  desire  to  profit  by  showing  their  stud 
cats  or  having  an  opportunity  of  disposing 
of  their  stock.  The  National  Cat  Club  show 
since  the  passing  of  this  rule  have  suffered 
considerably,  both  from  lack  of  entries  anc 
by  the  absence  of  some  of  the  fine 
champion  cats  that,  having  beer 
exhibited  at  the  Cat  Club  show  ii 
January,  were  thus  debarred  from 
appearing  at  the  Botanic  Gardens  and 


"  MINDING    SHOP." 
(Photo:  C.  Reid,  Wishaw.) 


EXHIBITING. 


79 


Crystal  Palace  shows.  How  much 
simpler  and  better  it  would  be  if 
both  clubs  could  and  would  agree 
to  have  one  register  kept  by  an 
independent  person,  not  necessarily 
a  cntty  individual,  and  that  the 
fees  should  form  the  salary  of  such 
a  person.  A  small  fee  might  be 
charged  when  reference  was  de- 
sired by  fanciers  as  to  the  pedigree 
of  any  cats.  If  the  secretary  of  a 
.-how  happens  to  be  acquainted 
with  the  members  of  the  cat  fancy, 
lie  will  be  able  to  use  his  discretion 
as  to  the  number  of  entry  and 
registration  forms  needed.  In 
some  cases,  where  he  is  sending  to 
a  well-known  breeder  and  possessor 
of  a  large  cattery,  more  numerous 
forms  will  be  required.  Schedules  should  be 
sent  out  quite  a  clear  month  in  advance, 
and  the  entries  should  close  about  ten  days 
before  the  date  of  the  show.  The  secretary 
will  have  a  book  in  which  he  will  note  down 
each  entry  as  it  is  received,  placing  it  under 
the  correct  class  heading,  and,  of  course, 
these  can  only  be  numbered  up  when  entries 
close.  The  entry  forms  should  be  filed  and 
kept  for  reference.  Then  comes  the  work  of 
arranging  and  writing  the  labels,  and  placing 
these  with  the  tallies,  entrance  tickets,  and 
removal  orders  in  envelopes  and  addressing 
them  to  the  exhibitors.  These  should  be 
posted  four  clear  days  before  the  show. 

During  this  time  the  secretary  will  be  able 
to  compile  the  catalogue  for  the  printer,  and 
arrange  to  have  an  instalment  of  copies  the 
night  before  the  opening  day  of  the  show,  also 
to  draw  up  the  judges'  books.  Letters  should 
be  written  to  the  judges  and  veterinary  sur- 
geons acquainting  them  with  the  hour  at 
which  they  are  desired  to  present  themselves 
at  the  hall,  and  a  complimentary  pass  ticket 
should  be  enclosed.  A  pass  should  also  be 
sent  to  the  representatives  of  the  Press,  to  the 
veterinary  surgeon,  and  to  those  who  may 
be  giving  their  services  as  stewards.  Dis- 
tant exhibitors  will  write  requesting  catalogues 


"  THIEVES." 

(Photo:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 

to  be  forwarded  to  them,  and  a  list  should  be 
kept.  A  secretary  will  do  well  to  provide  him- 
self with  strong  cord,  scissors,  brown  paper, 
writing  materials,  labels,  telegraph  forms, 
stamps,  and  other  useful  articles. 

In  these  days  of  specialist  clubs  it  is  neces- 
sary for  the  secretary  to  have  a  list  of  members 
of  each  society  supporting  the  show,  as  the 
prizes  being  confined  to  members  the  judge 
will  have  to  refer  to  the  secretary's  office  for 
information  before  making  his  awards. 

The  day  before  the  show  will  be  fully  occu- 
pied in  superintending  the  arrangement  and 
putting  up  of  the  benching  and  pens.  A  con- 
veniently sized  glass  case  should  be  ordered 
for  the  special  prizes,  and  this  must  be  placed 
in  a  prominent  position.  The  prizes  should 
all  be  distinctly  labelled  with  the  donor's 
name  and  the  breed  of  cat  for  which  each  is 
offered.  The  case  should  be  one  which  locks 
up,  and  then  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  any 
supervision  of  the  contents.  It  is  best  for 
some  two  members  of  the  show  committee  to 
undertake  the  arrangement  in  the  case  of  the 
special  prizes.  Two  men  should  be  engaged 
to  take  the  tickets  and  money  at  the  entrance 
gate,  and  in  the  sales  office  a  clerk  will  be 
required  to  receive  purchase  money  and  give 
receipts.  At  a  large  show  it  is  necessary  to 


So 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE    CAT. 


employ  four  or  six  stewards  to  collect 
the  judges'  slips  as  they  complete  each 
class,  and  take  them  to  those  in  the 
office  appointed  to  write  out  the  tickets. 
These  same  stewards  should  also  un- 
dertake to  place  them  on  the  pens. 
And  here  let  me  say  how  much  better 
it  would  be  if  some  arrangement 
could  be  made  for  the  prize  tickets  to 
be  fixed  in  a  rack  at  the  top  of  the  pen, 
instead  of  being  thrust  between  the 
wires,  where  a  large  number  almost 
hide  the  cat,  and  frequently  they  are 
torn  down  by  the  inmates  of  the  pen. 

A  good  manager  will  have  all  in  order  well 
before  the  hour  when  the  cats  are  received, 
and  if  the  veterinary  engaged  is  in  attendance 
the  cats  can  be  examined  and,  when  passed, 
placed  at  once  in  their  proper  pens.  It  is  very 
important  to  entrust  the  work  of  penning  to 
those  who  are  used  to  handling  cats,  and  no 
better  men  can  be  found  than  those  employed 
by  Messrs.  Spratt,  who,  as  everyone  knows, 
are  the  universal  providers  at  cat  shows,  as 
at  every  other  live-stock  exhibition.  It  is  a 
question  whether  hay  or  straw  is  best  for 
bedding.  I  incline  towards  the  latter  if  it 
is  the  fine  wheaten  straw,  as  hay,  if  it  becomes 


MISS  SIMPSON'S  "  CAMBYSES." 

(Photo  :  Gunn  &  Stewart,  Richmond.) 


.      p| 

MRS.  DRURY'S  BROWX  TABBY,  "  PERIWIG." 

(Photo  :   Kerby  &•  Son,  Ipswich.) 

at  all  damp,  will  stick  to  the  long-coated  cats. 
I  also  prefer  dry  earth  at  the  back  of  the  pens 
to  sawdust,  for  the  same  reason.  I  trust  we 
may  ere  long  be  able  to  provide  something 
better  in  the  way  of  a  cat  pen  than  those  at 
present  in  use.  The  doors  should  open  the 
full  height  of  the  cage  and  two-thirds  of  the 
width,  so  that  the  cat  can  be  more  easily  taken 
out. 

There  is  no  doubt  that,  considering  the 
peculiar  nature  of  cats,  some  more  adequate 
arrangement  should  be  made  in  the  sanitary 
accommodation.  The  earth  scattered  at  the 
back  of  the  pen  amongst  the  bedding  is  not 
all  that  could  be  desired.  What  we  want  is  a 
false  bottom,  and  an  earth  pan  or  tray  sunk 
in  it  about  two  inches  deep,  on  the  plan  of  the 
bird  cage,  so  that  it  can  be  drawn  out  and 
fresh  earth  supplied,  and  replaced.  Greater 
care  should  be  paid  as  regards  the  security 
of  the  fastenings  of  the  pens,  and  the  wires  of 
some  of  them  are  too  wide  apart,  so  that  young 
kittens  can  easily  make  an  exit.  It  is  well 
known  that  cats  have  extraordinary  powers  of 
escaping  whenever  and  wherever  escape  is 
possible. 

I  disapprove  as  strongly  as  do  the  cats 
of  any  disinfectant  being  sprinkled  or  placed 
inside  the  pens.  Each  pen  must,  of  course, 
bear  a  number  ;  but  instead  of  the  different 
classes  being  numbered,  it  is  much  better  to 
have  them  named,  and  the  large  placards  fixed 
high  about  the  pens  by  means  of  split  sticks 
of  Japanese  bamboo.  Thus  anyone  seeking 


EXHIBITING. 


81 


the  bine  or  the  brown  tabby  class  will  have 
no  difficulty  in  locating  it,  even  without  a 
catalogue. 

It  is  very  important  that  all  exhibits  should 
be  examined  by  a  qualified  veterinary  surgeon 
before  being  penned,  and  if  a  cat  is  seriously 
ill  the  owner  should  be  at  once  communicated 
with  and  the  specimen  returned.  If  it  is  a 
doubtful  case,  perhaps  a  running  eye  or  high 
temperature,  then  the  cat  should  be  placed 
apart  in  a  properly  arranged,  and  if  possible 
warmed,  hospital  room  to  be  again  examined. 
Remember  it  is  always  better  to  disappoint 
one  exhibitor  by  refusing  his 
cat,  than  to  disgust  every- 
body by  bringing  their 


china  saucers  instead  of  the  usual  tins,  and 
these  are  decidedly  better  in  every  way.  A 
one-day  show  is  no  doubt  best  for  the  cats, 
but  for  the  exhibitors  and  the  executive  a 
two-days  show  is  really  preferable.  If  the 
exhibits  are  allowed  to  be  penned  up  till 
eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  show, 
the  judging  ought  to  be  got  through  and  the 


A      LITTER      OF      BLUES. 
(Photo:  E.  Landor,  Eating.) 


carefully  trained  and  dearly  loved  pets  into 
contact  with  disease.  It  is  necessary  to 
appoint  an  official  to  check  off  each  exhibit 
as  it  is  passed,  and  in  the  event  of  pro- 
nounced illness  or  some  other  objectionable 
feature  to  make  a  note  of  this  for  future 
reference. 

As  regards  the  feeding  of  exhibits,  I  am  in 
favour  of  raw  beef  or  cooked  meat  cut  into 
small  pieces  or  else  put  through  a  mincing 
machine,  and  water  to  drink.  For  many 
reasons  it  is  not  desirable  to  provide  milk  ;  it 
is  apt  to  turn  sour,  and  it  certainly  more  easily 
collects  germs  of  disease,  and  so  may  prove  a 
fruitful  source  of  evil. 

The   Cat   Club   started   the  idea  of  having 


tickets  placed  on  the  pens  in  two  hours  with 
a  competent  staff,  and  the  show  opened  at 
one  or  1.30. 

A  smart  secretary  will  arrange  with  his 
printer  to  have  a  list  of  awards  printed 
with  the  utmost  speed  directly  after  the  class 
judging  is  finished.  This  can  either  be  given 
in  the  catalogues  themselves  or  a  separate 
sheet  inserted  in  the  catalogues.  A  large 
board  ought  to  be  hung  in  a  conspicuous  and 
convenient  position,  and  the  list  of  class 
winners  and  the  winners  of  special  prizes 
entered  on  it.  This  is  better  than  having  the 
slips  pinned  upon  a  board.  They  are  .of  ten  very 
indistinctly  written,  and  are  apt  to  get  torn 
down.  Let  the  closing  hour  on  the  first  night 


82 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


be  eight  or  nine  o'clock,  when  the  hall  should 
be  cleared  and  the  pens  covered  over.  I  con- 
sider one  good  feed  of  raw  meat  ought  to  suffice 
during  the  day,  with  fresh  water  continually 
supplied.  The  hour  for  opening  on  the  second 
day  may  be  ten  o'clock,  and  before  then  the  pens 
ought  to  be  cleaned  out,  fresh  straw  given 
where  needed,  and  disinfectant  sprinkled  up 
and  down  the  passages  between  the  rows  of 
pens — not  in  them.  Careful  attention  to  these 
points  will  ensure  the  show  being  free  from 
disagreeable  odours  by  the  time  the  public  are 
admitted.  It  is  a  wise  plan  to  arrange  and 
announce  that  the  show  closes,  say,  at  five  p.m. 
on  the  second  day,  so  that  exhibitors  can,  in 
many  cases,  get  home  with  their  cats  the 
same  night.  It  is  unreasonable  to  ex- 
pect to  be  allowed  to  depart  before  the  time 
fixed,  even  though  in  some  cases  half  an  hour 
would  save  a  train.  As  regards  a  one-day 
show,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  a  secretary 
and  manager  to  get  through  the  necessary 
work  and  to  open  in  anything  like  time. 
There  must  be  a  scramble,  and  for  the  ex- 
hibitors to  be  obliged  to  present  themselves 
and  their  cats  at  some  unearthly  hour  in  the 
morning  is  very  trying  and  most  inconvenient. 
Then  a  two-days  show  is,  of  course,  an  ad- 
vantage as  regards  the  entrance  money.  The 
Cat  Club  used  to  have  a  stringent  rule  against 
exhibitors  penning  their  own  cats,  but  at  the 
Westminster  Show  this  rule  was  amended, 
and  cats  could  be  penned  by  their  owners  or 
representatives  on  the  night  before  the  show, 
but  not  in  the  morning.  No  evil  result 
followed  this  concession  on  the  part  of  the 
authorities,  and  therefore  I  trust  this  very 
natural  desire  on  the  part  of  the  exhibitors 
to  see  their  precious  pussies  safely  into  their 
temporary  quarters  may  always  be  permitted 
at  Cat  Club  shows. 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  work  of  the  judges, 
it  is  well  to  have  their  books  carefully  and 
clearly  arranged,  and  this  especially  applies 
to  the  list  of  special  awards.  I  instituted  a 
plan  at  Westminster  Show,  in  1901,  which  gave 
great  satisfaction,  but  which  entailed  a  lot  of 
extra  work  for  the  secretary.  I  am  sure, 


however,  this  special  arrangement  lightened 
the  labours  of  the  judges,  and  hastened  the 
appearance  of  the  special  prize  cards  on  the 
pens.  I  had  separate  books  for  the  special 
awards,  and  carefully  cut  out  of  the  schedules 
the  prizes  pertaining  to  each  judge.  Thus,  if 
Mr.  A.  had  black,  white,  and  blue  long-haired 
classes,  every  challenge  medal  and  special 
offered  for  these  cats  I  arranged  in  order  on 
one  side  of  the  page,  with  the  numbering  as 
it  appeared  with  them  in  the  schedule.  So 
in  the  left-hand  page  would  be,  say,  "  Special 
No.  10,  for  best  long-haired  black,"  and  on 

the  right-hand  page  "  Awarded  to  No ," 

leaving  a  blank  for  the  judge  to  fill  in  the 
number  of  the  winner.  Any  prizes  that  had 
to  be  awarded  in  conjunction  with  other 
judges,  such  as  for  best  long-haired  cat  in 
the  show,  I  made  a  note  of  to  this  effect.  Let 
me  add  that  I  gummed  the  printed  portions 
relating  to  the  prizes,  cut  from  the  schedule, 
into  the  judging  books,  so  the  judges  needed 
neither  schedule  nor  catalogue  to  refer  to. 
In  preparing  judges'  books  it  is  very  helpful 
to  place  male  and  female  (M.  and  F.)  after 
each  catalogue  number  in  the  mixed  kitten 
classes,  to  avoid  reference  for  the  special 
awards ;  and  this  should  also  be  done  in  the 
catalogue  itself,  as  very  often  the  name  of  the 
kitten  does  not  indicate  the  sex,  and  would-be 
purchasers  are  obliged  to  make  inquiries. 

I  am  always  an  advocate  for  having  selling 
classes  for  cats  and  kittens  at  shows,  where 
the  price  should  be  limited  to  £5  55.  in  the 
long-haired  classes,  and  £3  33.  in  the  short- 
haired  classes.  It  would  be  an  assistance  if 
someone  who  understood  cats,  and  was  also 
a  good  salesman  or  saleswoman,  undertook  to 
preside  over  the  selling  classes.  The  10  per 
cent,  commission  deducted  by  the  show 
authorities  is  a  material  help,  and  often  a  little 
pressure  and  persuasion,  combined  with  useful 
information,  will  decide  a  wavering  purchaser. 
A  class  I  should  like  to  see  introduced  into 
our  shows  is  one  for  kittens  bred  by  exhibitors. 
I  am  of  opinion  that  more  encouragement 
should  be  given  to  fanciers  to  keep  the  best 
of  their  litters  for  exhibition.  Lady  Marcus 


EXHIBITING. 


»3 


Beresford  had  the  happy  inspiration  of  start- 
ing breeders'  cups  for  competition  at  Cat  Club 
shows,  and  special  prizes  are  often  given  for 
the  best  kitten  bred  by  exhibitors.  But  these 
are  tiresome  awards  for  a  judge  to  make  ;  he 
is  obliged  to  make  inquiries  from  someone 
with  a  catalogue,  and  even  this  reference  will 
not  always  suffice.  It  is  always  pleasant  to 
win  prizes,  but  an  additional  pride  would 


neuters  alone  should  be  eligible,  or  at  any 
rate  until  we  have  trained  our  young  cats  to 
behave  properly  on  a  lead.  There  need  be 
no  necessity  for  the  neuters  to  be  entered  and 
penned  in  the  show,  but  they  could  be  charged 
a  higher  fee  for  the  ring  class ;  and  I  believe 
that  many  owners  of  neuters  would  not  object 
to  their  precious  pets  being  on  exhibition  for 
ten  or  twenty  minutes,  led  by  themselves 


JUDGING   IN   THE    RING   AT   THE   CRYSTAL   PALACE. 
(Photo  :  Russell  &  Sons,  Crystal  Palace.) 


naturally  be  felt  if,  in  a  large  class  of  kittens 
bred  by  well-known  exhibitors,  the  son  or 
daughter  of  our  own  breeding  should  be 
awarded  first  and  special. 

With  respect  to  a  ring  class,  which  is 
often  held  at  some  of  the  National  Cat  Club- 
shows,'  I  cannot  say  that  it  is  very  interesting 
to  see  a  collection  of  toms,  females,  and 
neuters,  long-  and  short-haired,  being  dragged 
along  by  their  anxious  owners,  whilst  the 
puzzled  judges  try  hard  to  decide  which  of 
the  motley  and  mixed  assembly  is  most  worthy 
of  honours.  I  think  that  for  a  ring  class 


into  the  ring,  but  who  will  not  let  them  be 
cramped  up  in  a  pen  for  two  days.  Neuters 
are  always  at  a  disadvantage  in  the  show 
pen  —  they  are  generally  too  large  and  too 
lazy  to  be  properly  seen,  and  a  ring  class  for 
these  specimens  would  be  a  very  attractive 
feature  at  our  cat  shows.  A  row  of  chairs 
should  be  placed  round,  and  sixpence  a  seat 
charged.  It  is  quite  absurd  to  mix  up  the 
sexes,  and  dangerous  to  allow  torn  cats  to 
come  within  fighting  distance  of  each  other. 
At  a  recent  show  great  excitement  was  caused 
in  the  ring  by  the  sudden  attack  of  one  famous 


84 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


stud  cat  on  another,  and  it  was  lucky  that 
nothing  worse  than  a  torn  and  bleeding  ear 
was  the  result  of  this  onslaught.  Another 
class  I  should  like  to  see  at  some  of  our  large 
shows,  and  certainly  at  the  summer  N.C.C. 
Show,  is  a  class  for  stud  cats,  which  should  be 
judged  quite  irrespective  of  coat,  and-  special 
attention  directed  to  form  of  limb,  size  of 
head,  and  massive  build  in  awarding  the 
prizes.  This  might  not  be  an  attractive  class, 
but  it  would  be  an  instructive  one,  and  give 
the  veterans  a  chance  of  proving  of  what  stuff 
they  are  made.  A  young  untried  male  will 
often  take  all  the  honours  in  his  class,  and  the 
stud  cat  of  a  busy  season  is  forced  to  take  a 
back  place,  probably  on  account  of  services 
rendered.  Anyhow,  this  idea  might  be 
carried  out  as  regards  the  two  largest  classes 
— namely,  those  for  silver  and  blue  Persians. 
In  former  days  there  used  to  be  classes  at 
some  of  the  shows  in  which  the  cats  were 
judged  by  weight,  but  these  have  wisely  been 
done  away  with. 

The    question    of     open    judging    at     cat 

shows  has  fre- 
quently been 
discussed  in 
catty  circles, 
and  several  fan- 
ciers have  given 
their  opinions 
on  this  subject. 


MISS  KIRKPATRICK'S  BLUE  KITTENS. 

(Photo :  E.  Landor,  Eating.) 


Mrs.  Neate,  a  well-known  fancier,  writes  thus 
in  Fur  and  Feather  : — "  It  would  indeed  be  a 
step  in  the  right  direction  if  cat  shows  were 
run  on  (as  far  as  possible)  the  same  lines  as 
dog  shows.  Much  of  the  absurd  mystery  that 
at  present  envelops  our  cat  shows  would 
vanish  if  exhibitors  were  permitted  to  be 
present  during  the  judging,  and  I  feel  sure 
that  the  majority  of  cat  fanciers  would  not 
be  so  wanting  in  etiquette  and  good  taste  as 
to  hinder  the  judges  or  any  of  the  officials 
in  discharge  of  their  onerous  duties."  No 
doubt  there  is  much  truth  in  these  remark1-  ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  I  do  not  think  fanciers 
take  sufficiently  into  consideration  the  very 
timid,  shrinking  nature  of  the  cat  when  they 
advocate  open  judging.  It  is  often  most 
difficult  for  a  judge  to  properly  examine  a  cat. 
even  when  he  or  she  is  quietly  going  round 
giving  the  awards ;  it  would  be  still  more 
trying  to  man  and  beast  if  a  collection  of 
strangers  were  pressing  forward  on  all  sides. 

What  I  consider  is  more  practical  than 
open  judging  for  cats  is  that  some  arrange- 
ment should  be  made  so  that  judges  may  be 
enabled  to  compare  the  points  of  the  various 
exhibits,  and  for  this  purpose  I  consider  that 
judging  pens  on  movable  tables  should  be 
provided  at  all  shows,  as  were  adopted  by 
the  Cat  Club  at  Westminster.  By  these 
means  the  work  of  the  judges  would  be  much 
simplified,  and  the  cats  more  satisfactorily 
and  quickly  judged. 

Supposing  a  special  prize  or  medal  is  offered 
for  the  best  cat  in  the  show,  then  I  think  it 
-is  interesting  and  instructive  to  have  the  first 
prize  winning  cats  placed,  if  possible,  in  pens, 
and  to  arrange  for  the  award  to  be  given  in 
public  during  the  show  by  the  judges  in  con- 
junction with  each  other.  Such  a  plan  was 
adopted  at  the  last  Manchester  Cat  Show, 
and  much  satisfaction  was  expressed  at  this 
innovation. 

Having  given  some  suggestions  as  to  the 
classification,  I  would  again  refer  to  points  of 
management  in  shows.  At  the  closing  hour 
on  the  second  day  the  hall  should  be  cleared, 
and  only  exhibitors  or  their  representatives 


EXHIBITING. 


allowed  to  remain.  An  efficient  staff  of  attend- 
ants should  at  once  set  to  work  to  assist  in 
packing  up  the  cats  belonging  to  those  ex- 
hibitors who  intend  taking  them  away.  After 
these  have  all  left,  then  the  manager  should 
direct  his  attention  towards  those  exhibits 
that  should  be  started  by  the  night  mails. 
The  catalogue  must  be  consulted,  and  a  good 
way  is  to  mark  with  a  cross  on  the  pen  tickets 
those  cats  that  must  be  packed  up  ;  and,  having 
previously  ordered  the  railway  vans  at  a 
certain  time,  the  precious  packages  should 
be  sent  off  as  speedily  as  possible.  Those 
exhibits  left  over  till  the  following  morning 
should  be  fed  again  and  started  at  daybreak. 

There  is  a  sense  of  immense  relief  when 
the  last  hamper  has  been  fastened  down  and 
seen  off  the  premises.  And  here  let  me  say 
how  much  exhibitors  can  contribute  towards 
the  speedy  and  safe  despatch  of  their  pets, 
if  only  they  will  provide  substantial  and  well 
appointed  travelling  baskets  or  boxes.  Amidst 
all  the  hurry  and  confusion  of  packing  up 
an  immense  amount  of  extra  trouble  is  given 
by  having  to  lace  up  a  hamper  with  string, 
or  nail  down  a  box  that  has  no  other  means 
of  being  made  secure  !  I  speak  from  ex- 
perience, and  therefore  I  plead  for  more 
consideration  to  be  extended  to  the  show 
manager  and  his  assistants,  and,  above  all, 
to  the  poor  pussies  themselves. 

At  every  show  that  is  held  there  are  a 
number  of  exhibitors  who  try  the  patience 
and  courtesy  of  the  manager  or  secretary, 
or  both,  by  requesting  to  be  allowed  to 
remove  their  cats  before  the  advertised  time. 
Of  course,  it  is  only  natural  that  those 
fanciers  residing  at  a  distance  should  wish 
to  make  tracks  home  and  catch  early  trains 
tor  their  own  comfort  and  convenience  and 
the  welfare  of  their  pussies.  But,  looking  at 
'  the  matter  from  a  secretary's  and  a  visitor's 
point  of  view,  it  is  certainly  hard  that  per- 
haps some  of  the  best  prize  cats  should  be 
absent  from  their  pen  whilst  the  public  are 
paying  their  money  at  the  gate  ;  but,  having 
made  a  rule,  it  is  best  to  stick  to  it,  and  no 
cat  should  be  taken  away  till  the  fixed  hour 


"ROSE  OF  PERSIA. 

(I'hoto:  £   Landor,  Ealing.) 

under  any  pretext  whatever,  unless  a  vet- 
erinary certificate  of  illness  is  obtained. 

It  is  always  open  to  the  management  to 
advertise  an  earlier  hour  for  the  removal  of 
exhibits  on  payment  of  a  certain  sum,  but 
this  should  be  made  a  substantial  fine,  especi- 
ally in  the  case  of  a  prize-winner.  A  lower 
figure  might  be  named  for  other  exhibits.  As 
regards  cats  or  kittens  purchased  at  the  show, 
it  is  certainly  an  inducement  and  incentive 
to  buyers  if  there  is  a  rule  that  these  exhibits 
may  be  removed  at  any  time. 

According  to  the  rules  of  the  two  leading 
clubs  a  certain  fixed  time  must  elapse  before 
the  prizes  are  sent  out.  In  some  cases  this  is 
a  most  uncertain  and  unfixed  time,  and  many 
complaints  have  been  made  through  the  cat 
papers  of  the  long  drawn-out  period  between 
the  prize  being  won  and  the  prize  being  re- 
ceived. No  doubt,  immediate  distribution  of 
prizes  after  the  show  would  lead  to  complica- 
tions, for  objections  might  be  lodged  within 
the  given  time  allowed  by  the  rules,  and  such 
objections  would  have  -to  be  brought  before 
the  committee  of  the  club  ;  therefore  it  is 
obvious  that  successful  competitors  must 
allow,  say,  a  month  to  elapse  before  showing 
signs  of  impatience.  It  is  then  the  manager's 
business  to  send  the  money  awards,  and  the 


86 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


secretary  of  the  club  is  generally  accountable 
for  the  distribution  of  the  :'  specials,"  which 
certainly  call  for  a  special  acknowledgment 
from  the  recipient  to  the  donor  of  these  prizes. 

As  regards  the  financial  aspect  of  a  cat  show, 
the  first  important  point  is  to  make  the  entries 
pay  for  themselves — that  is.  supposing  your 
prize  money  in  each  class  is  £i,  ios.,  and  55., 
then  you  need  twelve  entries  at  35.  to  carry 
you  through.  And  here  let  me  remark  that, 
considering  the  character  of  our  first-class 
shows  and  the  value  of  the  special  prizes 
offered,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  entry 
fees  are  too  low,  and  that  they  should  be  more 
in  accordance  with  the  fees  charged  at  dog 
shows.  It  is  always  advisable  to  make  a 
difference  between  members  of  the  club  hold- 
ing the  show  and  outsiders.  Thus,  if  55.  is 
the  entry  fee  for  members,  then  6s.  or  75.  6d. 
might  be  charged  to  non-members.  New 
recruits  to  a  club  are  often  gained  by  this 
arrangement.  The  usual  commission  on  sales 
is  10  per  cent.,  and  then  there  is  the  gate 
money,  which  somehow  is  generally  disap- 
pointing, for  truly  the  outside  public  are  not 
partial  to  cats,  nor  attracted  to  exhibitions  of 
the  feline  race.  I  have  always  contended  that 
exhibitors  themselves  ought  to  be  charged  an 
entrance  fee — say,  half  -  price  admission  on 
presentation  of  their  exhibitor's  pass,  which 
in  many  cases  would  only  be  sixpence,  yet 
one  or  two  hundred  of  these  small  coins  would 
materially  assist  the  exchequer ;  and  surely  no 
cat  fancier  would  grumble  at  this  tax  on  their 
resources  when  the}'  consider  how  much 
trouble  and  expense  is  entailed  in  providing 
them  with  a  favourable  opportunity  of  ex- 
hibiting their  pets,  and  with  a  possibility  of 
winning  golden  guineas  and  silver  trophies. 

Another  plan  is  to  advertise  in  schedules 
that  exhibitors  of  more  than,  say,  two  entries 
would  be  allowed  a  free  pass.  Fanciers  will 
be  tempted  to  send  additional  cats,  and  thus 
swell  the  entries,  in  order  to  secure  their  free 
admission  ticket.  I  do  not  think  it  would  be 
a  bad  plan  to  have  a  "  Contribution  Column  " 
on  the  entry  forms  for  members'  and  exhibitors' 
voluntary  donations  towards  the  expenses 


of  a  show  which,  if  well  managed,  is  worthy  of 
the  utmost  support  from  the  cat-loving  com- 
munity. 

"  Every  mickle  makes  a  muckle,"  and  it 
should  be  the  earnest  desire  of  each  individual 
member  of  a  club  to  do  something,  however 
small,  towards  keeping  a  balance  on  the  right 
side  of  their  treasurer's  accounts. 

BUYING    AND    SELLING. 

I  believe  that  a  Bow  Street  magistrate  once 
asserted  that  anyone  owning  a  stud  dog  or 
selling  a  dog  was,  in  the  point  of  law,  a  dealer. 
I  do  not  know  if  the  same  decision  would 
apply  in  the  cat  world.  Anyhow,  there  are 
few  fanciers  who  do  not  desire  at  some  time 
or  other  to  dispose  of  their  cats  and  kits ;  and, 
again,  there  are  many  who  keep  stud  cats,  yet 
cannot  be  considered  dealers  in  that  sense 
of  the  term.  The  best  way  to  set  about 
trying  to  sell  our  surplus  stock  is  to  advertise 
in  the  cat  papers,  in  which  case  it  is  advisable 
to  fully  and  fairly  describe  our  animals  and 
to  name  the  price  required.  If  profit  is  to  be 
considered,  it  is  not  advisable  to  keep  kittens 
more  than  eight  weeks.  Very  soon  after  this 
period  they  begin  to  lose  their  flumness  and 
grow  leggy  in  appearance.  There  is  also  the 
risk  of  illness  and  death.  It  is  better,  there- 
fore, to  be  willing  to  accept  a  moderate  sum 
for  kittens  at  eight  weeks  old  rather  than  to 
keep  them  to  see  how  they  turn  out.  It  is 
a  clear  case  of  "  a  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth 
two  in  the  bush." 

I  have  always  thought  that  there  is  a  good 
opening  for  any  enterprising  person  well 
versed  in  cat  lore  and  cat  fanciers  to  start 
an  agency  in  London,  where  cats  and  kittens 
might  be  sent  on  approval,  for  would-be 
purchasers  to  call  and  interview  them.  There 
might  be  a  system  of  messengers  who  would 
meet  cats  and  see  them  off  at  London  stations. 
In  connection  with  such  a  cat  agency  a  register 
might  be  kept  of  cats  for  sale  or  cats  wanted  and 
arrangements  made  as  at  the  Army  and  Navy 
Stores  for  having  a  certain  number  of  animals 
on  view.  These  could  be  boarded  at  so  much 
per  week,  and  commission  charged  on  the  sale. 


EXHIBITING. 


A  list  of  names  and  addresses  of  those  willing 
to  receive  cats  as  boarders  would  be  very  useful, 
and  many  ladies  who  do  not  choose  to  advertise 
could  and  would,  I  am  sure,  avail  themselves 
of  the  means  of  letting  fanciers  know  they 
could  undertake  the  charge  of  pets  during  their 
owners'  absence  from  home.  Many  and  fre- 
quent are  the  letters  I  receive  on  this  subject, 
especially  as  the  summer  vacation  approaches. 

A  day  and  hour  for  the  visit  of  an  experi- 


In  these  days,  when  competition  is  so  keen 
and  occupation  so  difficult  to  obtain,  the  idea 
of  starting  a  cat  agency  should  commend 
itself  to  some  who,  being  in  touch  with  mem- 
bers of  the  cat  fancy,  and  wishing  for  lucrative 
employment,  might  embark  on  this  novel 
undertaking.  Needless  to  say,  it  would  be 
most  desirable  to  have  the  cat  agency  in  a 
central  part  of  London,  and  in  close  proximity, 
if  possible,  to  some  of  the  main  railway  stations. 


Breed  and  Sex 
Colour      


THE    BLUE    PERSIAN    CAT    SOCIETY    PEDIGREE    FORM. 
Breeder      


Date  of  Birth 


Name  of  Cat 


PARENTS. 


GRAND-PARENTS. 


GREAT  GRAND-PARENTS. 


GREAT  GREAT  GRAND-PARENTS. 


Sire. 


Dam. 


{. 


Prizes  Won,  Remarks,  &c.__ 


These  Forms,  at  8d.  per  dozen,  can  be  obtained  on  application  to  Miss  !'.  SIMPSON,  Hon.  Sec.,  9,  Leonard  Place,  Kensington,  W. 


enced  veterinary  might  be  arranged,  so  that 
country  fanciers  could  send  or  bring  their 
sick  cats  for  advice.  All  sorts  of  cat  appli- 
ances might  be  on  sale.  It  would  be  con- 
venient to  have  a  writing-room  for  the  use 
of  fanciers,  where  correspondence  on  catty 
matters  could  be  carried  on.  Perhaps  a  tea- 
room could  be  added,  and  bedrooms,  if  space 
was  available,  for  fanciers  coming  up  to  attend 
London  shows.  Anyhow,  a  list  of  suitable 
rooms  might  be  kept  which  could  be  personally 
recommended. 


I  think  that,  if  only  as  a  means  of  assisting 
fanciers  in  the  purchase  and  disposal  of  their 
cats  and  kittens,  this  idea  of  an  agency  might 
be  successfully  worked.  Many  breeders  be- 
come very  disheartened  at  the  inability  to 
find  purchasers  for  their  kittens.  A  com- 
plaint was  recently  made  by  a  lady  living  in 
the  Isle  of  Wight.  She  writes :  "  No  one 
seems  to  care  for  breeding  in  this  island,  and 
people  are  not  willing  to  give  more  than  about 
five  shillings  for  pedigree  kittens."  No  doubt 
fanciers  living  in  the  country  and  away  from 


88 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


any  catty  centre  have  but  little  opportunity 
of  finding  a  sale  for  their  surplus  stock.  I 
would  suggest  photography  as  one  means  of 
making  known  the  perfections  of  their  pussies. 
A  start  in  the  right  direction  has  been  made 
by  Mr.  Landor,  of  Ealing,  whose  clever  pictures 
of  kittens  are  so  well  known.  He  is  willing  to 
take  portraits  of  pretty,  fluffy  kits  and  good 
cats  on  special  terms,  provided  he  retains  the 
copyright  of  such  photographs.  It  is  always 


into  particulars,  and,  if  possible,  to  send  a 
photograph.  It  is  best  to  give  the  faults  and 
failings  as  well  as  the  good  points,  so  that 
disappointment  and  disagreement  may  not 
follow  between  the  purchaser  and  seller. 
Buyers  should  endeavour  to  learn  something 
about  the  person  from  whom  they  purchase 
their  cats ;  and  it  as  well  to  ask  not  only  for 
age  and  full  pedigree,  but  whether  the  cat  has 
been  exhibited,  and  if  it  has  taken  any  honours, 


"  MISCHIEF. 

(Photo:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


handy  to  have  a  good  photograph  to  send  by 
post  when  endeavouring  to  dispose  of  our  pets, 
and  by  such  means  fanciers  may  be  spared 
the  trouble  and  risk  of  sending  their  valuable 
kittens  on  approval. 

Naturally,  for  unknown  cat  fanciers  it  is 
more  difficult  to  effect  sales  through  advertise- 
ment, and  in  their  case  it  is  necessary  to  offer 
to  send  on  approval  at  buyer's  risk  and  cost ; 
and  if  an  application  is  made  from  an  entire 
stranger,  then  the  purchase  money  should  be 
deposited  in  the  hands  of  some  reliable  and 
independent  third  person.  Some  fanciers  en- 
tirely decline  to  send  their  cats  on  approval, 
and  then  it  is  very  requisite  to  enter  fully 


and  at  which  shows.  It  sometimes  happens 
that  valuable  animals  may  be  picked  up  for 
low  prices  at  shows ;  but  there  is  always  a  risk, 
and  this  is  especially  the  case .  with  young 
kittens,  who  more  easily  contract  any  disease. 
In  buying  a  cat  or  kitten  it  is  always  advisable 
to  make  inquiries  as  to  the  way  in  which  it  has 
been  fed,  so  as  to  continue  the  same  regimen 
for  at  least  a  few  days.  The  pedigree  of  a 
cat  or  kitten  should  be  sent  at  the  time  of 
purchase,  and  it  is  much  easier  to  fill  this  in 
on  a  properly  drawn  out  form,  and  certainly 
it  is  pleasanter  to  receive  the  particulars  thus 
intelligently  written  out.  I  give  a  copy  of 
the  forms  I  drew  out  for  the  use  of  blue  Persian 


EXHIBITING. 


OUR   PLAY-ROOM. 

(From  a  Painting  by  Madame  Ronney.) 


members,  but  these  can,  of  course,  be  used 
for  cats  of  any  breed. 

Here  let  me  quote  from  an  article  in  that 
excellent  American  paper,  The  Cat  Journal, 
headed  "  Unreasonable  Buyers."  The  writer 
says  :~-"  One  of  the  most  difficult  things  with 
which  the  cat  seller  has  to  contend  is  the 
unreasonable  buyer.  There  are  buyers  who, 
rinding  a  cat  to  suit  them,  pay  the  price  and 
are  satisfied.  There  is,  however,  another  class 
that  it  is  best  to  let  alone.  They  are  never 
satisfied,  and  blame  the  seller  for  everything 
that  happens  either  on  the  road  or  after  the 
kitten  is  received,  and  many  of  them  also 
think  if  they  are  sharp  they  will  be  able  to  buy 
a  $100  kitten  for  $10  or  §15,  and  when  they 
get  such  a  kitten  and  they  discover  that  it 


is  not  worth  $100,  they  are  disgusted,  and 
have  a  lot  to  say  about  unfair  dealing,  etc. 
If  a  kitten  that  has  been  a  pet  is  taken  from 
its  surroundings,  and  sent  on  a  long  journey, 
the  rattle  and  the  unusual  conditions  of  such  a 
trip  places  her  in  a  state  of  nervous  terror,  so 
that  she  very  rarely  shows  off  to  good  advan- 
tage in  her  new  home.  The  purchaser,  if  a 
true  cat  lover,  will  appreciate  all  the  trouble 
of  poor  little  pussy,  and  give  her  the  tender- 
est  treatment  and  coax  her  to  make  the  best 
of  her  new  surroundings.  It  is  a  very  rare 
thing  for  a  kitten  to  come  from  the  box  after 
a  long  journey  looking  just  as  the  new  owner 
expected.  Tired,  homesick,  and  frightened, 
she  will  not  eat,  and  is  altogether  a  pitiable 
looking  object.  It  is  always  advisable  to  put 


90 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


a  new  arrival  in  a  room  by  herself,  with  a  com- 
fortable bed  and  conveniences,  entirely  away 
from  the  rest  of  the  cats  and  kittens,  and 
allow  her  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
members  of  the  family  gradually.  Do  not 
allow  other  cats  to  come  bothering  around 
till  the  new  member  of  the  family  is  entirely 
acquainted  with  its  surroundings.  Especially 
be  very  cautious  in  introducing  two  male 
cats. 

"  Sellers  must  be  very  cautious  in  sending 
out  their  stock,  and  buyers  must  not  expect 
too  much.  Give  the  new  member  of  the 
family  a  little  time  to  know  things  before  you 
write  your  letter  of  complaint.  Be  sure  you 
are  not  expecting  too  much  for  the  price  you 
paid." 

The  question  has  often  been  asked,  "  Can 
cats  be  made  to  pay  ?  "  and,  naturally, 
novices  in  the  fancy  wish  to  know  the  best 
way  in  which  to  make  a  good  start. 

Here  I  would  say  how  much  may  be  done 
by  well-known  and  influential  members  of  any 
fancy  if  they  will  give  themselves  a  little 
trouble  in  helping  the  novice,  who,  after  all, 
is  the  backbone,  so  to  speak,  of  every  fancy, 
and  hence  it  is  very  essential  that  beginners 
should  start  on  the  right  lines  and  with  reliable, 
and  therefore  profitable,  stock.  Speaking  from 
experience  in  the  cat  fancy,  I  can  say  that 
several  persons  have  come  into  the  ranks  and 
gone  out  of  it  again,  in  many  cases  through 
sheer  disgust  because  of  the  deceptions  prac- 
tised, and  of  which  they,  as  novices,  have 
been  made  the  victims.  I  hold  that  if  begin- 
ners are  to  be  retained  as  members  of  a  fancy, 
they  should  be  treated  kindly  and  liberally 
by  the  experienced  fancier,  especially  when 
it  is  a  question  of  purchasing  stock.  It  is 
much  to  be  lamented  that  novices  are  fre- 
quently treated  in  a  reverse  manner,  and 
fanciers  (so-called)  seize  upon  an  opportunity 
of  getting  rid  of  superfluous  and  often  inferior 
specimens  to  those  who  are  unable  to  discover 
good  from  bad  in  the  cats  offered  to  them. 

At  the  same  time,  it  is  a  pleasing  fact  that 
there  are  many  true  fanciers  in  the  feline 
world  who,  having  made  their  names  as  breeders, 


prize-winners,  and  perhaps  judges,  put  them- 
selves out  to  give  valuable  advice,  and  often 
spare  no  pains  in  endeavouring  to  obtain  good 
stock  for  the  novice  at  reasonable  prices. 

Another  question  often  asked  is,  "  Does 
showing  pay  ?  "  In  answer  to  this  query,  I 
give  an  extract  from  the  pen  of  the  clever 
weekly  correspondent  of  Fur  and  Feather, 
"  Zaida,"  who  says  : — "  To  those  who  keep 
their  cats  for  pleasure,  who  really  love  them 
and  can  afford  to  despise  the  small  '  takings  ' 
available,  keep  your  cats  at  home  and  do  not 
show.  Expense  does  not  count  with  this  class 
of  exhibitor,  but  risk  to  the  welfare  of  their 
best-beloved  pussies  undoubtedly  does.  To 
those  who  are  trying  to  make  money  by  their 
cats,  we  would  urge  :  harden  your  hearts, 
learn  how  to  show,  where  to  show,  and  when 
to  show  ;  and  recognise  the  expense,  risk,  and 
trouble  involved  as  part  of  the  unavoidable 
outlay  which  is  to  bring  in  a  certain  return. 
Undoubtedly,  a  show  is  a  heavy  expense,  and 
will  always  leave  you  out  of  pocket.  Even 
if  you  conduct  it  on  the  most  selfish  terms 
—the  '  give-nothing  '  and  '  take-all-you-can  ' 
system — you  will  be  exceptionally  lucky  if  you 
clear  your  expenses.  You  cannot  expect  to 
sell  your  kittens  well  if  you  do  not  exhibit. 

"If  you  possess  a  stud  cat,  he  must  be  seen 
and  known  before  you  can  hope  to  have  a  de- 
mand for  his  services.  Your  own  eye  must  be 
continually  trained  by  comparison  of  your  own 
stock  with  the  prize  specimens  of  others.  In 
short,  if  you  wish  to  make  money,  you  must 
spend  money.  On  the  other  hand,  never  ex- 
hibit except  at  first-rate  shows,  and  never  be 
tempted  to  show  an  animal  out  of  condition. 
If  you  can  afford  to  buy  animals  already  well 
known  in  the  show  world,  cats  of  renown, 
for  whose  offspring  there  will  always  be  a 
keen  demand,  you  may  possibly  abstain  from 
exhibition.  This  plan,  however,  involves  a 
very  large  initial  outlay.  Then,  again,  the 
happy  people  who  have  won  their  laurels, 
whose  names  are  always  associated  with  first- 
rate  animals  of  a  particular  breed,  they, 
indeed,  can  afford  to  rest  in  peace,  and  show 
no  more.  Other  people  will  buy  their  kittens, 


EXHIBITING. 


and  do  their  exhibiting  for  them,  and  also  do 
that  mournful  nursing  and  burying  that  too 


third  visit  gratis  cannot  be  expected  even  if 
there  is  no  result.     A  fee  once  paid  for  a  visit 


often  follows  a  show.  Undoubtedly,  it  is  fas-  is  not  returnable.  It  is  sometimes  a  matter 
cinating  to  show  successfully  ;  but,  on  the  of  arrangement  between  fanciers  to  have  the 
whole,  we  think  the  most  enjoyable  shows  choice  of  a  kitten  instead  of  the  mating  fee, 
are  those  where  one  goes  to  look  at  other 
people's  exhibits  and  leave  one's  own  at  home." 
A  few  words  as  to  the  stud  fees  and  arrange- 
ments for  visiting  queens  will  not  here  be  out 


but  this  transaction  does  not  commend  itself 
unless  the  parties  are  on  very  friendly 
terms.  A  clear  understanding  should  be  ar- 
rived at  on  all  occasions  between  the  sender 


of  place.  The  usual  fee  for  the  services  of  a  and  the  receiver,  and  thus  any  after  unpleas- 
stud  cat  is  fixed  at  £i  is.,  but  some  fanciers  antness  may  be  avoided.  It  is  catty  etiquette 
are  willing  to  accept  less,  especially  if  their  to  forward  the  fee  when  sending  the  queenj 

or,  at  latest,  immediately 
on  her  return.  A  label 
for  the  return  journey 
should  be  fixed  inside  the 
lid  of  the  hamper.  This 
is  a  saving  of  trouble  to 
the  owner  of  the  stud,  and 
is  also  a  means  of  identi- 
fication. 

In  selecting  a  young 
kitten  for  purchase  out  of 
a  litter,  take  note  of  the 
size  of  head  and  width 
between  the  ears.  In  self- 
coloured  kits  look  out  for 
white  spots,  and  avoid 
those  with  long  tails. 
Fanciers  should  strive  to 
resist  the  temptation  of 
buying  too  many  cats  and 
kittens  of  different  breeds. 


cat  is  not  a  well-known 
prize-winner.  A  higher 
charge  is  often  made  if 
the  railway  journey  has 
to  be  followed  by  a  cab 
fare,  or  if  the  owner,  hav- 
ing a  valuable  stud  cat, 
does  not  wish  to  encourage 
many  visitors.  The  car- 
riage of  the  queen  should 
always  be  defrayed  by  the 
sender,  and  if  a  telegram 
and  return  insurance  is 
desired,  then  these  sums 
expended  should  be  re- 
funded to  the  owner  of 
the  stud  cat.  It  is  de- 
sirable to  announce  the 
despatch  or  intended  des- 
patch of  a  queen,  as  it 


MR.    V.    W.    WESTERN,    THE    SECRETARY 

OF   THE   SANDY   CLUB   SHOW. 

(Photo :  Kingham,  Bedford.) 


may    not    be     convenient 

to  receive   her.      The   usual  time  to   keep  a  To  the  novice  and  the  beginner  I  would  say, 

visitor   is    from  three  to  six  days,   and  then  Buy   two   or  three  good  specimens,  carefully 

the  owner  of  the  stud  cat  should  give  notice  selected  ;    these  will   be  worth    quantities    of 


of  the  return.  In  case  the  first  visit  proves 
unsuccessful  a  second  visit  is  usually  allowed 
by  courtesy  without  any  extra  payment, 
but  this  must  not  be  taken  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  it  is  best  for  the  owner  of  the 
queen  to  ask  permission  to  send  again.  If 
through  a  mistake  in  the  time  of  sending  a  cat 
apparently  fails  to  mate  during  two  visits,  it 
can  only  be  by  the  kindness  of  the  stud  cat's 
owner  that  a  third  visit  is  permitted  for  the 
one  fee.  If,  however,  the  queen  has  been 


doubtful  ones,  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
have,  as  a  rule,  no  value  at  all.  Seize  every 
opportunity  which  comes  across  your  path 
of  seeing  and  examining  well-bred,  prize-win- 
ning cats,  and  attending  shows.  The  cleverest 
fancier  and  most  successful  breeder  can  im- 
prove himself  by  observation  and  education. 

Do  not  be  offended  if  you  are  told  by  those 
who  have  had  a  larger  and  longer  experience 
in  the  fancy,  and  who  are  really  experts,  that 
you  have  made  a  mistake  in  any  purchase. 


known   to   have  mated  on  each  occasion,   a     If  you  resent  their  criticisms,  you  may,  and 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


probably  will,  accumulate  much  rubbish  as  a 
monument  of  your  own  conceit.  A  great  deal 
may  be  learnt  from  books,  but  more  from 
observation.  Above  all,  do  not,  when  you 
have  acquired  some  knowledge,  form  too 
high  an  estimate  of  your  own  powers  and  of 
your  own  cats  ;  a  true  fancier  is  always  ready — 
nay,  anxious — to  learn,  well  recognising  that 
ignorance  alone  claims  to  be  omniscient. 

LOCAL    SHOWS. 

As  an  example  of  the  ever-increasing  interest 
shown  in  cat  sections  at  local  shows,  the  fol- 
lowing account,  kindly  supplied  to  me  by  Mr. 
F.  W.  Western,  the  secretary,  will  be  of  in- 
terest : — 

"  Sandy  Show  has  long  since  outgrown  in 
size  and  importance  the  title  it  bears,  viz. 
'  The  Exhibition  of  the  Sandy  and  District 
Floral  and  Horticultural  Society.'  Tne  first 
schedule,  issued  in  1869,  catered  for  plants, 
flowers,  fruit,  vegetables,  poultry,  and  cage 


birds.  In  1880  pigeons  were  introduced,  and 
in  1883  rabbits  were  added.  Later,  in  1899, 
dogs  put  in  an  appearance  with  four  classes. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  1894  that  our  friend 
'  pussy,'  in  whom  we  are  especially  interested, 
made  her  debut  at  Sand}',  and  as  we  look  at 
the  schedule  for  that  year  we  are  driven  to 
the  conclusion  that  none  but  a  philosopher 
could  have  drawn  up  such  a  classification  for 
our  pets.  The  trouble  which  we  now  fre- 
quently experience  at  a  cat  show  of  being 
'  wrong  classed  '  could  not  well  arise  on  that 
happy  day  in  August  1894,  when  eight  catteries 
were  represented  in  the  one  and  only  class,  viz. 
'  Any  variety,  any  age,  male  or  female.'  But 
if  our  pets  made  a  modest  bow  to  the  public 
in  that  year,  they  have  lived  to  be  proud  of 
their  position.  In  the  succeeding  year  three 
classes  were  provided,  bringing  together  31 
cats.  From  this  date  the  cat  classes  have 
shown  substantial  improvement.  The  year 
1900  found  Sandy  with  five  classes  and  41 


OFFICIALS    OF    THE   N.C.C.C. 
(Photo:  Mrs.  G.  H.  Walker.} 


EXHIBITING. 


93 


entries.  By  this  time  the  cat  fancy  throughout 
the  country  had  come  into  prominence  ;  clubs 
had  been  established,  and  specialist  societies 
were  springing  into  existence.  With  a  leap 
forward  the  cat  section  of  the  1901  show  num- 
bered 20  classes.  This  was  far  too  bold  a  bid 
for  popularity  to  be  lightly  esteemed.  The 
support  was  obtained  of  the  Cat  Club,  the 
Silver  Society  (to-day  the  Silver  and  Smoke 
Persian  Cat  Society),  the  Short-haired  Cat 
Society,  and  the  Siamese  Club. 

"  Generous  aid  was  given  by  many  individual 
lovers  of  cats,  and  fifty  special  prizes,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  class  prize  money,  were  offered. 
The  show  was  attended  with  success,  both 
as  regards  the  number  (about  150)  and  the 
quality  of  the  exhibits.  From  a  public  point 
of  view,  moreover,  the  result  was  most  gratify- 
ing. 

"  The  cat  tent  was  crowded  throughout  the 
day,  and  this  section  was  acknowledged  on 
every  hand  to  have  been  one  of  the  best  features 
of  the  show. 

"  With  such  success  attending  their  first 
earnest  venture  in  cats,  it  is  not  surprising  to 
find  that  the  committee  resolved  still  further 
to  increase  the  classification.  In  August  1902, 
therefore,  32  classes  were  arranged,  of  which 
21  were  guaranteed.  Special  prizes  numbered 
85,  and  the  cat  section  had  the  support  of  all 
the  specialist  societies. 

"  With  such  attractions  the  splendid  entry 
of  1901  was  eclipsed,  and  at  the  very  worst 
time  of  the  year  for  cats  as  many  as  266 
entries  were  made.  Long-haired  cats  were 
decidedly  well  represented,  and  in  the  blue 
kitten  class  21  specimens  were  penned.  In 
the  short-haired  classes  some  noted  winners 
appeared. 

"  Ring  classes  were  provided,  and  proved  a 
g^reat  attraction  to  the  public.  The  local 
classes  were  proof  that  Mrs.  F.  W.  Western 
has  succeeded  in  interesting  some  of  her 
friends  in  the  hobby,  and  the  specimens  to 
which  the  honours  fell  would  have  done  well 
in  the  keenest  competition." 

Mention  was  made  in  the  list  of  clubs  on  a 
previous  page  of  theNorthern  Counties  Cat  Club, 


which  was  founded  in  1900.  The  committee 
decided  on  holding  a  one-day  kitten  show 
in  September  of  that  year,  and  the  judges 
selected  were  Miss  D.  Champion,  Miss  Frances 
Simpson,  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason,  and  Mr.  L.  P. 
Astley.  Entries  came  up  well,  numbering  154, 
and  this  novel  undertaking  was  in  every  way 
a  great  success.  The  Northern  Counties  Cat 
Club  kitten  show  is  now  an  annual  fixture, 
and  on  October  ist  of  1902  a  really  splendid 
exhibition  of  promising  youngsters  was  held 
at  Bellevue,  Manchester.  Twenty-two  classes 
were  arranged,  and  over  fifty  specials  offered. 
Entries  were  twenty  in  excess  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  and  would  have  been  still  higher 
in  number  had  not  sickness  prevented  several 
well-known  silver  breeders  from  exhibiting. 
The  litter  class  numbered  17,  and  these,  with 
the  splendid  blue  classes,  were  the  chief  glory 
of  the  show.  There  were  18  pairs  of  blue 
kittens  and  40  entries  in  single  blue  kittens, 
and  it  was  most  noticeable  how  few  of  these 
specimens  failed  in  eyes.  There  were  rows 
of  gleaming  orange  orbs  that  rejoiced  the 
heart  of  the  Hon.  Sec.  of  the  Blue  Persian  Cat 
Society. 

The  kitten  show  of  1902  may  fairly  be  classed 
as  another  success  for  the  Northern  Club. 

A  similar  show  for  cats  and  kittens  is  held 
annually  in  December  in  Manchester  by  this 
enterprising  club.  I  am  indebted  to  Mrs.  G.  H. 
Walker  for  the  group  of  officials  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Northern  Club.  The  photo  was 
taken  by  Mrs.  Walker  at  the  Manchester 
kitten  show  of  1902. 

In  connection  with  the  dog  show  of  the 
Ladies'  Kennel  Association,  an  exhibition  of 
cats  is  now  held  annually  at  Harrogate  under 
the  rules  and  patronage  of  the  National  Cat 
Club.  The  first  venture  in  this  popular  and 
fashionable  water  resort  was  made  by  Mrs. 
Stennard  Robinson  in  1901,  when  entries 
came  in  splendidly  ;  but  rain  descended  most 
disastrously,  and  seriously  interfered  with 
the  success  of  the  show  and  the  attendance 
of  visitors.  In  1002  the  weather  proved 
most  favourable,  but  the  cat  section  suffered 
considerably  as  regards  numbers  of  exhibits  in 


94 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


consequence  of  the  date  clashing  with  that  of  accept  with  pleasure  the  scheme  submitted  to 

the  Sandy  Show,  held  also  on  August  28th.  the  public  by  the  secretary  of  the  S.S.P.C.S." 

On    this    occasion    the    Hon.    Mrs.    McLaren  The  Scottish  Cat    Club,   which    has    Lady 

Morrison  was  advertised  as  judge,  but  owing  to  Marcus  Beresford  for  its   President,  holds  its 

ill-health  her  place  was  taken  by  Mrs.  Stennard  annual  show  during  the  winter  months,  and 

Robinson,    and   Mr.    J.    B.   Townend,   of   the  its  exhibition  follows  closely  on   that    of   the 

National   Cat    Club,   undertook    the  manage-  Midland  Counties. 

ment.  The  Midland  Counties  Cat  Club  held  Under  the  list  of  winter  shows  mention 
its  first  show  in  Birmingham.  The  classifica-  may  be  made  of  the  following,  where,  in 
tion  was  on  a  liberal  scale,  and  several  of  connection  with  other  live  stock,  cats  play 
the  classes  were  guaranteed.  Several  of  the  a  more  or  less  important  part :  —  Peter- 
specialist  clubs  supported  this  first  venture  of  borough,  Sheffield.  Hounslow,  Kendal,  Bedford, 


the  Midland  Counties 
Cat  Club.  A  new 
departure  in  the 
matter  of  shows 
may  shortly  be 
attempted,  and  a 
scheme  has  been 
submitted  to  the  cat 
world  by  the  Hon. 
Sec.  of  the  Silver 
and  Smoke  Persian 
Cat  Society,  that  the 
specialist  societies 
should  combine  and 
hold  a  show  in  the 
West  of  England. 


SANDY    STEALING   THE    MILK. 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  Miss  HARPER. 
(Photo:   B.  Tugwcll,  Haywards  Heatlt.) 


Caterham,  Hinck- 
ley.  Hamilton,  Don- 
caster,  Yarmouth, 
Stratford -on- Avon, 
Bristol,  Haverford- 
west,  Stockton, 
Cheltenham,  Taun- 
ton,  Epsom,  Hex- 
ham,  Lark  hall. 
Stirling. 

In  this  list  I  have 
made  no  mention  of 
the  great  champion- 
ship show  of  the 
National  Cat  Club, 
held  annually  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  in 
October,  to  which 
the  whole  of  cat 
creation  looks  for- 


Each  society  is  to 
be  asked  to  bear  a 
part  in  the  expenses, 
and  secretaries  will 

probably  hold  a  meeting  to  consider  the  best  ward    with   awe   and   longing.      This    is    one 

ways  and    means    of    carrying    out    such  an  of    the    greatest    events    in    the    cat    world, 

undertaking.     It  is  not  intended  that  such  a  and  is   always  eagerly  looked  forward  to  by 
show   should   be  in   any  opposition   to  those  .  fanciers   in    all   parts    of    the    British    Isles, 

held  by  the  parent  clubs,  and  registration  in  In   the   schedule   for  the   exhibition   in    1902 

either  of  these  clubs  will  be  enforced  ;  but,  to  no  fewer  than  216  special  prizes  were  offered, 

quote  the  words  of  a  well-known  fancier  and  Many  of   these  were  given   by   the  following 

supporter   of   the   specialist   societies,    "It   is  specialist    clubs,    who    generously    supported 

simply  a  way  of  escape   from    the   enforced  this   annual   fixture :— The   Blue   Persian   Cat 

division  of  interests,  and  a  means  for  permit-  Society,   the  Silver   and   Smoke    Persian   Cat 

ting  the  cats  of  all  club  persuasions  to  meet  Society,  the  Chinchilla  Cat  Club,  the  Orange, 

on   equal   ground.      As   matters     now   stand,  Cream  and  Tortoiseshell  Society,  the  Siamese 

open    competition    is    a    thing    of    the    past,  Cat  Club,  the  Manx  Cat  Club,  and  the  British 

and  the  sooner  it  becomes  a  possibility  again  Cat  Club. 

the  better  for  the  cat  fancy.     On  this  ground,         The   names  of    the   judges   acting  on   this 

therefore,  we  think  all  unbiassed  minds  will  occasion   were    as   follow : — Mrs.    Greenwood, 


EXHIBITING. 


95 


Miss  Forestier  Walker,  Miss  G.  Jay,  Miss 
Cochran,  Miss  F.  Simpson,  Mr.  Louis  Wain, 
Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss,  Mr.  C.  A.  House,  and 
Mr.  Jung. 

In  our  latter-day  shows  the  work  of  the 
judges  is  considerably  augmented  by  the 
numerous  specials  that  have  to  be  awarded 
amongst  the  winners  in  the  well-filled  classes, 
and  as  regards  the  Crystal  Palace  show  of 
1902,  the  patience  and  skill  of  the  judges  making 
these  awards  were  taxed  to  the  uttermost. 

The  Cat  Club's  show  has  been  held  for  three 
years  in  succession  at  St.  Stephen's  Hall, 


Westminster  Aquarium,  about  the  beginning 
of  January,  and  it  is  at  this  season  that  the 
really  finest  exhibition  of  Persian  cats  is 
witnessed,  for  at  no  other  time  are  long-haired 
cats  in  such  grand  coat  and  good  condition  as 
in  the  middle  of  winter. 

It  is  no  wonder,  therefore,  with  so  many 
shows  held  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land,  that  the  cult  of  the  cat  is  becoming 
more  and  more  widely  known  and  appreciated, 
and  that  the  fancy  is  really  assuming  such 
proportions  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of 
its  permanent  position  amongst  us. 


SILVER   CATS   BELONGING   TO    MRS.    CLARK,   OF   ASHBRITTLE. 


9b 


CHAPTER    VI. 


THE        POIXTS        OF   A   CAT. 


BEFORE    entering    upon    the    distinctive 
breeds  of  cats,  of   which  I   propose  to 
treat   fully  in  the  ensuing   chapters,    I 
would   draw   attention  to   the  accompanying 
diagram  of  a  cat,  and  will  proceed  to  point 
out  the  general  contour  of  the  animal,  whether 
long  or  short  haired. 

Having  given  a  table    of    reference,  I  will 


be  set  straight  in  the  head,  not  slanting 
like  those  of  a  Chinese.  In  the  Persian 
varieties  a  fringe  of  overhanging  fur  greatly 
improves  and  softens  the  expression.  The 
colour  varies  in  different  breeds,  but  in  green, 
orange,  or  blue  eyes,  purity  and  depth  of 
colour  should  prevail.  Very  often  an  orange 
eye  is  spoilt  by  an  inner  rim  of  green,  and  a 


take  the  points   of    the     cat   as   arranged   in 
order : — 

No.  i,  Ears  :  These  should  be  small,  and  . 
rounded  at  the  tops,  carried  somewhat  for- 
ward, and  not  wide  open  at  the  base.  In  the 
Persian  varieties  especially  the  inner  surface 
should  be  hidden  by  a  growth  of  fur  extend- 
ing from  the  face,  termed  ear  tufts.  It  is  a 
beauty  in  the  cat  to  have  the  ears  set  well 
apart,  giving  an  appearance  of  greater  width  to 
the  head.  The  outer  portion  of  the  ears  should 
be  evenly  covered  with  soft,  short,  downy  fur. 

No.  2,  Eyes  :  These  ought  to  be  round, 
large,  and  full.  A  small,  beady  eye  is  a 
great  disfigurement  in  a  cat.  The  eyes  should 


blue  eye  is  weakened  by  a  paler  shade  of 
blue,  giving  the  appearance  of  an  opal. 

No.  3,  Skull  :  Should  be  broad,  with  width 
between  the  eyes  and  ears. 

No.  4,  Cheeks  :     Well  developed. 

No.  5,  Face  and  nose  :  These  should  be 
short ;  if  the  contrary,  a  "  snipey  "  appearance 
is  given  to  the  cat,  which  quite  spoils  the 
expression. 

No.  6,  Chest  :    Should  be    full    and    broad. 

No.  7,  Neck  :    Short  and  full. 

Nos.  8  and  9,  Shoulder  and  fore  arm  : 
These  call  for  no  special  remarks  ;  but  in 
male  cats  especially  firm  and  massive  limbs 
are  most  desirable. 


POAVTS"     Of   A     CAT. 


97 


No.  10,  Paw  :  A  large,  broad  paw,  with 
short  but  not  stumpy  feet.  In  the  Persian 
varieties  the  tufts  are  an  additional  beauty. 

Nos.  ii  and  12.  Body  and  back  :  There 
is  a  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  whether  a  cat 
should  be  long  in  the  body  or  of  cobby  build. 
I  incline  to  the  latter  as  regards  beauty  of 
form,  but  I  am  of  opinion  that  female  cats 
with  long  bodies  are  the  best  breeders.  All 
cats  should  be  low  in  the  legs. 

No.  13,  Tail  or  brush  :  In  both  breeds  this 
should  be  short  rather  than  long,  and  in  the 
Persian  varieties  broad  and  spreading.  The 
tail  should  be  carried  almost  on  a  level  with 
the  body,  and  slightly  curving  upwards  to- 
wards the  end.  A  too-tapering  tail  is  a  defect. 

Nos.  14,  15,  and  16  call  for  no  further 
remark  beyond  the  desirability  of  symmetry 
in  form. 

The  foregoing  list  of  points  in  a  cat  may  be 
of  some  service  to  novices  in  the  fancy,  but 
it  is  necessary  to  add  that,  as  in  all  animals, 
condition  is  a  very  important  factor.  A  cat 


may  be  perfect  in  all  points,  and  yet  if  in 
either  the  long-  or  short-haired  varieties  the 
coat  lacks  softness  of  texture,  and  in  Persians 
the  fur  is  matted  or  draggled,  such  specimens 
cannot  expect  to  find  favour  in  the  eyes  of 
a  critical  judge,  or  even  an  ordinary  lover  of 
cats.  In  short-haired  breeds  there  is  an  un- 
mistakable gloss  on  the  coat  of  a  cat  that  is 
in  good  health.  A  spikey  appearance  of  the 
fur  always  denotes  poor  condition,  and  greatly 
detracts  from  the  charms  and  chances  of  our 
pets  or  show  cats.  A  great  deal  depends  in 
keen  competition  upon  condition.  It  turns  the 
scale  in  a  vast  majority  of  instances.  There- 
fore, as  great  attention  should  be  paid  to 
this  point  as  to  those  set  forth  in  the  list  I 
have  given. 

A  small  yet  distinctive  feature  in  a  cat  is 
the  whiskers,  and  these  vary  in  colour,  accord- 
ing to  the  breed.  They  should  be  strong  and 
yet  sensitive,  and  curving  slightly  inwards. 
It  is  supposed  to  be  a  sign  of  strength  if  a 
cat's  whiskers  attain  a  great  length. 


(Photo:  C.  Reid,  Wisha-u.) 


A    BLUE   PERSIAN    BELONGING  TO    MRS.    WELLS. 
(Photo :  Ward,  Hounslow.) 


CHAPTER    VII. 

LONG-HAIRED   OR   PERSIAN   CATS. 


IN  classing  all  long-haired  cats  as  Persians 
I  may  be  wrong,  but  the  distinctions, 
apparently  with  hardly  any  difference, 
between  Angoras  and  Persians  are  of  so  fine  a 
nature  that  I  must  be  pardoned  if  I  ignore  the 
class  of  cat  commonly  called  Angora,  which 
seems  gradually  to  have  disappeared  from  our 
midst.  Certainly,  at  our  large  shows  there  is 
no  special  classification  given  for  Angoras,  and 
in  response  to  many  inquiries  from  animal 
fanciers  I  have  never  been  able  to  obtain 
any  definite  information  as  to  the  difference 
between  a  Persian  and  an  Angora  cat.  Mr. 
Harrison  Weir,  in  his  book  on  cats,  states  that 
the  Angora  differs  somewhat  from  the  Persian 
in  that  the  head  is  rather  smaller  and  ears 
larger,  fur  more  silky  with  a  tendency  to 
woolliness. 

It  is,  however,  my  intention  to  confine  my 
division  of  cats  to  long-haired  or  Persian  cats, 
and  short-haired  or  English  and  foreign  cats. 
In  both  these  breeds  there  are  "  self-coloured," 
"  broken-coloured,"  and  "  any  other  coloured  " 
varieties. 


In  the  foregoing  references  to  the  diagram 
of  the  cat  I  have  touched  upon  the  points  of 
the  animal,  which  are  practically  the  same  as 
regards  the  form  of  body  and  limb  in  both  long- 
and  short-haired  breeds  of  cats. 

In  comparing  the  dispositions  of  these  two 
breeds,  I  think  it  is  generally  allowed  that 
Persian  cats  are  not  so  amiable,  or  so  reli- 
able in  their  temper,  as  the  short-haired  varie- 
ties. I  am  inclined  to  think,  however,  that 
they  are  more  intelligent,  and  have  a  greater 
instinctive  desire  to  make  themselves  at  home 
in  their  surroundings.  They  are  apparently  as 
keen  hunters  of  prey  as  the  short-haired  cats. 
When  we  come  to  the  question  of  stamina  and 
general  health,  I  certainly  think  the  Persian 
must,  so  to  speak,  "  go  to  the  wall." 

It  is  a  common  belief  that,  in  human  beings, 
if  the  hair  grows  long  and  thick  it  is  a  sign 
of  great  strength  and  a  good  constitution  : 
but  as  regards  cats  the  longer  the  coat  the 
weaker  the  animal.  This  I  have  specially 
noticed  in  Persian  kittens,  and  have  remarked 
that  little  mites  with  unusually  long  fur  are 


LOXG-HAIRED     OR    PERSIAN    CATS. 


99 


the  most  difficult  to  rear,  and  suffer  from  ex- 
treme delicacy.  Perhaps  in-breeding  amongst 
Persian  varieties  has  been  more  carried  on 
than  with  the  short-haired  breeds,  which  are 
allowed  a  greater  freedom  of  choice,  and  there- 
fore are  the  result  of  natural  selection. 

Apart  from  the  question  of  health  and 
strength,  Persian  cats  require  a  great  deal 
more  care  and  attention  on  account  of  the 
long  fur.  In  the  spring  Persian  cats  begin 
to  shed  their  coats,  and  this  process  continues 
through  the  summer  months,  and  it  is  not 
till  about  October  that  the  new  fur  begins 
to  grow  again.  Persian  cats  may  be  con- 
sidered in  their  finest  condition  during  the 
months  of  December  and  January.  It  is  a 
wise  provision  of  Nature  that  during  the 
coldest  months  these  somewhat  delicate  cats 
should  have  their  warmest  clothing.  It  has 
often  been  a  matter  of  surprise  that  cat  shows 
should  ever  be  held  in  the  summer,  when 
long-haired  pussies  present  a  most  unkempt 
and  moth-eaten  appearance.  In  this  con- 
dition they  arc  not  likely  to  win  converts  to 
the  cult  of  the  cat  ;  but  from  an  educational 
point  of  view  these  unclothed  specimens  give 
the  judge  an  opportunity  of  displaying  his 
ability,  for  it  needs  a  really  capable  judge, 
with  experience,  knowledge,  and  good  common- 
sense,  to  allow  for  absence  of  coat,  and  to 
place  the  awards  accordingly.  Under  summer 
skies  shape  and  bone  will  have  their  innings, 
whereas  a  grand  winter  coat  may  hide  a 
multitude  of  sins  that  even  the  eagle  eye  of 
the  most  astute  judge  may  fail  to  discover. 

At  the  same  time,  for  a  breed 
of  cats  called  "  long-haired  "  the 
coat  ought  to  demand  the  greatest 
consideration ;  for  what  is  the 
good  of  the  most  perfect  shape 
in  a  Persian  cat,  if  it  is  exhibited 
out  of  coat  and  almost  like  an 
English  short-hair  in  a  class  set 
apart  for  long-haired  specimens  ? 
No  doubt  many  breeders  of 
Persians  have  been  led  through 
disappointment  to  join  the  ranks 
of  short-hair  breeders,  for  it  is 


indeed  very  vexatious  and  tantalising,  after 
having  entered  a  grand-coated  cat  a  month 
before  a  show,  to  find  your  precious  pet 
persistently  scratching  out  her  fluffy  frill  and 
shedding  the  chief  glory  of  her  breed  before 
the  eventful  day  when  you  had  hoped  to  reap 
golden  awards. 

As  regards  Persian  kittens,  the  change  of 
coat  takes  place  between  the  ages  of  three  and 
six  months.  In  some  cases  long-haired  kittens 
will  -east  their  fur  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
present  the  appearance  of  an  uneven  short- 
haired  specimen,  whereas  in  others  the  shed- 
ding process  is  so  gradual  that  the  transition 
stage  from  a  kitten  to  a  cat  is  hardly  more 
discernible  in  the  long-  than  in  the  short-haired 
breeds.  Any  severe  illness  may  cause  the 
fur  to  come  out  of  Persian  cats  at  any  season 
of  the  year,  and  the  growth  of  the  new  coat 
will  be  retarded  by  poor  condition  of  the  skin. 
In  both  long-  and  short-haired  cats,  as  in  other 
animals,  the  teeth  are  the  chief  guide  in 
deciding  the  age,  and  a  kitten  may  be  said  to 
become  a  cat  after  six  months,  when  the  adult 
dental  process  is  completed,  and  the  second 
set  of  teeth  has  become  established.  And 
here  I  would  quote  from  Mr.  John  Jennings' 
interesting  book  on  "  Domestic  or  Fancy 
Cats"  hi-support  of. my  twofold  classification: 
"  Of  the  many  varieties  or  breeds  of  the  cat 


GENTIAN',' ' 


OWNED    BY    LADY    MARCUS    BEKESFORD. 

(I'liolo  :  B.  Landor,  Eating.) 


100 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


with  which  we  are  now  familiar,  it  must  be 
remembered  that,  however  crossed,  selected, 
re-crossed,  domesticated,  or  what  not,  we 
have  but  two  breeds  on  which  the  super- 
structure of  what  is  known  to-day  as  the 
'  classification  of  varieties  '  has  been  reared — 
viz.  the  long-hair  or  Eastern  cat,  and  the  short- 
hair  or  Euro- 
pean. The 
term  '  breed  ' 
is  even  here 
used  advisedly, 
for  whatever 


MRS.  HERRING'S  "  CHAMPION  JIMMY." 

(Photo :  W.  Morice,  Lewisham  High  Road.) 

the  outer  covering  or  coat,  colour,  or  length  of 
fur,  the  contour  of  each  and  all  is  practically 
the  same. 

Nor  is  this  confined  to  mere  outline.  Take 
the  skull,  for  example,  which  measured  in 
the  usual  manner  with  shot,  making  due 
allowance  for  difference  in  size,  is  not  only 


similar  in  the  different  varieties  of  either 
long-  or  short-hair,  but  even  in  the  wild  cat 
the  anatomy  is  similar,  the  slight  variation 
being  in  a  great  measure  explained  by  its 
different  conditions  of  life  and  diet,  and  is  in 
unison  with  the  fact  of  how  even  the  ordinary 
domestic  cat  will  undergo  a  change  in  taking 
up  a  semi-wild,  outdoor  existence." 

At  the  present  time  there  is  no  doubt  that 
long-haired  cats  are  the  more  popular,  and, 
judging  by  the  entries  at  our  large  shows,  the 
numbers  may  be  taken  as  four  to  one.  A 
slight  reaction  has  set  in  since  short-haired 
societies  have  been  formed,  but  the  fascina- 
tion for  fluffy  pets  and  pretty  pussies  will, 
I  think,  always  predominate,  for  the  less  at- 
tractive points  of  the  English  domestic  cat 
do  not  appeal  so  strongly  to  the  heart  and 
the  eye  of  the  general  public. 

It  may  be  remarked  by  the  readers  of  ':The 
Book  of  the  Cat  "  that  very  few  pictures  of 
short-haired  cats  are  reproduced ;  and  it  is 
just  because  the  long-haired  pussies  are  so 
much  more  attractive  that  they  are  brought 
into  greater  prominence  in  this  work.  It  is 
more  difficult  to  obtain  nice  photographs  of 
short-haired  cats,  probably  because  the  owners 
of  these  less  expensive  pets  do  not  think  it  is 
worth  while  to  spend  their  money  or  to  go  to 
any  trouble  over  having  a  good  picture  taken. 
As  regards  the  coloured  plates  appearing  in 
this  work,  care  has  been  taken  to  instruct  the 
artists  to  bring  out  as  prominently  as  possible 
the  special  points  of  the  cats,  long-  and  short- 
haired.  It  is  the  first  time  that  coloured 
plates  of  the  different  kinds  of  cats  have  been 
attempted  ;  and  it  is  hoped  that,  as  types  of 
each  breed,  these  will  prove  useful  to  fanciers 
and  instructive  to  the  cat-loving  public. 


101 


THE  HON.  MRS.  MCLAREN  MORRISON'S  CATTERY  AT  KEPW1CK. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


SOME    NOTABLE    CATTERIES. 


BEFORE    entering    upon   a   description  of 
the  various  breeds,  it  may  be  interesting 
to  my  readers  to  give  a  short  account, 
with  illustrations  (photographs  for  which  have 
been   specially  taken  for  this  chapter),  of  the 
catteries    of    some   well-known    fanciers    who 
have  not  confined   themselves  to   any  special 
breed  or  variety. 

Lady  Decies'  catteries,  at  her  pretty  summer 
residence  at  Birchington-on-Sea,  are  indeed 
most  perfect  in  their  arrangements,  and  every 
detail  for  the  comfort  and  well-being  of  the 
inmates  is  considered.  The  stud  cats  have 
separate  single  houses,  with  good-sized  wired- 
in  runs,  and  luxurious  and  cosy  sleeping  apart- 
ments in  the  rear. 

The  main  cattery  is  in  a  sheltered   portion 
7* 


of  the  grounds,  and  will  accommodate  a  large 
number  of  cats.  The  runs  are  arranged  with 
boxes,  benches,  chairs,  and  ladders,  and  the 
sleeping  places,  built  of  brick,  are  most  com- 
fortably fitted  up.  By  a  system  of  wooden 
blinds  the  strong  sea  breezes  and  the  bright  rays 
of  the  summer  sun  can  be  regulated.  There 
are  side  blinds  and  top  blinds.  The  floors  of 
the  spacious  catteries  are  wood,  covered  with 
cork  carpet,  and  they  are  raised  about  a 
foot  from  the  ground,  so  that  there  is  a  free 
current  of  air  passing  under  the  boards,  thus 
securing  absolute  freedom  from  any  damp. 

In  the  house  there  are  three  rooms  set  apart 
by  Lady  Decies  for  her  pussies.  In  two  of 
these  the  queen  mothers  have  their  families, 
and  the  other  is  used  as  the  cats'  kitchen. 


IO2 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


The  beds  for  the  cats  are  specially  designed 
by  Lady  Decies.  The  walls  of  the  cats'  rooms 
are  adorned  with  pictures  by  Louis  Wain, 
and  there  is  a  display  of  prize  cards  won  by 
Lady  Decies'  famous  cats.  "  Zaida,"  so  well 
known  as  the  winning  silver  female,  is  the 
privileged  occupant  of  Lady  Decies'  boudoir, 
and  here  the  aristocratic  little  lady  makes  her- 
self at  home  on  the  soft  cushions  and  couches. 

The  famous  "  Lord  Southampton  "  is  now 
in  the  possession  of  Lady  Decies,  and  resides 
in  one  of  the  up-to-date  catteries  at  Beresford 
Lodge.  He  was  purchased  at  a  very  high 
price.  Since  his  change  of  ownership  he  has 
not  frequently  appeared  in  public,  but  in  the 
past  he  was  a  noted  winner.  It  is,  however, 
as  a  silver  sire  that  he  attained  his  success 
and  made  his  name.  It  is  well-nigh  im- 
possible to  mention  his  numerous  winning 
children.  His  name  in  a  pedigree  is  a  safe 
guarantee  for  quality  and  colour. 

The  two  Siamese  cats  have  warm  quarters 
in  the  stable  cottage. 

Lady  Decies'  pets  comprise  both  long-  and 
short-haired  cats.  Among  the  latter  "  Xeno- 
phon "  is  generally  considered  as  the  best 
specimen  of  a  brown  tabby,  and  has  a  long 
prize-winning  record.  A  woman  and  a  boy 
are  kept  to  attend  to  the  wants  of  these  aris- 
tocratic animals. 

The  Bishopsgate  cattery  may  be  said  to 
have  won  a  worldwide  renown,  and  those  who 
have  been  privileged  to  visit  the  ideal  residence 
of  Lady  Marcus  Beresford  will  agree  with  me 
that  it  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  either 
by  photography  or  description  of  the  delight- 
ful dwelling  places  set  apart  for  the  pussies 
belonging  to  this  true  lover  and  fancier  of  the 
feline  race. 

There  is  the  cat  cottage,  where  the  attend- 
ant has  her  rooms,  and  where  the  other  apart- 
ments are  especially  fitted  up  for  the  cats. 
Here  the  Siamese  have  their  quarters,  and  the 
sun  streams  in  at  the  windows,  which  face  due 
south.  Opposite  to  the  cottage,  as  may  be 
seen  in  the  illustration,  are  some  of  the  cat 
houses,  and  in  the  centre  is  the  kitchen.  The 
cat  attendant  stands  at  the  door,  and  some 


of  the  pussies  are  having  their  mid-day  meal. 
The  celebrated  "  Blue  Boy  II."  occupies  a 
house,  and  in  the  background  is  a  grass  run, 
securely  wired  in,  which  is  used  as  a  play- 
ground for  the  pussies.  In  the  hot  summer 
weather  this  is  shaded  by  the  lovely  spreading 
beech  trees  of  Windsor  Park. 

The  stud  cats'  houses  are  splendidly  ar- 
ranged with  sleeping  places  and  nice  large 
runs.  The  space  in  the  centre  in  front  of 
these  runs  is  used  as  an  exercise  ground  for 
the  females  and  kittens.  The  garden-house 
cattery  is,  indeed,  an  ideal  one,  being  a  bower 
of  roses  in  the  summer-time,  and  in  winter 
an  ivy-clad  retreat.  This  house  is  divided 
into  two  apartments,  and  these  are  generally 
used  for  the  queen  mothers  and  their  families. 
On  the  shelves  along  the  windows  the  pussies 
sit  and  sun  themselves. 

Truly  the  lives  of  inmates  of  the  Bishops- 
gate  catteries  are  spent  in  peace  and  plenty, 
and  when  their  little  span  of  life  is  over  they 
find  a  resting  place  under  the  shadow  of  the 
grand  old  trees,  and  a  little  white  tombstone 
with  a  loving  inscription  marks  the  spot  of 
pussy's  last  long  sleep. 

Lady  Marcus  Beresford  has  had  almost 
every  breed  of  cat  under  the  sun  at  her  cat- 
teries, but  of  recent  years  she  has  specially 
taken  up  silvers,  blues,  and  Siamese,  and  a 
grand  specimen  of  each  of  these  varieties  is 
in  the  stud  at  Bishopsgate.  Amongst  some 
of  the  celebrated  cats  owned  by  Lady  Marcus 
Beresford  I  may  mention  "  Lifeguard,"  a 
grand  orange  of  massive  build ;  "  Tachin  " 
.  and  "  Cambodia,"  two  imported  Siamese  with 
perfect  points  ;  "  Cora,"  a  tortoiseshell-and- 
white  of  great  beauty,  and  "  Kismet,"  a  brown 
tabby  of  exquisite  shape,  both  imported  ;  and 
"  Cossy,"  a  smoke  that  has  found  a  home  in 
America.  At  the  present  time  three  of  the 
most  notable  inmates  of  the  Bishopsgate  cat- 
tery, representing  blues, silvers,  and  Siamese,  are 
"Blue  Boy  II.,"  "Beetle,"  and  "King of  Siam." 

One  of  the  largest  catteries  in  Scotland, 
where  the  fancy  grows  apace,  is  owned  by 
Mrs.  Mackenzie  Stewart,  of  Seagate  House. 
Irvine.  Mrs.  Stewart  has  possessed  several 


104 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


A    SLEEPING   BOX    IN    LADY   DECIES1    CATTERY. 
(Photo :  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.') 

notable  cats  of  different  breeds.  Her  blue 
stud  cat  "Ronald"  has  made  himself  a  name 
in  the  south  of  England  as  well 
as  in  the  north.  Mrs.  Stewart 
has  had  silvers,  creams,  brown  tab- 
bies, and  is  now  the  owner  of  the 
celebrated  black  .  stud  cat  "  Dick 
Fawe,"  who  has  sired  many -winning 
kittens.  The  severe  weather  of  this 
part  of  Scotland  seems  to  suit  these 
Persian  cats,  for  a  healthier,  hardier 
set  of  pussies  one  could  not  wish  to 
see  than  those  disporting  themselves 
in  the  pleasantly  situated  catteries 
of  Seagate  House.  Mrs.  Mackenzie 
Stewart  is  a  most  enthusiastic  fancier, 
and  often  takes  the  long  journey  down 
South  to  bring  her  pets  to  the  Lon- 
don shows.  She  has  acted  as  judge 
in  Scotland  and  England,  and  a  con- 
tingent from  the  Seagate  cattery  is 
generally  to  be  seen  and  admired  at 
most  of  our  large  shows. 

To  old  fanciers  and  exhibitors  the 
name  of  Mrs.  H.  Warner  is  familiar. 


It  was  as  Mrs.  Warner,  in  1889,  that 
the  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison  first 
exhibited  a  black  cat  called  "Imp" 
at  the  Crystal  Palace  Show  ;  and  as 
black  cats  are  said  to  bring  luck,  this 
puss  took  a  first,  and,  thus  encouraged, 
his  owner  commenced  her  "  catty " 
career.  In  the  following  year,  I  note, 
by  the  catalogue,  that  Mrs.  H.  Warner 
had  fourteen  entries,  and  amongst 
these  were  two  imported  cats  and 
the  celebrated  black  Persian  "  Satan," 
who  departed  this  life  in  1902.  As 
late  as  1897  this  superb  fellow,  with 
glorious  orange  eyes,  won  everything 
he  could  (in  spite  of  his  age)  at  the 
Crystal  Palace.  There  remains  a 
worthy  son  of  this  worthy  sire  at  the 
Kepwick  cattery,  named  "  Lucifer." 

It  was  in  1890  that  Mrs.  McLaren 
Morrison,  then  Mrs.  H.  Warner,  made 
her  name    as  an    exhibitor   of    white 
Persians  ;  for  no  less  than  six  of  this 
breed  put  in  an  appearance  and  gained  prizes 
at  Sydenham.     Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison  writes : 


LADY    DECIKS    VISITING    HER    PETS. 

(Photo :  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


SOME    NOTABLE    CATTERIES. 


"  I  have  always  been  lucky  with  black  cats, 
both  long-  and  short-haired  ;  but  I  especially 
love  white  Persians,  and,  in  fact,  at  one  time 
I  owned  a  '  white  cattery.'  I  may  say  I  still 
have  some  good  specimens — namely,  '  Muse- 
fer,'  '  Queen  of  the  Pearls,'  and  '  Lily.'  I  love 
the  imported  cats,  and  always  get  them  when 
I  can.  I  have  nine  now  at  Kepwick.  One 
of  these  hails  from  Patagonia  and  one  from 
Afghanistan.  My  cat- 
tery at  one  time  was 
twice  again  as  full  as 
now ;  but  my  losses 
have  been  great,  and 
I  have  reduced  the 
numbers  so  that  I 
may  give  more  atten- 
tion to  the  young 
stock. 

"  It  is  only  recently 
I  have  really  gone  in 
for  orange  Persians, 
encouraged  by  the 
wins  of  '  Puck '  at  the 
Botanical.  I  love  this 
beautiful  variety,  but 
consider  the  queens 
of  this  breed  very  deli- 
cate. I  have  owned 
some  fine  blues  at 
different  times,  and 
purchased  for  £25  a 
beautiful  fellow,  bred 
from  '  Beauty  Boy,' 
at  the  Crystal  Palace 
many  years  ago  ;  but, 

alas  !  he  came  home  only  to  die.  Fore- 
most amongst  my  blues  ranked  my  late 
Champion  '  Monarch,'  who  held  the  Beresford 
Cup.  Of  late  years  I  have  taken  up  silvers. 
My  first  Chinchilla  was  Champion  '  Nizam,' 
ancestor  of  such  cats  as  '  St.  Anthony  '  and 
'  Ameer.'  I  bought  '  Nizam  '  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  in  the  early  days  of  silvers,  and  he  only 
took  second  prize,  because,  I  was  assured,  he  was 
'  too  light '  for  first.  I  have  a  few  Russians. 
I  am  most  devoted  to  my  pussies,  and  have 
tried  to  persevere  in  breeding  good  stock  in 


this    time,    however, 


MRS.    MACKENZIE    STEWART'S    CATTERY 


the  face  of  very  great  difficulties.  I  do  not 
much  care  about  running  the  risk  of  showing, 
but  a  true  fancier  likes  to  support  all  well- 
arranged  cat  shows." 

Mrs.  Collingwood,  of  Leighton  Buzzard,  is  a 
most  ardent  lover  of  cats,  but  it  is  only  of 
recent  years  that  she  has  been  before  the 
public  as  a  fancier  and  exhibitor.  During 
many  have  been  the 
honours  showered  on 
the  lucky  inmates  of 
the  Bossington  cat- 
tery. 

Mrs.  Collingwood 
has  great  difficulty, 
so  she  tells  me,  in 
keeping  her  number 
of  cats  down  to  about 
thirty  !  She  likes 
these  to  be  equally 
divided  between  long- 
and  short-haired  pus- 
sies ;  so  there  are 
all  sorts  and  varieties. 
Blues  have  been  great 
favourites,  and  Mrs. 
Collingwood  is  on 
the  Blue  Persian  Cat 
Society  Committee. 
"  Royal  Bobs,"  a  big, 
massive  blue  male, 
has  done  a  lot  of 
winning.  He  was 
bred  by  the  Princess 
Victoria  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein.  His  sister 

"  Jill  "  also  inhabits  one  of  the  twelve  cat- 
houses  distributed  over  five  acres  of  the 
Bossington  grounds.  These  smaller  houses 
are  mostly  on  wheels.  The  larger  houses  are 
kept  for  females  and  their  families,  and  some- 
times a  corner  of  the  hay-loft  is  set  apart  for 
a  nursing  mother.  The  male  cats  have  their 
liberty  during  the  morning,  and  then  the 
females  enjoy  their  afternoons  out.  Mrs. 
Collingwood  does  not  keep  a  stud  cat,  but  there 
are  neuter  pets  that  have  their  run  about  the 
house,  and  have  their  meals  in  a  corner  of  the 


io6 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


dining-room.     Mrs.  Collingwood  intends  going     principal   shows    this   enthusiastic   lady   is    a 
in   strongly   for   smokes   in    the   future  ;    and     prominent    figure,    and    in    the    quantity   and 


although  possessed  of  extremely  good  short- 
haired  cats,  this  ambitious  fancier  is  desirous 
of  breeding  a  perfect  silver  tabby  and  a  like- 
wise equally  perfect  orange  tabby.     "  James  " 
is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  a  silver  tabby,  and 
during    this    year   alone   has   won    eight    first 
prizes.     At  Altrincham  he  had  the  honour  of 
claiming      championship 
and  silver  medal  for  the 
best    cat    in    the    show, 
beating    all     the     long- 
haired cats    that   gener- 
ally carry  off  this  coveted 
prize ;  and  at  the  Crys- 
tal   Palace    he   was    the 
admired  of  all  admirers, 
with  a  number  of  prize 
tickets  covering  his  pen. 
I  know  many  cat-loving 
people,    but    I    do    not 
think  I   have  ever  seen 
greater   devotion  shown 
to  the  feline  race  than  is 
displayed  at  Bossington. 
Mrs.  Collingwood  is  ever 
ready    to    support     cat 
shows     by     entries,    by 
guaranteeing  classes,  and 
by  giving  handsome 
prizes.       Her    cats    are 
always    shown     in     the 
pink  of  condition,  and  it 
is    seldom    they   appear    THE  IM"'A™*  TREE,  MRS.  CLARKE'S  CATTERY 


in  the  pens  unless  their 
devoted  mistress  is  in  attendance.  Mrs.  Col- 
lingwood kindly  had  the  accompanying  photo- 
graphs specially  taken  for  this  chapter. 

Perhaps  no  name  is  better  known  in  the  cat 
world  than  that  of  Mrs.  Herring,  of  Lestock 
House,  Lee,  who  has  for  nearly  twenty  years 
been  a  prominent  fancier  and  breeder  of  both 
long-  and  short-haired  cats.  Mrs.  Herring  is 
a  member  of  the  National  Cat  Club  Committee, 
and  also  belongs  to  several  of  the  specialist 
clubs,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Cat  Club  and 
the  Northern  Counties  Cat  Club.  At  all  the 


(fhoto:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


quality  of  her  exhibits  she  generally  leads  the 
way. 

At  some  of  our  large  shows  Mrs.  Herring  has 
entered  from  25  to  30  cats  ;   and  I  have  known 
and  seen  these  arrive  with  their  mistress  in  a 
large  omnibus  or  van.     It  is  no  light  under- 
taking to  prepare  such  a  number  of  pussies 
for   show,   and   then   to 
convey  them  carefully  to 
the  place  of  exhibition. 

Mrs.  Herring  started 
with  a  short-haired  sil- 
ver tabby  called  "Chin," 
and  then  turned  her 
attention  to  long-haired 
brown  tabbies  ;  and  al- 
though every  variety  of 
cat,  both  long-  and 
short-haired,  may  be  said 
to  have  existed  from 
time  to  time  in  the 
Lestock  catteries,  yet  it 
is  with  tabbies  perhaps 
that  Mrs.  Herring  has 
chiefly  made  her  name 
and  fame.  Champion 
"Jimmy  "  was  a  superb 
specimen  of  a  well- 
marked  silver  tabby,  and 
he  carried  everything 
before  him  in  the  show 
pen.  He  passed  away  in 
1900,  and  I  do  not  think 
we  shall  see  his  like  again. 
Amongst  many  celebrities  in  the  feline 
world  which  have  been  born  or  bred,  or  have 
found  their  habitation  at  the  Lestock  cattery,  I 
may  mention  "  King  Saul,"  the  noted  tortoise- 
shell  torn  who  still  holds  a  unique  position  at 
our  shows,  and  won  the  Coronation  Cup  at 
the  Botanical  show.  "  King  Alfred,"  a  long- 
haired silver  tabby,  and  "  King  David,"  a 
massive  blue,  are  also  well-known  winners 
of  the  present  day.  Mrs.  Herring  bred  some 
sensational  silver  tabby  long-haired  kittens, 
and  two  of  these  —  "  The  Duchess  "  and 


SOME    NOTABLE    CATTERIES. 


TO? 


''Princess  Lestock " — were  exhibited  re- 
spectively at  the  Westminster  and  Crystal 
Palace  shows,  and  both  were  speedily  claimed 
at  the  high  catalogue  price.  "  Floriana,"  a 
huge,  handsome  long-haired  brown  tabby,  who 
formerly  belonged  to  Mrs.  Herring,  has  recently 
found  a  home  in  America.  Siamese  and 
Russian  cats  have  not  been  strangers  to  this 
cattery,  where  sometimes  the  number  of 
inmates  has  been  over  forty  !  Within  the 
last  few  years  Mrs.  Herring  has  had  to  reduce 
her  stock,  owing  to  the  complaints  of  neigh- 


us  how  she   manages   in   her   town   residence 
at  Louth.     Here  are  her  notes. 

BREEDING    BLUE    PERSIANS    IN    LIMITED    SPACE. 

"The  successful  breeding  of  blue  Persian  cats 
in  a  space  so  limited  that  a  grass  run  or  green 
trees  are  things  to  be  desired  rather  than  at- 
tained, requires  nice  judgment  and  great  care. 
The  space  at  my  command  for  cat  keeping  and 
breeding  purposes  is  only  a  back  yard,  some 
14  yards  long  by  6  yards  wide.  This  very 
limited  space  is  further  curtailed,  on  one  side, 


MRS.    CLARKE  S    CATTERY. 
(Photo:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


hours,  who  showed  no  sympathy  with  the 
feline  race,  and  some  excellent,  well-arranged 
cat-houses  had  to  be  removed,  as  they  some- 
what encroached  on  a  neighbouring  garden 
wall.  It  must  have  been  a  trying  time,  and 
the  weeding-out  process  a  most  difficult  one, 
for  such  a  really  warm-hearted  and  devoted  a 
fancier  as  Mrs.  Herring,  whose  pussies  are  all 
pets,  and  who  personally  supervises  her  cat- 
tery at  Lestock  House. 

It  is  not  given  to  all,  particularly  in  large 
towns,  to  have  at  their  disposal  such  an 
amount  of  waste  space  as  their  more  fortunate 
brethren  of  the  country.  I  have  therefore 
asked  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke,  whose  cat  photographs 
have  been  a  delight  to  all  our  readers,  to  tell 


by  my  husband's  laboratory  ;  while  the  cat- 
tery and  its  covered  run  cut  off  another  strip 
at  the  end,  of  7  yards  by  2  yards,  reducing  the 
ground  available  for  open  air  exercise  and  run 
to  a  patch  about  18  feet  by  12  feet,  and  a 
nagged  portion  some  21  feet  by  6  feet. 

'•  The  space  between  the  front  of  the  labora- 
tory and  the  nagged  path  being  occupied  by  a 
small  independent  house  and  covered  run,  is 
very  useful  either  for  isolation  or  a.s  a  separate 
home  for  growing  kittens.  The  boundary 
wall  is  supported  by  4-foot  wire  netting  sup- 
ported by  3-foot  iron  stanchions,  thus  allowing 
a  free  edge  at  the  top  of  about  12  inches  to  be 
bent  inwards  and  left  loose.  This  I  find  a  suf- 
ficient safeguard  against  my  own  cats  getting 


io8 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


out  or  strange  cats  getting  in — a  very  important 
matter  at  all  times,  but  especially  so  at  certain 
periods,  if  breeds  are  to  be  kept  pure  and  pussy 
not  allowed  to  make  her  own  arrangements. 

"If  I  were 
asked  for  the 
very  best  design 
for  building,  fit- 
ting up,  and  fur- 
nishing a  small 
cattery,  I  fear 
I  could  only 
answer  that  re- 
quirements dif- 
fer so  in  indi- 
vidual cases 
that  it  is  im- 
possible to  draw 
a  hard-and-fast 
line  that  will 
meet  all  circum- 

THE  HON.  MRS.  MCLAREN  stances.      Here 

MORRISON.  is  a  photo  of  my 

(.Photo  .-  Esmi  Callings,  Hove.)  OWn(p.I07).     It 

is  the   outcome 

of  my  personal  experience,  and  answers  my  re- 
quirements fairly  well.  It  is  a  lean-to  structure, 
about  7  yards  long  by  2  yards  wide.  The  back 
and  one  end  is  formed  by  the  north  and  west 
boundary  walls,  while  the  east  end  joins  the 
dwelling-house,  thus  giving  it  a  south  aspect 
and  complete  shelter  from  north  and  east 
winds.  It  is  divided  into  two  unequal  por- 
tions, the  smaller  (east)  portion,  6  feet  by  6 
feet,  forming  the  cat-house  proper  ;  the  longer 
portion  is  the  covered  run.  The  front  of  the 
house  is  built  of  i-inch  wood,  with  a  lining  of 
wood  leaving  an  air  space  of  about  3  inches 
between  the  outer  and  inner  surface  of  the 
front  and  dividing  partition.  The  roof  is  of 
corrugated  iron,  with  a  ceiling  of  wood  about 
4  inches  below.  This  arrangement  of  double 
walls  and  roof  secures  reasonable  warmth  in  the 
winter,  but  not  quite  sufficient  coolness  for 
mothers  and  kittens  during  the  height  of  the 
summer.  So  the  roof  is  then  covered  with  a 
large  white  sheet  hooked  to  the  wall  about  12 
inches  above  the  roof  and  carried  over  a  rail 


in    front    about    the   same   height,    and   there 
securely  fastened.     This    arrangement  insures 
not  only  a  reasonable  temperature,  but  also  a 
never-ending   source   of  exercise   and   amuse- 
ment for  both  cats  and  kittens,  some  gambol- 
ling above,  while  others  hide  beneath  the  sheet. 
An  ordinary  sun  blind  along  the  front  com- 
pletes the  summer  arrangements.     The  front 
of  the  covered  run  is  closed  in  with  inch  mesh 
wire  netting  from  ground  to  roof,  fitted  on  the 
inside  with  removable  shutters,  18  inches  high, 
and,    above   these,   removable  window-sashes, 
closing  in  as  desired.     These  are  held  in  place 
with  turn-buttons,  so  they  are  easily  removed 
or  replaced  in  a  couple  of  minutes,  a  great  con- 
venience in  wet  or  changeable  weather,   and 
proving  very  cosy  in  the  winter.     The  run  is 
fitted  with  shelves  for  the  cats  to  lie  upon,  a 
table,  sleeping  boxes,  earth  pans,  two  chairs, 
and  an  artificial  tree  covered  with  cork,  which 
is  a  source   of  great  pleasure  when  the  cats 
are  confined  by  bad  weather  to  the  run.     The 
open  run  consists,  as  before  mentioned,  of  a 
space  about  18  feet  by  12  feet  ;  this  is  covered 
with  gravel  (which  in  such  limited  space  should 
be   renewed  at   least   once  a  year),  with  the 
exception  of    a   strip    some    18   inches    wide 
by  6  feet  long  on  the  west  side,  and  two  small 
corners   on    the   east  side,   reserved   for   grass. 
This  grass  reserve,  which  is  most  important 
for  the  keeping  of  Persian  cats  in  good  health, 
is  renovated  every  spring  with  fresh  lawn  seed, 
and  should  either  of  the  patches  suffer  unduly 
from   special  attentions  from   the   pets,   it   is 
wired  in  so  as  to  protect  it  until  it  recovers. 
By  this  plan  my  cats  secure  a  supply  of  grass 
all  the  year  round.     In  the  centre  of  the  gravel 
space  I  have  another  artificial  tree  (see  photo), 
about  8  feet  high  ;    it  is  as  great  a  favourite 
as  the  one  in  the  run,  and  as  it  is  hung  with  a 
loose  cord,  a  few  ping-pong  balls,  etc.,  it  is  a 
never-ending    source   of    fun   and   frolic.      To 
supplement  the  ground  space,  I  place  ladders 
leading  to  the  tops  of  the  roofs  of  the  out- 
buildings   and    cattery,    which    afford    extra 
space  for  exercise  and  a  charming,  interesting, 
and   envious  outlook   for    the    cats    into    my 
neighbour's  garden.     It  is  surprising  how  soon 


SOME    NOTABLE    CATTERIES. 


IOQ 


the  kittens  learn  to  climb  up  and  enjoy  the 
roofs. 

"  The  sleeping  house  contains  two  wired-in 
runs  going  round  two  sides,  about  2  feet  by 
12  feet  long,  containing  nest-box,  earth  pan, 
etc.  These  are  very  useful  for  keeping  a  queen 
and  litter  of  small  kittens  in.  There  are  also 
two  smaller  wired-in  runs,  2  feet  by  6  feet, 
fitted  like  the  larger  ones,  so  that  a  cat  may  be 
shut  up  at  any  time  if  necessary.  The  queens 
sleep  in  the  smaller  runs  in  the  winter.  Be- 
neath the  runs  a  small  cupboard  is  very  useful 
for  odds  and  ends  of  all  kinds. 

"In  so  limited  a  space  cleanliness  is  of  the 
utmost  importance.  The  house  and  runs  should 
be  swept  out,  and  the  earth  pans  should  be 
changed,  washed,  and  disinfected  every  day. 
The  question  of  supplying  dust  for  the  pans 
may  prove  a  source  of  anxiety  to  the  breeder 
confined  to  a  limited  space.  In  winter  the 
dwelling-house  fires  supply  about  sufficient 
ashes  daily  ;  in  summer  I  am  compelled  to 
fall  back  upon  sawdust,  which  answers  the 
purpose  very  well,  only  entailing  a  little  extra 
litter  in  the  runs  and  more  grooming  of  the 
coats.  Whatever  the  difficulty  in  this  direc- 
tion, it  must  be  overcome  and  the  pans  daily 
changed.  The  floors  and  shelves,  both  in  cat- 
house  and  covered  run,  should  be  washed  with 
hot  water  containing  some  disinfectant  at 
least  once  a  week,  and  the  wired-in  runs  for 
cats  and  kittens  thoroughly  done  out  with 
hot  Sanitas  distemper  every  time  they  are  re- 
quired for  fresh  occupants.  All  bedding  should 
be  changed  at  least  once  a  week,  and  as  little 
of  it  used  as  possible  in  summer.  All  plates, 
etc.,  used  for  food  must  be  thoroughly  washed 
after  each  meal. 

"  In  a  space  such  as  I  have  described  my  cats 
have  to  be  kept,  for  they  are  allowed  into  the 
dwelling-house  by  special  invitation  only  ;  but 
they  each  receive  this  treat  at  least  once  during 
the  day. 

"As  to  the  number  of  queens :  two  or  three  are 
ample  where  space  is  so  limited.  Where  the 
fresh  air  run  is  a  back  yard,  blues  are  the  very 
best  of  all  colours,  as  with  a  daily  grooming 
they  always  look  clean  and  presentable.  In  a 


space  such  as  we  are  considering  I  would  not 
on  any  account  recommend  the  keeping  of  a 
stud  cat.  The  want  of  necessary  exercise 
would  be  cruelty  to  it  ;  and  the  very  limited 
surroundings  unfair  to  those  who  might  wish 
for  his  services. 

"  It  is  of  imperative  importance  that  the 
queens  you  commence  with  be  of  pure  blue 
pedigree  ;  if  prize-winners  so  much  the  better, 
as  their  kittens  will  sell  more  readily. 

"  When  mating,  be  sure  that  your  queen  is  in 
perfect  health,  and  do  not  mate  her  too  young 
— in  my  opinion  twelve  months  is  young 
enough,  in  the  interest  of  mother  and  family. 
See  that  the  stud  cat  chosen  be  also  of  the 
best  possible  strain.  That  he  be  a  noted  prize- 
winner is  of  less  importance  than  that  he 
should  be  able  to  produce  kittens  that  will  win. 
He  must  have  size,  bone,  strength,  soundness 
of  colour, 
length  of 
coat,  and 
good  eyes. 
These  are 
indispens- 
able require- 
ments if  good 
blues  are  to 


MRS.    COLLINGWOOD    AND    "JAMES    II. 
(Photo :  Alice  Hughes,  Cower  Street.) 

be  produced.  He  should  especially  be  strong 
in  those  points  where  your  queen  may  be 
somewhat  weak  ;  thus  if  the  queen  be  de- 
ficient in  length  of  coat  or  frill,  or  in  colour, 


no 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


shape,  or  boldness  of  eye,  see  that,  the  selected 
stud-cat  excels  in  those  points,  and  so,  as  far 
as  possible,  correct  and  balance  the  points 
required  between  the  parents.  One  must  not 
expect  to  find  perfection  in  any  one  cat.  By 
using  care,  judgment,  and  forethought  in 
mating  our  pets,  we  shall  go  a  good  way  towards 
establishing  in  our  strain  the  points  necessary 
to  build  up  the  perfect  blue  Persian. 

"  All  my  kittens  have  been  born  in  a  Japanese 
dress  basket,  with  the  lid  standing  on  its  side 
and  the  bottom  half  thrust  into  it  cradlewise. 
The  outside  of  the  basket  proper  is  trimmed 
with  a  flounce,  which  helps  to  keep  out 
draughts  ;  over  the  top  is  thrown  a  small 
cloth  table-cover,  which  covers,  at  will,  the 
whole  or  part  of  the  opening,  thus  making  the 
little  one's  house  a  pretty  thing  to  lock  at. 
When  any  one  of  my  queens  is  about  to  have 
a  family  I  '  flee-flea  '  her,  which  I  consider 
most  essential  for  the  future  comfort  of  both 
mother  and  kittens  ;  then  I  bring  her  into  the 
house  three  or  four  days  before  the  expected 
event.  For  the  time  being  the  expectant 
mother  becomes  the  house  cat.  I  let  her  find 
her  own  bed,  which  has  already  been  prepared 
for  her,  by  carefully  closing  all  other  places  she 
might  be  likely  otherwise  to  choose.  When 
her  time  comes  I  stay  with  her  during  her 
trouble  ;  but  never  interfere  unless  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary. 

"  A  few  encouraging  words,  and  the  fact  that 
one  is  near,  seems  to  give  her  comfort.  If  a 
queen  shows  much  exhaustion,  I  give  a  little 
Brand's  Essence  with  a  few  drops  of  brandy  in  a 
spoon  ;  but  if  all  goes  smoothly  I  let  well  alone. 
There  is  no  need  to  press  food  upon  the  mother  ; 
she  will  not  require  it  until  some  time  after  the 
births  are  complete.  A  little  warm  milk  or 
gruel  offered  between  the  births  may  sometimes 
prove  a  comfort  ;  but  many  queens  will  not 
touch  it.  For  about  three  weeks,  that  is  to 
say  until  the  little  ones  creep  out  of  their  beds, 
I  keep  the  queen  and  her  family  in  the  dwelling- 
house  with  me,  changing  her  bed  every  other 
day.  After  the  first  week  I  make  it  a  rule  to 
handle  the  kittens  at  least  once  a  day,  and  if 
the  queen  has  more  than  three  to  bring  up  I 


begin,  at  two  weeks  old,  feeding  them  three 
times  a  day  with  a  few  drops  of  warm  sweet- 
ened milk  from  a  spoon,  increasing  the  quan- 
tity very  gradually  as  they  grow.  I  never 
wake  the  kittens  to  feed  them — sleep  is  as 
necessary  as  food  ;  but  always  arrange  to 
feed  them  just  after  the  little  ones  wake  ;  they 
are  then  hungry,  and  that  is  the  best  time  to 
assist  and  relieve  the  mother.  It  is  surprising 
how  soon  the  kits  enjoy  being  fed  and  look  out 
for  the  friendly  spoon. 

"  As  soon  as  the  little  ones  can  get  out  of  their 
bed  they  must  be  introduced  to  a  shallow  tin 
filled  with  ashes  or  earth.  I  prefer  ashes  to 
sawdust  for  very  little  kittens,  and  I  find  at  a 
month  old  they  will  regularly  use  it.  This  early 
lesson  in  cleanliness  is  invaluable,  as  later  on, 
with  reasonable  care,  they  never  forget  it. 
When  the  kittens  are  from  three  weeks  to  a 
month  old  I  remove  them,  with  the  mother 
(or  foster-mother),  to  their  own  little  run  in 
the  cattery,  where  I  visit  them  three  or  four 
times  a  day.  When  they  grow  stronger,  and 
as  early  as  the  weather  will  permit,  they  are 
introduced  to  the  open-air  run,  the  sunshine, 
and  the  other  cats. 

"  I  begin  the  grooming  as  early  as  possible, 
daily  brushing  the  little  things  in  their  bed  or 
on  my  lap  ;  it  improves  the  fur,  and  the  more 
they  are  groomed  the  sooner  they  get  to  like  and 
enjoy  it.  When  grooming  kittens  two  or  three 
months  old,  I  generally  have  three  or  four  try- 
ing to  get  under  the  brush  at  the  same  time, 
endeavouring  to  push  the  favoured  one  out  of 
the  way.  I  am  strongly  of  opinion  that  the 
frequent  handling  of  kittens  does  not  do  them 
any  harm,  but  does  tend  to  improve  their 
temper  and  increase  their  gentleness.  When 
I  have  callers  the  kittens  are  invariably 
fetched,  introduced  to,  and  fondled  by  the 
visitors,  so  that  they  become  not  the  least 
afraid  of  strangers  ;  as  a  result,  when  they  go 
to  new  homes  they  come  out  of  their  basket 
without  fear,  making  themselves  immediately 
at  home,  much  to  the  comfort  of  themselves 
and  their  new  owners. 

"  The  best  time  to  dispose  of  kittens  is  at 
about  eight  weeks  old.  Breeders  with  limited 


SOME    NOTABLE    CATTERIES. 


space  must  sell  young  and  quickly,  keeping 
only  the  one  or  two  of  the  season  thev  may 
either  wish  to  show  or  turn  into  next  year's 
brood  queens.  To  get  overcrowded  is  to 
court  disease  and  disappointment,  so  sell  early 
for  the  best  price  you  can  get  ;  but  sell  you 


must,  even  if  the  price  does  not  seem  any- 
thing approaching  the  true  value  of  the  kittens. 
The  first  loss  will  be  the  known  loss— most 
certainly  far  less  than  that  involved  in  the  risk 
of  keeping  one  or  two  more  kittens  than  youi 
space  should  accommodate." 


A   MORNING   MEAL   AT    BOSSINGTON. 
(Photo:  A.  J.  Anderson  &  Co.,  Luton.) 


112 


BLACK   PERSIAN    "  JOHNNIE    PASTE,      OWNED    BY   DR.    ROPER. 

(Photo:   Lavender,  Bromley.) 


CHAPTER    IX. 


BLACK    PERSIANS. 


1VTEVER  have  these  truly  handsome  cats 
i.\  received  the  amount  of  admiration  and 
attention  which  they  deserve.  There 
are  fewer  breeders  of  black  Persians  than  of 
any  other  variety,  the  two  most  noted  fanciers 
being  Dr.  Roper  and  Mr.  Robert  Little.  Both 
of  these  gentlemen  have  owned  and  exhibited 
very  handsome  specimens  ;  Miss  Kirkpatrick 
has  also  bred  some  lovely  black  kittens.  The 
entries  in  the  black  classes  at  our  shows  are 
almost  invariably  the  smallest  ;  but  as  a 
specialist  club  for  black  and  white  Persians 
has  been  started,  it  is  hoped  more  encourage- 
ment will  be  given  to  the  breeders  of  these 
handsome  self-coloured  cats. 

As  in  the  other  self-coloured  cats,  the  chief 
point  is  absolute  uniformity  of  colour  through- 
out. It  is  fatal  for  a  black  cat  to  have  a  brown, 
rusty  tinge  ;  it  should  be  a  glossy  jet  black, 
betraying  no  bands  or  bars  in  the  full  light, 
and  having  no  undercoat  of  a  lighter  shade, 
and,  above  all,  no  spot  or  tuft  of  white  hairs 
on  the  throat.  This  latter  is  a  very  common 
fault  amongst  black  cats,  and  it  is  one  which 


takes  away  enormously  from  the  value  of  the 
specimen,  for  either  show  or  breeding  purposes. 
In  some  other  varieties  of  Persian  cats  two, 
or  even  three,  colours  for  eyes  are  permissible  ; 
but  a  really  good  black  cat  must  have  the  full 
round  eyes  of  deep  orange,  and  very  attrac- 
tive are  these  gleaming  orbs,  shining  forth 
from  their  dense  black  surroundings.  When 
black  cats  are  changing  their  coats  they  often 
present  a  very  rusty  appearance,  and  newly 
born  kittens  are  sometimes  like  balls  of  brown 
fluff.  These,  however,  frequently  grow  up 
the  very  best-coloured  blacks.  This  breed  is 
very  strong  and  healthy,  and  often  grow  into 
large,  massive  cats.  A  tortoiseshell  female  is 
a  splendid  mate  for  a  black  male,  and  some 
of  the  most  noted  blacks  have  been  bred  in 
this  way.  Two  brown  tabbies  will  generally 
produce  one,  if  not  more,  good  blacks  in  a 
litter. 

Black  cats  have  been  found  very  use- 
ful to  breeders  of  silver  tabbies  and  smokes 
for  this  reason — that  these  two  breeds  re- 
quire to  have  their  markings  and  colourings 


BLACK   PERSIANS. 


intensified.  That  is,  a  silver  tabby  with  dark 
grey  markings  is  not  a  true  type,  and  a  smoke 
with  an  upper  coat  of  cinder  colour  does  not 
represent  the  true  smoke.  Therefore  the 
introduction  of  a  black  cross  is  often  a  great 
advantage  to  these  breeds.  There  is  certainly 
not  much  demand  for  black  kittens,  and  we 
never  hear  of  very  high  prices  being  asked  or 
given  for  these,  or,  indeed,  for  full-grown  cats. 
But  as  "  every  dog  has  his  day,"  so,  perhaps, 
there  is  a  good  time  coming  for  blacks ;  and 
certainly  beginners  in  the  fancy  might  do  worse 
than  to  provide  themselves  with  a  thoroughly 


grey  or  blue  is  seen  it  is  a  great  defect.  The 
nose  should  be  black,  and  the  pads  of  the  feet 
also. 

I  do  not  remember  having  seen  or  heard  of 
an  imported  Persian  black  cat.  In  an  article 
on  imported  cats  in  Our  Cats  the  writer 
(whose  name  is  not  given)  says: — "White  cats 
with  blue  eyes  are  not  often  to  be  obtained 
from  abroad,  neither  are  the  blacks  warranted 
to  possess  the  amber  eyes  voted  correct  by 
up-to-date  cattists.  I  know  cf  a  black  queen 
straightHrwn  the  land  of  cats  and  the  palace 
of  the  Shah  himself  ;  it  had  the  most  glorious 


CHAMPION      "  MENKLIK      III.         (AMERICAN). 
THE  PROPERTY  OF  MRS.  BOND,  WASHINGTON. 


good  black  queen,  for,  anyhow,  in  exhibiting 
the  chance  of  honours  is  very  much  greater 
than  when  competing  in  classes  in  which  there 
are  so  many  entries,  as  in  the  case  of  blues  and 
silvers. 

For  very  obvious  reasons  black  cats  are 
the  very  best  animals  for  those  living  in 
London  or  near  large  towns.  They  can  never 
present  a  dirty  appearance,  and,  therefore,  in 
this  particular  they  will  always  score  over  the 
whites,  creams,  and  silvers.  To  keep  their 
coats  glossy  and  bright  black  cats  should  be 
well  brushed  and  groomed.  They  will  repay 
tor  this  care  and  attention.  Our  American 
•cousins  call  self-coloured  cats  "  solid,"  and 
as  applied  to  blacks  this  is  especially  expres- 
sive, for  a  black  should  not  have  a  suspicion 
of  any  other  colour  than  a  dense  black.  If, 
when  the  coat  is  blown  apart,  a  shading  of 
8 


emerald  eyes  it  is  possible  to  imagine — as 
different  from  the  ordinary  run  of  green  as 
flaming  amber  is  from  faded  yellow.  This 
cat,  a  Persian  among  Persians,  had  a  coat  as 
black  as  the  proverbial  jet — perfectly  black 
throughout — long  and  straight,  of  fine,  silky 
texture,  but  not  giving  one  the  impression  of 
massiveness  that  is  such  a  prominent  feature 
of  the  type  of  imported  cat.  Moderate  in  size, 
slightly  built,  with  an  expression  so  foreign  that 
it  amounted  to  weirdness.  this  cat  could  with 
a  dash  of  imagination  have  been  worked  up 
into  the  incarnation  of  a  spirit,  a  soothsayer, 
the  veiled  beauty  of  a  harem,  a  witch,  snake 
charmer — what  you  choose  ;  but  always  re- 
main something  far  apart  from  prosaic  England, 
something  tinged  with  romance  and  the 
picturesqueness  cf  the  mystical  East.  This 
black  cat  was  undoubtedly  a  typical  Persian.1* 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


As  there  is  such  a  dearth  of  good  black  cats 
in  England,  it  is  a  pity  some  enterprising 
breeder  does  not  try  to  import  a  really  splendid 
specimen,  which  might  bring  luck  to  himself 
and  the  fancy. 

In  looking  back  to  the  old  catalogues  of 
Crystal  Palace  shows,  I  find  the  same  scarcity 
of  blacks  exhibited  as  at  the  present  day.  In 
1886  the  black  male  class  is  marked  "  no 
entry,"  and  in  1889  Mrs.  H.  Warner  (now  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison)  makes  the  sole 
and  only  entry  of  "  Imp  "  in  the  black  class. 
It  was  in  the  following  year,  however,  that 
this  same  well-known  lady  fancier  exhibited 
"  Satan,"  a  black  that  was  never  beaten  whilst 
it  lived.  It  was  the  most  remarkable  of 
unapproachable  excellence  I  can  remember— 
a  veritable  triton  among  minnows. 

In  many  of  the  accounts  of  our  largest 
shows  I  remark  such  paragraphs  as  these  : 
"  Good  blacks  with  orange  eyes  were  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence."  Or  again:  "The 
black  classes,  as  usual,  were  poorly  filled."  It 
is,  therefore,  high  time  that  this  beautiful 
breed  should  receive  more  attention  at  the 
hands  of  fanciers,  and  that  not  only  beginners 
but  those  who  are  well  known  in  the  cat  world 
should  take  up  blacks,  and,  as  the  expression 
goes,  "  run  them  for  all  they  are  worth."  At 
present  Dr.  Roper's  and  Mr.  R.  Little's  black 
Persians  have  it  all  their  own  way.  Mrs. 
Lenty  Collins  frequently  has  a  look  in  with 
her  wonderful  big-eyed  "  Forest  Beauty,"  and 
Mrs.  Crowther,  in  the  North,  is  faithful  to  this 
her  favourite  breed  of  cats  ;  but  we  want 
some  more  dusky  beauties  to  swell  the  ranks 
of  black  Persians. 

As  everyone  knows,  a  vast  deal  of  super- 
stition is  connected  with  a  black  cat.  This  is 
what  Harrison  Weir  has  to  say  on  the  subject  :— 
"  It  is  often  said,  'What's  in  a  name  ? '  The 
object,  whatever  it  is,  by  any  other  would 
be  the  same  ;  and  yet  there  is  much  in  a 
name.  But  this  is  not  the  question  at  issue, 
which  is  that  of  colour.  Why  should  a  black 
cat  be  thought  so  widely  different  from  all 
others  by  the  foolish,  unthinking,  and  ignorant  ? 
Why,  simply  on  account  of  its  colour  being 


black,  should  it  have  ascribed  to  it  a  numberless 
variety  of  bad  omens,  besides  having  certain 
necromantic  power  ?  In  Germany,  for  in- 
stance, black  cats  are  kept  away  from  children 
as  omens  of  evil  ;  and  if  a  black  cat  appealed 
in  the  room  of  one  lying  ill,  it  was  said  to 
portend  death.  To  meet  a  black  cat  in  the 
twilight  was  held  unlucky.  In  the  '  good  old 
times '  a  black  cat  was  generally  the  only 
colour  that  was  favoured  by  men  reported  to 
be  wizards,  and  black  cats  were  said  to  be 
the  constant  companions  of  witches  ;  and  in 
such  horror  and  detestation  were  they  then 
held  that  when  the  unfortunate  creatures 
were  ill-treated,  drowned,  or  even  burned, 
very  frequently,  we  are  told,  their  cats  suffered 
martyrdom  at  the  same  time.  It  is  possible 
that  one  of  the  reasons  for  such  wild,  savage 
superstition  may  have  arisen  from  the  fact  of 
the  larger  amount  of  electricity  to  be  found 
by  friction  in  the  coat  of  the  black  cat  than  of 
any  other  ;  experiments  prove  there  is  but 
very  little  either  in  that  of  the  white  or  the 
red  tabby  cat.  Be  this  as  it  may,  still  the  fact 
remains  that,  for  some  reason  or  other,  the 
black  cat  is  held  by  the  prejudiced  ignorant 
as  an  animal  most  foul  and  detestable,  and 
wonderful  stories  are  related  of  their  actions 
in  the  dead  of  the  night  during  thunderstorms. 
Yet,  as  far  as  I  can  discover,  there  appears 
little  difference  either  of  temper  or  habit  in 
the  black  cat  distinct  from  that  of  any  other 
colour,  though  it  is  maintained  by  many 
even  to  this  day  that  black  cats  are  far  more 
vicious  and  spiteful,  and  of  higher  courage, 
and  this  last  I  admit.  Still,  when  a  black  cat 
,  is  enraged  and  its  coat  and  tail  are  well  '  set 
up,'  its  form  distended,  its  round,  bright, 
orange  eye  all  aglow  with  anger,  it  certainly 
presents  to  even  the  most  impartial  observer, 
to  say  the  least  of  it,  a  most  '  uncanny ' 
appearance.  But,  for  all  this,  their  admirers 
are  by  no  means  few  ;  and,  to  my  thinking,  a 
jet-black  cat,  fine  and  glossy  in  fur  and  elegantly 
formed,  certainly  has  its  attractions." 

But  although  black  cats  are  supposed  to  be 
harbingers  of  evil  under  some  conditions,  yet 
in  others  they  are  credited  with  miraculous 


BLACK   PERSIANS. 


iii 


K1TTKX    BRED    BV    MISS    KIRKI'ATKICK. 

(Photo  :    K.  Landor,  Baling.) 

healing  powers.  In  Cornwall,  sore  eyes  in 
children  are  said  to  be  cured  by  passing  the 
tail  of  a  black  cat  nine  times  over  the  part 
affected  ;  and  in  some  parts  of  the  country 
the  presence  in  the  house  of  a  black  cat  is 
both  an  antidote  and  a  cure  for  epilepsy. 

1  think  that  most  cat  fanciers  are  inclined 
to  believe  in  the  possible  luck  that  a  stray 
black  cat  may  bring  them,  and  perhaps  be 
more  inclined  to  take  in  a  stranger  of  this 
particular  breed  than  one  of  another  colour. 

There  is  an  old  Scotch  proverb  that  says  : 

"  Whenever  the  cat  o'   the  house  is  black, 
The  lasses   o'  lovers  will  have  no  lack." 

The  celebrated  ''  Fawe "  strain  of  black 
Persians  is  well  known  in  the  fancy.  Dr. 
Roper  has  sent  me  some  notes  on  his  famous 
prize-winning  cats,  together  with  some  useful 
information  regarding  the  breed  with  which 
his  name  has  become  associated  : — 

"  For  many  years  black  Persians  were  a 
most  popular  breed  ;  but,  like  fashions,  for 
•  the  time  being  other  colours,  I  regret  to  see, 
are  obtaining  more  notice  from  fanciers.  For 
years  I  plodded  away  to  breed  what  I  con- 
sidered a  perfect  black  Persian  ;  at  last  my 
labours  were  crowned  with  success.  \Yhat 
can  equal  a  richly  coloured,  heavily  coated, 
deep  orange-eyed  black  ? 

"  In  breeding  blacks,  like  any  other  colour, 


it  is  essential  you  should  procure  the  best  of 
stock,  and  be  prepared  to  give  a  fair  sum  for 
such,  otherwise  you  are  almost  sure  to  be  dis- 
appointed in  your  results,  and,  maybe,  retire 
as  a  fancier  of  this  colour  and  try  some  other  ; 
but  you  will  meet  with  the  same  fate  if  you 
hold  the  same  views  as  to  expense.  A  black 
Persian  should  be  perfect  in  colour,  with 
absence  of  white  hairs,  cobby  in  shape,  short 
in  leg,  tail  bushy  and  not  too  long,  eyes  large 
and  deep-orange,  a  good  broad  head,  ears  short 
with  tufts  and  well  set  apart,  short  face,  coat 
long  and  silky. 

"  Having  stated  the  points,  I  will  now  give 
my  experience  of  breeding. 

"  In  my  opinion,  it  is  most  important  the 
sire  should  be  a  black,  and  one  of  his  parents 
a  black,  whatever  colour  the  queen  is.  I  have 
had  greatest  success  in  breeding  from  a  black 
sire  and  a  tortoiseshell  queen.  Through  this 
cross  you  may  get  either  blacks  or  tortoise- 
shells.  As  an  instance  I  quote  '  Johnnie  Fawe ' 
(black)  and  Champion  '  Dainty  Diana  '  (tor- 
toiseshell). From  these  I  have  bred  many 
good  blacks,  amongst  them  '  Dick  Fawe,' 
'  Lady  Victoria,'  and  other  good  ones  ;  also 
good  tortoiseshells,  three  of  them  having  taken 
championships.  Blacks  may  also  be  bred 
from  a  black  and  a  blue,  or  two  blacks — in 
this  case,  cross  the  sire  with  one  of  his  pro- 
geny, which  I  have  found  very  successful.  I 
admit  there  are  other  ways  of  breeding  blacks, 
but  in  my  experience  the  three  ways  I  have 


MRS.  LITTLE'S  BLACK  PERSIAN  "  COLLKKN." 

(I'lio/o:  D.  Kn/tle,  Beckenlmm.) 


THE   BOOK    OF   THE    CAT. 


suggested  have  proved  to  be  the  most  satis- 
factory. 

"  In  breeding,  to  be  sure  of  success  so  far 
as  the  eyes  are  concerned,  if  possible  it  is  better 
that  both  parents  should  have  orange  eyes, 
the  deeper  the  better  ;  but  it  is  most  essential 
the  sire  should  have  good  orange  eyes.  Not- 
withstanding the  queen's  eyes  being  light 
amber,  by  crossing  with  a  good  orange-eyed 
sire  the  kittens  are  very  likely  to  have  good- 
coloured  eyes,  but  not  vice  versd.  As  an  in- 
stance, I  once  purchased  a  very  handsome 


the  age  of  six  months.  I  remember  once  giving 
away  a  kitten  at  three  months  old  which  I  called 
iron  grey  and  thought  would  or  could  never  be 
black.  Six  months  after  I  saw  my  friend,  who 
thanked  me  very  much  for  the  lovely  black 
kitten.  Two  months  after  seeing  him  I  saw 
the  cat :  there  were  no  white  hairs,  and  the 
colour  was  a  perfect  black.  This  last  Rich- 
mond show  I  showed  a  black  kitten,  aged  seven 
months  ;  it  took  a  first,  a  second,  and  a  special. 
At  three  months  old  I  thought  it  was  going  to 
be  a  smoke.  It  was  claimed  by  the  Hon. 


THE     CAROL     SINGKRS. 
(Photo  :  E.  Laniior,  Ealing.) 


black  queen,  perfect  in  all  points  with  the 
exception  of  the  eyes,  which  were  very  light 
amber.  I  mated  her  to  '  Dick  Fawe,'  who  had 
the  deepest  orange  eyes  I  have  yet  seen  in  a 
black  ;  the  kittens  developed  orange  eyes.  I 
have  mated  in  the  opposite  way,  and  the  result 
has  been  unsatisfactory  so  far  as  the  eyes  have 
been  concerned,  and  if  breeding  for  show  the 
colour  of  the  eyes  is  most  important.  The  late 
Mr.  Welburn,  a  well-known  judge,  once  said 
in  one  of  his  reviews  of  blacks  at  a  large  show 
(I  think  it  was  the  Crystal  Palace),  '  I  scarcely 
think  that  eyes  alone  should  carry  an  award, 
yet  it  is  always  best  to  uphold  the  desired  pro- 
perties so  hard  to  obtain.' 

"  Having  bred  a  litter  of  black  kittens,  it 
is  unwise  to  make  up  your  mind  what  colour 
they  are  going  to  be  until  they  have  attained 


Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison.  I  have  a  kitten 
now,  aged  three  months,  perfectly  bronze  in 
colour  and  a  grey  frill.  I  have  no  doubt  at 
seven  months  old  it  will  be  a  perfect  black. 
I  have  given  these  illustrations  in  order  that 
.those  who  are  thinking  of  going  in  for  blacks 
should  not  give  up  all  hope  of  the  kittens  be- 
coming black  until  the  age  I  have  stated. 

"  I  breed  my  kittens  from  January  to  July, 
and  find  they  do  much  better  in  the  catteries, 
all  of  mine  being  separate  ;  and  I  find  Spratt's 
movable  runs  most  useful.  In  showing  blacks 
they  should  be  brushed  and  rubbed  with  a 
Selvyt  cloth  daily  one  month  previously  and 
kept  free  of  matted  hair.  The  application  of 
Brilliantine  or  American  Bay  Rum  in  small 
quantity  brushed  on  gives  a  perfect  gloss  to 
their  coats." 


• 


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n8 


CHAPTER    X. 

WHITE     PERSIANS. 


A  GREAT  change   has  taken  place  of  late 
years  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  these 
beautiful  cats,  for  whereas  formerly  blue 
eyes  were  considered  quite  a  rarity,  now  it  is 
seldom   we    see    any    yellow-eyed    white    cats 
exhibited  at  our  principal   shows.     The  most 
perfect   type  of  a  white  Persian  is  assuredly 


with  human  beings,  they  are  extremely 
fiery  with  their  fellows.  There  are  two 
points  peculiar  to  white  cats— they  are 
frequently  stone  deaf,  and  they  very  often 
have  odd-coloured  eyes.  Certainly  the  deaf- 
ness is  a  drawback,  and  in  selecting  a  white 
cat  care  should  be  taken  to  ascertain  if  the 


JUNGFRAU,      SIRE    AND    GRANDSIKK    OK    MANY   AMERICAN    WINNERS. 
(Photo:    W.   F.   Arnold,  Oak  Park,   III.) 


to  be  found  amongst  the  imported  cats  ;  there 
is  a  certain  beauty  of  form  and  silkiness  of 
fur  which  is  not  possessed  by  the  specimens 
bred  in  this  country.  They  are  also  generally 
distinguished  by  unusually  long  coats,  round 
heads,  tiny  ears,  and  wonderful  toe  tufts. 

One  of  the  most  lovely  white  imported  cats 
was  exhibited  by  Lady  Marcus  Beresford  at 
the  Westminster  Cat  Club  Show  in  1900.  The 
best  judges  declared  that  there  was  not  a 
fault  to  find  with  "  Nourmahal,"  but  her  career 
was  a  short  one.  These  imported  cats  are 
often  of  a  rather  savage  disposition,  and, 
although  they  can  be  sweet-tempered  enough 


specimen  is  possessed  of  sound  hearing.  Need- 
less to  say,  there  are  many  ways  of  arriving 
at  the  solution  of  what  is  really  a  mysterious 
dispensation  of  Providence,  for  why  should 
one  particular  breed  of  the  feline  race  be  so 
constantly  minus  this  useful  sense  ?  Then, 
again,  as  regards  the  quaint  arrangement  of 
different-coloured  eyes.  One  might  not  be  so 
surprised  if  the  eyes  of  white  cats  were  some- 
times pink,  for  their  noses  are  pink,  and  the 
cushions  of  their  feet,  and,  as  in  human  beings, 
we  might  expect  to  have  albinos  amongst 
cats,  namely  white  with  pink  eyes ;  but 
Harrison  Weir  states  he  has  never  seen  pink- 


WHITE    PERSIANS. 


iig 


eyed  whites,  although  it  has  been  asserted 
that  they  exist.  This  peculiarity,  however, 
of  odd  eyes  seems  only  to  be  found  in  white 
cats,  the  two  colours  being  blue  and  yellow. 
Occasionally  white  cats  have  wonderful  sea- 
green  eyes  ;  and,  although  these  are  decidedly 
very  uncommon,  no  colour  is  so  com- 
pletely in  accord  with  the  purity  of  the  coat 
as  eyes  of  heavenly  blue.  The  tone  should 
be  not  so  much  of  a  sapphire  as  of  the  deep 
forget-me-not  blue.  One  of  the  drawbacks 
to  white  Persians  is  the  difficulty  of  keeping 
them  in  spotlessly  clean  condition.  This  is 
absolutely  impossible  if  they  are  living  in  or 
near  a  town,  and  certainly  a  white  cat  soiled 
is  a  white  cat  spoiled. 

As  regards  the  mating  of  blue-eyed  white 
cats,  I  have  been  told  by  experienced  breeders 
of  this  variety  that  kittens  with  blue  eyes  are 
just  as  frequently  bred  from  odd-eyed  parents, 
or,  at  least,  when  one  of  the  parents  has  dif- 
ferent-coloured eyes.  It  is  easy  to  tell  whether 
the  baby  blue  eyes  are  likely  to  retain  their 
colour  or  turn  yellow.  If  at  about  three 
weeks  or  a  month  old  the  blue  becomes  tinted 
with  green,  then  surely  but  sadly  may  we 
make  up  our  minds  that  these  kittens  have 
not  a  distinguished  career  before  them, 
for  they  will  see  and  be  seen  with  yellow  eyes. 
It  is  a  pity  to  try  mating  white  cats  with 
any  other  variety,  as  broken  -  coloured  cats 
will  probably  be  the  result.  It  frequently 
happens  that  white  kittens,  when  quite  young, 
have  smudges  of  grey  on  their  heads  ;  these 
gradually  disappear.  In  America  white  cats 
seem  prime  favourites,  and  the  demand  ex- 
ceeds the  supply  for  importation  of  white 
Persians  with  blue  eyes.  At  the  last  Beres- 
-ford  Cat  Club  Show  the  entries  in  the  white 
classes  were  very  large.  The  classification 
included  and  provided  for  golden-  and  blue- 
eyed  whites,  and  these  were  subdivided  ac- 
cording to  sex,  and  all  the  classes  were  well 
filled.  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke's  "Lord  Gwynne" 
is  a  noted  white  stud  cat  on  the  other  side  of 
the  water,  as  is  also  Mrs.  Colbourn's  ''  Paris." 

The  devotees  of  the  white  cat  in  our  own 
country  are  not  many  in  number.  I  may 


mention  Mrs.  Finnic  Young  and  Miss  Hunt, 
who  are  perhaps  the  most  successful  breeders 
of  whites  in  Scotland ;  and  in  the  south  we 
have  Mrs.  Pettit,  whose  tribe  of  blue-eyed 
whites  I  had  recently  the  pleasure  of  seeing. 
No' more  lovely  specimens  could  be  imagined, 
and  I  counted  more  than  a  dozen  long-coated, 
full-grown,  bonnie  blue-eyed  beauties,  walking 
about  in  the  woods  surrounding  Mrs.  Pettit's 
dwelling-place  near  St.  Leonards  -  on  -  Sea. 
The  illustration  shows  Mrs.  Pettit  surrounded 
by  eight  of  her  pretty  white  pussies.  Mrs. 
Westlake,  Mrs,  Xott,  Miss  White  Atkins,  and 
Miss  Kerswill  are  all  successful  and  enthusi- 
astic breeders  of  white  Persians. 

Several  well-known  fanciers  keep  one  white 
cat  amongst  their  flock.  I  may  mention  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison,  the  owner  of 
"  Musafer,"  a  famous  imported  puss,  and  Lady 
Decies,  the  former  possessor  of  "  Powder  Puff," 
who  has  recently  been  presented  to  H.H.  Prin- 
cess Victoria  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  There  is 
always  a  keen  demand  for  white  kittens, 
either  as  pretty  pets  or,  if  with  correct-coloured 
eyes,  for  breeding  purposes,  and,  doubtless, 
when  more  encouragement  is  given  to  this 
beautiful  variety,  there  will  be  an  increase  of 
fanciers  of  the  white  cat,  whose  praises  have 
been  sung  in  fairy  tales,  nursery  rhymes, 


MRS.  MCLAREN'S  WHITE  PERSIAN  "  LADVSMITH." 

(.Photo:  C.  Reid   Wishaw.) 


w 


WHITE    PERSIANS. 


121 


and  by  novelists  who  have  a  weakness  for 
describing  interiors  with  a  beautiful  white 
Persian  cat  reclining  on  the  hearthrug. 

I  am  indebted  for  the  following  notes  on 
white  Persians  to  Miss  M.  Hunt,  whose  beau- 
tiful white  cat  "  Crystal "  appeared  on  an 
earlier  page,  and  by  an  unfortunate  mistake 
was  stated  to  be  the  property  of  Mrs.  Finnie 
Young  : — 

"  The  blue-eyed  white  Persian  is,  I  consider, 
one  of  the  most  interesting  to  breed,  and,  in 
my  experience,  no  more  delicate  or  difficult 
to  rear  than  any  other  Persian. 

"  I  have  had  them  now  for  nearly  four  years, 
and,  I  think  I  may  say,  with  a  good  deal  of 
success.  I  bought  '  Crystal '  in  1898,  when 
four  months  old,  and  she  certainly  has 
been  a  good  investment.  Out  of  the  sixteen 
white  kittens  she  lias  had,  ten  of  them  have 
been  blue-eyed. 

"  The  very  best  kitten  I  owned  was  never 
exhibited ;  he  went  to  Mrs.  Champion,  who 
considered  him  the  best  and  healthiest  kitten 
for  his  age  she  had  ever  seen.  Unfortunately, 
he  died  suddenly  shortly  after  she  had  him.  He 
was  by  Champion  'White  Friar'  ex  '  Crystal,' 
and  was  one  of  the  same  litter  as  '  Jovial 
Monk,'  which  did  so  much  winning  for  Miss 
Ward,  who  purchased  him  from  me  at  the 
Crystal  Palace,  where  he  took  first.  '  Crystal ' 
herself  has  only  once  been  beaten  by  a  white 
cat,  and  that  had  not  even  blue  eyes  ;  but  she 
was  in  splendid  coat,  and  '  Crystal  '  was  quite 
put  of  coat.  Most  judges  are  agreed,  I  think, 
that  '  Crystal '  is  the  best  blue-eyed  white 
female  in  the  country. 

"  The  colour  of  the  eyes  of  white  kits  can  be 
told  much  earlier  than  in  any  other  colour  ; 
some  I  can  tell  as  soon  as  they  are  open,  others 
I  am  not  quite  sure  of  till  they  are  about  a 
fortnight  old.  The  eyes  are  generally  bright 
blue  from  the  beginning,  without  a  shade  of 
kitten  grey  in  them.  I  do  not  think  that  both 
parents  having  blue  eyes  makes  much  differ- 
ence to  the  number  of  blue-eyed  kits  in  the 
litter.  If  one  parent  is  blue-eyed  and  the 
other  odd-eyed  the  result  is  often  just  as  good. 
I  know  of  a  green-eyed  queen  which  had  a 


litter  of  three  by  Champion  '  White  Friar  '- 
all  were  blue-eyed. 

"  As  to  deafness,  I  cannot  account  for  it  at 
all,  as  it  often  appears,  though  both  parents 
have  perfect  hearing. 

"  Since  Mrs.  Finnie  Young  and  I  purchased 
'  White  Friar  '  in  1900,  whites  have  become 
much  more  plentiful  in  Scotland,  and  the  com- 
petition is  now  very  keen  indeed  up  North. 
'  White  Friar '  has  had  a  very  successful 
career_  since  he  came  into  our  hands,  both  as 
sire  and  on  the  show  bench,  and  can  still  hold 
his  own  against  all  comers.  He  has  won 
sixteen  first  prizes  since  1900,  besides  cham- 
pionships and  numerous  specials." 

Mrs.  Champion,  whose  name  is  well  known 
in  "  catty  "  circles,  and  who  has  now  left  these 
shores  for  America,  did  a  great  deal  to  estab- 
lish a  thoroughly  good  strain  of  white,  blue- 
eyed  Persians.  Her  celebrated  "  White  Friar  " 
(now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Finnie  Young 
and  Miss  Hunt)  is  justly  considered  the  finest 
male  specimen  in  the  fancy.  Certainly  he 
could  only  have  been  beaten  by  his  son  "  White 
Tsar,"  bred  by  Mrs.  Champion  from  her 
"White  Witch."  This  cat,  which  assuredly 
would  have  had  a  notable  career,  was  sold  by 
Mrs.  Champion  for  £20  to  Mrs.  Colbourn,  in 
America.  He  arrived  in  poor  condition  and 
died  shortly  afterwards.  I  remember  seeing 
an  absolutely  perfect  white  Persian  kitten  at 
Mrs.  Champion's.  It  was  by  "  White  Friar  " 
ex  "Crystal."  He  had  startling  deep  blue 
eyes,  tiny  ears,  and  broad,  round  head,  and  at 
nine  weeks  old  his  coat  measured  nearly  three 
inches  across.  Alas  !  though  healthy  and 
strong,  this  proved  too  perfect  a  specimen  for 
this  world,  and  "  Crystal  Friar  "  succumbed 
to  the  epidemic  of  gastritis  then  raging  amongst 
our  feline  pets.  Referring  back  to  celebrated 
white  Persian  cats  of  the  past,  I  well  recollect 
the  marvellous  size  and  splendid  coat  of  Mrs. 
Lee's  "  Masher."  who  took  the  cat  world  by 
storm  when  exhibited  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in 
1890.  This  enthusiastic  fancier  paid  £21  for 
"  Masher,"  whose  show  career  was  shortened 
by  an  accident.  This  cat  was  remarkable  in 
those  days,  if  only  for  his  grand  blue  eyes. 


122 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


"  CRYSTAL. 
THE  PROPERTY  OF  Miss  M.  HUNT 
(I'hoto  :   C.  Reid,  Wishaui.) 

The  well-known  breeder  and  judge  Mr. 
A.  A.  Clarke,  whose  name  is  more  closely 
connected  with  blue  Persians,  once  owned 
a  famous  female  called  "  Miss  Whitey."  I 
remember  that  this  really  remarkable  cat  was 
exhibited  in  1887  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  and 
again  in  the  following  year,  when  at  four  years 
old  she  took  first  prize  and  silver  medal  in  a 
strong  class  of  nine  females.  It  seems  to  me 
that  these  cats,  as  I  recollect  them,  appeared 
half  as  large  again  as  the  present-day  champion 
winning  whites  ;  but  whether  this  was  in  con- 
sequence of  more  profuse  coat  or  a  generally 
bigger  build  of  animal  I  cannot  at  this  distance 
of  time  pretend  to  determine. 

Amongst  the  well-known  prize-winners  and 
stud  white  Persian  cats  of  the  present  day  I 
may  mention  Miss  White  Atkin's  massive- 
limbed  "  White  Knight,"  whose  broad  skull  is 
especially  remarkable  in  a  show-pen,  and  com- 
mends itself  to  the  notice  of  the  judge.  Miss 
Harper's  "  Blue-eyed  Wanderer  "  has  great 
quality  and  lovely  texture  of  coat.  He  was  in 
truth  a  wanderer  in  the  streets  of  a  London 
suburb,  and,  although  labelled  "  breeder  and 
pedigree  unknown,"  he  has  almost  always 
held  his  own  in  the  white  classes  at  our  largest 


shows.  Mrs.  Westlake,  Mrs.  Pettit,  Mrs. 
Finnic,  and  Miss  Hunt  are  all  possessed  of 
imported  white  cats,  which  have  proved 
worthy  ancestors  of  many  prize-winning  kittens. 
There  have  not  been  any  very  notable  female 
white  cats  exhibited  since  the  appearance  of 
Lady  Marcus  Beresford's  "  Nourmahal,"  with 
the  exception  of  Miss  M.  Hunt's  "  Crystal  " 
and  Mrs.  Pettit's  most  lovely  "  Piquante 
Pearl,"  bred  by  her  from  her  stud  cat  "  King  of 
the  Pearls  "  and  "  Beautiful  Pearl."  This  cat 
is  as  near  perfection  as  possible,  and  has 
,  carried  off  highest  honours  whenever  exhibited. 
Mrs.  Pettit  began  breeding  white  Persians  in 
1896,  and  has  kept  faithful  to  this  breed  ever 
since.  This  enthusiastic  breeder  always  accom- 
panies her  exhibits,  and  her  precious  Pearls 
are  never  seen  at  the  smaller  mixed  shows.  I 
have  always  heard  that  white  kittens  are 
difficult  to  rear,  and  Mrs.  Pettit,  who  should 
be  well  qualified  to  give  her  testimony  on  this 
point,  says :  "  Without  a  doubt  blue-eyed 
white  Persians  are  the  most  delicate  cats  in 
existence."  A  well-known  authority  on  cats, 
writing  to  one  of  the  cat  papers,  says :  "What 
a  change  has  taken  place  in  our  white  classes, 
long-  and  short-haired  !  A  few  years  ago 
white  cats  with  green  or  yellow  eyes  frequently 
were  prize-winners,  and  a  blue-eyed  white  was 
looked  upcn  as  a  rarity.  Now  blue  eyes  have 
it  all  their  own  way,  and  judges  are  becoming 
more  and  more  exacting  as  to  the  depth  of 
tone  and  quality  of  the  blue  tint.  If  we  could 
obtain  a  white  Persian  with  the  glorious  eye 
of  the  Siamese,  it  would  be  a  treasure  indeed." 

A  gentleman  who  has  lived  for  ten  years  in 
Assam  says  that  he  never  saw  in  that  part  of 
India  any  long-haired  cats  except  blue-eyed 
whites.  He  also  gives  an  amusing  account  of 
the  usual  way  of  obtaining  a  cat  cf  this  variety 
fcr  a  pet.  It  is  as  follows : — "  You  give  in- 
structions to  a  native,  who  offers  to  procure 
you  one  at  a  certain  price,  but  gives  you  no 
idea  where  or  how  he  means  to  procure  it. 
In  about  a  week's  time  he  appears  with  the 
cat  and  claims  the  money.  Things  progress 
favourably  with  your  new  possession  for  a  time, 
but  suddenly  and  unaccountably  your  puss 


WHITE    PERSIANS. 


123 


disappears.  You  are  calling  on  some  friend 
or  acquaintance,  and,  to  your  surprise  and 
astonishment,  there  on  the  armchair  lies, 
curled  up,  your  cat  !  '  Thus  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  wily  native  makes  a  small  income 
out  of  one  cat,  by  stealing  or  enticing  it 
away  from  the  original  purchaser  and  calmly 
re-selling  it  to  one  of  the  neighbours." 

Mrs.  Clinton  Locke,  the  president  of  the 
Beresford  Cat  Club,  has  owned  some  beautiful 
white  Persians  which  she  has  imported  from 
time  to  time.  This  ladv  writes  thus  to  Our 


Mrs.  Westlake,  writing  from  Camden  Town, 
says  :  — 

"  My  acquaintance  with  white  Persian  cats 
began  some  years  ago,  when  I  imported  a 
white  female  as  a  pet.  I  was  so  delighted 
with  her  that,  although  for  a  London  resident 
white  cats  would  seem  the  least  desirable,  I 
decided  to  import  two  blue-eyed  whites  for 
breeding  purposes.  It  was  a  litter  from  these 
two  cats  that  tempted  me  to  take  up  exhibit- 
ing, _This  litter  consisted  of  all  blue-eyed 
kittens,  the  tone  of  the  blue  being  exceptionally 


"  WHITE  BUTTB:RFLY." 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  Miss  WHITE  ATKINS. 
(Photo:   E.  E.  Lipputt,  Leamington.) 


Cats  :—  '  The  first  white  Persian  I  ever  owned 
was  brought  to  me  many  years  ago  from 
Persia  by  a  distinguished  traveller,  and  its 
eyes  were  amber,  showing  that  the  white  cats 
brought  from  their  native  land  have  not 
always  blue  eyes.  The  descendants  of  this 
cat,  mated  to  both  amber  and  blue  eyed  cats, 
have  thrown  blue  eyes.  Two  odd-eyed  cats 
have  also  given  blue-eyed  kittens  ;  but  a  pair  of 
blue-eyed  cats  has  by  no  means  always  thrown 
blue  eyes  with  every  kitten  in  the  litter." 

One  of  our  most  persistent  and  consistent 
breeders  and  fanciers  of  white  Persians  is 
Mrs.  Westlake,  and  therefore  I  am  glad  to  be 
able  to  put  forward  a  few  of  her  experiences 
as  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  breed. 


deep.  Since  then  I  have,  of  course,  often  had 
a  different  tale  to  tell,  and  odd-eyed  kittens 
have  sometimes  predominated.  This  curious 
freak  of  nature  connected  with  white  cats 
seems  unaccountable.  The  two  colours  are 
generally  yellow  and  blue,  but  I  have  seen 
green  and  blue.  I  have  also  remarked  on  the 
very  brilliant  tone  of  the  one  blue  eye. 

"  There  is  a  popular  belief  that  almost  all 
blue-eyed  cats  are  deaf.  All  I  can  say  is 
that  I  have  never  had  a  blue-eyed  white 
that  was  deaf.  I  have,  however,  often  come 
across  those  that  were  stone  deaf,  and  others 
with  defective  hearing.  Again  an  unaccount- 
able freak. 

"  White   Persian   cats   have   been   declared 


124 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


to  be  the  most  difficult  to  breed  and  delicate  to 
rear.  My  opinion  is  that  the  delicacy  is  much 
more  in  their  coats  than  their  constitutions  ; 
that  is,  of  course,  in  comparison  with  other 
foreign  varieties,  none  of  which  are  as  hardy 
as  the  British. 

"  A  few  remarks  as  to  the  cleansing  of 
white  cats  may  be  useful.  As  a  dweller  in 
London,  I  need  scarcely  say  that  unless  I 
occasionally  gave  personal  attention  to  my 
pussies  they  would  not  always  be  in  the  show 

condition  that  I 
would  desire. 
Some  fanciers 


IMPORTED    BLUE-EYED   TOM,     '  MUSAFER. 
(Photo:    V.  R.  Clarke,  Think.) 

wash  their  white  Persians,  but  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  treatment 
tends  to  coarsen  the  soft  silkiness  of  the 
fur  ;  and  therefore,  for  this  reason,  and  also 
because  there  is  a  risk  of  cats  catching  cold, 
especially  in  winter,  I  advocate  dry  cleaning, 
and  suggest  the  use  of  Pears'  white  precipitated 
fuller's  earth.  One  plan  is  to  place  the  cat 
on  a  large  sheet  or  towel,  mix  a  little  ammonia 
in  warm  water,  dip  your  hands  in  this,  and 
pass  them  over  and  over  the  fur,  letting  it 
become  thoroughly  moistened  but  not  wet. 
Then  well  sprinkle  the  coat  with  the  powder, 
and  by  keeping  the  animal  in  front  of  the  fire 
the  fur  will  soon  become  quite  dry.  Then  rub 


with  a  soft  towel,  and  finally  brush  thoroughly 
with  a  clean  and  not  too  hard  brush.  Your 
efforts  will  be  rewarded  with  success,  and 
though  puss  may  be  considerably  bored  during 
the  process,  she  will  not  resent  it  so  much  as  a 
tubbing.  I  find  that  white  females  are  far 
more  diligent  as  regards  their  toilet  than  the 
males,  who  seem  always  to  have  more  of  the 
Eastern  languor  and  indolence  in  their  nature. 
I  have  remarked — and  no  doubt  it  is  more 
noticeable  in  the  white  breed — that  as  soon 
as  young  kittens  are  beyond  their  mother's 
control  they  exhibit  a  marked  antipathy  to 
keeping  their  coats  in  anything  like  decent 
condition.  Sometimes  they  will 
make  a  feeble  attempt  at  washing 
themselves;  but  something  will 
excite  their  attention,  and  cff  they 
will  go,  or  perhaps  in  sheer  fatigue 
will  fall  asleep  during  the  toilet. 
Thus  white  kittens  will  very  soon 
present  a  most  unkempt  appear- 
ance, and  the  poor  mother  gazes 
sadly  at  them  as  though  the 
cares  of  a  family  were  too  much 
for  her,  and  she  no  longer  wishes 
to  own  what  was  once  her  pride 
and  }oy — a  spotless  litter  ! 

It  has  been  stated  that  white 
cats  are  wanting  in  expression, 
probably  because  of  the  lack  of 
markings  to  give  character  to  the  face ;  but 
breeders  of  whites  will  nevertheless  agree 
with  me  that  they  have  even  greater  force  of 
expression,  not  being  assisted  by  any  markings. 
I  have  found  white  cats  to  be  most  affectionate, 
and  very  conservative  in  their  tastes.  I  have 
owned  some  white  Persians  with  light  sea- 
green  eyes,  and  although  these  are  not  correct, 
yet  I  must  say  they  were  strikingly  beautiful 
and  very  uncommon.  I  have  been  offered 
high  prices  by  Americans  and  others  for  my 
imported  white  female,  but  my  '  blue-eyed 
darling '  will,  I  think,  end  her  days  with 
her  devoted  mistress  in  dear,  dirty,  old 
London." 


12- 


CH  AFTER    XI. 


BLUE    PERSIANS. 


JACK   AM) 

(I'linto:   II.   Warsclikanki, 
St.  Leonanis-on-Sea.) 


A  FAMOUS  pub- 
1  i  s  h  e  r  once 
gave  the  fol- 
lowing advice  to  a 
young  author: 
"  Never  take  it  for 
granted  that  your 
readers  have  any 
previous  knowledge 
of  your  subject,  but 
credit  them  with 
ordinary  intelli- 
gence." To  all  fe- 
line fanciers  the 
heading  of  this 
chapter  is  a  familiar 
household  term,  but  to  novices  in  the  cat 
world  and  to  outsiders  the  term  "  blue "  as 
applied  to  a  cat  may  sound  rather  absurd. 
Truth  to  tell,  the  name  is  misleading,  and  yet 
the  same  is  used  in  describing  certain  breeds 
of  domestic  animals,  such  as  dogs,  rabbits, 
etc.  There  is  also  a  fur  much  used  for  trim- 
mings of  ladies'  jackets,  etc.,  called  blue  fox, 
and  this  is  very  much  akin  to  the  colour  and 
texture  of  the  fur  of  the  blue  Persian  cat, 
which,  however,  varies  in  tone  from  a  dark 
slate  to  a  pale  lilac-blue. 

It  is  over  twenty  years  ago  since  I  ex- 
hibited the  first  "  blues  "  at  the  Crystal  Palace 
Cat  Show,  and  they  created  quite  a  sensation, 
for  no  one  seemed  to  have  seen  any  cats  of 
this  peculiar  shade  before.  Some  called  them 
grey  or  lilac,  and  others  London  smoke  or 
slate  colour.  One  of  my  pair  of  blue  kittens 
was  quickly  claimed  at  catalogue  price,  and  I 
bought  in  the  other,  fearing  I  should  lose  her 
also.  She,  in  her  turn,  became  the  mother  of 
many  celebrated  blues.  In  those  early  days 
of  the  fancy  blue  Persians  were  entered  in 
the  "  any  other  variety  "  class,  and  most  of 
the  specimens  exhibited  were  in  reality  blue 


tabbies.  For  some  years  this  state  of  things 
continued ;  but  Mr.  A.  A.  Clarke,  so  well 
known  as  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  National 
Cat  Club,  and  as  a  breeder,  exhibitor,  and 
judge,-  agitated  with  other  fanciers,  myself 
amongst  the  number,  to  obtain  a  better  classi- 
fication for  the  self-coloured  blues,  and  in  1889 
the  schedule  at  the  Crystal  Palace  Show  con- 
tained a  class  for  "  Blue — self-coloured  with- 
out white."  For  some  time  this  breed  of  cats 
was  termed  "  self  blues,"  in  contradistinction 
to  the  many  blues  with  tabby  markings  which 
were  formerly  so  very  common  in  the  fancy. 

In  1890  it  was  decided  to  divide  the  sexes 
in  the  blue  cat  classes,  and  let  the  kittens 
compete  with  black  and  white.  The  result  was 
an  entry  of  eight  in  each  class,  my  famous 
"  Beauty  Boy "  taking  first  in  the  male, 
and  Mrs.  H.  B.  Thompson's  celebrated 
"  Winks "  first  in  the  female  division.  At 
Brighton  in  the  same  year  the  "  self-blue " 
class  was  adopted  with  success. 

The  famous  blue  stud  cats  of  that  period 
were  Mr.  A.  A.  Clarke's  "  Turco,"  Miss  Bray's 
"  Glaucus,"  and  my  own  "  Beauty  Boy." 
Amongst  other  exhibitors  of  blues  about  this 
time  I  may  men- 
tion Mrs.  Warner 
(now  the  Hon. 
Mrs.  McLaren 
Morrison),  Mrs. 
Vallance,  Mrs. 
Wells,  Mrs.  Hunt, 
Mrs.  H.B.Thomp- 
son, Mrs.Ellerton, 
and  Miss  F.  Moore. 
In  1891  blues 
came  very  mucli 
to  the  fore,  and 
the  entries  at  the  JILL. 

Crystal  Palace        THE  PEOTERTY  °F  Miss  B™* 

(I'hoto:  H.   tISarsclikarski, 
numbered          15  St.  I.conards-on-Sea.) 


126 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


males  and  17  females.  At  Cruft's  Show  in 
the  year  1894  a  grand  blue,  called  "  \Voo- 
loomooloo,"  was  exhibited  by  Mrs.  W.  R. 
Hawkins,  and  this  cat  became  one  of  the  most 
famous  of  stud  cats.  Many  of  the  finest  blues 
of  to-day  are  descended  from  this  noted  sire. 
Mrs.  H.  B.  Thompson's  "  Don  Juan "  was 
for  many  years  greatly  in  request  as  a  stud 
cat,  and  many  beautiful  blues  claim  him  as 
their  ancestor. 

A  little  later  "  Moko  "  became  famous  as 
the  sire  of  a  sensational  kitten  exhibited  by 
Mr.  C.  W.  Witt  at  the  Westminster  Show  of 
1900.  "  Moko  "  was  sold  at  a  high  figure  to 
Mrs.  Barnett,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Mrs.  Singleton,  of  Yeovil.  Mr.  A.  A.  Clarke 
was  considered  the  best  judge  of  this  variety, 
and  at  the  Palace  and  Brighton  he  did  much 
to  encourage  the  breed  by  offering  handsome 
special  prizes  in  the  blue  classes. 

It  is  true  that  the  prize-winning  cats  of 
ten  and  fifteen  years  ago  would  have  had  but 
a  poor  chance  in  the  present-day  competi- 
tions, chiefly  for  the  reason  that  cats  of  the 
past  could  look  at  a  judge  with  bright  green 
eyes  and  yet  be  awarded  the  highest 
honours.  Nous  avons  changJ  tout  cela,  and 
now  a  blue  cat  without  the  much-to-be-desired 
orange  eyes  fetches  but  a  small  price,  and  is 
at  a  great  disadvantage  in  the  show-pen. 
An  up-to-date  judge  may,  however,  be  led 
into  giving  too  great  a  prominence  to  this 
point  and  thus  sacrifice  soundness  of  colour, 
shape,  and  form.  Then,  again,  I  remember 
when  a  white  spot  on  the  throat  of  a  blue 
Persian  was  not  considered  a  serious  defect  ; 
now  a  few  straggling  white  hairs  will  cause 
anguish  to  the  owner,  and  a  judge  will  promptly 
put  down  the  specimen  for  this  blemish. 

Blue  cats  with  white  spots  used  to  be  rele- 
gated to  the  "  any  other  colour  "  class  ;  but 
recently  both  the  National  Cat  Club  and 
the  Cat  Club  have  wisely  decided  that  such 
cats  should  be  judged  in  their  own  classes. 
However,  I  think  that  owners  of  these  speci- 
mens would  do  well  to  keep  them  away  from 
the  show  bench,  where  the  competition  in 
blues  is  now  too  keen  to  give  any  chance  for 


defective  cats  to  have  a  look  in.  I  may  men- 
tion that  the  nose  of  a  blue  Persian  is  a  few 
shades  darker  than  its  fur,  and  the  toe-pads 
yet  a  little  darker. 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  standard  of  points 
for  blues,  which  will  be  found  later  on  in 
this  chapter,  the  highest  marks  are  given  for 
soundness  of  colour.  There  is  a  tendency  to 
breed  very  light  blues,  and  popular  fancy 
favours  this  particular  type.  I  am  inclined, 
however,  to  prefer  a  good  sound  medium  blue 
as  being  the  best  and  safest  for  breeding 
purposes.  The  lovely  pale  blues  are  beautiful 
to  look  at,  but  are  seldom  absolutely  sound  in 
colour.  Blues,  whether  dark  or  light,  should 
be  the  same  tint  throughout,  so  that  when  the 
coat  is  blown  apart  the  colour  at  the  roots 
is  the  same  as  at  the  tips.  A  white  under- 
coat is  a  serious  blemish,  and  this  often 
appears  when  silver  blood  may  be  traced 
in  the  ancestry  of  a  blue  cat.  We  have 
quite  dropped  the  term  of  self-blue,  and  yet 
this  well  expresses  the  uniformity  of  colour 
which  is  so  desirable.  As  tiny  kittens  blues 
frequently  exhibit  tabby  markings  ;  but  fan- 
ciers need  not  worry  over  these  apparent 
defects,  for  as  the  coat  grows  the  bars  and 
stripes  are  no  longer  visible. 

It  also  sometimes  happens  that  a  kitten 
exhibits  quite  a  light  ruff,  but  this  is  generally 
shed  with  the  second  coat,  and  eventually 
disappears.  There  are  some  cats  erroneously 
called  blues  by  novices  in  the  fancy,  but  which 
in  reality  are  blue  smokes.  These  have  pro- 
bably been  bred  from  blues  and  smokes,  and 
thus  the  type  of  each  is  seriously  damaged. 
If  it  is  desired  to  breed  sound-coloured  blues, 
then  it  is  undesirable  to  cross  them  with  any 
other  colour  save  and  except  blacks.  I  have 
found  good  results  from  mating  blues  and 
blacks,  more  especially  with  a  view  to  obtain- 
ing the  deep  amber  eyes  of  the  black  Persians, 
which,  for  some  reason  or  other,  are  generally 
larger,  rounder,  and  deeper  in  colour  than 
what  we  can  produce  in  blues.  Certainly  all 
broken  breeds  and  tabbies  should  be  avoided 
when  mating  blues.  I  have  heard  of  white 
cats  being  bred  with  blues  to  get  a  pale  tint 


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BL  UE    PERSIANS. 


12': 


of  blue  ;  but  white  toes,  chests,  and  spots  have 
often  been  the  results  of  such  experiments.  I 
have  bred  blue  Persians  ever  since  I  took  up 
the  fancy,  which  is  longer  ago  than  I  care  to 
remember,  and  I  have  found  them  strong  and 
hardy  cats,  requiring  no  special  food,  and 
enjoying  the  best  of  health  without  any 
cosseting  or  coddling.  I  do  not  consider  that 
blues  usually  obtain  any  great  size  or  weight, 
nor  are  they  generally  massive  in  build  or 
profuse  in  coat. 

Ten  or  fifteen  years  ago  I  used  to  have  my 
blue  kittens  bespoken  for  about  £5  each  before 
they  were  born  ;  but  nowadays,  when  blues 
are  so  plentiful,  one  must  be  content  with 
lower  prices,  and  the  average  sum  for  a  good 
blue  kitten  is  three  guineas.  Still,  I  am  sure 
that  for  beginners  in  the  fancy,  wishing  to 
combine  pleasure  and  profit,  there  is  no  better 
investment  than  a  good  sound  blue  queen 
with  orange  eyes.  The  demand  for  blue 
kittens  is  really  larger  than  for  youngsters  of 
any  other  breed.  They  make  superb  pets, 
but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  blue  neuters  are 
generally  spoilt  with  green  eyes,  doubtless  for 
the  reason  that  the  possession  of  good  orange 
eyes  tempts  the  owner  or  purchaser  to  reserve 
the  specimen  for  stud  or  breeding  purposes. 

As  one  of  the  first  breeders  and  exhibitors  of 
blue  Persians  I  feel  I  am  in  a  position  to  speak 
with  authority,  and  I  am  of  opinion  that  no 
breed  has  made  such  rapid  strides,  either  in 
improvements  or  popularity,  as  blues.  In 
this  statement  I  am  supported  by  our  best 
professional  judge,  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason,  who, 
writing  to  me  on  the  subject,  says :  "I  find  ten 
good  blues  at  the  present  time  to  one  we  came 
across  two  or  three  years  ago.  I  am  of  opinion 
that  in  no  colour  of  cats  have  we  seen  more 
distinct  progress  than  we  see  in  blue  Persians.'' 
Such  a  statement,  coming  from  our  most 
able  and  ubiquitous  judge,  is  a  valuable  one. 
Mr.  Mason  has  had  a  large  experience  in  cat 
judging  during  the  last  few  years,  and  his 
duties  take  him  north  and  south,  cast  and  west. 

As  regards  the  breeding  of  blues,  I  consider 
that  to  obtain  the  true  sound  colour  blues 
should  only  be  bred  to  blues. 


I  have  often,  however,  observed  that  a 
kitten  of  unsound  colour  is  to  be  found  in 
litters  bred  from  two  sound-coloured  blues  ; 
the  kitten  may  have  a  white  undercoat  or  be 
full  of  white  hairs,  or  have  a  shaded  ruff  ;  but 
experienced  breeders  will  soon  discover  that 
such  blemishes  are  but  temporary,  and  that  the 
ugly  duckling  of  a  family  may  develop  into 
the  flower  of  the  flock.  It  is,  therefore,  very 
interesting  to  make  experiments  and  to  keep 
an  apparently  worthless  specimen  to  see  what 
it  turns~irito  when  the  first  months  of  infancy 
are  passed  and  the  kitten  coat  has  been  shed. 

I  have  known  a  young  blue  of  sound  colour 
completely  transformed  in  this  particular  by 
a  severe  illness.  Her  fur  became  a  sort  of 
pepper-and-salt  mixture — a  sprinkling  of  white 
and  dark  grey  ;  but  this  same  cat,  contrary  to 
the  prophecy  of  an  able  judge,  has  again 
changed  her  coat,  and  is  now  a  perfectly  sound 
blue,  even  from  tip  to  root.  It  was  evident 
that  her  illness  had  affected  her  coat,  and  that 
when  she  regained  her  usual  health  she  re- 
covered her  correct  coat.  As  regards  the  eyes 
in  blues,  it  is  not  possible  to  give  any  exact  time 
for  the  change  in  colour  from  the  baby  blue  to 
the  dreaded  green  or  hoped-for  orange.  This 
change  takes  place  gradually,  and  sometimes 
the  period  extends  till  a  kitten  is  almost  a  cat. 
There  are  many  blue  cats  with  what  may  be 
called  indefinitely  coloured  eyes;  that  is,  neither 
orange,  nor  yellow,  nor  green.  This  most  un- 
satisfactory state  of  things  may  be  generally 
accounted  for  by  a  circle  of  green  round  the 
pupil,  which,  according  to  the  time  of  day,  will 
be  wide  or  narrow.  Thus  it  is  that  cats  with 
this  defect  are  sometimes  described  with 
"  good  yellow  eyes,"  and  advertised  as  such, 
and  then,  when  received  by  the  purchaser,  a 
glint  of  green  is  plainly  visible  in  the  inner 
circle.  The  perfect  eye  in  a  blue  should  be 
.  absolutely  unshaded ;  and  there  are  two  dis- 
tinct types  of  eyes,  namely,  the  golden  eye 
'and  the  orange  eye.  The  former  resembles  a 
golden  coin  in  tint,  and  the  latter  has  the  dash 
of  red  which  is  to  be  seen  in  copper.  Both 
these  coloured  eyes  are  correct,  and  much  to 
be  admired  in  blue  Persians,  and  no  doubt 


128 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


as  time  goes  on  we  shall  find  it  will  be  the  rule 
and  not  the  exception  to  see  these  perfect 
eyes  amongst  the  blues  of  the  future.  It  must, 
however,  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  the  point 
of  eyes  cats  throw  back,  and  two  parents  with 
good  orange  eyes  may  yet  produce  one  or 
more  kittens  with  pale  eyes  of  yellow  or  green- 
ish hue.  Although  I  have  dilated  at  length 
on  the  superiority  of  the  orange  eye  in  blues, 
I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  thought  that  a  weedy, 


white  (which  is  no  colour),  and  this  is  the  more 
curious  because  black  mated  with  white  gener- 
ally produces  either  one  colour  or  the  other, 
or  breaks  black  and  white  or  white  and  black ; 
the  blue  being,  as  it  were,  a  weakened  black 
or  a  withdrawal  by  white  of  some,  if  not  all,  of 
the  brown  or  red,  varying  in  tint  according  to 
the  colour  of  the  black  from  which  it  was  bred, 
dark  grey,  or  from  weakness  in  the  stamina 
of  the  litter.  When  once  the  colour  or  break 
from  the  black  is  acquired,  it  is  then 
easyjto  go  on  multiplying  the  different 
shades  and  varieties  of  tint  and  tone, 
from  the  dark  blue-black  to  the  very 
light,  almost  white  grey.  If  whole- 


THK   ARTIST. 

(Photo :  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


boneless  cat,  even  with  eyes  of  deepest  hue, 
would  find  favour  in  my  sight  ;  for  in  blues, 
as  in  all  breeds  of  Persians,  what  we  ought  to 
seek  after  most  earnestly  are  good  massive 
limbs,  plenty  of  bone,  and  broad  skulls.  There 
are  too  many  Persian  cats  of  hare-like  propor- 
tions, and  we  really  want  some  of  the  type  of 
a  good  old  English  tabby  introduced  into  the 
more  aristocratic  long-haired  breeds. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  up-to-date  breeders 
of  blues  to  hear  what  the  veteran  cat  lover  and 
fancier  Harrison  Weir  had  to  say  about  them 
fifteen  years  ago.  In  his  well-known  bcok, 
"  Our  Cats,"  he  thus  alludes  to  the  breed  :— 

"  Blue  in  cats  is  one  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary colours  of  any,  for  the  reason  that  it 
is  a  mixture  of  black  (which  is  no  colour)  and 


coloured  blues  are  in  request,  then  parti- 
colours,  such  as  white  and  black,  or  black  and 
white,  are  best  excluded." 

Many  of  our  leading  cat  fanciers  "go  in" 
exclusively  for  blues,  and  keep  faithful  to 
this  one  breed  alone.  I  give  a  list  of  these, 
and  trust  I  may  be  pardoned  if  I  have  left 
out  the  name  of  any  enthusiastic  breeder  and 
lover  of  blues  and  blues  alone  :  Mrs.  Hill, 
Mrs.  Wells,  Mrs.  P.  Hardy,  Mrs.  H.  Ransome, 
Mrs.  Bennet,  Mrs.  Mocatta,  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke 
(Louth),  Mrs.  Cartwright,  Mrs.  Gregory  (Lin- 
coln), Mrs.  H.  B.  Thompson,  Mrs.  O'Brien 
Clarke,  Miss  Jay,  Miss  Bennet,  Miss  Messer, 
Miss  Patterson,  Miss  Goddard,  Rev.  P.  L. 
Cosway,  Mrs.  Swanson,  Mrs.  Curwen,  Mrs. 
Duffin,  Mrs.  W.  M.  Hunt,  Mrs.  Slingsby,  Mrs. 


BLUE    PERSIANS. 


129 


BLUE   KITTENS    BRED    BY    MISS   KIKKl'ATKICK. 

(1'hoto :  E.  Landor,  Ealing.) 

Singleton,  Miss  Savery,  Mrs.  Eustace,  Mrs. 
Hitchcock,  Miss  Hooper,  Miss  Violet  Hunt,  Miss 
Humfrey,  Mrs.  Kennaway,  Mr.  H.  Maxwell, 
.Mrs.  Ponder,  Miss  Rigby,  and  Mr.  C.  W.  Witt. 
There  are,  of  course,  a  large  number  of 
fanciers  who,  amongst  other  breeds  of  cats, 
keep  one  or  two  blues,  and  several  keep 
blues  and  silvers  only.  I  think  I  may  safely 
say  that  blue  Persians  have  the  largest 
number  of  admirers,  and  certain  it  is  that  at 
all  our  large  shows  the  blue  classes  are  the 
best  filled.  At  the  Cat  Club  Show  held  at 
Westminster  in  1899  the  number  of  entries 
in  the  blue  female  class  was  a  record  one — 
there  were  no  less  than  48,  and  the  blue  males 
mustered  42. 

Seeing,  therefore,  how  popular  this 
breed  had  become,  in  April,  1901,  I 
founded    and     started     the    Blue 
Persian   Cat   Society,    a  book    of 
v  rules    was    drawn    up,    and    the 
following    ladies    and    gentlemen 
appointed     as     officials     of     the 
society  : — 


Vice-Presidents  :  Viscountess  Gort,  Lady  Danvers, 
the  Hon.  Mrs.  Maclaren  Morrison,  Mrs.  Collingwood, 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Hunt,  Miss  Violet  Hunt,  Mrs.  Clinton 
Locke,  Mrs.  Lionel  Marks,  Mrs.  Herbert  Ransome, 
Mrs.  Mackenzie  Stewart,  Mrs.  H.  B.  Thompson,  Mrs. 
Woodcock,  Sir  H.  Jerningham,  K.C.M.G.,  Sir  B. 
Simpson,  K.C.M.G.,  Rev.  P.  L.  Cosway,  Frankfort 
Moore,  Esq.,  R.  Stoiks,  Esq. 

Committee :  Mrs.  Baldwin,  Mrs.  Russell  Biggs, 
Mrs.  Bishop,  Mrs.  P.  Brown,  Mrs.  P.  Hardy,  Mrs. 
Collingwood,  Mrs.  H.  L.  Mocatta,  Miss  H.  Patterson, 
Mr.  Gambier  Bolton. 

Hon.  Treasurer:  Mr.  Russell  Biggs,  i,  Garden 
Court,  Temple. 

Hon.  Secretary  :  Miss  F.  Simpson,  9,  Leonard  Place, 
Kensington,  W. 

Judges :  Lady  Marcus  Beresford,  Mrs.  P.  Hardy, 
Mrs.  W.  M.  Hunt,  Miss  G.  Jay,  Miss  K.  Sangster, 
Miss  F.  Simpson,  Mr.  C.  A.  House,  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason, 
Mr.  F.  Norris,  Mrs.  Mackenzie  Stewart,  Miss  E. 
Goddard,  and  Miss  Kirkpatrick. 

The  chief  objects  of  this  society  are  as 
follow  : — To  promote  the  breeding  and  exhibit- 
ing of  blue  Persian  cats  ;  to  define  precisely, 
and  to  publish  a  description  of,  the  true 
type  of  blue  Persian  cat,  and  to  urge  the 
adoption  of  such  type  on  breeders,  exhibitors, 
and  judges,  as  the  only  recognised  and  un- 
varying standard  by  which  blue  Persian  cats 
should  be  judged  ;  the  improvement  of  the 
classification,  and,  if  necessary,  the  guarantee- 
ing of  classes  for  these  cats  at  shows  supported 
by  the  society ;  the  selection  of  specialist 


BLUE    PERSIAN    CAT    SOCIETY. 

Founded  April  241/1,   IQOI. 
Presidents  :     Viscountess    Maitland, 
Mrs.  Maconochie,  Miss  Gertrude  Jay. 


• 


MRS.    ROBINSON  S    BLUE    KITTKNS. 

(Photo:  J.  Joyner,  Cheltenham.) 


THE    BOOK     OF     THE    CAT. 


judges  to  make  the  awards  at  such  shows. 
The  annual  subscription  to  the  Blue  Persian 
Cat  Society  is  five  shillings,  payable  by  each 
member  on  election.  At  the  general  meeting 
of  the  society,  held  in  April,  1902,  the  number 
of  members  on  the  books  was  183,  and  the 
honorary  secretary  reported  that  during  the 
past  year  twelve  cat  shows  had  received  the 
support  of  the  society,  and  numerous  hand- 


Members  should  not  be  deterred  from  showing 
their  cats  if  they  do  not  come  up  to  the  high  standard 
set  forth  in  the  above  definition. 

It  is  true  that  very  few,  if  any,  blue  Persians 
come  up  to  the  high  standard  here  given, 
but  still  there  is  a  very  marked  improve- 
ment in  the  breed  during  the  last  year  or  two. 
The  number  of  green-eyed  blues  are  steadily 
and  surely  decreasing,  and  the  colour  of  the 
coat  and  size  of  head  are  points 
that  have  been  carefully  attended 
to.  In  reading  the  list  of  blue  cats 
placed  at  stud  in  the  columns  of 
the  cat  papers  we  cannot  help 
being  impressed  with  the  enor- 
mous strides  made  of  recent  years 
in  this  breed  of  cats  alone.  In  a 
recent  copy  of  Our  Cats  I  counted 


MRS.    WELLS'    CATTERY. 
(I'hoto :   Cassell  &•  Company,  Limited.) 

some  challenge  prizes,  badges, 
and  specials  had  been  offered  for 
competition. 

The  following  is  the  standard 
of  points  drawn  up  by  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Blue  Persian  Cat 
Society  and  approved  of  by  the 
members  of  the  society  : — 

STANDARD    OF    POINTS    FOR    BLUE    PERSIAN    CAT. 

Coal  (30). — -Any  shade  of  blue  allowable  ;  sound 
and  even  in  colour  ;  free  from  markings,  shadings, 
or  any  white  hairs.  Fur  long,  thick,  and  soft  in 
texture.  Frill  full. 

Head  (25).  —  Broad  and  round,  with  width  be- 
tween the  ears.  Face  and  nose  short.  Ears  small  and 
tufted.  Cheeks  well  developed. 

Eyes  (20). — Orange  ;   large,  round,  and  full. 
Body  (15). — Cobby,  and  low  on  the  legs. 
Tail  (10). — Short  and  full,  not  tapering. 


twenty-five  stud  advertisements  of  blues,  and 
this  does  not  nearly  represent  the  entire  number 
of  blues  used  for  stud  purposes  by  fanciers. 
This  breed  of  Persians  has  become  very  popular 
in  America,  and  several  fine  cats  have  been 
exported,  and  have  carried  off  the  highest 
honours  at  the  New  York  Cat  shows,  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Beresford  Cat 
Club. 

Mrs.  Clinton   Locke,  the    president  of    the 
club,  is  an  enthusiastic  breeder  and  admirer 


BLUE    PERSIANS. 


of  blues,  and  has  possessed  the  finest  speci- 
mens among  American  fanciers. 

The  names  of  two  good  "  all-round  "  judges 
appear  on  the  blue  Persian  list,  namely, 
Mr.  C.  A.  House  and  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason,  and 
exhibitors  of  this  special  breed — as,  indeed, 
of  any  other — may  feel  quite  sure  that  their 
precious  pets  will  receive  justice  at  the  hands 
of  these  two  careful  adjudicators. 

Mr.  E.  Welburn,  also  a  blue  Persian  judge, 
was  long  known  and  respected  in  the  fancy, 
and  his  death  in  1902 
was  a  great  loss  to 
the  cat  world.  Two 
silver  bowls  have  been 
subscribed  for  by  his 
many  admirers  in 
memory  of  this  upright 
judge,  and  these  are 
competed  for  annually 
at  the  two  largest 
shows  of  the  National 
Cat  Club  and  the  Cat 
Club. 

Miss  Jay  and  Miss 
Frances  Simpson  have 
frequently  given  their 
services  as  judges  at 
some  of  the  shows 
which  have  received 
the  patronage  of  the 
Blue  Persian  Cat 
Society. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  I  am  very 
hopeful  of  being  able  at  some  future  time  to 
hold  a  show  for  blue  Persians,  and  by  divid- 
ing and  subdividing  to  give  an  attractive  and 
liberal  classification. 

I  have  pleasure  in  giving  a  short  account, 
with  illustrations,  of  some  of  the  catteries 
belonging  to  blue  breeders. 

Mrs.  Wells,  of  Isleworth,  was  one  of  the 
first  exhibitors  of  blue  Persians,  and  has  been 
faithful  to  this  breed  for  many  years.  She  has 
wonderfully  well-planned  catteries,  and,  having 
plenty  of  space  at  her  command,  the  cats  are 


"  KOKELES    KISSI." 

BRED  BY  MRS.  BENNET. 

(Photo:   H.   Warsclikowski,  St.  Leonards-on-Sefi.) 


able  to  enjoy  lots  of  liberty  in   large  wired- 

in    runs,  planted   with    shrubs,    and   with    an     orange   eyes,   but   no   judge   could   pass   over 


abundance  of  grass.  Mrs.  Wells'  blues  are 
noted  for  their  wonderfully  fine  coats.  Her 
stud  cat  "  Blue  Noble  "  has  sired  many  noted 
winners,  and  "  My  Honey,"  a  lovely  queen, 
has  the  deepest  orange  eyes  I  have  ever  seen. 
Mrs.  Wells  takes  the  greatest  interest  in  her 
cats,  and  each  and  all  are  pets  ;  in  fact,  so 
great  is  the  care  and  devotion  bestowed  upon 
them  that  Mrs.  Wells  is  very  seldom  persuaded 
into  exhibiting  any  of  her  beautiful  blues,  and 
never  lets-  them  attend  any  shows  unless  she 

herself  is  able  to  ac- 
company them. 

Mrs.  Wells'  cottage 
is  situated  in  a  most 
rural  district  of  Isle- 
worth,  and  one  might 
fancy  oneself  miles  and 
miles  away  from  the 
busy  haunts  of  men. 
At  the  time  the  photos 
illustrating  these  cat- 
teries were  taken  Mrs. 
Wells  had  eighteen 
blue  kittens,  besides 
several  grow n-u p 
representatives  of  her 
favourite  breed.  At 
one  time  Mrs.  Wells 
was  bitten  with  the 
silver  fever,  and  began 
to  breed  this  variety  ; 
but  the  litters  did 
not  give  satisfaction,  and  she  determined  to 
return  to  blues — with  what  success  can  be 
learnt  from  a  visit  to  the  gardens  at 
Isleworth. 

Miss  Gertrude  Jay  started  cats  in  1891, 
and  her  name  will  always  be  connected  with 
blues.  Nothing  has  ever  been  exhibited  to 
compare  with  her  wonderful  female  "  The 
Mighty  Atom  "  as  regards  beauty  and  shape 
of  head.  This  cat,  now,  alas  !  no  more, 
swept  the  board  wherever  it  was  shown.  Twice 
she  carried  off  the  highest  honours  for  best 
cat  in  the  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace.  It  is 
true  that  this  grand  specimen  lacked  the 


132 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


such  a  perfect  type  of  cat,  despite  her  one 
fault,  and  thus  "  The  Mighty  Atom  "  reigned 
supreme.  "  Trixie "  and  "  Doris,"  two  of 
Miss  Jay's  noted  blues,  have  also  both  won 
specials  for  the  best  cat  in  the  show  at  the 
Crystal  Palace.  Miss  Jay  is  fortunate  in  hav- 
ing some  descendants  of  these  precious  cats 
in  the  luxurious  catteries  at  Holmwood  (of 
which  an  illustration  is  given).  Many  lovely 
blues  may  be  seen  revelling  in  the  well- 
appointed  houses  set  apart  at  the  end  of  the 
long  terrace  for  their  special  use.  Miss  Jay 
about  a  year  ago  retired  from  the  cat  fancy, 
and  withdrew  her  name  from  the  two  clubs  ;  but 
she  is  still  a  vice-president  of  the  Blue  Persian 
Cat  Society,  and  often  acts  as  judge.  Her 
name  always  draws  a  good  entry,  and,  as 
a  well-known  fancier  once  remarked  to  me, 
"  You  can  be  sure  of  getting  your  money's 
worth  when  Miss  Jay  has  the  handling  of  the 
classes."  The  following  few  remarks  from 


the  cat  that  I  would  soonest  have  given  to  me 
that  day,  with  the  object  of  showing  it  again 
at  once.  The  point  to  be  decided  is  the  best 
cat  that  day.  It  is  no  use  beginning  to  think 
which  cat  will  be  the  best  in  a  month's  time 
or  which  cat  might  have  been  best  a  month 
ago  ;  it  is  there  that  day — which  is  best  ?  And, 
to  my  mind,  if  I  award  first  to  the  cat  I  would 
rather  have,  with  the  one  object  of  continu- 
ing to  show  it,  that  surely  must  be  the  best  cat 
in  my  opinion,  and  to  that  cat  the  first  card 
goes.  And  so  on  through  the  class,  only  giving 
one  V.H.C.,  one  H.C.,  and  one  C.,  unless  the 
class  is  a  very  large  one.  I  know  some  judges 
who  say  commended  cards  are  very  cheap,  and 
they  please  the  exhibitors.  True  ;  but  are  you 
not  pleasing  them  in  a  wrong  way  by  making 
them  think  their  cat  is  better  than  it  is  ?  " 

Mrs.  Herbert  Ransome  is  well  known  in 
the  feline  world  as  a  successful  breeder  of 
blue  Persians,  and  as  the  hard-working  secre- 


''  SCARED." 

Two  BLUES  BELONGING  TO  LADY  MARCUS  BERESFORD. 
{Photo  :  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


Miss  Jay  on  her  method  of  judging  will  be 
read  with  interest  : — 

"  I  fear  my  way  of  judging  is  unlike  most 
other  people's,  because  I  do  not  judge  by 
points  unless  it  comes  to  a  close  fight  between 
two  cats.  Of  course,  I  consider  shape  and 
colour  first,  and  then  I  mark  all  those  un- 
worthy to  be  in  any  prize  list  ;  next  get  to 
work  with  the  remainder,  and  this  I  do,  as  I 
say,  unlike  most  other  judges,  for  I  pick  out 


tary  of  the  Northern  Counties  Cat  Club,  and 
more  recently  as  the  editor  of  Our  Cats. 
Her  two  blue  stud  cats,  "  Darius  "  and  "  Darius 
III.,"  have  earned  a  great  reputation,  not  only 
in  the  show-pen,  but  as  the  sires  of  many  lovely 
prize-winning  kittens,  notably  "  Orange  Blos- 
som of  Thorpe,"  owned  by  Mrs.  Slingsby,  of 
Ouseburn,  Yorkshire. 

It  is  only  of  recent  years  that  the  name  of 
Mrs.   Paul  Hardy  has  become  known  in  the 


BLUE    PERSIANS. 


133 


feline  world  as  a  breeder  of  blue  Persians.   Mrs.  several  Scottish  shows.     Later  he  came  under 

Hardy  was  a  member  of  the  Cat  Club  Com-  the    notice  of    Mrs.    Mackenzie    Stewart,   into 

mittee,  but  on  her  removal  to  some  distance  whose  hands  he  passed,  and  received  a  good 

from  London  she  resigned  her  post.     To  her  deal  of  favour   at   the    hands  of   the  judges, 

the  Cat  Club  is  indebted  for  a  very  beautiful  From  Mrs.  Stewart  he  passed  into  the  possession 

design  of  a  medal  which,  in  silver  and  bronze,  of  the  late  Dr.  Longwill,  and  was  sire  of  the 


CAST   OK    THE    CAT    CLUB    MEDAL. 
DESIGNED  BY  MRS.  P.  HARDY. 


is  competed  for  at  the  Westminster  and  other 
shows  (sec  illustration). 

Her  first  adventure  into  the  domain  of 
cat-keeping  was  in  the  case  of  a  very  fine  blue 
cat  named  "Juliet,"  whose  first  few  litters 
were  not  a  great  success,  so  that  sensible 
cat  took  matters  into  her  own  hands.  She 
chose  for  her  mate  the  raggedest  black  torn 
she  could  find,  and  though,  of  course,  the 
results  of  this  mesalliance  were  not  at  all  satis- 
factory from  the  show  judge's  point  of  view, 
in  later  years,  when  suitably  mated,  "  Juliet  " 
did  not  once  throw  back  to  a  wrong-coloured 
kitten.  I  am  not  sure  that  I  can  follow  Mrs. 
Hardy  to  the  logical  conclusion  of  her  deduc- 
tions from  this  fact,  but  I  think  it  is  worthy 
of  notice  by  those  extremists  who  hold  the 
view  that  an  incorrect  mating  in  the  first 
instance  spoils  a  queen  for  the  rest  of  her 
life. 

It  was  at  the  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1897 
that  Mrs.  Hardy  exhibited  her  first  litter  from 
her  blue  stud  "  Wooshoo,"  and  she  was  then 
awarded  a  first,  a  special,  and  two  or  three 
silver  medals.  Another  famous  cat  in  Mrs. 
Hardy's  establishment  was  a  blue,  named 
"  Mark  Antony,"  who  met  with  success  at 


famous  Crystal  Palace  winning  female  blue, 
"  Dolly  Gray,"  in  1902. 

Mrs.  Hardy's  success  has  not  been  achieved 
without  some  set-backs,  more  particularly  of 
recent  years,  since  her  cattery  has  been  en- 
larged, and  she  has  had  to  fight  her  way 
against  disease  and  death.  Her  own  account 
is  so  vivid  that  I  quote  it,  so  that  fanciers 
in  a  like  evil  condition  may  fight  for  the  lives 
of  their  pets  to  the  last  : — 

"  I  was  singularly  free  from  illness  of  any 
kind  amongst  them,  and  I  lived  for  some  time 
happy  in  the  belief  that  the  Persian  puss  was 
in  no  wise  different  from  her  short-coated 
sister  in  the  robust  possession  of  nine  lives  ;  so 
I  added  cat  unto  cat,  and  bred  for  show ;  when 
swiftly  Nemesis  overtook  me.  I  showed  five 
full-grown  cats  at  the  first  Westminster  show, 
and  twenty-four  hours  after  the  show  was  over 
my  best  blue  queen,  a  young  beauty  whose 
proud  owner  I  had  been  only  for  one  brief 
month,  died  of  acute  pneumonia.  A  few  days 
later  influenza  showed  itself  amongst  the 
others,  and  all  four  were  down  with  it. 

"  What  a  time  I  had,  with  the  experiences 
of  a  ward-nurse  !  But  I  pulled  them  through, 
all  but  one  young  kitten  of  four  months,  in 


134 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


MISS    G.    JAY'S    CATTEKY. 
(Photo:    W.  Field,  Putney.) 


whom  acute  laryngitis  developed,  and  so  she 
had  to  be  put  to  sleep. 

"  '  Wooshoo  '  was  given  up  by  the  vet.,  as  he 
piled  so  many  complications  into  his  system 
one  after  the  other,  developing  bronchitis, 
gastritis,  and  jaundice  on  the  top  of  the 
original  complaint.  Poor  fellow,  for  twenty- 
four  hours  he  lay  unconscious,  but  I  kept  his 
heart  going  by  doses  of  pure  alcohol  every  two 
hours,  while  I  fought  the  disease  with  hot 
fomentations,  medicated  steamings,  and  other 
proper  remedies. 

"  For  just  one  month  I  had  to  hand-feed  him, 
and  then  one  afternoon  it  occurred  to  him  he 
might  try  his  minced  oyster  by  himself,  greatly 
to  my  joy  and  triumph  ;  and  when  he  feebly 
washed  his  face  afterwards  I  felt  like  setting 
the  church  bells  ringing  ! 

"  I  am  convinced,  in  serious  cat  illness,  it  is 
the  night  nursing  that  does  the  trick  and  deter- 
mines whether  your  patient  is  to  live  or  die. 
It  is  somewhat  of  an  effort,  I  admit,  to  have  to 
arise  two  or  three  times  in  a  night  (nearly 
always  in  the  bitter  weather,  when  these 
epidemics  occur),  and,  in  my  case,  to  be  obliged 


to  dre?s  and  go  out  of  doors  to  the  stable- 
yard,  with  a  dimly  burning  lantern. 

"  In  every  cat  lover's  career  there  must  be 
some  such  saddening  memories.  Saddest  when, 
after  the  efforts  of  the  night,  and  you  have  left 
hopeful  the  morning  will  bring  improvement, 
you  return  in  the  early  dawn  to  note  on  enter- 
ing a  sign  that  causes  youi  heart  to  beat 
heavily — your  patient's  bed  is  empty  ! 

"  You  know  what  that  means,  and  look  round. 
Yes,  there  in  a  corner,  flat,  stiff,  and  draggled, 
where  he  has  crawled  in  the  last  uneasy  seeking 
for  air,  is  your  poor  pet,  still  for  ever  ! " 

Mrs.  Hardy,  in  connection  with  illnesses,  has 
some  advice  to  offer  as  regards  medicines  which 
she  has  tested  herself,  and  which  I  think  will 
be  of  service  to  my  readers  : — 

"  While  not  intending  to  say  anything 
authoritatively  upon  the  subject  of  remedies 
for  various  cat  ills,  all  of  which  will  be  most 
ably  and  exhaustively  gone  into  by  the  writer 
of  later  chapters  in  this  book,  I  might  perhaps 
mention  one  or  two  things  of  which  I  have 
had  personal  experience,  restoratives  rather 
than  drugs,  which  I  now  keep  always  at  hand. 


BLUE   PERSIANS. 


"  One  is  a  preparation  of  beef  called  '  Soma- 
tose.'  It  is  sold  in  i  oz.  or  2  oz.  tins,  is  in  the 
form  of  a  fine  soluble  powder,  and  has  this 
advantage  over  certain  beef  essences — that  it 
will  keep  good  any  length  of  time,  and  has 
not  to  be  used  up  directly  the  tin  is  opened  ; 
while  it  is  no  more  expensive,  and  a  little  will 
go  a  long  way  if  used  as  directed. 

"  I  make  it  by  putting  some  boiling  water 
into  a  saucer,  sprinkling  about  a  teaspoonful 
on  the  water,  and  allowing  it  to  dissolve 
slowly  till  cold,  when  it  would  look  like  weak 
tea.  It  is  a  most  powerful  restorative  and 
stimulant,  and  given  cold  in  teaspoonful  doses 
can  be  retained  in  the  worst  case  of  stomach 
irritation. 

"  A  second  good  thing  is  Plasmon  powder. 
I  was  recommended  to  try  this  by  a  cat  lover, 
for  a  case  of  dyspeptic  sickness  of  a  chronic 
character.  For  delicate  kittens  it  is  most 
valuable,  and  I  believe  the  very  worst  cases  of 
diarrhoea  or  dysentery  can  be  cured,  and  the 
patient  saved  to  grow  up  strong  and  healthy, 
if  a  diet  of  Plasmon  jelly,  given  cold,  with 
alternate  meals  of  Somatose,  also  given  cold,  be 


persevered  with  until  the  bowels  are  normal. 
Never  give  milk  in  any  form,  either  plain, 
boiled,  or  in  puddings,  to  a  cat  that  is  suffer- 
ing from  looseness  of  the  bowels.  Another 
little  hint  I  may  be  allowed,  perhaps,  to  give  : 
Don't  wait  for  illness  to  come  before  you  train 
your  kittens  to  take  medicine  from  a  spoon. 

"  I  teach  all  my  youngsters  to  drink  easily 
from  a  spoon,  beginning  with  something  nice 
— sweetened  milk  or  the  .like,  going  on  to 
cold  water  and,  when  necessary,  a  drop  or  two 
of  Salvo's  Preventive  in  it.  Then,  when  it 
becomes  necessary  for  a  real  nasty  dose,  they 
are  not  in  the  least  nervous  of  the  spoon  before- 
hand, and  the  dose  is  down  and  gone  before 
they  discover  anything  unusual.  Never  have 
I  to  wrap  cloths  round  any  of  my  cats,  or  get 
people  to  hold  them  by  main  force ;  but  some 
cats  will  nearly  turn  themselves  inside  out  when 
a  spoon  is  held  to  their  mouths  !  All  the  fault 
of  early  training.  Badly  brought  up  !  You 
must  be  very  patient  with  a  young  kitten  ; 
never  do  anything  in  a  hurry.  When  once  you 
have  gained  a  cat's  confidence  it  will  let  you 
•do  anything  to  it." 


REV.  p.  L.  COSWAY'S  "  IMPERIAL  BLUE. 


(Photo:    G.  &J.  Hall,  Wakeficld.) 


"  UN    SAUT    PERILLEUX." 
(From  a  Painting  by  Madame  Ronner.) 


137 


CHAPTER    XII. 

SILVER  OR  CHINCHILLA  PERSIANS. 


'  JACK   FROST." 

BREO  nv  MRS.  Mix,  OLO  FORT 

BATTERY,  NEW  YORK. 
(Photo:  A.  Lloyd,  Amsterdam,  N.Y.) 


PERHAPS  no 
breed  or  variety 
of  cat  has  been 
so  much  thought 
about,  talked  about, 
and  fought  about  in 
the  fancy  as  the  sil- 
ver or  chinchilla 
Persian.  If  blues 
are  a  new  variety, 
then  silvers  are  of 
still  more  recent 
origin.  Years  ago 
this  cat  did  not  exist 
— that  is  to  say,  we 
should  not  recognise  the  silver  Persian  of  to- 
day as  the  silver  of  bygone  times,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  the  only  class  of  silver 
in  the  fancy  formerly  was  the  silver  tabby. 
In  those  days  there  were  self-coloured  cats 
and  tabby,  or  marked  cats,  and  broken- 
coloured  cats.  Previous  to  the  introduction 
of  a  Chinchilla  class  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in 
1894,  the  class  for  silver  tabbies  included  blue 
tabbies  "  with  or  without  white,"  and  it  is 
curious  to  read  in  the  old  catalogues  of  the 
Crystal  Palace  shows  the  titles  given  to  the 
various  cats  by  the  owners,  some  describing 
their  cats  as  "chinchilla  tabby,"  "light  grey 
tabby,"  "silver  grey,"  "silver  chinchilla," 
"  blue  or  silver  striped."  We  may  infer  that 
these  cats  were  either  blue  tabbies  or 
silver  tabbies,  or  something  betwixt  and 
between.  I  distinctly  remember  the  large 
number  of  cats  which  in  these  enlightened  days 
we  should  find  it  difficult  indeed  to  classify. 
It  is  often  said,  "  What's  in  a  name  ?  "  But 
still,  in  trying  to  describe  a  particular  breed 
of  cat,  it  is  as  well  to  endeavour  to  find 
a  term  which  expresses  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible both  the  colour  and  the  appearance  of 


the  animal.  There  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
discussion  as  to  the  correct  name  by  which 
these  delicately  tinted  Persians  should  be 
called. 

The  National  Cat  Club  began  by  classify- 
ing them  for  the  Crystal  Palace  show  in  1894 
as  Chinchillas,  and  they  have  kept  to  this, 
although  it  is  really  a  most  misleading  title, 
as  the  cats  are  quite  unlike  the  fur  which 
we  know  as  chinchilla,  this  being  dark  at  the 
roots  and  lighter  towards  the  tips.  Now,  cats 
of  this  variety  ought  to  be  just  the  reverse. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  a  correct  •  idea  of  the 
real  colour  and  appearance  of  these  cats.  The 
fur  at  the  roots  is  a  peculiar  light  silver,  not 
white,  as  one  might  imagine,  until  some  pure 
white  is  placed  beside  it,  and  this  shades  to 
a  slightly  darker  tone — a  sort  of  bluish  lavender 
—to  the  tips  of  the  coat.  The  Cat  Club  intro- 
duced the  term  "  self  silver,"  but  this  is 
suggestive  of  one  colour  only,  without  any 
shadings  whatever.  Another  class,  called 
"  shaded  silvers,"  was  added  ;  but  then,  again, 
tabby  markings  are  not  shadings.  Formerly, 
blues  used  to  be  called  "  self  blues,"  but  this 
is  entirely  done  away  with,  and  now  we  never 
think  of  using  this  term,  and  speaking  of  them 
as  blues  we  understand  there  should  be  the 
one  and  only  colour. 

Surely,  then,  the  simplest  term  and  the 
most  descriptive  of  these  beautiful  cats  is 
"  silver,"  pure  and  simple,  for  whether  dark 
or  light  they  are  all  silvers,  and  so  we  should 
have  blues  and  blue  tabbies,  orange  and  orange 
tabbies,  silver  and  silver  tabbies. 

Then  comes  the  question  of  what  is  nearest 
perfection  in  this  variety  of  cat,  which  has 
come  upon  us  of  late  years,  evolved  from  the 
silver  tabby  and  the  blue.  The  ideal  silver,  to 
use  the  words  of  a  well-known  breeder  of  these 
cats,  should  be  the  palest  conceivable  edition 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


of  a  smoke  cat,  with  fur  almost  white  at  the 
roots  and  palish  silver  grey  at  the  tips,  and 
as  free  from  markings  as  a  smoke.  I  do  not 
go  the  length  of  declaring  that  silvers  cannot 
be  too  light,  for  I  think  that  it  is  the  delicate 
tips  of  silvery  blue  that  lend  such  a  charm 
and  give  such  distinction  to  this  variety. 
Without  these  delicate  tippings  a  silver  cat 
would  look  inartistic  and  insipid.  There  has 
been  of  late  quite  a  rage  amongst  silver 
breeders  to  produce  a  totally  unmarked 
specimen  ;  but  fanciers  would  do  better  to 
endeavour  to  obtain  a  light  shaded  silver  free 
from  tabby  markings  with  the  broad  head 
and  massive  limbs,  which  at  present  are 
qualities  not  often  met  with  in  this  variety. 
I  am  quite  aware  this  is  a  most  difficult  task, 
but  we  must  remember  that  "  all  good  things 
come  hard,"  even  in  breeding  cats,  and  if  it 
were  not  so  half  the  interest  for  fanciers 
would  be  gone. 

Having,  therefore,  considered  what  a  per- 
fect silver  cat  ought  to  be,  I  will  give  a 
description  of  the  type  of  cat  generally  bred 
and  exhibited  as  a  silver.  I  read  the  following 
account  in  one  of  our  daily  papers,  evidently 
written  by  a  non-admirer  of  these  lovely 
cats :  "  The  chinchillas  are  very  fashionable, 
and  very  difficult  to  breed  in  perfection. 
They  took  their  name  from  a  supposed  like- 


1  THE    AHSKXT-MIXDKI)    BEGGAR. 

OWNED  BY  MRS.  NEILD. 
(I'lioto  :   E.  Lamtor,  Ealing.) 


"  STAR   DUVALS." 

SILVER  PERSIAN  OWNED  AND  BRED  BY  Miss  MEESON. 
(Photo :  F.  Parsons,  Southend-on-Sea.) 

ness  the  fur  bears  to  that  of  the  chinchilla. 
But  the  chinchilla  cat,  as  at  present  in  request, 
bears  no  resemblance  to  the  little  rodent. 
Most  of  the  exhibits  are  of  a  dirty  white, 
tinged  with  lavender,  with  a  quantity  of 
marks  and  stripes  on  the  face,  body,  and 
paws."  Now  this  is  not  a  pleasing  picture, 
and  one  that  would  be  considered  libellous 
by  a  silver  breeder.  It  is,  however,  true  that 
at  present  our  silvers  are  too  full  of  tabby 
markings,  and  in  many  cases  the 
undercoat  is  not  silvery  white,  but 
light  grey  or  pale  blue.  There  are 
many  silver  cats  with  dark  spine 
lines  and  shaded  sides,  but  they  are 
heavily  barred  on  the  head  and  legs, 
and  the  tail  is  frequently  almost 
black.  It  is  a  case  of  tabby  blood 
which  needs  breeding  out  of  the 
silvers,  and  which,  no  doubt,  will  be 
obliterated  in  time,  so  that  two  dis- 
tinct types  of  silvers  will  only  exist— 
the  delicately  tipped  or  shaded  silvers, 
and  the  richly  marked  and  barred 
silver  tabbies.  Just  as  in  the  case  of 
the  blue  Persians  it  took  a  long 
while  to  eradicate  the  tabby  markings 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


which  showed  the  existence  of  tabby  blood, 
so  amongst  silvers  the  bar  and  stripes  need 
to  be  carefully  bred  out,  and  we  shall  hope, 
in  the  good  time  coming,  to  have  not  self 
silvers,  but  a  very  near  approach  to  this — 
namely,  a  perfectly  unmarked  but  yet  not 
wholly  unshaded  silver  cat. 

There  is  a  greater  delicacy  amongst  silver 
cats,  and  more  difficulty  in  rearing  the  kittens, 


ance,  and  noses  are  too  long.  However,  great 
improvement  is  taking  place,  and  with  the 
numerous  stud  cats  now  at  the  disposal  of 
fanciers,  there  ought  to  be  no  difficulty  in 
making  a  suitable  selection. 

The  question  as  to  the  correct  colour  of  eyes 
for  a  chinchilla  or  silver  cat  is  still  a  vexed 
question.  In  self-coloured  cats  the  broad  line 
is  clearly  laid  down — blue  eyes  for  whites, 


"  OMAR." 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  Miss  A.  POLLARD 
(Copyright  1901— G.  Hitler,  Elizabeth,  N.Y.) 


than  in  any  other  breed,  and  this  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  immense  amount  of  in- 
breeding that  was  carried  on  indiscriminately 
at  the  beginning  of  the  rage  for  silver  cats ; 
yalso  the  desire  to  obtain  lightness  of  colour 
caused  breeders  to  lose  sight  of  the  grave 
disadvantages  of  loss  of  bone  and  stamina. 
Therefore  it  is  that  among  the  silver  cats 
exhibited  at  our  shows  we  seldom  find  massive 
limbs  or  broad  heads  or  full  cheeks.  There 
is  a  tendency  to  hare-like  proportions,  and 
the  faces  have  a  pinched  and  snipey  appear- 


orange  for  blacks,  and  orange  for  blues  ;  but 
when  we  come  to  the  more  nondescript  cats 
— such  as  silver  and  smoke  and  tortoiseshell— 
there  seems  to  be  a  wider  margin  given,  and 
the  line  drawn  is  not  so  hard-and-fast.  Still, 
I  think  it  is  always  well  to  have  some  high 
standard  of  perfection  in  each  breed,  so  that 
fanciers  may  breed  up  to  it,  and  to  my  mind 
the  bright  emerald  green  eye  is  the  ideal  for  a 
silver  cat.  I  have  seen  very  fine  amber  eyes 
which  could  not  fail  to  attract  admiration  ;  but 
if  these  are  admitted,  then  all  sorts  of  eyes, 


140 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


not  amber  but  wishy-washy  yellow,  will  be  the 
inevitable  result.  So  many  silver  cats  have 
eyes  that  may  be  described  as  neither  one 
thing  nor  the  other.  Often  one  hears  the  re- 
mark, "  Oh  !  but  if  you  see  So-and-so's  eyes 
in  the  right  light  they  are  a 
lovely  green."  But  viewed  by 
the  ordinary  eye  of  a  critical 
judge,  they  appear  an  uncertain 


There  is  one  rather  peculiar  feature  in  the 
eyes  of  some  silver  cats.  This  is  the  dark 
rim  which  often  encircles  the  eye.  This  rim 
decidedly  enhances  the  beauty  of  the  eye, 
and  makes  it  look  larger  than  it  really  is, 


THREE   PRETTY    SILVERS. 
(Photo:  C.  Reid,  Wishatv.) 

yellow.  Therefore  it  is  best  to  set  up  a 
standard,  and  I  think  it  is  becoming  an  almost 
undisputed  fact  that  silver  cats  of  perfect 
type  should  have  green  eyes,  and  by  green 
let  it  be  understood  that  the  deeper  the  tone 
the  better  will  they  accord  or  contrast  with 
the  pale  silvery  coat. 

I  would  here  impress  upon  fanciers  the 
great  importance  of  striving  to  obtain  the 
large,  round,  full  eye,  which  gives  such  ex- 
pression to  a  cat's  face.  How  many  of  our 
silvers  of  to-day  are  spoiled  by  small,  badly 
shaped  or  half-open  eyes  !  I  do  not  think 
sufficient  importance  is  attached  by  our 
judges  to  this  point  of  size  of  eye.  Many 
are  carried  away  by  the  correctness  of  colour, 
and  fail  to  deduct  a  sufficient  number  of 
points  for  a  beady,  badly  shaped  small  eye. 

Colour  is  fleeting,  and  with  age  our  cats 
may  lose  the  brilliancy  of  green  or  orange, 
but  bold  large  eyes,  placed  well  apart  and  not 
too  deeply  sunk,  will  be  lasting  points  in 
favour  of  our  pets. 


and    also    throws    up    the    colour. 
Light,  almost  white,  ear-tufts  and 
toe-tufts  are  adjuncts  which  go  to 
make  up  a  perfect  silver  cat.     The 
nose  is  of  a  dull  brick  red,  darkening  slightly 
towards  the  edges. 

Few  Persian  cats  suffer  so  severely  during 
the  process  of  shedding  their  coats  as  silvers, 
and  they  present  a  most  ragged  appearance 
at  this  period  of  their  existence.  The  lovely 
fluffy  light  silver  undercoat  almost  disappears, 
and  the  top  markings  stand  out  very  dis- 
tinctly, so  that  a  cat  that  in  full  feather 
would  be  considered  a  light,  unmarked  speci- 
.  men  will  appear  streaked  and  dark  after  the 
coat  has  been  shed.  As  regards  the  silver 
kittens,  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  these,  when 
born,  are  often  almost  black — or,  at  any  rate, 
generally  very  dark  in  colour,  resembling 
smokes.  It  is  seldom  that  a  silver  kitten  is 
light  at  birth,  but  gradually  the  markings  and 
shadings  will  lessen,  and  perhaps  just  the  one 
mite  that  was  looked  upon  as  a  bad  black  will 
blossom  forth  into  the  palest  silver.  In  this 
respect,  silver  kits  are  most  speculative,  but 
in  another  they  are  cruelly  disappointing,  for 
a  kitten  at  three  months  old  may  be  a  verit- 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


141 


able  thing  of  beauty,  and  ere  it  has  reached 
the  age  of  eight  months,  bars  and  stripes  will 
have,  so  to  speak,  set  in  severely,  and  our 
unmarked  specimen  of  a  silver  kit  develops 
into  a  poorly  marked  tabby  cat.  I  may  say 
that  if  the  kittens  are  going  to  be  really  pale 
silvers  they  will  in  the  majority  of  cases  have 
very  pale  faces  and  paws,  with  little  or  no 
marking,  whilst  the  body  will  be  fairly  even 
dark  grey — perhaps  almost  black.  In  a  week 
or  two  a  change  takes  place,  as  the  under- 
coat begins  to  grow,  and  it  will  be  noticed 
that  the  kittens  become  more  even  in  colour, 
the  contrast  between  their  light  face  and  dark 
backs  will  not  be  nearly  so  accentuated,  and 
by  the  time  they  are  nine  or  ten  weeks  old 
they  will  look  almost  unmarked.  The  reason 
for  this  is  that  the  dark  fur  they  are  born 
with  is  really  only  the  extreme  tips  of  the 
hair,  and  as  their  coats  grow  in  length  this 
shading  becomes  more  dispersed. 

And  here  I  will  allude  to  the  so-called  three- 
fold classification  which  was  part  of  the  scheme 
of  the  Silver  Society,  founded  by  Mrs.  Cham- 
pion in  1900.     At  the  inaugural  meeting  Mrs. 
Stennard    Robinson    took    the   chair.     Voting 
papers     had     previously      been      distributed 
amongst  the  members,  asking  for  their  votes 
on  the  question  of  establishing  three  classes 
for  silvers — namely,  chinchillas,  shaded 
silvers,  and  silver  tabbies.     The  votes 
recorded  were  fifty-four  in   favour    of 
the  threefold  classification,    and    nine 
against  it.      So  this  was   carried  by  a 
large   majority,   and    the    question    of 
points  discussed  and  settled  as  follows  :— 

CHINCHILLAS. 

As  pale  and  unmarked  silver  as  possible. 
Any  brown  or  cream  tinge  to  be  considered 
a  great  drawback.  Eyes  to  be  green  or 
oi'ange.  Value  of  points  as  follows  : — 

Head  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .      20 

Shape .  .          .  .          . .          .  .          ..15 

Colour  of  coat  .  .          .  .          .  .      25 

Coat  and  condition.  .          .  .          .  .      20 

Colour,  shape,  and  expression  of  eyes     10 
Brush. .  . .          . .          . .  10 

Total  .    100 


After  much  discussion,  Lady  Marcus  Beres-. 
ford  moved,  and  Mrs.  Champion  seconded, 
the  following  definition  of  Shaded  Silvers  :— 

SHADED    SILVERS. 

Colour :  pale,  clear  silver,  shaded  on  face,  legs,  and 
back,  but  having  as  few  tabby  markings  as  possible. 
Any  brown  or  cream  tinge  a  great  drawback.  Eyes 
green  or  orange.  Value  of  points  : — 

Head          20 

Colour  of  coat     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .      25 

Coat  and  condition         .  .          .  .  .  .      20 

Colour,  shape,  and  expression  of  eyes        10 
Shape         .  .          .  .  .  .          .  .          ..15 

Brush         .  .          .  .          .  .          .  .  10 

Total  100 

From  this  list  it  will  be  seen  that  for  colour 
the  highest  points  are  given,  and  that  eyes 
may  be  green  or  orange.  But  during  the 
two  years  which  have  elapsed  since  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Silver  Society,  there  has  been  a 
decided  desire  on  the  part  of  breeders  for 
green  eyes  only,  and  certainly  our  best  qualified 
silver  judges  are  not  partial  to  any  other 
coloured  eyes  in  this  variety.  In  an  article 
on  the  colour  of  eyes  in  silvers,  "  Zaida  "  of 
Fur  and  Feather  writes :  "  Eye  colouring 
threatens  to  become  a  matter  of  fashion. 
Some  eight  years  ago  we  received  from  a  first- 
rate  fancier  and  exhibitor  a  letter  respecting 
a  chinchilla  cat,  which  later  became  a  great 


"  SHAH   OF   PERSIA. 
THE  PROPERTY  OF  MRS.  ANNINGSON. 


142 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


prize-winner.  '  It  is  useless,'  wrote  this  lady, 
'  to  think  of  exhibiting  her  on  account  of  her 
green  eyes.'  What  a  change  of  opinion  has 
marked  the  flight  of  eight  years  !  " 

It  will  be  observed  that,  as  regards  the 
description  of  chinchillas  and  shaded  silvers, 
there  is  a  distinction  and  yet  no  very  great 
difference,  and  herein  lay  the  difficulty  of 
retaining  these  two  classes  at  our  shows.  The 
lightest  silvers  were  deemed  eligible  for  the 
chinchilla  class,  and  then  came  the  question 
for  exhibitor  and  judge  to  draw  the  line  be- 
tween the  two  so-called  varieties,  and  to  decide 
what  degree  of  paleness  constituted  a  chin- 
chilla and  what  amount  of  dark  markings 
would  relegate  the  specimen  into  the  shaded 
silver  class.  The  cat  world  became  agitated, 
exhibitors  were  puzzled,  and  judges  exasper- 
ated. There  were  letters  to  the  cat  papers 
on  the  "  silver  muddle."  Show  secretaries 
were  worried  with  inquiries.  I  recollect  a 
would-be  exhibitor  writing  to  me  sending 
a  piece  of  her  silver  cat's  fur,  and  asking 
whether  her  puss  should  be  in  the  chinchilla 
or  shaded  silver  class  ;  but  even  with  her 


knows  a  black  or  white  or  brown  tabby,  but 
how  can  we  exhibitors  discern  between  the 
number  of  shadings  on  our  silver  cats  as  to 
which  class  they  belong  ?  Do  kindly  air  my 
grievance,  and  oblige." 

It  was  quite  pathetic  to  see  the  faces  of  dis- 
appointed exhibitors  at  the  Westminster  show 
of  1901,  when  several  beautiful  creatures  who 
had  travelled  many  a  weary  mile  to  be  penned 
and  admired  were  rewarded  with  a  "  Wrong 
Class "  ticket  only.  They  were  either  too 
light  or  too  dark  for  the  class  in  which  their 
owners  had  entered  them,  and  all  hope  of 
honour  and  glory  and  golden  coins  and  silver 
cups  vanished  into  thin  air  !  At  one  show  I 
recollect  a  cat  was  accounted  by  the  judge  a 
chinchilla  and  a  shaded  silver,  and  he  came 
off  very  well  with  special  prizes  for  both 
varieties.  No  doubt  he  really  was  either  one 
or  the  other,  or  both  ! 

It  was  no  wonder,  therefore,  that  a  reaction 
set  in,  and  exhibitors  and  judges  felt  alike  that 
something  must  be  done,  and  that,  at  any  rate 


"  FULMEK    ZAIDA." 

SILVER,  OWNED  BY  LADY  DECIES. 

(Photo  :  E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


lengthy  description  and  the  sample  before  me, 
I  dared  not  venture  an  opinion,  and  I  used 
generally  to  reply  to  such  letters  by  saying 
I  did  not  know  in  which  class  to  enter  my 
own  silver  cat,  and  so  I  was  going  to  keep 
him  at  home. 

One  correspondent,  appealing    through  the 
columns    of    the    papers,    wrote :     "  Everyone 


for  a  time,  it  would  be  better  to  have  only  the 
two  classes  for  silvers  and  silver  tabbies,  and 
that  specials  might  be  given  to  encourage  the 
lightest  cats.  The  abolition  of  the  threefold 
classification  was  therefore  taken  into  consider- 
ation when  the  Silver  Society  was  broken  up 
by  the  departure  of  Mrs.  Champion  to  America, 
and  the  Silver  and  Smoke  Persian  Cat  Society 


SILVER    OK    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


came  into  existence,  with   Mr.    H.   V.   James     tinted  silvers  is  the  palest.    We  shall  gradually 


as  Hon.  Secretary. 


but  surely  breed   out   the   tabby  markings  if 


The    following     are     the    objects     of     the     fanciers  will,  so  to  speak,  nail  the  right  colour 


Society  : — 

The  title  of  this  Society,  which  (under  the  name  of 
The  Silver  Society)  was  founded  in  July,  1900,  is 
"  THE  SILVER  AND  SMOKE  PERSIAN  CAT  SOCIETY." 

The    objects    of    the    Society 
are : — 

i. — To  improve  the  breeds  of 
long-haired  silver  (or  chin- 
chilla), shaded  silver,  sil- 
ver tabby,  and  smoke 
coloured  cats  and  kittens, 
male,  female,  and  neuter. 

2. — To  guarantee  extra  classes 
for  these  breeds  at  shows 
supported      by 
the         Society, 
when     neces- 
sary. 

3. — To  offer  prizes 
for  the  said 
breeds  at  shows 
supported  by 
the  Society. 

4. — To  hold  shows 
independently, 
or  in  conjunc- 
tion with  other 
Societies  or 
Clubs  when  it 
shall  be  deemed  expedient  by  the  members. 

5. — To  elect  specialist  judges  to  make  the  awards 
at  shows  supported  by  the  Society. 

6. — To     establish    and    maintain    a    standard    of 
points  for  the  above-mentioned  breeds. 


TROUBADOR. 
SILVER,  BRED  BY  MRS.  E.  N.  BARKER. 


to  the  mast    and   keep   on  striving  to  breed 

UP  to  ^e  Pel"fect  type. 

To    quote    Mr.    C.    A.    House  :    "  What    is 
wanted  is  for   breeders  to  work  on   standard 
lines,  and  not  push  forward 
with   such  persistency  their 
own   pet    particular    whims. 
All    that  is  required  is    for 
breeders    to    be  determined 
to   breed  honestly  and  con- 
sistently for  what  the  stand- 
ard advocates,  and  leave 
severely     alone     all     ex- 
cesses and  exaggerations. 
Let    us    have  chinchillas 
free  from  markings  by  all 
means,    but    let   us   keep 
our    shadings,  our    silver 
colour,  remembering  that 
pure  silver  is  of  a  bluish 
tinge,     and     is    not    the 
whitey-brown  article  some 
would  have  us  accept  as 
the     ideal    in    chinchilla 
cats."     The  same  author- 
ity,   writing    on    the    threefold    classification, 
says  :    "  I   have  always   maintained  that    the 
threefold  classification    in   silvers  was   a  mis- 
take,  and   the    majority  of    breeders,    I    am 


pleased  to  know,   are    coming    round  to  that 

It  was  in  March,  1902,  that  voting  papers  view.     My  opinion,  when  first  enunciated,  was 

on   this    burning   question   were   sent   out    to  not  popular.     With    some    it    is    not  to-day, 

members  of  the  new  society,  with  the  follow-  But  many  who  at  one  time  could  not  see  the 

ing  result  :   For  the  threefold  classification,  20  ;  force  of  my  arguments  now  do  so,  and  there 

against,   32.     Therefore,   by   the  wish   of  the  is  a  more  general  feeling  that  the  craze  for  self 

majority,  it  was  decided  to  give  up  the  three-  silvers  is  not  conducive  to  the  welfare  of  the 

fold  classification  for  the  present.  silvers  as  a  breed." 

The  Silver  and  Smoke  Persian  Cat  Society  Amongst  the  well-known  breeders,  fanciers, 
is  now  in  a  most  flourishing  condition,  with  and  exhibitors  of  silvers  in  the  present  day, 
about  150  members.  It  is  the  fervent  hope  I  may  mention  Lady  Marcus  Beresford,  who 
and  earnest  endeavour  of  each  and  all  of  the  owns  some  beautiful  specimens  of  the  cele- 
fanciers  of  silvers  in  the  society  to  breed  a  brated  "  Lord  Southampton "  strain.  A  hand- 
perfectly  unmarked  specimen,  and  with  perse-  somer  type  of  silver  female  cannot  be  met 
verance  we  may  in  time  puzzle  the  judge  to  with  than  "  Dimity,"  bred  by  Miss  Cochran, 
decide  which  cat  in  a  large  class  of  lightly  and  presented  by  her  to  Lady  Marcus  Beres- 


144 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


ford.  Lady  Decies  is  the  proud  possessor  of 
the  incomparable  "  Zaida,"  whose  record  of 
wins  is  a  marvellous  one.  As  all  the  cat 
world  knows,  "  Zaida  "  is  accounted  the  light- 
est and  most  unmarked  specimen  in  the  fancy. 
Mrs.  W.  R.  Hawkins  has  bred  some  wonder- 
fully good  silvers,  and  was  the  owner  of 
"  Sweet  Lavender,"  which  has  been  acknow- 
ledged as  one  of  the  best  of  this  breed  that 
ever  existed.  The  following  are  the  principal 
silver  breeders :  The  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren 
Morrison,  Mrs.  G.  H.  Walker,  Mrs.  Neild, 
Mrs.  Russell  Biggs,  Mrs.  Wcllbye,  Mrs.  Martin, 
Mrs.  T.  Drake,  Mrs.  Cubitt,  Mrs.  Marriott, 
Mrs.  Balding,  Mrs.  Poole,  Mrs.  Ormerod,  Mrs. 
Fawsett,  Miss  White  Atkins,  Miss  Snell,  Miss 
Horsman,  Miss  Dell,  Miss  Meeson,  The  Hon. 
Philip  Wodehouse,  Miss  Chamberlayne. 

During  the  last  few  years  a  very  large 
number  of  silver  cats  have  been  placed  at 
stud,  but  we  may  regard  three  cats  as  the 
founders  of  the  breed  or  as  the  pillars  of 
the  silver  strain — namely,  "  Silver  Lambkin." 
"  Lord  Southampton,"  and  "  Lord  Argent." 
To  these  worthy  ancestors  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  the  silvers  of  to-day  can  trace  their 
lineage.  But  this  noble  trio  is  naturally  being 
superseded  by  such  stud  cats  as  "  Silver 
Starlight,"  "Tintagel,"  "  Cambyses,"  "The 
Absent-minded  Beggar,"  "  Pathan  of  Dingley," 
"Jupiter  Duvals,"  "St.  Anthony,"  "Rob 
Roy  of  Arrandale,"  "  The  Silver  Sultan."  and 
many  others.  There  is,  therefore,  now  no 
excuse  for  in-breeding,  which  used  to  be 
carried  on  to  a  great  extent  when  so  limited 
a  number  of  sires  were  forthcoming.  To  in- 
discriminate and  injudicious  in-breeding  may  be 
largely  attributed  the  great  delicacy  amongst 
silver  cats.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
number  of  fatalities  among  silver  kittens  is 
far  in  excess  of  that  of  any  other  breed.  Then, 
again,  the  size  of  silver  cats  compares  unfavour- 
ably with  others,  and  they  are  wanting  in 
muscle  and  bone.  We  do  not  want  huge, 
coarse,  heavy  silvers,  but  breeders  and  judges 
sometimes  show  an  utter  disregard  for  size 
and  strength,  and  the  consequence  is  we  see 


a  number  of  ladylike  looking  studs  that  fail 
miserably  in  these  very  essential  points. 

Breeders  should  aim  at  the  happy  medium 
between  the  liliputian  and  the  leviathan,  but 
not  be  content  unless  their  silver  studs  turn 
the  scales  at  10  Ib.  As  regards  the  mating 
of  silvers,  a  broad  line  to  lay  down  is  to  avoid 
tabby  markings.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
smokes  have  been  wisely  selected  by  most 
breeders  as  the  best  cross  for  a  silver.  It  is 
more  than  probable  that  in  many  cases  some 
nondescript  sort  of  kittens  will  be  the  result. 
These  sort  of  light  smokes  are  exceedingly 
pretty  cats  and  make  fascinating  pets,  but 
they  are  useless  for  breeding  purposes  or 
exhibiting.  I  have  known  of  some  handsome 
specimens  that  have  wandered  from  class  to 
class,  only  to  be  disqualified  in  each  and 
either,  and  it  was  a  case  of,  "  When  judges 
disagree,  who  shall  decide  ?  " 

Several  experiments  have  been  tried  of 
crossing  a  white  Persian  with  a  silver  in  order 
to  get  pale  coloured  kittens,  but  this  appears 
seldom  to  succeed  unless  the  whites  have 
silver  blood  in  them.  Some  breeders  have 
tried  blues  with  silvers,  but  there  is  the  danger 
of  introducing  the  grey  blue  undercoat  which 
gives  such  a  smudgy  appearance  to  a  silver 
and  is  suggestive  of  a  badly  coloured  smoke. 
It  does  not  at  all  follow  that  the  mating  of 
two  light  silvers  will  produce  light  coloured 
and  unmarked  kittens,  yet  this  cross  and  the 
smoke  are  the  safest.  It  must  be  a  work  of 
time,  as  we  have  before  said,  to  breed  out  the 
tabby  markings  of  many  generations. 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Balding  is  as  well  known 
to  breeders  of  silvers  of  the  past  as  it  is  at 
the  present  day.  In  the  past,  however,  it  was 
as  Miss  Dorothy  Gresham  this  enthusiastic 
fancier  won  her  laurels.  I  well  remember  the 
sensation  caused  by  the  appearance  in  the 
show  pen  of  the  "  Silver  Lambkins  "  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  in  1888.  To  breeders,  ex- 
hibitors, and  cat  fanciers  generally  the  follow- 
ing account  of  chinchillas  from  the  earliest 
days,  specially  written  for  this  book  by  Mrs. 
Balding,  should  be  exceedingly  interesting : — 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


"  There  is  probably  no  variety  of  long- 
haired cat  which  has  caused  so  much  dis- 
cussion, notwithstanding  that,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  light-coloured  reds,  which  have 
been  designated  '  creams,'  the  chinchilla  is 
the  cat  which  has  most  recently  gained  dis- 
tinction as  a  separate  variety.  The  notoriety 
which  the.  chinchilla  enjoys  has  been  in  great 
part  brought  about  by  the  delicacy  of  its 
appearance  and  the  difficulty  that  has  been 


tabbies.  They  must,  however,  not  be  alto* 
gether  despised,  as  they  have  been  the  stepping- 
stones  which  have  led  to  the  creation  of  the 
chinchilla. 

"  It  is  something  like  twenty  years  ago  that, 
amongst  the  competitors  in  the  classes  for 
long-haired  tabbies  at  the  Crystal  Palace  and 
other  important  shows,  was  occasionally  to  be 
seen  an  alien  with  the  ground  colour  of  the 
silver  tabby,  but  with  very  few  stripes  on 


TWO   VIEWS. 

(Photo:  E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


experienced  in  the  production  of  a  perfect 
specimen.  Many  cats  are  called  chinchillas 
and  are  exhibited  as  such,  often  winning 
prizes,  but  very  few  indeed  are  of  the  pale 
silver  tint,  with  bright  emerald  eyes,  and  with 
no  bars  or  stripes  on  the  legs  or  head. 

"  The  chief  subjects  that  have  been  under 
discussion  in  connection  with  the  chinchilla 
cat  have  been  the  colour  of  eyes  and  the  shade 
of  the  coat ;  but,  with  regard  to  the  former,  I 
think  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  green  is 
a  more  suitable  accompaniment  to  silver  than 
yellow  or  orange,  and,  as  regards  the  latter, 
that  silver,  with  dainty  sheen  evenly  distri- 
buted, is  more  to  be  desired  than  a  patchy 
grey,  dull  in  hue  and  unattractive  to  the 
eye.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  these  shaded  grey 
specimens  are  in  reality  only  ill-marked  silver 
10 


the  body.  These  cats  were  evidently  sports 
from  the  silver  tabby,  so  much  so  that  the 
class  for  that  section  was  the  only  one  open 
to  them ;  and,  although  they  invariably 
showed  great  quality,  breeders  were  loth  to 
exhibit  them  in  the  medley  of  different 
coloured  tabbies,  where  one  of  their  chief 
beauties — the  absence  of  stripes — became  a 
disadvantage.  Their  only  chance  of  dis- 
tinction lay  in  putting  in  an  appearance  at 
provincial  shows,  where  the  authorities  were 
sometimes  to  be  induced  to  attach  two  cat 
classes  to  the  rabbit  division — one  for  long- 
haired of  any  colour,  and  the  other  for  short- 
haired.  In  this  indiscriminate  assemblage, 
no  colour  having  been  stated,  chinchillas  when 
present  wrought  great  havoc,  although  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  judges  of  the  day 


146 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


gave     precedence     to  a   well  -  marked     silver 
tabby. 

"  Amongst  these  outcasts  was  a  cat  of 
striking  beauty,  whose  like  has  not  been  seen 
again.  This  was  '  Sylvie,'  of  unknown  pedi- 
gree, owned  by  the  late  Mrs.  Christopher,  at 
whose  death  she  became  the  property  of  the 
late  Miss  Saunders,  of  Peterborough.  A 
beautiful  portrait  of  this  exquisite  chinchilla 
is  given  in  Mr.  Harrison  Weir's  book  '  Our 
Cats.'  When  judging  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in 
1886,  this  connoisseur  and  judge  of  world- 
wide repute  awarded  her  first  prize,  medal, 
and  special  for  the  best  long-haired  cat, 
getting  over  the  difficulty  of  her  silvery, 
unmarked  coat  by  calling  her  a  very  light 
blue  tabby,  though  the  puzzle  was  to  find  the 
tabby. 

"  Another  chinchilla  of  the  early  'eighties 
was  Miss  Florence  Moore's  '  Queenie,'  who 
would,  had  chinchilla  classes  been  provided  at 
that  time,  have  been  loaded  with  champion- 
ships and  honours.  In  colour  she  was  as 
light  as  any  of  our  present-day  celebrities,  and 
might  easily,  from  her  freedom  from  markings, 
have  earned  the  dubious  compliment  of  the 


MRS.    BALDING  S    "  SILVER    LAMBKIN. 
(Photo :  E.   Landor,  Ealing.) 


uninitiated  so  highly  prized  by  owners  of 
chinchillas  of  being  mistaken  for  a  grubby 
white.  Miss  Florence  Moore,  who  later  on 
had  one  of  the  best  and  largest  catteries  in 
the  country,  bred  '  Queenie  '  from  her  '  Judy,' 
winner  of  many  first  prizes,  a  heavily  marked 
silver  tabby  of  Mrs.  Brydges'  noted  breed, 
and  '  Fez,'  a  light  silver  cat  with  indefinite 
stripes. 

"  Mrs.  Brydges  can  claim  the  distinction 
of  having  owned,  something  like  half  a  cen- 
tury ago,  some'  of  the  first  long-haired  cats 
ever  imported  into  England.  A  coincidence 
worthy  of  note  is  that  though  there  is  no 
record  of  her  having  bred  or  possessed  a 
chinchilla,  two  never-to-be-forgotten  pairs  of 
chinchilla  kittens  —  Miss  Florence  Moore's 
'  Chloe '  and  '  Dinah,'  winners  of  first  and 
medal  on  three  successive  occasions  at  the 
Crystal  Palace,  Brighton,  and  Bexley,  1887 
(they  being  the  only  chinchillas  at  any  of 
these  shows),  and  Miss  Gresham's  '  Silver 
Lambkins,'  who  swept  the  board  in  1888, 
winning  the  specials  at  the  Crystal  Palace  from 
forty-six  pairs  of  other  competitors  of  all 
colours — could  in  each  case  trace  descent  to 
the  Cheltenham  stock  '  Chloe  '  and  '  Dinah,' 
through  the  afore-mentioned  '  Judy  '  and  the 
'  Silver  Lambkins,'  through  their  sire  '  Rah- 
man,' also  bred  by  Mrs.  Brydges. 

"  Still  more  remarkable,  these  two  couples 
of  youthful  prodigies  were  first  cousins,  on 
the  other  side  of  their  pedigrees,  the  noted 
"Fluffy  II.'  and  'Beauty'  being  bred  by 
Mrs.  Vallance. 

"  '  Chinnie,'  the  Mother  of  chinchillas,  is 
familiar  in  name  to  every  breeder  of  this 
lovely  variety,  and  the  following  letter,  of 
the  early  'eighties,  relating  to  her  birth  and 
buying,  will  perhaps  prove  interesting  to  the 
up-to-date  silver  fancier.  It  is  copied  from 
the  original  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Val- 
lance. One  guinea  appears  to  have  been  a 
price  to  talk  of  in  those  days.  Now,  one 
would  be  tempted  to  hide  the  fact  of  such  a 
small  amount,  and  if  a  specimen  were  offered 
to  us  at  this  low  figure  we  should  certainly 
desire  it  to  be  sent  on  approval. 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


147 


-  THE  VICARAGE,  SANDAL  MAYNER, 
NEAR  WAKEFIELD, 

October  141/1,  1882. 
'  To  Mrs.  VALLAXCE. 

'  MADAM, — The  kitten  I  have  to  sell  is  quite 
pure  bred.  The  mother  I  bought  for  £\  is.  when 
quite  a  kitten  from  prize  parents.  The  father  is 
one  we  bred  partly  from  Mrs.  Radford's  breed  and 
partly  from  a  splendid  torn  cat  that  was  found 
living  wild  at  Babbicombe,  and  that  we  had  in  our 
possession  for  some  months,  but  unfortunately  he 
is  lost  again  now — I  am  afraid  permanently.  I 
think  this  kitten  promises  to  be  very  like  the  mother. 
She  is  very  handsome  and  has  good  points — brush, 
ear  tips,  and  so  on — but  I  consider  her  rather  small. 
But  the  kitten  may  be  finer,  as  the  father  is  a  large 
cat.  Miss  Grant's  are  related  to  ours  on  the  father's 
side,  but  Mrs.  Radford's  very  distantly,  if  at  all. 

'  I  do  not  think  these  Angora  kittens  are  delicate. 
We  have  never  failed  in  rearing  them.  The  more 
new  milk  they  have,  and  the  better  feeding,  the  finer 
cats  they  are  likely  to  make.  We  do  not  have  much 
trouble  in  keeping  ours  at  home,  as  we  live  some  dis- 
tance from  the  village.  We  always  give  ours  their 
principal  meal  at  6  p.m.,  and  keep  them  shut  up  in 
a  hay-loft  until  next  morning.  If  you  have  a  box 
wherever  the  kitten  lives,  with  sifted  sand  or  cinders 
in  it,  kept  in  a  corner,  you  will  find  that  the  best 
way  to  ensure  habits  of  cleanliness.  If  I  hear  nothing 
from  you  to  the  contrary  I  will  send  the  kitten  on 
Wednesday  morning,  igth,  by  the  early  train  from 
Derby  station ;  and  if  you  are  not  satisfied  with 
the  kitten  I  am  willing  for  it  to  be  returned  within 
a  day  or  two,  if  the  return  journey  is  paid  and  I  am 
let  know  beforehand  when  to  expect  it. 

'  I  remain,  yours  truly, 

'  GRACE  HURT.' 

A  letter  redolent  of  lavender  and  old-world 
deliberation,  but  words  of  wisdom  for  all  that. 
The  reported  delicacy  of  long-haired  cats  would 
trouble  us  less  if  we  had  more  of  the  new  milk 
and  hay-loft  system.  Raw  meat,  raw  eggs, 
new  milk,  fresh  air,  grass,  and  water  are  the 
sole  ingredients  required  to  rear  the  most 
valuable  kitten. 

'  Chinnie's '  size  is  another  interesting 
point.  She  grew  to  medium  weight,  but  was 
remarkable  for  symmetry  of  form  rather  than 
bulk. 

"  Some  of  the  loveliest  chinchillas  are  small, 
but  'Nizam,'  'Tod  Sloan,'  'Ameer,'  'Silver 
Lambkin,'  '  Laddie,'  '  Lord  Argent,'  '  Silver 
Mist,'  '  Cherub,'  and  '  St.  Anthony  '  stand  out 


MRS.    BALDING  S    "FLUFFIE   TOD. 

as  being  as  large,  or  larger,  than  any  cats  of 
other  colours,  and  the  majority  of  them  have 
also  the  purity  of  colour,  broad  heads,  and 
short  legs  so  often  lacking  in  large  cats.  The 
legginess  and  want  of  quality  which  frequently 
accompanies  size  doubtless  cause  our  leading 
judges  to  deem  it  of  little  account. 

"  The  name  chosen  by  Mrs.  Vallance  for 
her  new  acquisition  proves  that  even  in  those 
early  days  the  term  chinchilla  was  in  vogue. 
'  Chinnie's '  wins  were  third  Maidstone, 
Sittingbourne,  V.H.C.  Oxford,  Maidstone. 
Her  charming  little  mate  '  Fluffy  I.,'  a  very 
pure  silver  with  undecided  tabby  markings, 
also  showed  the  quality  of  coat  and  cherub 
face  for  which  their  descendants  have  been 
unsurpassed.  He  was  bred  in  1883  by  Miss 
Acland  from  imported  cats,  and  won  first  and 
medal  at  Maidstone,  Cheltenham,  and  Ealing, 
second  Ryde,  V.H.C.  Crystal  Palace,  Oxford,, 
and  Lincoln.  His  career  ended  in  1886,  when 
he  disappeared.  Tradition  whispers  he  was 
destroyed  in  the  village. 

"  In  April,  1885,  '  Chinnie '  produced  a 
litter  by  '  Fluffy  I.,'  two  members  of  which — 
'  Vezzoso  '  and  '  Beauty  ' — have  earned  un- 
dying fame  in  the  annals  of  chinchilla  history. 
'  Vezzoso,'  a  marvel  of  lavender  loveliness,  in 


148 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


"  SEA    FOAM." 
THE  PROPERTY  OF  MR.  LAUGHTON. 

his  one  brief  year  of  existence  won  first  in  the 
open  class  and  silver  medal  for  best  in  show 
Albert  Palace,  1885,  first  Louth,  Maidstone, 
second  Frome,  third  Lincoln. 

"In  fatal  1886  '  Vezzoso,'  who  belied  his 
exquisite  appearance  by  being  very  un- 
domesticated,  like  his  maternal  grandfather 
the  wild  cat  of  Babbicombe,  roamed  to 
return  no  more.  '  Lost  in  the  woods  '  is  his 
epitaph. 

"  An  even  more  tragic  fate  befel  '  Fluffy  II.,' 
the  1886  son  of  '  Fluffy  I.'  and  '  Chinnie,'  who 
after  winning  first  Crystal  Palace,  first  and 
silver  medal  for  best  in  show  Brighton,  second 
Albert  Palace  and  Ealing,  and  siring  the  two 
before-mentioned  kittens  of  the  year,  died  in 
1887  from  the  effects  of  an  accident  in  which 
he  was  internally  injured.  Thus  within  little 
more  than  a  year  Mrs.  Vallance  lost  three  of 
the  most  promising  young  cats  anyone  could 
possess.  At  the  time  their  owner  scarcely 
realised  their  value,  and  allowed  them  absolute 
freedom,  with  such  sad  results. 

"  But  undoubtedly  the  best  result  of  the 
'  Fluffy  '  and  '  Chinnie  '  alliance  was  '  Beauty,' 
from  whom,  as  already  stated,  came  the 
'  Silver  Lambkins.'  As  a  kitten  she  became 


the  property  of  Miss  Howe,  of  Bridgyate, 
near  Bath,  and  later,  by  a  breeding  arrange- 
ment with  the  Miss  Greshams  (now  Mrs. 
Bridgwater  and  Mrs.  Balding),  had  three 
remarkable  litters  of  chinchilla  kittens,  the 
first  by  '  Rahman,'  who  shortly  afterwards 
strayed  from  home  and  was  lost.  This  was 
the  litter  which  produced  four  queens,  in- 
cluding the  two  '  Silver  Lambkins,'  and 
which  (with  the  exception  of  one  renamed 
'  Mimi,'  who  went  to  America  with  her  owner) 
all  unfortunately  died. 

"  The  second  of  Bridgyate  '  Beauty's ' 
litters  was  by  Mrs.  Shearman's  'Champion 
Perso,'  a  magnificent  light  smoke  with  re- 
markable coat  and  wonderful  mane,  winner  of 
a  large  number  of  first  and  special  prizes.  In 
this  lot  was  a  torn  kitten  destined  to  be  a  pillar 
of  the  chinchilla  stud  book,  the  '  Silver 
Lambkin,'  named  after  his  deceased  half- 
sisters.  The  chief  beauties  of  this  remarkable 
cat  are  his  size  and  muscular  frame,  the  length 
and  thickness  of  coat,  and  the  enormous  frill 
inherited  from  'Champion  Perso,' which  spreads 
Elizabethan  like  round  his  shoulders  and  falls 
to  his  feet  in  front,  a  cascade  of  silvery  white 
fluff  several  inches  long.  To  '  Perso '  may 
be  traced  in  some  degree  '  Silver  Lambkin's  ' 
success  as  the  sire  of  unmarked  cats,  and  to 
'  Beauty  '  their  pale  colour,  green  eyes,  and 
perfect  shape,  which  have  won  for  her  de- 
scendants by  '  Lambkin '  upwards  of  150 
first  prizes. 

"  At  the  time  '  Silver  Lambkin  '  was  bred 
there  was  no  chinchilla  stud  cat,  and  no  one 
had  thought  of  trying  to  breed  chinchillas, 
for  whom,  as  before  stated,  there  was  no 
encouragement  at  shows  or  at  home. 

"  The  third  litter  which  brought  further 
fame  to  '  Beauty  '  was  by  '  Bonny  Boy,'  who 
in  the  early  'nineties  was  placed  second  in  the 
class  for  silver  tabbies  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 
but  was  considered  by  admirers  of  chinchillas 
to  be  the  best  cat  in  the  whole  show — an 
honour,  however,  which  came  to  him  a  month 
later  when  at  Brighton  he  was  awarded  the 
special  for  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  the 
Persian  breed  in  the  exhibition ;  he  had 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIAATS. 


149 


previously  been  claimed  at  Sydenham,  by  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison,  at  his  catalogue 
price  of  £6  6s.,  and  was  afterwards  renamed 
'  Nizam.' 

"  The  only  information  that  could  be  ob- 
tained about  this  beautiful  cat  was  that  he 
was  exhibited  by  Mrs.  Davies  and  that  he 
came  from  Wales.  Report  suggested  that  he 
was  imported,  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  any 
chinchilla  cat  having  been  sent  from  abroad. 


the  first  prize  to  a  heavily  marked  silver  tabby, 
thus  totally  ignoring  the  desired  object. 
This  occurred  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in  1893 
or  1894.  The  two  first  classes  ever  given  for 
chinchillas  were  this  one  and  that  given  at 
Cruft's  first  cat  show  at  Westminster,  held 
in  March,  1894. 

"  The  next  that  was  heard  of  '  Twin  '  was 
that  she  had  suc- 
cumbed from  the 


MRS.  WELLBYE'S  "  SILVER  LOTUS." 

{Photo  :  E.  Lamlor,  Eating.) 


"  '  Beauty's '  litter  by  '  Nizam  '  consisted 
of  one  male  and  four  females,  two  of  which, 
as  '  Twin  and  I  '—so  named  because  they 
were  so  exactly  alike — won  first  prizes  and 
medals  wherever  shown.  Another  was  sold  by 
me  to  Mrs.  Martin,  which,  as  '  Lambkin  Queen,' 
was  the  foundation  of  the  afterwards  noted 
cattery  at  High  Wycombe.  'Twin'  eventually 
went  to  Mr.  Lawton,  who  renamed  her  '  Queen 
of  the  Mist.'  Mated  with  'Silver  Lambkin' 
she  produced  '  Sea  Foam,'  the  first  chinchilla 
to  win  a  prize  in  a  class  solely  confined  to  cats 
of  the  colour.  There  was  an  amusing  coin- 
cidence about  this  win,  inasmuch  as  after 
considerable  trouble  had  been  taken  to  get  a 
separate  class  for  chinchillas,  the  judge  gave 
10* 


effects  of  swallowing  a  needle.  '  I,'  registered  as 
'  I,  Beauty's  Daughter,'  remained  the  whole  of 
her  lifetime  at  The  Lodge,  Penge,  where,  when 
paired  with  the  pale  blue  '  Champion  Bundle,' 
'  Southampton  Duchess  '  was  the  result,  the 
latter  the  mother  of  the  '  Silver  Lambkin's ' 
most  sensational  son  '  Champion  Lord  South- 
ampton,' who  was  sold  by  Mrs.  Greenwood 
for  £60,  when  he  became  the  property  of 
Lady  Decies,  this  being  probably  the  highest 
price  that  has  ever  been  given  in  England  for 
a  cat  of  any  variety.  'Champion  Lord  South- 
ampton,' who  has  been  a  very  great  winner,  is 
remarkable  for  the  lightness  of  colour  and  slight 
markings  of  his  kittens,  this  being  undoubtedly 
due  to  the  strain  of  blue  in  his  blood.  Many 


150 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


MRS.    WELLBYE  S 

(Photo  :   E.  L 


beautiful  cats  own  him  as  sire,  notably  Miss 
Leake's  '  Seraph,'  Mrs.  Bluhm's  '  Silver  Sultan,' 
Mrs.  Neild's  '  Absent-minded  Beggar,'  Miss 
White  Atkins'  '  Tintagel,'  Mrs.  Tyrwhitt 
Drake's  '  Musa,'  Mrs.  Rickett's  '  Empress 
Josephine,'  Mrs.  Earwaker's  '  Buxton  Cloud.' 
Mrs.  Geo.  Walk- 
er's 'Woodheys 
Fitzroy,'  Mrs. 
Barnes'  '  Nour- 
mahal,'  winner 
of  the  Chinchilla 
Club  challenge 
for  the  best  kit- 
ten, 1899,  and  a 
daughter  of 
'  Champion  Ful- 
mer  Zaida,' 
shown  by  Lady 
Decies  at  the 
Crystal  Palace 
in  1901,  also 
'  Green  -  eyed 
Monster.' 

"  Whilst  speaking  of  '  Tintagel  '  it  may  be 
remembered  that  he  sired  a  charming,  litter 
exhibited  by  Mrs.  Poole,  which  were  first  at  the 
National  Cat  Club  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 
and  one  of  which  won  as  a  single  kitten  at 
the  Botanic  Gardens  in  1902. 

"  Other  famous  progeny  of '  Silver  Lambkin  ' 
are  '  Silver  Mist,'  '  Watership  Caesar '  (who  won 
the  gold  medal  at  Boston,  U.S.A.,  for  the  best 
cat  in  the  show,  1902),  '  Silver  Tod  Sloan,' 
'Silver  Owl,'  Mrs.  Bluhm's  'Silver  Lily,' 
'  Silver  Squire,'  and  '  Mowgli,'  the  last  named 
bred  by  Mrs.  Dunderdale,  but  later  the  property 
of  Mrs.  Smyth,  of  Forest  Hill,  one  of  the 
most  enthusiastic  admirers  of  chinchillas,  who 
has  in  her  possession  the  stuffed  figure  of 
'  Beauty.' 

"  A  chinchilla  that  gained  a  considerable 
notoriety  was  '  Sweet  Lavender,'  the  property 
of  Mr.  Hawkins.  This  was  a  beautiful  speci- 
men, very  light  in  colour.  The  latter  was 
also  a  distinctive  feature  of  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
McLaren  Morrison's  '  Ameer,'  a  son  of  '  Lamb- 
kin Queen,'  who  stands  prominently  forward 


SILVER    "  DOSSIE. 
andor,  Ealing.) 


as  one  of  the  most  perfect  of  his  kind.  Mrs. 
Martin's  '  St.  Anthony,'  whose  name  appears 
in  the  pedigrees  of  several  winners,  is  a  brother 
of  '  Ameer.' 

"  As  the  sire  of  Lady  Decies'  '  Champion 
Fulmer  Zaida,'  the  most  lovely  chinchilla 

*  female  that 
has  ever  been 
seen,  'Silver 
Laddie,'  who  is 
now  unfortun- 
ately gone  to  his 
happy  hunting- 
grounds,  can 
claim  to  have 
been  one  of  the 
most  noted  of 
sires,  more  par- 
ticularly as  he 
was  also  the 
father  of  many 
others  of  great 
value,  promi- 
nent amongst 
which  were  Miss  Horsman's  'Aramis,'  Miss 
Snell's  '  Starlight,'  '  Silver  Cherub,'  '  Lady  of 
Quality '  (one  of  the  most  perfect  chinchillas 
ever  bred),  'Charterhouse  Pixie'  (the  dam  of 
'Tod  Sloan'),  and  numberless  others. 

"  Not  only  as  a  chinchilla,  but  when  com- 
peting with  all  breeds  of  cats,  both  long  and 
short  haired,  '  Champion  Fulmer  Zaida  '  has 
proved  her  excellence,  and  has  on  more  than 
one  occasion  secured  the  cup  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  for  the  best  cat  in  the  whole  show. 
She  was  bred  by  Mrs.  Bluhm,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  chinchillas,  and,  it  is  stated,  has  now  won 
136  first  and  special  prizes,  and  that  Lord 
Decies  has  refused  £90  for  her. 

"  '  Zaida  '  has  also  produced  some  first-class 
kittens,  amongst  which  was  Miss  Stisted's 
'  Pearl,'  the  owner  of  the  latter  pretty  queen 
being  a  most  devoted  admirer  of  the  chin- 
chilla and  sparing  no  expense  to  further  its 
interests. 

"  Mrs.  Bluhm's  strain  of  chinchillas  are  all 
very  light  in  colour,  and  show  great  quality, 
which  may  also  be  said  of  those  of  Mrs.  Wellbye, 


OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


whose  '  Silver  Lotus  '  and  '  Veronica,'  daughters 
of  '  Silver  Squire  '  and  '  Dossie,'  did  so  much 
winning  in  their  day. 

"  Miss  Meeson  has  also  shown  considerable 
enthusiasm  in  her  endeavour  to  reach  the 
ideal,  her  best  efforts  having  resulted  in 
'  Jupiter  Duvals,'  of  wide  fame. 

"  Two  clubs  have  been  formed  in  connection 
with  the  chinchilla  cat — one,  the  Silver  Society, 
embraced  other  coloured  cats  besides  the 
chinchilla,  this  eventually  becoming  the  Silver 
and  Smoke  Persian  Cat  Society.  It  was  owing 
to  this  club  encouraging  shaded,  or  marked, 
silver  cats  and  orange  eyes  that  the  Chinchilla 
Club  was  formed  by  Mrs.  Balding.  This 
Club  has  the  honour  of  having  as  patron 
H.S.H.  Princess  Victoria  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 
who  owns  and  exhibits  some  beautiful  chin- 
chillas, and  Lord  Decies  as  vice-president. 

"  The  Chinchilla  Club  gives  its  support  and 
specials,  besides  guaranteeing  classes  at  any 
show  whose  management  apply  The  con- 
ditions on  which  the  specials  are  presented 
is  that  the  cats  to  which  they  are  awarded 
must  be  the  property  of  members  of  the  club, 
prize-winners  in  their  respective  classes,  and 
registered  cats. 

"  The  club  prizes  usually  consist  of  half  a 
guinea  in  each  class,  and  the  more  coveted 
Special  of  the  club's  badge  for  the  best  chin- 
chilla of  either  sex.  Badges  were  selected  in 
place  of  the  ubiquitous  medal,  because  most 
of  the  dainty  professional  beauties  very  soon 
obtain  a  considerable  number  of  the  latter, 
and  smart  little  badges  were  more  appre- 
ciated. 

"  The  club's  present  challenge  trophy  for 
chinchilla  kittens  is  a  solid  silver  model  of 
'  Silver  Lambkin,'  offered  by  the  hon.  secretary 
for  competition  amongst  its  members ;  it  is 
also  open  to  members  of  the  National  Cat  Club, 
in  acknowledgment  of  the  compliment  paid 
by  the  latter  to  the  original  in  choosing  his 
statuette  to  surmount  their  challenge  cup. 
The  little  history  of  the  origin  of  this  special 
has  never  appeared  in  print  before,  and  as 
I  was  not  present  at  the  committee  meeting 
referred  to,  '  I  tell  the  tale  as  'twas  told  to  me.' 


When  the  challenge  cups  of  the  National  Cat 
Club  were  designed  in  1897,  it  was  decided  that 
the  beauty  and  interest  attached  to  them 
should  be  enhanced  by  immortalising  on  each 
the  most  representative  cat  of  the  long-haired 
and  short-haired  varieties.  For  the  latter  the 
great  '  Xenophon  '  was  chosen  without  hesi- 
tation. Then  came  the  more  difficult  task 
of  deciding  upon  a  recipient  for  the  distinction 
from  the  long-haired  ranks,  which  claim  so 
much  oi-the  beauty  and  wealth  of  winnings 
of  the  cat  world  as  to  render  the  singling  out 
of  one  a  matter  of  consideration.  To  hasten 
the  termination  of  the  discussion  Mrs.  Stennard 
Robinson  sent  for  a  collection  of  cat  photo- 
graphs which  had  been  left  to  her  by  the  late 
Miss  Portman,  the  well-known  '  Kara  Avis '  of 
the  Lady's  Pictorial.  Amongst  these  the  hon. 
secretary  of  the  N.C.C.  pointed  out  one — with 
no  name  attached — as  the  most  beautiful 
photograph  of  the  lot.  This  was  recognised 
by  most  of  the  committee  as  being  '  Silver 
Lambkin,'  so  the  honour  fell  to  him. 

"By  some  error  at  the  makers'  the  long- 
haired cat  was  placed  on  both  challenge  cups, 
and  it  was  determined  by  the  club  that  the 
superfluous  model  which  had  to  be  removed 
and  replaced  by  '  Xenophon '  should  be 

mounted    as    a 
letter-weight 
and  given  as  a 
challenge    prize 
for  kittens, 
to  be  won 
three  times 
before   be- 


.\IRS.  WKI.LUYK'S  SILVER  "  VERONICA.' 

(Photo  :   E.  Landor,  Eating.) 


152 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE    CAT. 


coming  the  property  of  the  winner.  After 
some  keen  competition,  covering  about  half  a 
dozen  shows,  Mrs.  Martin  won  it  outright  in 
1899,  when  it  was  replaced  by  the  present 
exactly  similar  model. 

"  The  endeavour  of  the  Chinchilla  Cat  Club, 
of  which  all  the  leading  breeders  and  most 
successful  exhibitors  are  members,  is  to 
continue  the  work  that  has  been  done  to 
improve  chinchillas,  and  to  produce  a  new 
variety  the  colour  of  the  palest  shade  of  the 
fur  (dyed)  known  as  '  blue  fox,'  or  a  very  light 
shade  of  pigeon  blue.  Without  doubt  such  a 
result  can  be  obtained  by  careful  selection  and 
— '  the  little  more.'  Darwin's  words  on  the 
subject  of  selection  are  attractive  to  all 
owners  of  live  stock.  He  says  :  '  Improvement 
is  by  no  means  due  to  crossing  different  breeds. 
All  the  best  breeders  are  strongly  opposed 
to  this  practice,  except  sometimes  amongst 
closely  allied  sub-breeds.  And  when  a  cross 
has  been  made,  the  closest  selection  is  far 
more  indispensable  even  than  in  ordinary 
cases.  If  selection  consisted  merely  in 
separating  some  very  distinct  variety  and 
breeding  from  it,  the  principle  would  be  so 
obvious  as  to  be  hardly  worth  notice  ;  but 
the  importance  consists '  in  the  great  effect 
produced  by  the  accumulation  in  one  direction 
during  successive  generations  .of  differences 
absolutely  unappreciable  by  an  uneducated 
eye.  Not  one  man  in  a  thousand  has  the 
accuracy  of  eye  and  judgment  sufficient  to 
become  an  eminent  breeder.  .  .  .  Few  would 
readily  believe  in  the  natural  capacity  and 
years  of  practice  requisite  to  become  even  a 
skilful  pigeon  fancier.' 

"  The  Chinchilla  Cat  Club  is  also  prepared 
to  encourage  cats  of  new  colours,  which  should 
now  be  not  so  very  difficult  to  produce,  con- 
sidering the  points  that  have  been  brought  out 
in  those  varieties  that  were  well  known,  the 
latter  showing  that  it  is  possible  to  breed  to  a 
standard  if  judgment  is  used  in  the  endeavour 
to  do  so.  Some  of  us  remember  the  time 
when  a  blue  cat,  either  long-  pr  short-haired 
(now  the  largest  classes),  was  a  rara  avis  when 
Mrs.  Lee's  '  Meo '  was  the  only  Siamese  at 


the  Crystal  Palace  show,  smokes  an  equal 
oddity,  blue  eyes  in  a  white  cat  a  comparatively 
unnoticed  point,  and  cream  -  coloured  cats 
entirely  unknown. 

"  The  colour  of  the  chinchilla  has  been  bred 
in  various  ways.  In  bygone  days,  when 
chinchilla  cats  were  flukes  or  freaks  and  few 
and  far  between,  methods  which  would  now 
be  considered  somewhat  eccentric  were  re- 
sorted to  by  the  first  breeders  of  the  colour. 
The  useful  tortoiseshell,  from  which  black, 
red,  cream,  or  tabby  cats  can  be  got,  was 
pressed  into  the  service,  and,  paired  with  a  silver 
or  light  blue  tabby  not  too  clearly  marked, 
would  occasionally,  amid  the  multi-coloured 
kittens  for  which  tortoiseshells  are  proverbial, 
throw  a  medium  chinchilla  or  light  silver  tabby, 
which  with  careful  selection  might,  a  generation 
or  two  later,  develop  into  something  approach- 
ing a  good  chinchi  la. 

"  But  it  is,  perhaps,  more  difficult  to  foretell 
with  cats  than  any  other  animal  what  the 
result  of  pairing  will  be  with  anything  like 
certainty.  This  particularly  applies  to  the 
ordinary  English  cat,  as  it  is  impossible  to  guess 
at  the  mixture  of  different-coloured  creatures 
which  have  preceded  it,  and  any  of  which 
may  influence  the  progeny  of  its  descendants. 
A  fancier  who  would  produce  any  particular 
specimen  must,  amongst  other  gifts,  be 
equipped  with  the  patience  of  biblical  cele- 
brities and  prepared  to  wait  seven  years,  as 
one  enthusiast  actually  did  before  arriving  at 
the  fulfilment  of  his  desires  in  the  shape  of  a 
well-marked  tabby  kitten. 

"  With  pedigree  cats,  of  course,  the  chances, 
of  unexpected  traits  reappearing  in  their  pro- 
geny are  considerably  lessened,  and,  given 
desirable  connections  on  both  sides  of  some 
years'  standing,  the  personal  attributes  of  a 
coming  litter  may  be  predicted  more  or  less 
successfully.  One  of  the  loveliest  of  smokes — 
the  correct  black,  with  white  undercoat,  with- 
out the  shadow  of  a  stripe — was  from  a  brown 
tabby  queen,  from  brown  tabby  parents,  and 
a  chinchilla  bred  from  a  chinchilla  dam  and 
smoke  sire.  Again,  a  brown  tabby  with 
white  paws,  whose  appearance  did  not  suggest 


SOUTHERN    CATTERY,    SHOWING   ENTRANCE   TO    INFIRMARY   AND   INDOOR   CATTERY. 


MKS.    WALKER   VISITING   HER    PETS. 
TWO    VIKWS    OF    WOODHEYS    CATTKKY. 


154 


THE    BOOK     OF     THE    CAT. 


the  bluest  of  blood,  mated  with  the  same 
chinchilla  sire,  produced  in  a  litter  three  chin- 
chillas and  two  faintly  marked  silver  tabbies, 
which  would  nowadays  have  been  styled 
'  shaded  silvers  '  by  followers  of  the  dubious 
hue.  Needless  to  say,  these  instances  are  not 
given  to  encourage  the  idea  of  breeding  chin- 
chillas from  brown  tabbies,  but  as  illustrations 


11  SILVER   BLOSSOM. 
OWNED    BY    MRS.    WALKER. 
(Photo :  Finiilow  &  Co.,  High  Wycombe.) 


that  just  as  the  results  of  pairing  a  cat  with 
one  of  nondescript  pedigree  cannot  be  guessed, 
so  in  an  animal  carefully  bred  for  generations 
so  indelibly  have  the  characteristics  of  the 
breed  or  variety  been  stamped  upon  it 
by  past  ancestors  that  it  is  practically  im- 
possible for  them  to  become  obliterated  or 
submerged. 

"  Thus  the  type  once  fixed  survives,  though 
it  be  by  the  aid  of  the  most  incongruous  con- 
nection, such  as  a  brown  tabby.  Had  the 
latter  been  the  patrician  bred  from  progenitors 
of  her  colours,  and  the  chinchilla  been  the  one 
of  doubtful  lineage,  the  result  must,  of  course, 
have  been  reversed,  and  the  kittens,  in  all 
probability,  would  have  followed  the  brown 
tabby  strain.  If  neither  parent  cat  when 
of  distinct  varieties  can  boast  a  particularly 


dominant  strain,  the  offspring  naturally  par- 
takes of  the  peculiarities  of  both. 

"  Colour,  in  chinchillas,  is  the  most  import- 
ant point.  It  should  be  of  palest  silver,  lav- 
ender tint,  and  lighter — in  fact,  practically 
white — at  the  roots.  There  should  be  no  dark 
blotches  or  stripes  or  brown  tint  on  the  back 
or  about  the  nose.  A  rusty  hue  is,  however, 
sometimes  caused  by  the  action  of  the  sun 
or  wind.  As  regards  bars  or  stripes  on  head, 
these  should  be  as  few  and  light  in  colour  as 
possible,  with  a  view  to  breeding  them  out 
altogether  in  the  future. 

"  The  coat  should  be  long  and  thick,  of  fine, 
soft  texture,  much  thicker  and  longer  round 
the  neck,  forming  a  decided  frill  and  mane, 
the  latter  reaching  well  down  the  fore  legs. 
It  should  also  be  longer  on  the  hinder 
part  of  the  thighs,  forming  culotte,  and  very 
bushy  on  the  tail,  which  should  be  short  and 
wide.  The  legs  should  be  slightly  feathered, 
with  tufts  of  hair  between  the  toes.  There 
should  also  be  tufts  in  the  ears,  which  should 
be  very  small  and  set  low. 

"  The  head  should  be  wide  at  the  forehead 
and  short  in  the  muzzle,  well  filled  up  below 
the  eyes,  giving  it  a  round  appearance.  The 
eyes  large  and  luminous,  in  colour  emerald 
green  with  black  lids.  Green  and  yellow 
mixture  is  permissible,  but  not  so  picturesque 
as  the  green  ;  yellow  in  the  eyes  is  not  desirable. 
In  shape  the  chinchilla  should  have  a  level 
back,  and  be  only  slightly  long  in  the  couplings. 
The  legs  should  be  short,  with  round  paws, 
the  latter  well  padded.  When  in  full  coat  the 
hair  should  nearly  reach  the  ground  and  the  frill 
envelop  the  back  of  the  head,  making  a  very 
fascinating  whole." 

The  following  is  the  standard  of  points  as 
drawn  up  by  the  Chinchilla  Cat  Club.  It  is 
also  used  in  America  as  a  basis  for  criticism  :— 

i .  Colour  of  Coat. — Palest  silver,  laven- 
der tint  preferred,  nearly  white 
at  roots.  No  dark  stripes,  blotches, 
or  brown  tint.  Darker  tips  to  the 
long  hairs  give  the  coat  an  appear- 
ance of  being  lightly  peppered 
with  a  darker  shade.  The  whole 


SILVER    OR     CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


155 


appearance  of  the  cat  to  be  very 
pale 30 

2.  Coat. — Long  and  thick         .  .          .  .      20 

3.  Texture  of  Coat. — Fine  and  soft  .  .      10 

4.  Tufts  of  hair  inside  and  round  the  ears 

and  between  the  toes         . .          . .      10 

5.  Head. — Broad  and  round;  forehead 

wide,  ears  small  and  set  low,  nose 
short  .  .          .  .          . .  25 

6.  Shape. — Back  level,  not   too  short ; 

legs    short,    paws    round ;    brush 
short,  wide,  and  carried  low         . .      20 

7.  Eyes. — Large,   luminous,   and  green 

in    colour     (if    green    mixed    with 
yellow,  5  points  only  allowed)     .  .      10 

4 

To  breeders  of  silver  Persian  cats  an  article 
by  Mrs.  Neild  will  be  valuable  and  instructive. 
Mrs.  Neild  has  made,  so  to  speak,  a  speciality 
of  silvers,  and  owns  two  noted  silver  studs — 
the  "  Absent-minded  Beggar "  and  "  Lord 
Hampton."  There  are  always  some  good  sil- 
ver queens,  and  very  frequently  some  choice 
kits,  disporting  themselves  in  the  well-arranged 
catteries  at  Hart  Hill,  Bowdon,  where  Mrs. 
Neild  has  a  kennel  of  Borzois  and  a  cattery 
of  silvers. 

This  is  what  Mrs.  Neild  says  regard- 
ing the  breeding  and  rearing  of  silver 
Persian  cats  : — 

"  Perhaps  of  the  many  varieties  of 
Persian  cats — and,  indeed,  they  are 
a  goodly  number  as  they  now 
appear  on  our  show  cata- 
logues and  schedules — the  sil- 
vers may  claim  their  owners  to 
be  the  most  sporting  of  cat 
breeders.  Certainly,  to  breed 
successfully  it  is  essential  that 
one  should  possess  the  not  too 
common  virtues  of  unlimited 
patience  and  perseverance. 
Also  experience  is  necessary. 

"A  common  occurrence  among  even  old 
hands  is  to  assign  a  kitten — one  of  a  new 
litter  under  inspection,  as  being  of  '  little 
good  except  as  a  pet  ' — '  to  be  sold  at  a  small 
sum  to  a  good  home,'  and  a  few  weeks  later 
discover  this  same  kitten  to  be  the  pick  of  the 
litter.  In  short,  the  old,  old  story  of  the 
ugly  duckling  incessantly  repeats  itself  in  our 


catteries,  certainly  in  those  devoted  to  silver 
cats.  Therefore  I  suspect  fanciers  who  have 
succeeded  (all  honour  to  the  few  !)  and  those 
who  mean  to  succeed  in  breeding  silver  Persian 
cats  of  possessing  a  larger  stock  of  patience 
and  of  having  acquired  a  larger  experience 
than  their  brothers  and  sisters  whose  love 
has  turned  towards  the  blue,  black,  or  white 
pussies. 

"  With  these  last  three  one  may  be  tolerably 
sure — always  taking  for  granted  some  know- 
ledge— of  fairly  pure  coat  colour,  and  at  a 
very  early  age  the  best  kittens  of  the  litter 
may  be  picked  out— those  having  greatest 
breadth  of  skull,  smallest  ears,  etc.  But  the 
silver  litters  are  a  veritable  surprise  packet, 
and  remain  so  for  an  irritatingly  long  period. 
Personally,  I  have  found  that  those  kittens 
which,  when  born,  have  very  pale — almost 
white — unbarred  faces  and  fore  legs  are  ulti- 


"  SILVER  BLOSSOM'S  "  TWO  BUDS. 

(Photo:   Mr;.  G.  H.  Walker.) 

mately  those  which  grow  palest.  I  take  no 
notice  of  the  colour  of  the  coat  on  the  back, 
sides,  hind  legs,  or  tail,  even  if  striped,  as 
frequently  happens,  for  all  these  markings 
generally  vanish  if — as  I  before  said — the  face 
and  fore  legs  are  unbarred.  I  must,  however, 
own  to  one  kitten  who  was  born  jet  black. 
She  was  by  Mrs.  Champion's  '  Lord  Argent ' 


156 


Tllf:     BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


and  a  shaded  silver  queen  of  my  own  breeding,  ah  !    happy    accompaniment — greater    cousti- 

When  a  montli  old  I  dubbed  her  a  very  bad  tutional   vigour. 

smoke  ;  at  three  months  she  was  coatless — a  "  We  are,  I  believe,  too  apt,  if  owning  a 
most  indecent  little  person,  having  shed  her  pale  queen,  to  mate  IKT  with  the  palest  known 
coat  more  completely  than  I  had  ever  seen  stud,  disregarding  other  very  important  con- 
in  cat  or  kitten.  When,  after  a  provokingly  siderations  in  the  all-absorbing  wish  to  breed 
long  period,  she  again  consented  to  appear  the  wonderful  '  dirty  white '  king  or  queen  of 
clothed,  her  dress  was  of  palest  silver,  un-  silvers.  Sometimes  this  atom  (verily  so)  of 
adorned  by  any  markings  except  a  very  faint  perfection  does  make  its  appearance,  and  is 


smudge  on  her  forehead  and — which,  alas, 
spoilt  her  for  show — a  darker  tinge  on  her 
broken  tail.  How 
is  it  that  to  our  best 
some  accident  al- 
ways happens ?  So, 
as  I  could  not  ex- 
hibit her,  I  sold  her 
to  a  delightful  home 
in  the  North  of  Eng- 
land, and  her  en- 
t  liusiastic  owner 
wrote  to  me  a  few 
'weeks  since  that 
her  big  babies  by 
'Lord  Hampton' 
were  as  pale  as  the 
mother,  who  herself 
grew  steadily  of  a  "wii.n  TOM." 

SII.VKK,  HRKU  r.v  MRS.  G.  11.  WAI .M  ;;. 
(I'ltoto:   Mrs.  G.  11.   Walker.) 


enthusiastically  greeted.      But    what   of    the 
mite  itself?     A  tiny,  sickly  scrap  of  a  kitten, 

constantly      ailing. 

refusing  to  grow  or 
to  Weigh,  exeept  at 
a  rate  of  less  than 
halt  the  average 
blue  kitten  of  its 
own  age.  But  ex- 
traordinary care 
Lvps  the  mite  alive 
until  one  day  some 
chance  draught  or  a 
maid's  carelessness 
ends  our  careful 
nursing,  and  tin- 
poor  owner  of  that 
'  lovely  dirty  white 
kit '  at  last  realises 
that  this  other 
good-bye  means  it 


fainter  silver. 

"  Unfortunately, 

silvers  more  than  any  other  breed  of  cats  lack  may  be  wiser  to  mate   that   same    pale  queen 

bone,   caused,  of   course,  by  the  unavoidable  to  the  strongest,  hardiest,  biggest-boned  stud 

in-breeding  practised  when  this  variety  of  cat  possible  to  be  found  among  our  silver  studs, 

was  first   introduced  and   so   enthusiastically  even  if  he  is  rather  barred. 
welcomed,  and  when  but  one  or  two  fanciers         "  Now    mark.     From     the    result     of    this 

owned  a  cat  of  such  shade.     Another  article  mating,  keep  the  best  of  the  female  kittens 


on  this  subject,  by  a  lady   who   may   really     and   marry  her  —  if  possible,    not    betore 
claim   to  have   established    this    breed,    will     is    eighteen    (at    any    rate,    fifteen)    months 
explain  to  the  reader  more  than  it  is  in  my     old  —  to    a    stud    unrelated,     sturdy,    of    un- 


power  or  province  to  declare. 


doubtedly    splendid     health,     for    preference 


To  go  back  to  the  subject  of  our  small  paler  than  herself,  and   boasting   grand   head 

silvers,  in-bred  to  delicacy.     We  should  now  and    the    essential     tiny    ears     and     short 

remember  how    many  good  sires,   absolutely  nose.      Then    you    may   dream  your   dreams 

unrelated  and  within    easy  reach,  are  placed  with   a   chance   of  their  resulting  in  a  golden 

at     our    disposal.      Therefore,    surely    there  reality. 

can   be  no  possible  excuse   if  in  a  compara-  "  If  breeders  would  but  spend  rather  more 

tively  short  time  we   do  not  manage  to  own  thought  when  they  select  husbands  for  their 

silvers  big  in   bone  and  limb,  and   owning —  pussies,  they  would  be  indeed  repaid.     I  am 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


157 


not  speaking,  of  course,  to  the  fortunate  few 
who  have  won  their  laurels,  and  of  whom  I 
would  I  might  learn ;  although  I  rather 
suspect  their  secret  of  success  is  but  the 
result  of  continual  study,  coupled  with  ex- 
treme care.  Would  not  an  enormous  increase 
of  size  and  weight  soon  become  evident  in 
the  occupants  of  our  catteries  if,  when  a 
queen  was  about  to  be  mated,  her  owner 
would  first  carefully  study  the  list  of  points 
provided  by  the  Silver  and  Smoke  Persian 
Cat  Society  (previously  quoted  in  this  work), 
jotting  down  those  good  qualities  to  which 
she  believes  her  queen  may  lay  claim,  and 
then  selecting  that  sire  possessing  the  points 
most  wanting  in  her  own  cat — of  course,  never 
forgetting  relationship  ?  The  old  rule  about 
in-breeding  is  '  once  in,  twice  oat,'  as  all  old 
fanciers  know  ;  but  where  silver  Persian  cats 
are  in  question,  I  would  most  strongly  urge 
that  this  adage  be  disregarded,  and,  as  a  rule, 
avoid  in-breeding  entirely  until  a  stronger  race 
of  silver  cats  is  established,  cats  with  frames 
equal  to  those  big  blue  beauties  we  see  at 
our  shows.  I  think  that  in  a  comparatively 
short  time — of  course,  always  avoiding  tabby 
blood,  breeding  chiefly  for  bone  —  our  silver 
cats  may  be  very  different  to  those  of  to- 
day, those  who  own  too  fairylike  limbs  to  be 
beautiful. 

"  A  word  about  our  famous  sires — and,  by  the 
way,  we  may  congratulate  ourselves  on  having 
within  reach  so  many  beauties.  Often  I  have 
letters  asking  for  advice  as  to  which  stud 
such  and  such  a  queen  shall  visit  ;  and,  in 
addition  to  the  above  suggestions,  I  would 
remind  the  owner  that  length  of  journey 
should  be  taken  into  consideration,  and  the 
fact  that  if  the  chosen  sire  is  extremely  popular 
it  may  be  that  a  better  result  may  be  gained 
if  the  queen  is  sent  to  one  not  so  much  in 
request,  especially  if  the  owner  of  the  stud 
cat  has  not  been  warned  before  of  the  visit  of 
your  pussie.  However,  most  owners  of  stud 
cats  are  extremely  careful  in  limiting  the 
number  of  visitors,  and  few  object  to  keeping 
Sir  Thomas  free  for  a  week  beforehand  if 
given  due  notice. 


"  Do  let  me  urge  all  whom  it  may  concern 
to  keep  Madame  in  close  confinement  for 
several  days  after  her  return  home.  Indeed, 
in  the  interest  of  the  owner  of  both  stud  and 
queen  this  is  of  vast  importance,  and  many  a 
disappointment  is  due  to  this  seemingly  small 
neglect.  Puss  does  not  always  return  as  one 
would  wish,  however  great  the  care  given  her 
whilst  away  on  her  holiday,  and  may  take 
her  matrimonial  affairs  into  her  own  paws 
with  results^  most  unsatisfactory  to  everyone 
but  herself.  When  the  kits  arrive,  do  not— if 
you  have  reason  to  expect  valuable  kittens  as 
a  result  of  the  mating — leave  more  than  two 
or  three  with  the  mother  (I  am,  of  course, 
speaking  of  silver  kittens)  for  reasons  I 
shall  directly  state.  By  far  the  best  plan  is 
to  procure  (some  time  before  the  birth  of 
both  litters)  a  good  big  English  cat  as  foster 
mother,  one  known  to  have  brought  up  a 
previous  litter — not  an  old  cat.  The  usual 
method  of  substituting  her  foster  for  her 
own  babies  is  to  take  away  the  mother  cat 
for  a  few  minutes — of  course,  out  of  sight — 
and,  removing  one  of  her  own  kittens,  rub 
the  little  silver  baby  with  the  hay  of  the  nest 
and  against  the  other  kittens  so  that  the 
strange  smell — sense  of  all  others  so  wonder- 
fully developed  in  animals — may  not  raise 
suspicion  in  the  foster  mother.  Then  the 
next  day  remove  one  or  two  more. 

"  May  I,  at  this  point,  plead  that  the  little 
kittens  taken  from  their  mother  for  your 
benefit  should  not  be  drowned  ?  If  they 
must  be  sent  along  the  silent  road  to 
the  Quiet  City,  let  it  be  done  mercifully 
and  by  chloroform.  Such  wee  things  may 
rest  easily  in  a  big  biscuit  box,  the  lids 
of  which  usually  close  tightly,  and  about 
I  oz.  of  chloroform  poured  on  a  piece  of 
flannel  or  sponge  laid  on  a  small  saucer 
by  their  side  will  send  them  painlessly  to 
sleep. 

"  The  reason  I  strongly  advise  that  the 
English  foster  should  nurse  the  best  of  the 
litter  is  but  an  echo  of  the  old  cry,  '  Want  of 
bone.'  Fed  by  the  sturdy  British  puss,  the 
delicate  tiny  balls  of  silver  fluff  will  gain 


158 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


''FUR       AND      F  E  A  T  H  E  R." 

(Photo  :   Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke  ) 


greater  strength,  and  be  mothered  for  a 
longer  period  than  would  be  possible  with 
their  real  parent. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  remember  that,  al- 
though the  foster  mother  needs  extra  food 
when  nursing — just  as  in  the  case  of  the 
silver  mother  —  more  caution  must  be  exer- 
cised when  beginning  the  more  liberal  diet, 
for  very  probably,  if  this  is  forgotten,  a 
liver  attack  —  which  will  also  affect  the 
precious  kits — will  be  the  result  of  her  un- 
usually liberal  fare.  Remember,  also,  to 
inquire  of  the  owner  of  your  foster  as  to  how 
she  has  been  fed.  With  this  knowledge,  com- 
mon sense  and  careful  watching  of  cat  and 
kittens  will  quickly  show  if  it  would  be  better 
to  increase  or  diminish  her  meals  either  in 
quantity  or  quality.  It  is  of  enormous  value 
to  bespeak  the  foster  mother,  if  possible, 
four  or  five  weeks  before  the  birth  of  the 
kittens,  for  then  it  will  not  hurt  to  give  her 
what  is  almost  certain  to  be  necessary — i.e. 
a  worm  powder. 

"  I    always    allow    my    mother    pussies    as 


much  milk  as  they  like  (although,  as  a  rule, 
my  cats  drink  water),  but  it  should  be  boiled, 
and  one  tablespoonful  of  lime-water  added 
to  each  half-pint.  When  I  once  urged  this 
care  of  the  foster  mother  to  a  friend  who 
owned  two  kittens  she  was  extremely  anxious 
to  rear,  I  was  laughed  to  scorn,  and  assured 
that  such  fussiness  about  a  strong  English  cat 
was  more  than  foolish.  Yet  I  would  remind 
breeders  who  are  inclined  to  agree  with  the 
above  opinion  that  on  the  perfect  health  of 
your  head  nurse  rests  the  future  of  your 
much-prized  litter.  On  her  depends  their 
growth,  their  first  chance  of  throwing  off 
their  natural  delicacy.  Mr.  House,  in  one  of 
his  articles  lately  published  in  Fur  and  Feather, 
advises  that  kittens  should  be  kept  with  and 
fed  by  their  mothers  as  long  as  sixteen  weeks. 
In  my  humble  opinion  this  is  too  great  a 
strain  on  any  Persian  cat,  but  there  may 
be  great  wisdom  in  keeping  the  kits  with  the 
mother  or  foster  for  as  long  as  it  is  possible 
without  overtaxing  the  cat.  The  same 
authority  speaks  of  a  relay  of  foster  mothers. 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


159 


I  confess  this  puzzles  me,  for  I  should  imagine 
that  the  food  supplied  by  the  second  mother 
would  be  too  weak  in  quality  (as  Nature 
provides  it  shall  be  of  different  quality  to  suit 
the  age  of  all  and  every  kind  of  baby)  for 
the  big  kits  after  that  of  the  first  foster,  and 
I  should  have  also  imagined  the  second  foster 
would  refuse  to  nurse  kits  so  much  bigger 
than  those  she  had  just  left. 

"  When  my  kits  are  four  weeks  old  I  give 
them  raw  lean  beef — scraped,  not  chopped — 
beginning  with  half  a  teaspoon ful  daily,  then 
the  same  quantity  twice  daily,  then  three  times 
a  day;  and  at  the  same  time  teach  them  to 
lap,  using  a  plate,  which,  being  shallower  than 
a  saucer,  causes  less  choking  and  fear  to  the 
little  things." 

Mrs.  G.  H.  Walker,  of  Woodheys  Park,  is 
the  chief  supporter  of  the  Northern  Counties 
Cat  Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Cat  Club  Committee.  For  several  years  she 
has  been  a  well-known  breeder  and  exhibitor 
of  silver  Persians,  and  has  a  most  excellently 
planned  cattery,  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  when  on  a  visit  to  Woodheys  Grange. 
Mrs.  Walker  kindly  had  some  views  taken, 
specially  for  reproduction  in  these  pages.  I 
consider  the  arrangements  for  the  pussies' 
comfort  and  well-being  as 
complete  as  it  is  possible  to 
make  them.  The  floors  of  the 
outside  catteries,  which  face 
south,  are  cemented,  so  that 
they  can  be  washed  over 
every  day.  The  roofs  are 
boarded,  and  then  covered 
with  galvanised  iron,  so  that 
all  the  rain  runs  away  easily. 
The  spacious  apartments  are 
fitted  with  benches  and 
ledges,  and  trunks  of  trees 
and  leafy  shrubs  are  planted 
in  the  ground  for  the  cats' 
special  amusement  and  ex- 
ercise. The  kennels — which, 
for  the  purpose  of  photo- 
graphing them  have  been 
placed  outside — are  the  cosy 


sleeping  dens  of  the  pussies.  There  is  a. 
maid  in  attendance  on  these  fortunate  cats, 
and  the  man  who  looks  after  the  kennels, 
of  dogs  also  gives  a  helping  hand. 

In  one  of  the  pictures  will  be  seen  a  stair- 
case, and  this  leads  to  three  charmingly 
arranged  rooms.  All  the  appliances  and 
utensils  connected  with  the  animals  are  kept 
in  one  of  these  apartments.  Another  is  set 
apart  for  mothers  and  their  families,  and  a 
third  is  kepjt  in  case  of  illness  for  an  isolation 
ward.  In  one  of  the  loose  boxes  near  at 
hand  the  cooking  for  the  pussies  is  carried 
on,  and  there  is  a  larder  specially  for  the 
cats'  food.  Mrs.  Walker  devotes  much  of 
her  time  to  looking  after  her  pets,  and  great 
has  been  her  sorrow  over  the  untimely  death 
of  some  of  her  treasured  pussies.  After 
one  of  the  large  shows,  infection  crept  into 
her  cattery,  and  worked  most  cruel  havoc. 
Such  losses  as  Mrs.  Walker  sustained  were 
enough  to  damp  the  ardour  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  cat  lover  and  fancier ;  but  the 
lady  of  Woodheys  Grange  bravely  faced 
the  situation,  and  after  a  period  of  sad 
reflection  she  once  again  resumed  her  hobby 
with  renewed  interest.  At  the  Northern 
Counties  Cat  Show  at  Manchester  in  1902 


"THE    SILVER    LAMBKINS." 

By  "  RAHMAN  "  ex  "  BEAUTY." 


i6o 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


Mrs.  Walker  exhibited  a  really  wonderful 
silver  kitten.  I  say  wonderful,  for  this 
youngster,  bred  from  the  owner's  "  Wood- 
heys  Fitzroy  "  and  "  Countess,"  was  the  most 
unshaded  and  unmarked  specimen  of  a  silver 
I  have  ever  seen.  This  unique  specimen  will 
be  watched  with  interest  by  silver  fanciers. 
May  his  shadings  ever  grow  less  ! 

The  average  number  of  inmates  of  this 
cattery  is  about  thirty,  but  at  one  period 
of  Mrs.  G.  H.  Walker's  catty  career  the  silver 
fever  ran  high,  and  there  were  sixty-three 
cats  and  kits  within  the  precincts  of  the 
spacious  and  luxurious  catteries  of  Woodhey? 
Grange. 

Mrs.  Martin,  of  High  Wycombe,  who  has 
often  acted  as  judge,  has  been  a  most  successful 
breeder  of  silvers,  and  the  progeny  by  "  St. 
Anthony,"  her  noted  sire,  have  distinguished 
themselves  by  winning  over  one  hundred  prizes. 
"  St.  Anthony  "  has  retired  into  private  life, 
but  he  will  always  be  remembered  if  only  by 
his  two  children  "  Silver  Dove  "  and  "  Fascin- 
ation." Mrs.  Martin  says,  "  I  am  all  in  favour 
of  the  male  being  older  than  the  queen  in 
breeding  silvers  ;  also  select  a  good-coated  stud 
cat,  short  in  the  legs.  Eyes  are  a  worry  just 
now.  Of  course,  I  like  green  best,  but  if  a 
cat  is  good  in  all  points  but  colour  of  eye,  this 
should  not  upset  an  award.  I  find  that  if  a 
kitten  is  born  almost  self  silver,  it  will  develop 
into  an  indifferent  silver  tabby  later  ;  but  if 
the  body  is  dark,  and  head  and  legs  light  and 
clear,  you  may  hope  for  a  very  unmarked 
specimen  in  due  time." 

Mrs.  Wellbye's  silver  cats  "  Dossie,"  "  Silver 
Lotus,"  and  "  Veronica "  were  at  one  time 
well-known  winners,  and  for  length  of  coat  and 
beauty  of  eye  have  seldom  been  surpassed. 
Mrs.  Wellbye  is  a  most  astute  judge  of  silvers, 
and  her  remarks  on  this  her  favourite  breed 
will  be  read  with  interest  :— 

"  This  handsome  variety  of  the  Persian 
ranks  high  in  the  estimation  of  cat  lovers  ; 
indeed,  its  ardent  admirers  consider  it  the 
creme  dc  la  creme  of  the  cat  world.  And  why 
not  1  Surely  there  is  nothing  to  compare 
with  a  lovely  young  chinchilla  Persian  in  full 


coat.  Its  very  daintiness  and  seeming  pride 
in  itself  is  quite  charming.  One  is  reminded 
of  a  pretty  child  dressed  out  in  its  party  frock, 
for  puss  appears  to  know  it  is  well  dressed 
and  desirous  to  show  her  charms  to  the 
best  advantage.  She  dances,  pirouettes,  and 
throws  herself  into  the  most  graceful  and 
entrancing  attitudes,  until  we  feel  in  sympathy 
with  the  Egyptians  of  old  and  are  willing  to 
fall  down  and  worship  our  adorable  pets.  We 
all  love  beauty,  but  to  those  who  love  cats 
there  is  something  beyond  even  beauty,  for 
only  they  who  keep  and  care  and  treat  them 
well  know  the  comfort  these  little  creatures  are, 
and  the  happiness  they  can  bestow  by  their 
sweet  caressing  ways,  perhaps  more  especially 
to  those  whose  hearts  are  starved  of  human 
love,  but  still  to  all  whose  sympathies  are 
wide  of  the  varieties  of  silver  cats.  I  will  first 
treat  of  the  chinchilla. 

"  The  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1895  or  1896 
was  the  first  I  remember  with  a  class  for 
chinchillas ;  previous  to  that,  I  believe,  they 
were  not  recognised  as  such,  but  were  shown 
with  the  silver  tabbies.  Strictly  speaking,  the 
name  chinchilla  is  a  misnomer  as  applied  to 
these  cats.  The  soft  grey  coat  of  the  little 
animal  called  the  chinchilla,  whose  lovely 
fur  is  so  much  prized  as  an  article  of  ladies' 
dress,  differs  diametrically  from  the  cat  so 
called. 

"  The  fur  of  the  chinchilla  is  dark  at  the 
roots,  and  shades  quite  pale  grey  at  the  tips. 
The  cat's  fur,  on  the  contrary,  is  absolutely 
pale  grey,  almost  white  at  the  roots,  but 
tipped  with  black  at  the  outer  edges. 

"  The  points  as  laid  down  by  the  Silver 
Society  are  as  follow  :  '  Chinchillas  should  be 
as  pale  and  unmarked  silver  as  it  is  possible 
to  breed  them.' 

"  The  aim  of  the  breeder  of  this  variety, 
therefore,  is  to  obtain  a  cat  with  none  of  the 
markings  of  the  original  stock  (the  silver  tabby), 
the  dark  tippings  to  be  slight  and  faint. 

"  Breeders  have  found  this  ideal  most  dim- 
cult  to  obtain ;  although  some  kittens  are  born 
pale  all  over,  with  no  markings;  in  a  few  weeks 
— or  maybe  months — the  hope  of  the  family 


ul       «• 
CU      t 


g 


ffl 
ffl 


O 

Pi 

a 


SILVER     OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


161 


is  no  more,  for  the  lighter  the  kitten  the  more 
delicate.  '  Whom  the  gods  love,  die  young.' 
Or,  again,  if  the  cherished  one  lives  over  its 
baby  troubles,  and  starts  on  the  change  from 
its  first,  or  kitten  coat,  to  the  second  coat,  too 
often  do  the  markings  appear,  the  shadings 
get  darker,  or  fine  black  hairs  are  seen  amongst 
the  pale  grey.  Some  of  the  best  chinchilla 
kittens  have  been  born  quite  dark,  and  with 


full  coat  (the  fur  being  from  three  to  seven 
inches  long  on  the  tail — sometimes  as  much 
as  nine  inches)  the  tiny  neckings  are  lost  in 
wavy,  tossing,  billowy  coat.  But  let  the 
coat  become  damp,  however  slightly,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  dark  edges  are  clearly  in 
evidence. 

"  As,   however,   breeders  could  not   always 
produce  the  pale  shade  of  silver,  the  litters, 


"  JUI'ITER   DUVALS." 

OWNED  AND  BRED  BY  Miss  S.  MEESON. 

(Photo  :   F.  Parsons,  Smithend-on-Sea.) 


tiny  stripes  all  over.  At  a  month  or  six  weeks 
these  marks  have  disappeared,  and  later  the 
coat  has  become  an  even  silver. 

'  The  breeder  must  not  even  then  build 
high  hopes.  Again  change  may  occur.  There 
is  no  cat  which  varies  so  much  ;  it  is  quite 
chameleon-like  in  this  respect. 

"  A  few  years  ago  the  Cat  Club  adopted 
the  name  of  '  self  silver  '  as  applied  to  the 
chinchilla — another  misnomer,  as  a  self  silver 
should  have  no  tippings  or  shadings,  and  the 
silver  cat  has  not  been  bred  that  had  fur 
the  same  shade  throughout  from  roots  to  tips. 

'The  slight  dark  edging  to  the  fur  con- 
stitutes to  most  people  the  charm  in  these 
silvers.  Sometimes  it  is  almost  imperceptible 
to  the  casual  observer  ;  or  when  the  cat  is  in 
11 


even  with  the  most  careful  mating,  being 
generally  assorted  in  good,  bad,  and  in- 
different so  far  as  colour  was  concerned, 
many  fine  cats — dark  silvers — had  no  place 
assigned  to  them. 

"  It  was  then  suggested  that  a  class  should 
be  given  at  the  shows  to  be  called  '  shaded 
silver,'  the  points  according  to  the  Silver 
Society  being  as  follows  :— 

"  '  Shaded  silvers  should  be  defined  as  pale, 
clear  silver,  shaded  on  face,  legs,  and  back, 
but  having  as  few  tabby  markings  as  possible/ 

"  The  dark  or  shaded  silvers,  it  was  under- 
stood, should  have  pale,  clear  undercoats ; 
but  instead  of  the  fleckings  of  the  self  silver 
(so  called),  the  dark  edges  ran  a  considerable 
way  into  the  fur.  The  shaded  silver  is  a 


152 


THE     BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


THH     ELDER     MISS     BLOSSOM. 
SILVER,  OWNED  BY  Miss  HORSMAN. 

handsome  cat,  but  too  often  much  marked  on 
the  face  and  barred  on  the  legs,  a  defect  most 
difficult  to  overcome.  Many  cat  fanciers 
describe  the  shaded  silver  as  a  '  spoilt  tabby.' 
"  The  third  in  the  group  of  silvers  is  the 
silver  tabby.  The  points  are  here  stated  : — 

"  '  The  colour  of  a  silver  tabby  should  be 
a  pale,  clear  silver,  with  distinct  black  mark- 
ings.' 

"  This  variety  ought  in  equity  to  have  been 
mentioned  first,  as  it  is  the  original  stock,  but 
it  has  been  overshadowed  by  the  superior 
attractions  of  the  chinchilla.  (Silver  tabby 
enthusiasts  will  perhaps  pardon  this  eulogy  of 
my  favourite  breed.)  There  is  not  the  slight- 
est doubt  this  handsome  cat,  the  silver  tabby, 
has  suffered  materially  from  the  craze  for  the 
newer  variety,  and  consequently  the  type  has 
not  been  kept  pure.  They  have  been  mated 
over  and  over  again  with  cats  of  less  markings 
in  the  hope  of  breeding  chinchillas,  until  at 
the  present  day  there  are  very  few  silver 
tabbies  true  to  type. 

"  The  position  of  the  silver  tabby  in  the 
feline  scale  is  very  peculiar.  As  a  Persian  it 
is,  of  course,  necessary  that  its  coat  should  be 
long  and  fine,  whilst  as  a  tabby  it  is  desirable 


that  the  markings  should  show  up  to  advan- 
tage. How  to  reconcile  the  two  is  the  puzzle, 
for  the  longer  the  coat  the  less  the  markings 
are  evident,  as  the  stripes  are  merged  in  the 
flowing  coat,  so  that  we  sometimes  see  at  the 
cat  shows  exhibits  woefully  out  of  coat  placed 
in  the  first  rank,  as  the  markings  are  much 
more  distinct.  It  follows,  then,  in  this  variety 
of  the  silver,  a  long  coat  is  distinctly  a  dis- 
advantage when  competing  at  shows. 

"  Having  now  obtained  three  types  for 
silvers,  and  the  Cat  Club  willing  to  give 
classes  for  them  at  the  great  shows  held  in 
St.  Stephen's  Hall,  Westminster,  the  outcome 
was  looked  forward  to  with  much  interest. 
But  it  was  one  thing  to  get  four  types,  and 
quite  another  matter  to  get  silver  breeders 
to  understand  the  fine  distinction ;  conse- 
quently, the  cats  were  entered  in  self  silver, 
shaded  silver,  and  silver  tabby  classes  in- 
discriminately. The  result  was,  of  course, 
muddle  and  confusion,  many  exhibitors  having 
the  mortification  of  finding  '  Wrong  Class ' 
on  the  cat  pens. 

"  At  a  recent  show  held  at  Westminster 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Cat  Club,  the  judge 
was  asked  by  the  Honorary  Secretary  to  go 
round  the  classes  first,  and  if  any  exhibit  was 
wrongly  placed  to  re-classify  before  judging. 
This  worked  satisfactorily  so  far  as  disqualifi- 
cation was  concerned. 

"  At  this  show,  however,  the  judge  was  con- 
fronted with  another  difficulty,  it  being  found 
that  most  of  the  cats  in  the  classes  for  shaded 
silver  had  deviated  materially  from  the  stand- 
•  ard  of  points  laid  down  by  the  Silver  Society. 
Instead  of  the  clear,  pale  undercoat,  the  fur 
was  a  dark  grey  right  down  to  the  skin.  The 
majority  of  these  cats  were  quite  dark,  and, 
rightly  speaking,  were  not  silvers — that  is,  if 
one  bears  in  mind  the  metal  so  named.  It  is 
difficult  to  say  in  what  class  they  could  be 
placed,  unless  a  new  class  was  created,  to  be 
called  '  clouded  or  oxydised  silver.'  If  we  go 
on  to  these  subdivisions  we  shall  not  know 
where  to  stop.  Self  silver  or  chinchilla, 
shaded  silver,  clouded  silver,  and  silver  tabby 
—a  truly  appalling  problem  for  the  bewildered 


SILVER    OR    CHINCHILLA    PERSIANS. 


163 


judge  to  decide,  for  the  majority  of  exhibitors 
would  not  appreciate  the  variations. 

"  It  may  come  to  this  eventually,  but  at 
the  present  time  the  threefold  classification 
leads  to  much  confusion,  for  as  nearly — or 
very  nearly — all  silver  cats  are  more  or  less 
tabby  marked,  so  will  exhibitors  be  in  doubt 
as  to  the  class  to  which  their  cats  rightly 
belong. 

"  It  is  a  question  if  the  introduction  of  the 
shaded  class  at  shows  has  not  done  more  harm 
than  good,  for  as  previously  we  saw  very  few 
of  the  dark  silvers — it  not  being  worth  breeding 
the  variety  when  there  was  no  class  in  which 
to  show  them — so  now  the  tendency  of  ex- 
hibits, as  anyone  who  attends  shows  can  see, 
is  to  run  to  darkness  rather  than  light ;  and 
breeding  for  colour,  purity  of  colour,  and  ab- 
sence of  markings  has  received  a  set-back,  for 
with  some  judges  colour  is  nothing,  and  prizes 
will  be  showered  upon  a  '  spoilt  tabby '  if  it 
happens  to  have,  perhaps,  a  broader  head  or  a 
bulkier  body — good  points,  as  everyone  will 
allow,  but  points  which  the  common  or  garden 
cat  may  possess  ;  and  we  do  not  pit  our  dainty 
chinchillas  against  all  and  sundry. 

"  Without  wishing  in  any  way  to  detract 
from  the  good  qualities  which  the  more  plebeian 
branches  of  the  cat  tribe  undoubtedly  possess, 
it  is  impossible  not  to  award  the  palm  for 
grace  and  beauty  to  the  highly  bred  aristo- 
cratic chinchilla.  Coal  and  iron  are  useful, 
but  we  give  our  admiration  to  diamonds  and 
pearls." 

Before  closing  the  chapter  on  silvers,  I  will 
allude  to  the  Cat  Club  show  held  at  St. 
Stephen's  Hall,  Westminster  Aquarium,  in 
January,  1903.  On  this  occasion  there  was 
quite  a  record  entry  in  the  male  silver  class, 
which  contained  twenty-one  cats.  The  list 
was  headed  by  Mr.  J.  F.  Dewar's  handsome 
"Father  O'Flynn  II."  Many  well-known 
prize  winners  had  to  be  content  with  a  V.H  c. 
card  in  this  class  of  quantity  and  quality. 
The  females  numbered  eighteen,  and  here  again 
a  noted  winner  was  awarded  the  highest 
honours.  Miss  Chamberlayne's  "Cap  and 
Bells  "  is  very  pale  and  pure  in  colour,  and 


carries  a  soft,  silky  coat.  In  the  silver  kitten 
class  the  sexes  were  not  divided,  and  Miss 
Ford's  lovely  kittens  scored  first  and  third. 
A  sweeter  face  and  rounder  head  than  that 
possessed  by  "  Silver  Button,"  the  first  prize 
winner,  would  be  difficult  to  find,  and  Miss 
Ford  may  be  congratulated  on  having  bred 
such  a  gem.  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason  judged  the  silver 
classes  at  this  show,  and  he  doubtless  experi- 
enced some  difficulty  in  testing  the  colour  of 
the  exhibits  in  the  bad  light  of  St.  Stephen's 
Hall,  more  especially  as  on  the  opening  day  of 
the  show  a  dense  fog  hung  over  the  city. 
Another  difficulty  which  must  present  itself 
to  our  most  capable  judges  is  the  awarding  of 
specials  offered  for  silvers  and  shaded  silvers. 
Perhaps  the  easiest  way  out  of  this  difficulty 
is  to  give  the  shaded  silver  prizes  to  the  darkest 
cats  ;  but  all  are  shaded,  even  the  palest,  and 
therefore  some  judges  might  justify  them- 
selves if  they  awarded  both  sets  of  specials 
to  the  one  cat.  At  this  show  Lady  Marcus 
Beresford  offered  three  special  prizes  in  each 
silver  cat  class  for  the  palest  specimens,  one 
of  these  in  the  male  class  being  won  by  her  own 
handsome  "Beetle,"  a  son  of  the  famous 
;'Lord  Southampton."  The  classification  for 
silvers  at  the  specialist  societies'  show  at  Bath, 


"DOLLY      DAYDREAM." 
(Photo:  E.   Landor,  Baling.) 


164 


THE     BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


which  followed  close  after  the  Westminster 
show,  was  the  largest  that  has  ever  been  given, 
consisting  of  classes  for  novices  and  breeders, 
in  addition  to  the  ordinary  division  and  sub- 
division for  cats  and  kittens.  The  sensible  plan 
of  a  ring  class  for  neuters  only  was  adopted. 


Members  of  the  specialist  society  for  the 
encouragement  of  silvers  must  on  this  occasion 
have  felt  proud  of  the  liberal  classification  and 
of  the  long  list  of  handsome  special  prizes 
offered  for  their  favourite  breed  of  long- 
haired cats. 


I    WANT   TO    GO    HOME. 
(Photo:  E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


165 


"THE    MARQUIS    OF    DINGLEY. 

SILVER  TABBY,  OWNED  BY  Miss  ANDERSON  LEAKE. 

(Photo  :    Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


SILVER     TABBY     PERSIANS. 


^  I  A  HERE  can  be  no  question  that  a  really 
_L       good   silver    tabby   will    carry    off    the 

palm  even  from  the  most  exquisite 
unmarked  silver  cat,  and  in  this  assertion  I 
feel  I  have  the  support  of  all  our  professional 
judges,  for  with  the  "  mere  man,"  it  is  well 
known,  the  pale  silvers  do  not  stand  high 
in  favour.  Men  call  them  "  wishy-washy," 
insipid,  and  wanting  in  expression,  and  are 
generally  displeased  at  this  sport  in  the  fancy 
that  has  spoiled  the  handsome  silver  tabbies 
of  years  gone  by. 

No  doubt  there  is  just  cause  for  complaint, 
for  the  inter-breeding  of  silvers  with  silver 
tabbies  has  undoubtedly  done  much  to  destroy 
the  clear  defined  markings  which  in  tabby 
cats  is  their  chief  glory.  Now,  of  course,  it 
is  easily  understood  that  these  tabby  markings 
in  a  long-haired  cat  cannot  be  so  distinct  as 
those  that  appear  to  such  advantage  in  the 
short-haired  breeds.  "  The  better  the  coat 
the  weaker  the  markings,"  may  be  said  of 
Persian  silver  tabbies,  and  judges  have  been 

11* 


known  to  give  the  highest  award  to  an  out- 
of-coat  specimen  just  because  the  markings  are 
more  evident  than  in  a  cat  in  full  pelage. 
Harrison  Weir  states  that  "  Tabby  is  not  a 
Persian  colour,"  and  goes  on  to  say,  "  Nor 
have  I  ever  seen  an  imported  cat  of  that 
colour."  His  definition  of  a  silver  tabby 
reads  thus  : — "  Markings  :  Jet-black  lines,  not 
too  broad,  scarcely  so  wide  as  the  ground 
colour  shown  between,  so  as  to  give  a  light 
and  brilliant  effect.  When  the  black  lines  are 
broader  than  the  colour  space,  it  is  a  defect, 
being  then  black  marked  with  colour,  instead 
of  colour  with  black.  The  lines  must  be 
clear,  sharp,  and  well-defined,  in  every  way 
distinct,  having  no  mixture  of  the  ground 
colour.  Head  and  legs  marked  regularly, 
the  rings  on  the  throat  and  chest  being  in  no 
way  blurred  or  broken,  but  clear,  graceful,  and 
continuous  ;  lips,  cushions  of  feet,  and  the 
backs  of  hind  legs,  and  the  ear  points,  black." 
And  here  it  will  be  interesting  to  give  the 
discussion  which  took  place  and  the  list  of 


i66 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


points  drawn  up  at  the  inaugural  meeting  of 
the  Silver  Society  in  1900,  and  which  standard 
is  still  adhered  to  in  the  present  Silver  and 
Smoke  Persian  Cat  Society  :— 

SILVER    TABBIES. 

At   the  meeting  of  the  Silver  Society,   discussion 
arose  as  to  whether  the  markings  on  silver  tabbies 


Head  and  expression 
Colour  and  markings 
Colour  of  eyes     .  . 
Coat  and  condition 
Shape 
Brush 

Total 


25 
25 

5 

2O 

10 
IOO 


MISS  LEAKE'S  SUMMEK  CATTKKY. 

(Photo  :  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


should  be  broad  or  narrow.  Lady  Marcus  Beres- 
ford  proposed  that  Miss  Leake  and  Mrs.  Herring 
should  be  asked  to  express  an  opinion,  both  being 
breeders  of  prize  winners.  Miss  Leake  said  she 
thought  there  were  two  distinct  types  of  cats,  the 
one  with  broad  markings,  the  other  with  narrow 
stripes,  and  that  both  were  correct  silver  tabbies, 
the  superior  beauty  of  either  being  a  matter  of  per- 
sonal opinion.  Mrs.  Herring  agreed,  and  said  the 
markings  should  be  a  dense  black.  Miss  Leake  con- 
sidered they  should  be  black  at  the  tips,  but  shading 
to  light  at  the  roots.  Mr.  Abbott  objected  to  the 
word  "  dense,"  as  black  was  black,  and  the  word 
"  distinct  "  was  substituted.  Finally  the  following 
was  resolved  : — The  colour  of  a  silver  tabby  should 
be  a  pale  clear  silver,  with  distinct  black  mark- 
ings, any  brown  or  cream  tinge  to  be  considered 
detrimental.  The  eyes  should  be  orange  or  green  : 


The  adoption  of  the  preceding  descriptions  and 
scale  of  points  as  a  whole  was  carried  unanimously. 

As  regards  the  eyes  of  a  silver  tabby,  Harrison 
Weir  says  "  deep  bright  yellow."  The  Silver 
Society  gives  an  option  of  "  orange  or  green  "  ; 
but  the  mandate  of  present-day  fashion  and 
personal  bias  is  in  favour  of  green  eyes  for 
silver  tabbies.  From  an  artistic  point  of  view, 
there  is  no  doubt  emerald  green  is  a  better 
contrast  to  silver  than  yellow  or  orange. 

The  Rev.  R.  Maynard,  whose  name  has  for 
many  years  been  connected  with  silver  tabbies, 
recently  complained  in  the  papers  of  the 
tendency  to  breed  green  eyes  in  this  variety. 
He  writes  :  "In  former  days  we  never  had 


SILVER    TABBY   PERSIANS. 


167 


anything  to  do  with  a  cat  that  had  green  eyes, 
and  now  that  so  much  is  being  done  to  improve 
the  feline  race,  why  should  we  try  to  think 
the  green  eye  right  and  even  desirable  ?  " 
Another  authority  says :  "  The  fiat  has  gone 
forth  that  silver  tabbies  are  to  have  green 
eyes.  Happily  there  still  remains  room  for 
a  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject,  for  the 
oldest  and  most  perfect  breeds  of  silver  tabbies 
have  always  been  distinguished  by  their  deep 
hazel  eyes." 

This  vexed  question  of  eyes,  certainly 
outside  the  "  self  "  classes,  ought  not  to  be 
one  of  such  vast  importance.  As  Louis  Wain 
aptly  writes  when  complaining  of  this  undue 
proportion  of  points,  "  Everyone,  judges  and 
exhibitors  alike,  are  bitten  by  the  craze  for 
the  '  correct  coloured  eyes.'  '  It  is  a  fault 


tabbies,  of  long-  or  short-haired  cats.  In 
judging  a  class  of  tabbies,  first  and  foremost 
in  the  judge's  estimation  must  rank  the  mark- 
ings, and  in  Persian  tabbies  coat  must  next 
be  taken  into  consideration.  I  have  always 
thought  that  judging  long-haired  tabby  cats 
in  a  ring  class  would  be  specially  welcomed 
both  by  judges  and  exhibitors,  for  it  is  when 
a  good  cat  of  this  breed  runs  or  walks  the 
beauty  of  his  markings  can  be  seen  and 
admired^  -Then  the  dark  spine  lines  will 
show  up  to  advantage,  the  side  markings 
will  stand  out,  and  the  bars  on  the  legs  and 
the  rings  round  the  neck  may  be  clearly  dis- 
cerned. I  think  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  fanciers  who  have  bred  tabby  cats  are 
not  easily  satisfied  as  regards  selfs  and  silvers. 
A  friend  of  mine  declared,  "  I  always  miss  the 
stripes  which  give  a  tabby  cat  such  a  sweetly 
expressive  countenance."  Yet  in  spite  of  the 
beauty  of  the  silver  tabby,  there  are  very  few 
fanciers  of  this  variety,  and  to  those  wishing 
to  take  up  Persians  I  could  not  recommend  a 
more  interesting  field  for  speculative  breeding. 


SILVER    TABBY    KITTENS    OWNED    BY    H.H.    THE    PRINCESS    VICTORIA    OF    SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN. 

(Photo  :  E.  Landor,  Baling.) 

that  judges  are  prone  to  commit,   and  truly  The   number  of  good  show  specimens  can  be 

one  point  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  outweigh  counted  on   the  fingers  of  one  hand.     Silver 

others,  and  it  is  just  this  balancing  of  merits  Tabby  classes  at  our  shows  are  full  of  nonde- 

with  a  mingling  of  common  sense  that  makes  script    cats    with    shaded    silver    bodies    and 

the  good  all-round  judge,  whether  of  self  or  markings  only  on  legs  and  head. 


i68 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


When  judging  the  silver  tabbies  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  in  1902,  I  was  greatly  struck 
with  the  number  of  cats  and  kittens  which 
ought  really  to  have  been  marked  "  Wrong 
Class,"  for  some  of  these  were  absolutely 
wanting  in  any  definite  marks  at  all ;  some 
had  faint  grey  pencilling  on  the  head  and  legs, 
but  not  a  sign  of  the  dense  mottling  on  the 
sides.  It  is,  no  doubt,  disappointing  to 
exhibitors  to  have  their  specimens  labelled 
"  Wrong  Class,"  or  for  really  lovely  kittens 
to  be  passed  over  without  even  a  card  ;  but 
it  is  only  by  thus  treating  exhibits  so  lacking 
in  the  essential  point  of  the  class  for  which 
they  are  entered  that  fanciers  will  learn 
to  discern  between  the  genuine  article  and 
what  may  be  called  a  spurious  one.  These 
pretty  nondescript  silvers,  which  are  neither 
one  thing  nor  the  other,  should  be  disposed 
of  as  pets  ;  but  to  enter  them  at  our  shows 
in  •  classes  for  tabbies  is  only  throwing  away 
money  and  risking  the  animals.  No  cat  has 
come  nearer  to  the  perfect  ideal  of  a  silver 
tabby  in  our  day  than  Lady  Pink's  "  Shrover 
II.,"  now  gathered  to  his  fathers.  He 
possessed  the  wonderfully  clear  silvery  white 
ground  with  distinct  dark  markings,  and  was 
always  the  admired  of  all  admirers  at  our 
leading  shows.  Lady  Pink  is  not  without 
some  worthy  descendants  of  her  famous 
"  Shrover  II.,"  and  writes  to  me  thus  :  "  I 

have  a  smoke  male 
by    'Shrover    II.,' 


"  BEAUTIFUL    DUCHESS." 
OWNED  BY  MRS.  G.  H.  WALKER. 


and  hope  to  show  him  at  Westminster. 
'Shrover  III.'  is  just  like  his  father  'Shrover 
II.,'  but  I  shall  not  exhibit  him,  as  I  am  too 
afraid  of  losing  him.  I  have  suffered  man y 
losses  after  shows.  '  Shrover  III.'  is  a  fine, 
big  fellow,  even  better  marked  than  his  father, 
with  long  silky,  wavy  coat,  lovely  eyes,  and 
a  perfect  temper." 

Mrs.  Herring  has  bred  some  fine  silver  tabbies, 
notably  "  Duchess  Lestock,"  a  sensational 
kitten  at  the  Westminster  show  of  1900,  when 
she  was  claimed  at  a  high  price  by  Mrs.  G.  H. 
Walker,  of  Woodheys  Park.  Mrs.  Herring's 
"  King  Alfred  "  was  the  sire  of  "  Shrover  II.," 
and  is  quite  "  one  of  the  best."  Miss  Anderson 
Leake  is  justly  celebrated  as  a  most  enthusi- 
astic and  successful  breeder  of  silver  tabbies, 
and  is  our  greatest  authority  on  this  variety. 
As  far  back  as  1887  "  Topso  of  Dingley  "  was 
exhibited  by  Miss  Leake  at  the  Crystal  Palace. 
This  cat  was  said  to  be  of  Irish  descent,  but 
his  ancestors  were  sunk  in  oblivion.  Not  so, 
however,  his  progeny,  for  the  winnings  of  his 
son  "  Champion  Felix,"  owned  by  Miss  F. 
Moore,  of  Beckenham,  are  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  those  who,  like  myself,  can  remember 
beautiful  cats  of  bygone  years.  In  1889 
Miss  Leake  entered  "  Topso  "  and  two  toms 
in  a  class  for  "  blue  or  silver  tabbies,  with  or 
without  white."  "  Felix  "  was  also  in  this 
class,  as  a  winner  of  the  Challenge  Cup.  Miss 
A.  Leake's  "  Abdul  Zaphir  "  and  the  present 
representatives  of  the  breed  "  Abdul  Hamet " 
and  "  Marquis  of  Dingley "  are  house- 
hold names  amongst  silver  tabby  fanciers. 
Miss  Derby  Hyde  has  long  been  faithful 
to  this  breed,  and  "  Thames  Valley  Silver 
King  "  and  "  King  Alfred  "  have  often 
had  to  fight  it  out  together  at  our  shows, 
sometimes  one  being  favoured  by  the 
judge  and  sometimes  the  other  carrying 
off  the  honours.  Miss  Cope  has  recently 
been  bitten  with  the  silver  fever,  and  her 
tabby  kittens  are  always  to  the  fore. 
Her  "Roiall  Fluffball"  took  first  and  seven 
specials  at  Westminster  in  1901,  and  her 
"Silver  Tangle"  is  a  well-known  winner. 
Mr.  Furze,  another  Midland  fancier,  is  also 


SILVER    TABBY    PERSIANS. 


169 


WINTER    QUARTERS    A']'    DIXGI.KY    HILL. 
(Photo:  Cassell  &  Company,   Limited.) 

making  a  speciality  of  silver  tabbies,  and  the 
Hon.  P.  Wodehouse  possesses  a  fine  silver 
tabby  female  in  "  Silver  Saint."  Mrs. 
Slingsby  owns  "  Don  Pedro,"  a  beautiful 
specimen,  and  Miss  Meeson  has  bred  some 
good  silver  tabbies  as  well  as  silvers.  But 
the  ranks  need  filling,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  society  now  in  existence  the 
classification  at  shows  will  become  more 
liberal,  and  instead  of  silvers  and  browns  being 
often  placed  together  at  our  smaller  shows, 
separate  classes  are  guaranteed,  for  it  is  cer- 
tainly most  unfair  on  judge  and  exhibitor  to 
place  these  two  very  distinct  breeds  together. 
"  Comparisons  are  odious,"  we  are  told,  and 
certainly  it  is  hard  on  the  brownies  for  the 
more  brilliant  silvers  to  be  placed  side  by  side 
in  competition.  As  regards  the  mating  of 
silver  tabbies,  the  essential  point  to  try  and 
breed  for  is  markings,  and  it  behoves  the  fancier 
to  endeavour  to  find  a  sire  with  bold,  dis- 
tinct tabby  markings,  and  if  it  is  desired  to 
strengthen  the  colour,  then  a  black  is  not  at 
all  a  bad  cross.  There  are  two  distinct  kinds 


of  tabbies — the  blotched  and  the  pencilled 
varieties  ;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  choice  which  is 
considered  the  handsomest.  But  it  does  not  do 
to  mate  these  two  varieties  together.  A  well- 
known  authority  on  breeding  silver  tabbies 
writes  thus  in  Fur  and  Feather: — "A  great 
deal  has  been  said  as  to  the  disadvantage  of 
crossing  chinchillas  with  silver  tabbies,  but 
we  think  this  applies  more  to  the  detriment 
of  chinchillas  than  of  tabbies.  Provided  the 
tabby,  on  one  side,  is  of  a  very  decided  type, 
the  chinchilla,  having  come  originally  from 
the  same  stock,  may  not  prove  a  bad  cross. 
Miss  Cope's  '  Silver  Tangle,'  for  instance, 
one  of  the  best-marked  silver  tabby  queens, 
is  the  child  of  the  chinchilla  '  Silver  Chieftain,' 
and  of  a  queen  bred  from  a  silver  tabby  sire. 
A  good  young  queen,  belonging  to  Mr.  Hoddi- 
nott,  was  bred  from  '  Lord  Argent  '  and  a 
tabby  mother.  '  Champion  Felix  '  was  bred 
from  '  Topso,'  a  heavily  marked  tabby,  and 
'  Lady  Pink,'  a  cat  that  would  nowadays  have 
been  called  a  light  shaded  silver  with  white 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE     CAT. 


markings.  '  Climax '  came  of  the  same 
parents,  and  both  have  broad  dark  markings, 
and  transmitted  them  to  their  offspring.  The 
union  of  two  strongly  marked  silvers  is  not 
always  a  complete  success.  A  brown  tabby 
makes  a  most  excellent  cross,  and  some  of  the 
purest  and  best  silvers  we  have  seen  have  been 
obtained  in  this  way.  Of  course,  you  must 
be  prepared  for  a  brown  tabby  kitten  or  two  ; 
but  you  need  not  fear  sandy  smudges  and 
yellow  noses.  The  colour  seems  to  be  con- 
centrated in  one  or  two  examples,  and  leaves 
the  silver  free.  In  short,  in  colour  breeding 
we  must  be  content  with  one  or  two  perfect 
specimens  in  a  litter,  and,  retaining  them,  try 
again  for  yet  further  perfection." 

'The  cat  fancy  needs  some  new  sensational 
cat  to  appear  on  its  horizon,  and  if  only  a 
perfect  silver  tabby,  male  or  female,  could  be 
penned  at  one  of  our  leading  shows  a  great 
impetus  would  be  given  to  this  variety,  and 
a  thoroughly  good  strain  might  be  established. 
Then  we  should  not  read  such  remarks  as 
these  from  the  pen  of  the  reporter  :  "  The 
silver  tabbies,  we  regret  to  say,  were  only  a 
shade  of  days  that  are  gone.  There  is  room 
for  an  enterprising  enthusiast  in  this  breed. 
The  beautiful  clear  silver  colour  with  deep 
black  markings  seems  to  be  quite  a  thing  of 
the  past.  Who  will  revive  them  ?  "  And 
echo  answers,  "  Who  ?  " 

From  such  an  authority  as  Miss  Anderson 
Leake  the  following  article  on  silver  tabbies 
will  be  of  great  interest,  and  the  photos  of 
her  cattery  at  Dingley  Hill,  Bradfield,  near 
Reading,  have  been  specially  taken  to  illus- 
trate these  notes  :— 

"  Possibly  amongst  the  rarest  of  our  long- 
haired cats  may  be  classed  the  really  well- 
marked  silver  tabby.  Twenty  years  ago  he 
existed,  and  was,  indeed,  more  commonly  met 
with  than  to-day.  For  at  that  time  chinchillas 
were  practically  unknown,  save  for  a  few 
scarce  specimens,  and  the  silver  cats  of  that 
day  were  more  commonly  called  '  grey ' 
Persians,  and  were  nearly  always  tabbies. 
But  with  the  popularity  of  the  pale  chinchillas 
began  the  downfall  of  the  heavily  marked 


tabby.  Instead  of  breeding  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  markings,  everyone  worked  their  hard- 
est to  breed  out  markings,  -and  real  tabby 
kittens  were  almost  unsaleable.  Those  that 
were  produced  were  very  frequently  ventured, 
and  sold  at  a  low  price  for  pets.  The  lightest 
specimens  in  a  litter  were  preserved  for  breeding 
purposes,  and  rarer  and  rarer  became  the 
deeply  marked  silver  tabby.  But  at  last  the 
tide  has  turned,  and  people  are  beginning  to 
realise  that  there  is  a  character,  a  beauty, 
and  a  contrast  of  colouring  in  a  good  tabby, 
which  lend  to  them  a  charm  all  their  own. 
Added  to  this,  they  are  exceedingly  rare  and 
difficult  to  produce. 

"  Competent  judges  agree  that  to  breed 
regular,  symmetrical,  and  well-coloured  mark- 
ings is  no  easy  task,  for  contrast  is  the  grand 
point  in  a  silver  tabby.  His  ground  coat 
from  tip  to  tail  should  be  pure  pale  white 
silver.  On  this  light  silver  ground-work  lie 
the  most  beautiful  even  dark  mottlings, 
dark  to  the  point  of  blackness.  These  mark- 
ings are  most  difficult  to  describe.  A  dark 
stripe  runs  the  whole  length  of  the  spine. 
Then  comes  a  light  stripe  on  either  side,  then 
two  more  dark  stripes,  but  these  are  broken 
just  behind  the  shoulder  by  a  transverse  bar 
of  light  silver,  and  widen  on  the  shoulder  into 
considerable  sized  patches.  The  markings  on 
the  sides  are  not  stripes,  but  patches,  elliptical 
in  shape,  generally  three  in  number,  and 
partially  encircled  by  dark  stripes.  The 
shoulder  is  particularly  heavily  barred  and 
striped,  as  are  also  the  hind  quarters.  The 
legs  are  barred  throughout  their  length,  the 
face  should  be  dark,  with  dark  tufts,  and  the 
back  part  of  the  hind  legs  from  the  knee 
downwards  is  black,  as  in  a  Southdown  sheep. 
"  The  head  is  most  beautifully  pencilled, 
the  cheeks  possess  double  or  treble  swirls,  the 
eyes  are  outlined  by  dark  rims ;  on  the  fore- 
head the  lines  form  a  complete  triangle, 
which  is  repeated  at  the  nape  of  the  neck. 
The  chest  is  encircled  with  a  perfect  dark  ring, 
called  the  '  Lord  Mayor's  chain,'  but  this  is 
concealed  when  the  large  light  frill  is  in  full 
beauty,  as  is  also  the  neck  triangle.  The 


g 

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X     .= 
H     •= 


172 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


MISS   COPE'S    "  STARLET-, 

whiskers  often  contain  all  the  different  shades 
of  colour  found  in  the  coat.  The  ear  tufts 
should  be  long  and  light.  The  tail  is  generally 
ringed  from  trunk  to  tip,  but  this  is  not  notice- 
able after  kittenhood,  owing  to  the  great 
length  of  the  hair.  Also  the  hair  to  the  root 
is  much  darker  in  colour  on  the  tail  than  on 
the  body. 

"  The  correct  colour  for  the  eyes  of  a  silver 
tabby  is  neither  green,  orange,  nor  yellow, 
but  hazel — a  deep  nut-brown.  This  shade 
of  eye  is  very  difficult  to  obtain,  and  it 
fades  with  age  ;  but  once  seen,  its  beauty  and 
suitability  to  the  colouring  of  the  cat  will 
never  be  denied.  Many  of  the  most  noted 
prize-winners  have  not  possessed  this  coveted 
hazel  eye.  The  nose  is  by  preference  dark, 
but  this,  so  far,  has  not  been  considered  as  a 
point. 

"  Not  only  evenness  and  regularity  of 
markings  go  to  the  making  of  a  good  tabby, 
but  sharpness  and  depth  of  colour  in  the  dark 
parts,  and  clearness  of  colour  in  the  light 
parts.  A  great  deal  has  been  said  of  late 
regarding  the  depth  of  the  black  markings  ; 
but  it  is  quite  as  necessary  to  insist  on  the 
purity  of  the  silver  tone.  No  suspicion  of 
brown  must  be  tolerated,  neither  any  blue  nor 
grey  tone. 

"There  is  no  question  that,  as  a  tabby,  a 
long-haired  cat  is  handicapped  by  his  length 


of  coat.  There  are  some  people  who  would 
rob  him  of  his  crowning  glory  in  order  that 
his  beautiful  striping  may  the  better  appear. 
But  surely  it  were  better  for  them  to  confine 
themselves  to  short-haired  cats  if  they  can- 
not appreciate  the  marvel  of  long-haired  tabby 
markings.  For  marvellous  they  truly  are, 
when  we  consider  that  the  dark  marks  are 
only  formed  by  tips  to  the  hair  of  some  quarter 
of  an  inch  in  length.  When  the  coat  is  quite 
short  these  tips  are  massed  together,  and  the 
blackness  is,  so  to  speak,  concentrated.  When 
the  hair  is  at  its  full  length — of  from  two  to 
four  inches — it  can  be  readily  understood  that 
the  long  floating  locks  mix  and  mingle  with 
the  paler  coat,  and  some  distinctness  of 
marking  is  lost.  The  massive  frill  and  the 
long  light  shoulder  tufts  give  the  cat  a  very 
pale  frontage  ;  and  if  he  be  placed  in  a  show 
pen  side  by  side  with  a  cat  whose  coat  is 
just  coming,  whose  marks  show  up,  in  all 
probability  he  will  take  a  second  place.  No 
stroking,  blowing  of  the  coat,  or  other  device 
will  show  off  a  tabby  cat.  He  must  be  made 
to  get  up  and  walk.  Then  the  long  coat  falls 
apart,  the  spine  lines  reveal  themselves,  the 
side  patches  fall  into  place,  and  bars,  stripes, 
swirls,  and  rings  all  are  to  be  seen.  Even 
then  you  will  not  see  them  all  at  once,  but 
as  he  moves  and  turns  one  by  one  the  points 
will  show  themselves.  As  a  show  cat,  a 
tabby  is  not  a  success,  for  his  period  of  perfect 
beauty  is  exceedingly  short.  When  he  pro- 
poses to  moult  he  changes  colour,  and  if  you 
are  unwise  enough  to  exhibit  him  at  this  stage 
ominous  whispers  of  'Brown  tabby  blood' 
will  pass  from  mouth  to  mouth.  For  a 
thorough  good  rusty  brown  shade,  commend 
me  to  a  moulting  silver  tabby.  Then  a  little 
later  he  completely  loses  his  side  markings, 
and  you  must  wait  until  the  new  coat  makes 
its  appearance  before  you  can  venture  him 
in  the  show  pen.  In  the  first  beauty  of  that 
new  coat,  when  the  hair  is  about  an  inch  long, 
he  is  a  dream  of  colour  contrast,  and  some- 
how suggests  such  ineffable  cleanliness ! 

"  How   to   breed   silver   tabbies   is   a   moot 
point.     One  thing  is  certain,  that  if  we  expect 


SfLl'KR    TABBY   PERSIA  A 'S. 


173 


whole  litters  of  well-marked  kittens  we  shall 
be  grievously  disappointed.  Personally,  we 
have  had  the  best  results  from  pairing  two 
marked  cats  slightly  related  and  of  good  silver 
pedigrees.  A  smoke  of  silver  origin  is  another 
good  cross,  but  the  sire  should  always  be  a 
tabby.  The  blacker  the  kittens  are  at  birth 
the  better.  There  is  no  sign  of  light  under- 
coat, but  generally  narrow  pencillings  of 
silver  are  to  be  seen,  and  face  and  paws  are 
fairly  light.  The  kittens  which  at  birth  show 
contrast  of  dark  and  light  rarely  turn  out  good 
tabbies.  The  markings,  as  a  rule,  become  too 
faint.  At  a  month  old  the  light  markings 
should  widen  and  develop,  and  at  three  months 
old  the  full  beauty  will  be  seen.  Before  the 
change  to  cat  coat,  many  of  the  kittens  be- 
come more  shaded  than  marked,  and  up  to 
the  sixth  or  eighth  month  there  is  always  a 
possibility  of  their  proving  disappointing.  If, 
however,  after  this  age  the  markings  return, 
harden,  and  develop,  they  will  endure  for 
ever,  except  during  periods  of  moulting.  In 
extreme  old  age  both  the  purity  of  colouring 
and  distinctness  of  markings  are  lost.  Ex- 
posure to  the  sun  considerably  injures  the 
colour  of  the  silver  tabby  cats,  giving 
them  a  brown  tinge.  We  believe  exhibitors 
of  magpies  never  allow  their  birds  to  enjoy 
the  rays  of  the  sun  for  a  similar  reason, 
but  it  is  a  question  whether  it  is  not 
wiser  to  study  the  beneficial  effects  of  a 
sun-bath  on  the  health  of  our  cats  rather  than 
the  slight  detriment  to  their  coats  caused 
by  its  enjoyment.  I  have  said  nothing  about 
size  and  shape.  The  silver  tabby  should  be 
a  large  cat,  with  good  bones,  and  very  heavily 
coated.  The  old-fashioned  cats  were  very 
long,  low  on  the  legs,  and  a  trifle  narrow  in 
head.  Nowadays  we  have  remedied  this 
defect,  and  the  modern  cats  are  decidedly 
more  cobby  than  their  progenitors.  The 
ears  should  be  set  wide  apart,  and  be  small 
and  not  too  sharply  pointed.  If  only  fanciers 
will  now  devote  themselves  to  the  production 
of  such  cats  as  I  have  tried  to  describe,  we 
shall  soon  see  the  silver  tabby  classes  at  our 
shows  filled  with  typical  animals,  instead  of,  as 


is  too  often  the  case,  with  spoilt  silvers,  too 
heavily  marked  to  be  called  chinchillas,  too  un- 
evenly or  lightly  marked  to  be  correct  tabbies." 

I  have  mentioned  Miss  Cope  as  a  breeder 
of  silver  tabbies.  Her  remarks  on  her  favour- 
ite breed  are  as  follows  : — 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  until  quite  re- 
cently interest  in  this  fascinating  breed  had, 
to  a  great  extent,  died  out,  owing  to  the 
craze  for  chinchilla  breeding.  But  I  hope 
their  day-is-coming  again.  There  is  a  marked 
improvement  already  shown  in  the  silver 
tabby  classes  at  the  best  shows. 

"  Mr.  St.  George  Mivart,  in  his  celebrated 
book,  asks,  '  What  is  a  cat  ?  '  But  even  so 
simple  a  question  as  that  appears  from  his 
statement  to  be  more  easily  asked  than 
answered.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
question,  '  What  is  a  silver  tabby  ?  '  I  will 
endeavour  to  answer  the  question  by  giving 
my  own  idea  of  what  may  be  considered  to 
be  a  perfect  type  of  a  silver  tabby.  The 


A    PAIR    OF    SILVER    TABBIES. 

(Photo:  E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


174 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


chief  point  of  a  silver  tabby  should  be  clear- 
ness and  distinctness  of  markings  ;  the 
sharper  they  are  the  better.  My  ideal  cat 
would  have  the  two  spine  stripes  clear  and 
well  denned  from  shoulder  to  base  of  tail, 
set  off  by  the  '  epaulet  '  behind  each  front 
leg.  On  each  side  of  the  body  should  appear 
what  may  be  called  the  horseshoe  ;  both  sides 
should  match  exactly.  The  hind-quarters 
well  barred.  The  fore-legs  should  also  be 
barred,  each  in  symmetrical  correspondence 


the  hazel  eye,  enhanced  by  dark  rims.  Hap- 
pily, latitude  is  allowed  in  this  direction  in 
the  standard  drawn  up  by  the  Silver  Society, 
which  decrees  the  colour  shall  be  the  green 
or  orange.  But  with  all  these,  my  ideal 
silver  tabby  must  have  perfect  shape  of  body, 
so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain  it,  as  well  as 
luxuriance  of  coat.  The  long,  thin-bodied, 
snipy-headed,  spindle-legged  cat  is  an  abomin- 
ation. The  ideal  cat  must  be  cobby,  with 
short,  thick  legs,  the  head  broad  and  massive, 


MISS  DERBY  HYDE'S 
'THAMES  VALLEY  SILVER  KING. 

(Photo:   E.  Lander,  Eating.) 


with  the  other.  The  double  cheek  swirls,  the 
markings  on  the  forehead,  which  may  be 
easily  imagined  to  take  the  shape  of  a  lyre, 
the  shaded  eyebrows  and  whiskers,  and  dark 
outlines  to  the  eyes,  all  these  give  a  character 
to  the  face  not  found  except  among  tabbies. 
More  or  less  conspicuous  will  be  the  dark 
lines  across  the  chest,  known  as  the  '  Mayor's 
Chain.'  Occasionally  some  more  favoured 
animal  is  found  to  have  two  such  lines.  The 
beauty  of  all  these  markings  is  thrown  up 
by  the  ground  colour  of  the  coat,  which  should 
be  a  clear  bright  silver.  The  whole  effect,  if 
one  may  so  describe  it,  is  like  a  piece  of  elabor- 
ately wrought  black  lace  on  lustrous  silvery 
silk.  The  colour  of  the  eyes  is  somewhat  a 
vexed  question.  Some  fanciers  prefer  green. 
Personally,  I  think  nothing  is  more  lovely  than 


ears  small,  well  tufted  and  set  wide  apart, 
the  nose  short  and  wide  at  the  tip,  the  tail 
short  and  wide  at  the  extreme  end — I  con- 
sider a  pointed  tail  very  undesirable.  The 
coat  of  the  ideal  silver  tabby  should  be  long 
-  and  thick,  and  the  texture  as  silky  as  possible. 
"  Having  described  my  ideal  silver  tabby, 
the  next  question  is  how  to  get  it.  When  I 
succumbed  to  the  fascination  of  the  long- 
haired beauties  some  years  ago,  I  resolved  to 
breed  only  from  the  very  best  stock  obtain- 
able, and  I  have  unflinchingly  adhered  to 
this  rule.  I  would  like  to  impress  upon  any- 
one starting  this  delightful  hobby  that  it  is 
absolutely  a  waste  of  time  and  money  to 
attempt  breeding  from  any  but  the  best. 
The  observance  of  this  principle  will  save 
many  disappointments,  much  heart-burning, 


SILVER    TABBY    PERSIANS. 


175 


and  not  a  little  money.  Having  made  up 
one's  mind  which  breed  one  admires  most, 
it  is  far  better  to  keep  to  that  particular 
variety,  and  win  success  worth  having, 
than  to  dabble  in  a  variety  of  breeds  with 
only  a  moderate  amount  of  success.  To  a 
rigid  observance  of  these  principles  I  owe 
any  honours  in  the  show  pen  which  have 
been  awarded  to  me.  It  is  of  little  use  taking 
up  the  breeding  of  long-haired  silver  tabbies 
unless  one  is  possessed  of  unlimited  patience 
and  perseverance.  It  is  sometimes  very  dis- 
appointing to  find  the  kitten  one  fondly  hoped 
would  prove  a  coming  champion  merging 
into  a  shaded  silver — exquisite  in  colour  and 
as  far  as  head,  shape,  and  coat  are  concerned, 
but  none  the  less  not  a  silver  tabby.  Here 
comes  in  the  study  of  pedigree.  It  by  no 
means  follows  that  the  mating  of  two  tabby 
parents  will  result  in  a  litter  of  pure  tabby 
kittens,  unless  both  sire  and  dam  are  of  pure 
silver  tabby  lineage.  Hence  purity  of  pedigree 
on  both  sides  is  of  great  importance. 

"If  there  is  a  trace  of  chinchilla  blood  in 
the  ancestry  it  is  certain  to  manifest'  itself  at 
odd  times  in  the  progeny.  Nevertheless,  do  not 
despise  your  shaded  silver,  if  it  be  a  queen, 
providing  all  other  points  are  perfect.  As 
Miss  Leake  says — and  I  quite  agree  with  her 

'  You  no  longer  have  a  show  specimen,  but 
you  have  a  cat  that,  crossed  with  a  heavily 
marked  cat,  will  probably  provide  you  with 
splendid  silver  tabbies.'  This,  however,  can 
scarcely  be  called  the  true  science  of  breeding, 
as  the  progeny  of  two  such  cats  may  hark  back 
to  some  of  the  original  characteristics. 

"  My  own  practice  is  to  mate  silver 
tabby  with  silver  tabby  invariably,  and  of 
the  purest  pedigree  I  can  find.  I  should 
never  breed  from  a  sire  that  I  knew  possessed 
a  brown  tabby  ancestry.  I  would  far  rather 
choose  a  good  black  sire,  and  in  this  way 
strengthen  the  markings.  Of  course,  one 
would  not  expect  a  mating  of  this  kind  to 
produce  a  litter  of  champion  silver  tabbies  ; 
but  if  I  secured  one  well-marked  kitten  I 
should  feel  quite  repaid.  On  the  general 
question  of  breeding,  Mr.  C.  A.  House,  who 


is  no  mean  authority,  and  whose  suggestions 
I  have  often  followed  with  advantage,  re- 
cently said :  '  If  I  were  asked  to  pick  out  in  a 
certain  cattery  a  pair  of  silver  tabby  Persians 
which  would  be  likely  to  make  a  good  match, 
I  should  proceed  on  lines  similar  to  the  follow- 
ing : — Shape  and  size  with  quality  of  coat 
I  should  expect  the  dam  to  possess.  Marking, 
colour,  length  of  coat,  colour  of  eye,  and 
strength  of  bone,  I  should  demand  in  my 
sire.  This  is,  of  course,  if  I  were  selecting 
from  cats  whose  ancestry  was  quite  unknown 
to  me.  My  reasons  for  so  doing  are  because 
in  nine  times  out  of  ten  the  sire  influences 
the  outward  characteristics  of  the  progeny, 
while  in  like  ratio  the  dam  exercises  her 
influence  over  those  points  which  are  more 
hidden.  The  dam  has  far  more  to  do  with 
shape  than  is  generally  supposed,  and  I 
would  rather  breed  from  a  bad-headed  male 
than  a  bad-headed  queen.  Quality  of  coat 
must  always  be  looked  for  in  the  queen.' 

"  With  regard  to  in-breeding  I  have  no 
hard-and-fast  rules  to  lay  down.  The  whole 
matter,  in  spite  of  what  one  and  another 
may  say,  is  too  experimental  and  speculative 
for  anyone  to  dogmatise.  The  authority  I 
have  just  quoted  remarks  on  this  matter : 
'  It  sometimes  happens  that  a  fancier  puts 
together  two  animals  which  excel  in  some 
particular  property,  yet  not  one  of  their 
progeny  is  above  the  standard  of  mediocrity, 
so  far  as  that  property  is  concerned.'  Ex- 
perience has  shown  me  the  importance  of 
studying  the  weak  points  of  the  dam.  These 
I  try  to  remedy  in  selecting  the  stud  cat. 
But  with  all  my  care  I  sometimes  find  '  the 
best  laid  schemes  .  .  .  gang  aft  agley.' 

"  For  the  successful  keeping  of  cats  and 
rearing  of  healthy  kittens,  my  prescription 
begins  and  ends  with  two  words — liberty  and 
fresh  air.  I  have  found  cats  can  stand  any 
amount  of  cold,  providing,  of  course,  they 
have  never  had  artificial  heat  previously. 
Two  things  must  be  carefully  guarded  against 
— damp  and  draught.  These  are  fatal.  Kit- 
tens so  reared  will  be  healthier,  grow  better 
coats,  and  will  be  much  better  able  to  stand 


176 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


the  wear  and  tear  of  show  life.  My  own  cats 
live  in  wooden  houses,  raised  at  least  one 
foot  from  the  ground,  the  size  at  least  seven 
and  a  half  feet  by  five  and  a  half  feet.  Each 
house  is  fitted  with  an  inner  wire  door,  as 
well  as  the  outer  wooden  one.  Along  the 
entire  length  of  the  upper  part  of  one  side  is 
a  wire  netting  window,  with  a  broad  shelf 
fitted  beneath.  This  opening  has  also  a 
sliding  shutter  fitted  with  glass  panels.  I 
am  thus  able  to  give  ventilation  at  will,  or 
fasten  them  up  securely  in  bad  weather.  In 
one  corner  of  the  house  is  a  cosy  sleeping 
box  :  in  another  corner  an  equally  cosy 
chair.  All  cats  love  a  chair.  Cats  kept  out- 
side, when  they  are  admitted  to  the  house, 
invariably  find  out  the  most  comfortable 
corner  of  the  most  comfortable  chair.  In 
such  a  house  as  I  have  described,  kittens  can 
be  successfully  reared  ;  there  is  ample  room 
for  them  to  scamper  round  should  a  wet 
day  keep  them  in.  Unless  it  is  absolutely 
raining  all  my  cats  have  the  run  of  a  large 
garden  the  whole  day,  and  are  only  shut  up 
at  night.  I  never  coddle  my  kittens,  but 
try  to  bring  them  up  as  naturally  as  possible. 
"  I  am  sometimes  asked  how  it  is  my 
kittens  attain  such  good  proportions.  The 
secret,  if  secret  there  be.  lies  in  this — I  never 
allow  my  mother  cats  to  nurse  more  than 
two  kittens  after  the  first  week.  If  a  foster 
cannot  be  found,  I  select  the  two  I  consider 
the  most  promising,  and  the  lethal  chamber 
claims  the  rest.  Some  may  consider  this 
foolish.  I  can  only  say  I  would  far  rather 
rear  two  thoroughly  healthy  kittens  than 
five  or  six  little  puny  things  that  will  require 
weeks  of  care  and  attention,  and  then  fail 
to  reach  the  end  in  view.  Baby  silver  tabbies, 
I  must  admit,  are  not  altogether  things  of 
1  beauty  and  of  joy.  More  often  than  not  they 
are  dark  and  uninteresting.  The  time  to 
decide  which  is  the  best  marked  kitten  is 
while  the  coat  is  comparatively  short.  When 
compelled  to  make  a  selection,  I  usually  give 
the  preference  to  the  darker  kittens.  Ex- 
perience has  taught  me  that  the  lighter  kittens, 
so  attractive  in  themselves,  even  at  that 


early  stage,  and  whose  colouring  is  so  ex- 
quisite at  eight  or  nine  weeks  old,  are  apt  to 
prove  deceptive  in  the  end,  and  often  develop 
into  shaded  silvers." 

To  Miss  Cope's  last  statements  I  can  add 
my  testimony,  but  I  will  also  mention  a  curious 
case  coming  under  my  direct  notice  and  re- 
garding my  own  silver  stud  cat.  "  Cambyses  " 
is  by  "  Mowgli  "  (a  noted  pale  silver  of  "  Silver 
Lambkin  "  strain)  and  a  handsome  silver  tabby 
unknown  to  fame,  being  a  house  pet.  When 
I  became  possessed  of  "  Cambyses,"  then  five 
months  old,  he  was  a  decided  silver  tabby, 
taking  after  his  mother  ;  he  has  since  shed  all 
his  markings,  except  faint  grey  pencillings  on 
head  and  legs,  and  is  one  of  the  lightest  silvers 
at  stud.  When  mated  to  smokes  and  silvers 
I  have  not  known  or  heard  of  any  tabbies  in 
the  litters  ;  but  on  one  occasion,  when  crossed 
with  a  silver  tabby,  he  had  some  very  densely 
marked  tabbies.  I  have  remarked  that  this 
beautiful  breed  of  Persians  has  not  been  taken 
up  by  American  fanciers  in  the  same  enthu- 
siastic manner  as  have  blues,  orange,  and 
especially  silvers.  In  an  account  given  by 
Field  and  Fancy  of  the  Beresford  Cat  Club 
show  in  New  York,  January,  1903,  I  find 
mention  made  that  over  125  long-haired  cats 
were  entered,  and  that  in  the  silver  classes 
alone  there  were  thirty-five  entries,  almost  as 
many  as  were  entered  in  the  whole  long-haired 
section  of  the  previous  year.  The  smoke  male 
class  was  cancelled,  but  eight  females  of  this 
breed  put  in  an  appearance.  No  mention  is 
made  of  silver  tabbies.  Amongst  the  winners 
of  the  challenge  cups  offered  by  the  Atlantic 
Cat  Club,  a  silver  tabby  called  "  Queenie," 
owned  by  Mrs.  Wagner,  carried  off  the  trophy. 
Miss  A.  Leake,  of  silver  tabby  fame  in  the 
English  fancy,  has  exported  some  of  her  stock, 
and  no  doubt  our  American  cousins  will  not 
let  this  beautiful  breed  remain  long  neglected, 
but  some  enthusiastic  fancier  will  establish  a 
strain  on  the  other  side  of  the  herring  pond. 

At  the  Westminster  Cat  Club  show  of  1903, 
held  about  the  same  time  as  the  Beresford 
New  York  show,  the  entries  in  the  three  classes 
provided  for  silver  tabbies  numbered  twenty- 


SILVER    TABBY   PERSIANS. 


177 


seven,  which  is  an  increase  on  previous  years,  who  is  the  best-marked  silver  tabby  that  is 
but  with  two  or  three  exceptions  quality  was  now  before  the  public.  Miss  Cope  must 
lacking.  No  new  names  appeared  in  the  cata-  be  proud  of  having  bred  so  fine  a  specimen 
logues,  and  Miss  Anderson  Lecke  and  Miss  by  Miss  Anderson  Lecke's  "  Abdul  Hamel 

of    Dingley,"     whose     picture     appropriately 
Roiall     forms    the  heading  of    this  chapter  on  silver 


Cope  carried  off  the  highest  honours. 
The  winner  in  the  female  class  was 
Fluff  ball,"  whose  portrait  appears  below,  and     tabbies. 


"  ROIALL    FLUKKBALL." 
THE   PROPERTY  OF   Miss   COPE. 
(Photo:   E.  S.  Baker  &•  Son,  Hirminxh 


12 


I78 


MKS.  STEAD'S  SMOKK  LITTER  BY  "  RAXJL" 

(Photo :  Russell  &•  Sons,  Baker  Street.) 


CHAPTER      XIV. 


SMOKE    PERSIANS. 


I 


T  is  only 
within  re- 
cent years 
that  smoke 
Persian  cats 
have  really 
come  into  no- 
tice at  all,  and 
even  now  these 
lovely  cats  may 
be  said  to  be 
sadly  neglected 
in  the  fancy.  It 
was  not  till  the 
year  1893  that 
they  were  con- 
sidered suffici- 
ently popular 
to  deserve  a 

class  to  themselves.  They  were  formerly 
relegated  to  the  "  any  other  colour  "  class,  and 
very  often  at  smaller  shows  this  is  where  we 
find  the  smokes  penned.  A  really  good  smoke 
is  a  thing  of  beauty,  and  it  seems  certain  that 
as  the  fancy  expands  and  the  Silver  and 
Smoke  Cat  Society  looks  after  their  interests, 


1  JO  "  AND    "  TINY  "    (SMOKES). 
(I'hoto:  Cross,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.) 


a  good  time  will  be  in  store  for  breeders  of 
this  handsome  variety. 

Smokes  may  therefore  be  called  a  new 
breed,  and  it  is  a  very  distinctive  one,  made 
up,  as  it  were,  of  the  three  self  colours — 
black,  white,  and  blue.  It  is  a  shaded  cat 
without  markings,  the  fur  being  pure  white 
underneath  and  gradually  assuming  almost  a 
black  tone  on  the  outer  coat.  The  face, 
paws,  and  back  down  to  the  tip  of  the  tail 
are  the  darkest  parts,  shading  to  a  dark  grey 
down  the  sides  and  on  the  under  part  of  the 
tail.  A  very  great  beauty  in  smokes  is  the 
light  frill  and  ear  tufts,  which  lend  an  air  of 
much  distinction  to  this  breed.  The  great 
failings  in  many  smokes  is  the  appearance  of 
tabby  markings  ;  these  especially  mar  the 
beauty  of  head  and  face,  and  take  away  from 
their  value  in  the  show  pen.  The  tail  should 
be  quite  free  from  any  rims  of  light  and  dark, 
and  should  have  the  upper  part  an  even  dark 
colour,  and  underneath  a  cinder  grey.  Some 
smokes  are  so  dense  in  the  surface  coat  as  to 
be  really  black  cats  with  white  under-coats, 
having  none  of  the  modulated  grades  of  dark 
and  light  grey.  These  cats  are  often  minus 


SMOKE    PERSIANS. 


179 


the  light  ear  tufts  and  ruff,  and  therefore 
cannot  be  regarded  as  correct  smokes.  Then, 
again,  there  are  light  smokes  which  might 
almost  be  called  silver  smokes — very  beautiful 
cats  to  look  at,  but  far  removed  from  the 
ideal  smoke. 

Perhaps  at  some  future  time  there  may  be 
a  special  classification  for  these  cats,  which 
are  now  without  an  abiding  place  at  our 
shows.  It  is  most  important  that  the  coat 
of  a  smoke  should  be  long  and  of  the  true 
Persian  flakiness,  otherwise  the  chief  beauty 
of  the  contrast  between  the  light  under-coat 
and  dark  outer-coat  is  not  seen  to  full  advan- 
tage. 

I  think  I  may  say  without  fear  of  con- 
tradiction that,  of  all  long-haired  breeds, 
smokes  present  the  most  altered  and  abso- 
lutely dishevelled  appearance  when  out  of 
coat.  The  glory  of  the  light  frill  disappears, 
and  multitudes  of  lines  and  streaks  can  be 
plainly  discerned.  Then  a  very  rusty  brown 
tinge  appears  on  the  back,  and  the  rich, 
glossy  black  surface  coat  vanishes.  I  owned 
a  lovely  smoke  cat  once  that  at  certain  times 
of  the  year — and,  I  may  say,  for  most  part 
of  the  year — was  nothing  better  than  a  bad 
black,  his  only  claim  to  the  title  of  smoke 
being  the  general  appearance  of  a  dark  cat 
that  had  spent  his  life  in  an  ashpit.  But 
when  "  Pepper  "  was  in  full  feather,  he  was 
a  joy  to  behold. 

It  is  curious  that  when  the  kittens  are 
first  born  they  appear  almost  a  dead  black, 
with  no  trace  of  a  white  under-coat.  This 
appears  gradually  as  the  kittens  grow,  and 
at  three  weeks  old  the  lighter  coat  becomes 
visible.  Their  faces  and  paws  should  be 
intensely  black  when  born,  as  the  tendency 
in  smokes  is  to  get  lighter  and  not  darker. 
If  a  kitten  is  born  with  the  appearance  of 
a  smoke  it  will  generally  turn  into  what 
I  have  termed  a  silver  smoke  later  on. 
As  with  black  kittens,  so  with  smokes :  they 
are  often  very  rusty  in  appearance,  but  this 
will  disappear  with  their  kitten  coat.  This 
also  applies  to  tabby  markings,  though,  of 
course.,  if  there  is  any  tabby  blood  in  the 


strain  the  markings  may  be  retained.  For  this 
reason  it  is  most  undesirable  to  mate  smokes 
with  tabbies  ;  neither  is  it  advisable  to  select 
a  blue  as  a  cross.  The  blue  tinge  destroys  the 
purity  of  the  white  under-coat,  which  is  one 
of  the  glories  of  a  perfect  smoke.  It  is  a 
case  of  "  like  to  like  "  in  breeding  smokes,  and, 
failing  this,  choose  a  good  black  sire  for  your 
queen  with  amber  eyes.  This  is  especially 
advantageous  if  your  queen  should  be  light 
in  colour  and  throw  light  kittens  ;  but  if  she 
is  already  too  dark,  mate  with  a  chinchilla, 
avoiding,  if  possible,  a  green-eyed  one. 

Above  all  things  shun,  as  you  would  Sin, 
tabbies  of  any  colour,  and  let  your  choice 
fall  on  a  heavily  coated  sire.  I  have  been 
told  by  smoke  fanciers  that  it  is  much  more 
difficult  to  breed  a  good  smoke  female  than 
a  male,  and  that  the  latter  sex  predominates 
in  litters. 

I  will  here  give  the  officially  approved  table 
showing  the  proportion  of  marks  which  should 
be  awarded  for    points 
of  smokes.      This  is  as 
drawn  up  by  the  Silver 
and  Smoke  Persian  Cat, 
Society,  which  has  Mrs. 
H.  V.  James, 
our  principal 
breeder       of 
smokes,      as 
Honorary 
Secretary  : — 


MISS  BARTLETT'S  TWO  SMOKE  KITTENS. 

(Photo-.     E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


i8o 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


SMOKES. 

Smoke  cats  should  be  black,  shading  to  smoke 
(grey),  with  as  light  an  under-coat  as  possible  ;  light 
frill  and  ear  tufts  ;  eyes  to  be  orange. 

Value  of  points  : — 

Head  and  expression  .  .  .  .  20 

Colour  of  eye      . .  . .  . .  ..15 

Colour  of  under-coat  .  .  .  .  .  .      10 

Absence  of  markings  . .  . .  . .      15 

Coat  and  condition  . .  . .  20 

Tail             . .          . .  . .  .  .  10 

Shape        . .          . .  . .  . .  10 

Total         .-.          . .          . .    loo 

I  think  there  are  no  fanciers  or  breeders  of 
smokes  who  feel  that  any  option  should  be 
given  as  to  the  colour  of  eyes  in  this  breed,  for, 
as  in  the  black  cats,  the  eyes  should  be  amber 
or  light  golden.  However,  I  must  confess 
that  brilliant  green  eyes  are  to  be  preferred 
to  the  pale  yellow,  which  too  often  spoil  the 
beauty  of  many  of  the  smokes  now  exhibited. 
I  should  never  place  an  indifferent  smoke 
with  orange  eyes  over  a  good  specimen  with 
eyes  of  emerald  green.  In  the  early  days  of 
the  fancy,  smokes  were  entered  in  the  "  any 
other  variety "  class,  and  were  sometimes 
called  Smoke  Blues  or  Smoke  Chinchillas. 

In  1891  Miss  Manley  (now  Mrs.  Strick)  ex- 
hibited a  fine  smoke  called  "  Bayadere." 
Amongst  the  names  of  our  oldest  smoke 
breeders  who  still  continue  to  breed  I  may 
mention  Mrs.  Cartwright,  of  Upwood.  In  1895 
this  lady  showed  smokes  at  Cruft's  show  bred 
from  her  "Timkins."  The  Upwood  cats  are 
very  pure  in  colour,  having  the  dense  outer 
coat  very  white  at  the  roots.  At  one  time  the 
Lindfield  smokes  held  their  own  everywhere, 
Miss  Molony  winning  first  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  in  1893  with  "  Lindfield  Bogie."  Mrs. 
Bluhm,  better  known  as  a  silver  breeder,  also 
owned  about  this  time  a  famous  smoke  female 
called  "  Smuttie." 

Mrs.  Robert  Little  has  for  years  combined 
the  breeding  of  smokes  with  blacks.  In 
1897  "  Namouska,"  a  smoke  female,  won 
first  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  her  descendants 
continue  their  career  as  first-class  smokes. 
In  more  recent  times  the  following  are  noted 


winners  :  Lady  Marcus  Beresford's  "  Cossey," 
Mrs.  H.  V.  James's  "  Backwell  Jogram," 
Mrs.  Sinkins'  "  Teufel,"  Mrs.  Stead's  "  Ranji," 
Mrs.  StillwelPs  "Victoria,"  Miss  Snell's 
"  Dusky  Girl,"  Mrs.  Collingwood's  "  Minouche," 
Rev.  P.  L.  Cosway's  "  Maritana,"  Mrs. 
Neild's  "Silver  Soot,"  Mrs.  Hamilton's 
"Bulger,"  Miss  Rose's  "Judge."  Perhaps 
the  most  consistent  and  successful  breeder 
of  smokes  now  in  the  fancy  is  Mrs.  H.  V. 
James,  who  started  in  1893,  and  has  been 
faithful  to  this  breed  ever  since.  I  have 
had  the  pleasure  'of  visiting  Mrs.  James's 
smoke  cattery,  and  I  felt  that  the  lovely 
old-fashioned  garden  surrounding  the  Grange 
at  Backwell  was  truly  an  ideal  place  for 
successfully  rearing  live  stock  of  any  kind, 
and  all  the  pussies  were  pictures  of  robust 
health.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  insert  the 
following  valuable  article  on  smoke  Persians 
from  the  pen  of  Mrs.  James,  who  is  certainly 
our  best  authority  on  this  breed. 

"  Before  entering  upon  the  distinctive  points 
of  smokes,  I  will  give  a  short  account  of  my 
smoke  cattery,  and  how  I  first  took  up  this 
breed.  It  is  curious  to  look  back  and  see 
what  mere  chances  govern  our  actions.  I 
have  all  my  life  been  devoted  to  Persian  cats 
of  one  colour  or  another,  but  never  intended 
to  go  in  for  any  special  breed.  However,  in 

1893  I  purchased  a  blue  kitten,  which,  on  its 
arrival,    appeared   far    from   well.     The   man 
who  sold  it  offered,  if   it  died,   to  replace   it. 
In  a  few  days  I  was  in  a  position  to  accept 
this    offer,    for    the    kitten    succumbed,    and 
another — which    was   also   supposed    to   be   a 
blue — was  sent  to  replace  it.     As  time  went 
on   this   kitten   darkened,   and,   much   to   my 
disgust,  turned  to  a  deep  cinder  colour.     In 

1894  there  was  a  grand  West  of  England  Cat 
Show  held   at   Bristol,   and,  to  please  an  old 
servant    who    had    taken    great    care    of    the 
kitten,  I  entered  '  Jubilee.'     I  was  not  much 
up    in     cat     showing     then,     but     '  smoke ' 
seemed    to    answer    the    description    of    the 
kitten  better  than  any  other  colour ;    so  into 
the  smoke  class  he  went,  and,  to  my  surprise, 
carried  everything  before  him.     This  started 


w 


C/J 
D 

O 


12* 


182 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


my  career  as  an  exhibitor.  I  showed  '  Jubilee  ' 
again  at  Graft's  and  Brighton  the  next  year, 
where  he  again  carried  off  firsts,  and  was 
described  as  the  best  smoke  cat  seen  since 
the  days  of  the  famous  '  Mildew.' 

"  At  the  Palace  in  1894,  I  bought  a  smoke 
female  kitten  from  Miss  Bray  as  a  mate  for 
'Jubilee.'  This  mating  proved  successful, 
and  I  had  several  grand  litters  of  smokes, 
most  of  which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  went  to 
swell  the  ranks  of  neuter  pets,  being  given 
as  presents  to  my  friends.  In  time  I  learnt 
wisdom,  however,  and  kept  my  smokes  my- 
self. '  Jubilee's  '  career  as  a  show  cat  was 
unfortunately  cut  short  after  his  Brighton 
win  in  1894.  He  escaped  one  night,  and  in 
a  fight  with  another  cat  had  his  ears  so  torn 
that  I  was  unable  to  exhibit  him  again.  A 
year  later,  when  I  was  away  from  home,  he 
was  let  out  one  day,  and  never  returned, 
having,  I  expect,  been  trapped  in  the  woods. 
At  that  period  my  smokes  nearly  died  out, 
as  I  had  only  one  litter  a  few  weeks  old  by 
'  Jubilee.'  Of  the  two  smokes  one  was  pro- 
mised, and  the  other  I  kept,  and  he  is  still 
alive  as  '  Champion  Backwell  Jogram.'  So 
I  think  I  may  consider  I  have  had  my  share 
of  luck,  though,  like  most  breeders,  I  have 


MRS.  A.  M.  STEAD'S  SMOKE  PERSIAN 

(Photo:   E.  N.  Collins,  S.  Norwood.) 


"  CH.    RANJI.' 


had  my  bad  times,  and  have  lost  sometimes 
as  many  as  twelve  cats  and  kittens  in  a  few 
days  from  distemper,  and  once  or  twice  a 
very  promising  female  has  strayed  into  the 
woods  and  been  seen  no  more.  I  hope,  how- 
ever, that  for  some  years,  at  least,  '  Jubilee's  ' 
descendants  will  continue  to  flourish,  as  there 
are  a  number  of  '  Jogram's  '  kittens  scattered 
over  England,  and  several  have  left  these 
shores  for  America. 

"  In  mating  my  smoke  queens  I  have  several 
times  tried  a  black  sire,  and  have  always  been 
successful  in  getting  good  smokes  from  this 
cross.  'Jubilee  II.'  is  an  example,  being  by 
'  Johnnie  Fawe,'  Dr.  Roper's  famous  black 
Persian.  I  have  only  once— years  ago — tried  a 
blue  cross,  but  the  result  was  a  mixed  litter  of 
blacks  and  blues.  I  have  found  that  all  the 
blue  queens  mated  with  'Jogram'  have  had 
chiefly  blacks.  Smokes  may  be  considered  a 
very  hardy  breed,  perhaps  from  the  fact 
that  there  has  been  little  in-breeding  so  far. 
'Jogram'  lives  in  an  unheated  wooden  house 
all  the  year  round,  and  has  never  even  had  a 
cold.  Kittens  will  also  stand  the  same  treat- 
ment. 

"  And  now  I  will  endeavour  to  give  my 
ideas  as  to  the  points  which  go  to  make  up 
a  perfect  smoke.  A  good  smoke  is  perhaps 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  many  beau- 
tiful breeds  of  long-haired  cats,  a  bad  smoke 
one  of  the  plainest.  The  novice — for  whom 
this  article  is  principally  written — may  there- 
fore be  glad  to  have  a  clear  definition  of  a 
smoke  to  start  with. 

"  The  definition  drawn  up  by  the  Silver 
Society  when  it  first  started  reads  as  follows  : 
'  A  smoke  cat  must  be  black,  shading  to  smoke 
(grey),  with  as  light  an  under-coat  as  possible, 
and  black  points,  light  frill  and  ear  tufts  ; 
eyes  to  be  orange.'  But  the  word  '  black,' 
having  sometimes  led  novices  to  suppose  that 
a  black  cat  possessed  of  a  white  under-coat 
is  a  smoke,  it  would  be  perhaps  safer  to  say 
'  a  smoke  is  a  deep  cinder-coloured  cat  shading 
to  grey,  with  a  white  under-coat,'  etc.  In 
order  to  distinguish  the  difference  between 
black  and  the  true  cinder-colour  of  the  smoke, 


SMOKE    PERSIANS. 


183 


it  is  an    excellent   plan   to  keep   a   sound 
black  cat  in  a  smoke  cattery. 

"  Smokes  are,  comparatively  speaking,  one 
.of  the  newer  breeds  of  long-haired  cats,  and 
arose  from  the  crossing  of  blues,  blacks,  and 
silvers,  and  appeared  as  a  freak  in  litters  of 
blues  or  silvers,  and,  being  beautiful,  were 
kept  by  their  owners.     No  serious  attempt, 
however,    was   made   to    breed    them   until 
quite  recently.     If  beauty  and  a  hardy  con- 
stitution  count  for   much,    they   should   be 
more  popular  even  than  they  are  at  present ; 
but  no    doubt    the   extreme    difficulties    of 
breeding  a  good,  unmarked  shaded  cat  deter 
many  breeders  from  taking  them  up.     With 
a  whole-coloured  cat  it  is  fairly  plain  sailing 
when  a  strain,  sound  in  shape  and  bone,  has 
been  established  ;    but  with  a  shaded  cat  it 
is   quite   another   matter.     Litter    after  litter 
of  kittens  appear,    grand  in  shape,   strong  in 
limbs,    apparently   perfect   in   shading.     In   a 
few  months  the  kittens  moult,  and  the  shading 
becomes  perhaps  a  hopeless  jumble  of  light 
and  dark.     Where  it  should  be  dark  it  has 
turned  light,  and  vice  versa.     Still  worse,  the 
shading    disappears,    and    the    markings — the 
bugbear  of  all  smoke  breeders — appear,  show- 
ing traces  of  the   far-away  silver  tabby  an- 
cestors.    These  markings  have  perhaps  been 
lying  dormant  for  a  generation,   and  appear 
as  a  reminder  of  the  silver  tabby  origin  of 
the  smoke. 

"  To  all  smoke  breeders  who  wish  to  succeed 
I  would  say,  '  Never  part  with  a  well-shaped 
smoke  until  at  least  a  year  old,  lest  you  find 
you  have,  in  rejecting  the  apparently  ugly 
duckling  and  keeping  the  gem,  thrown  away 
the  substance  for  the  shadow.'  On  the  sub- 
ject of  mating,  there  is  much  to  be  said. 
I  am  afraid  many  owners  of  smoke  queens 
mate  with  any  coloured  cat  which  takes 
their  fancy  in  the  hopes  of  getting  something 
in  the  litter  besides  smokes. 

"  I  have  sometimes  heard  owners  say, 
'  Oh  !  I  mate  my  smoke  queen  with  all  sorts 
of  colours.  She  always  has  one  or  two  good 
smokes  in  each  litter.'  That  mav  be  true, 
but  if  a  smoke  strain  is  to  be  built  up,  you 


"  CHAMPION 
BACKWELL  JOGKAM. 


are  making  a  fatal  mistake.  The  kitten  thus 
bred  goes  to  a  new  home  and  is  expected  to 
produce  smokes  as  good  as  herself.  She  is 
mated  with  a  smoke  male,  and  when  the 
litter  arrives  there  are  perhaps  no  smokes, 
she  having  thrown  back  to  her  sire,  so  as  a 
breeder  she  is  useless.  Smoke  to  smoke  must 
be  the  rule,  except  in  special  cases — when,  for 
instance,  the  queen  is  on  the  light  side ;  then 
a  cross  with  a  black  may  be  found  to  be 
necessary.  Or  the  queen  may  be  too  dark 
and  given  to  breeding  black  kittens.  Then 
the  choice  should  fall  on  a  silver  as  free  as 
possible  from  silver  tabby  relations.  On  no 
account  must  a  tabby  of  any  colour  be  chosen 
or  a  sire  with  any  white.  A  blue  should  also 
be  avoided,  as  the  under-coat  is  liable  to  take 
the  blue  shade  and  become  blurred  instead 
of  white  at  the  roots. 

"  Orange  eyes  are  much  prized  in  smokes, 
and  I  believe,  from  my  own  experience  in 
breeding  smokes  for  the  last  ten  years,  that  it 
is  from  the  mothers  that  the  kittens  get  their 
eye  colour.  If  the  queen  has  pale  green  eyes 
you  may  mate  her  with  all  the  orange-eyed 
sires  in  the  kingdom,  and  the  eyes  will  still 
be  pale.  But  if  the  queen  has  deep  orange 
eyes,  the  kittens  will  inherit  them  also,  even 
should  the  sire  have  only  pale  eyes. 

"  Thanks  to  careful  mating  by  some  of  our 
smoke  breeders,  smokes  are  not  the  flukes 
they  once  were,  and  a  smoke  queen,  well 


184 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT. 


mated,  may  now  be  relied  upon  to  produce 
whole  litters  of  smoke  kittens.  As  a  rule,  the 
kittens  at  birth  are  quite  black,  and  remain 
so  for  a  week  or  so  ;  and  my  experience  has  been 
that  if  a  kitten  shows  any  trace  of  grey  at 
birth,  it  will  grow  up  too  light.  There  are, 
however,  a  few  well-known  queens  who  throw 
almost  silver  kittens,  which  remain  so  for 
weeks,  and  then  shed  this  kitten  coat  for  a 
darker  one  ;  so  no  hard-and-fast  rule  can  be 
laid  down  as  to  what  a  smoke  kitten  should 
look  like  when  born.  Try  in  -  breeding  for 
coat  to  avoid  the  sleek  or  woolly-coated 
smoke,  and  aim  at  getting  a  cat  with  a  coat  of 
the  true  Persian  flakiness  described  by  Mr. 
Harrison  Weir  in  his  book  on  Persian  cats, 
otherwise  the  chief  beauty — -the  light  under- 
and  dark  outer-coat — is  not  seen  to  advantage 
as  the  cat  moves.  One  point  to  be  remem- 
bered in  this  breed  is  that  the  new  coat  grow- 
ing is  dark  just  at  the  roots.  These  marks, 
when  the  smoke  is  changing  coat,  have  often 
been  mistaken  for  tabby  markings,  so  for 
this  reason  it  is  most  unwise  ever  to  show  a 
smoke  when  out  of  coat.  Wait  until  your 
cat  is  in  full  coat  before  accusing  it  of  having 
tabby  markings. 

"  There  is  a  fashion  in  smokes,  as  in  every- 
thing else  ;  and  at  present  in  England  the 
very  dark  smokes -are  the  rage,  .but  in  America 
the  light  ones  are  more  sought  after.  That 
grand  cat  '  Watership  Caesar,'  who  was  con- 
sidered too  light  for  English  taste,  was  last 
year  bought  by  the  late  Mrs.  Thurston  and 
taken  to  America,  where  he  carried  off  all  the 
smoke  honours,  also  taking  the  prize  for  the 
best  cat  in  the  show.  The  same  happened  to 
Lady  Marcus  Beresford's  '  Cossey,'  a  lovely 
cat  of  the  lighter  type.  The  tide  may  turn, 
however,  even  in  England,  where  the 
slightly  lighter  smokes  may  share  the  honours 
with  their  darker  brothers.  It  is  better, 
however,  to  be  on  the  safe  side  and  breed  for 
the  darker  smoke,  as  the  lighter  are  apt  to 
lose  the  smoke  characteristics  and  overstep 
the  line  which  divides  them  from  a  shaded 
silver." 

Mrs.  Sinkins,  to  whom  I  have  alluded  as  a 


smoke  breeder,  owns  a  splendid  stud  cat  called 
"  Teufel  "  that  has  made  a  name  for  himself 
as  a  first  prize  winner.  This  cat  is  as  nearly 
a  perfect  specimen  as  it  is  possible  to  find. 
Mrs.  Sinkins  has  written  a  few  notes  on 
smokes. 

"  I  must  consider  myself  honoured  in  being 
asked  to  write  about  smoke  Persians  in  'The 
Book  of  the  Cat,'  as  I  am,  comparatively 
speaking,  a  beginner  in  the  cat  fancy,  only 
having  kept  Persians  for  three  years  or  so. 
I  began  by  buying  a  well-bred  queen  in  kitten, 
and  she  presented  me  with  two  chinchillas 
and  a  perfect  smoke  female,  which  I  named 
'  Teufella,'  and  showed  at  Westminster  in 
1899.  She  carried  all  before  her,  winning 
everything  in  her  class,  and  was  claimed  at 
once  at  catalogue  price.  From  a  silver  half- 
sister  of  hers  I  then  bred  '  Teufel,'  whose 
picture  is  in  this  issue,  and  who  is  a  great 
pet,  being  extremely  sweet-tempered  and 
affectionate.  His  chief  characteristics  are  his 
absolutely  unmarked  black  face  and  the  lovely 
white  under-coat,  so  desirable  in  a  perfect 
smoke,  and  for  which  he  received  a  special  this 
spring  (1902)  at  Westminster.  I  hope  some 
of  his  descendants  will  take  after  him  in 
these  respects  and  make  smokes  increasingly 
popular. 

"  In  my  opinion,  it  is  a  fatal  mistake  to 
mate  smokes  with  blues,  as  they  then  lose 
this  white  under-coat.  I  think  one  obtains  it 
best  by  mating  a  smoke-bred  smoke  cat  with 
either  a  silver-bred  smoke  or  else  with  a  silver 
cat,  as  unmarked  as  possible,  who  possesses  a 
smoke  ancestor.  Some  day  I  should  like  to 
try  mating  a  black  with  a  pale  silver,  just  as 
an  experiment. 

"  As  to  eye  colour,  there  can  be  no  two 
opinions.  The  deeper  the  orange,  the  better. 

"  I  do  not  find  smokes  at  all  delicate,  no 
more  so  than  the  common  or  garden  cat.  All 
my  queens  have  entire  freedom,  one  in  par- 
ticular being  a  first-rate  ratter  and  mouser, 
even  catching  moles  sometimes.  And  they 
live  out  of  doors  in  unheated  houses  all  the 
year  round,  even  in  the  most  severe  winter. 

"  It  seems  hard  that  all  Persians  should  have 


SMOKE    PERSIANS. 


185 


to  pass  through  an  '  ugly  '  period — luckily  a 
short  one — when  they  change  their  coats, 
looking  ragged  and  certainly  not  their  best. 
Smokes  and  blacks  then  show  the  brown  tinge 
even  worse  than  chinchillas,  as  it  gives  them 
the  poverty  -  stricken  appearance  of  rusty 
moulting — though  I  must  say  '  Teufel '  has 
so  far  been  the  exception,  taking  all  honours 
at  one  show  when  in  full  moult. 

"  However,    their    good    time    fully    corn- 


standard  up  to  which  I  try  to  breed.  I  find 
the  kittens  go  through  several  stages  before 
they  approach  this  perfection.  For  instance, 
a  kitten  I  had  in  the  spring  of  1902  lightened 
considerably,  and  developed  markings  on  the 
face,  but  at  eight  months  old  he  was  nearly 
up  to  the  standard.  A  litter  of  six  I  have 
recently  bred  were  entirely  unmarked  at 
birth,  being,  in  fact,  quite  black.  Five  are 
now  medium-coloured  smokes,  and  one  a  very 


MRS.    SIXKINS'    SMOKE   PERSIAN    ''  TEUFEL." 


pensates  for  the  shabby  period,  and  a  typical 
smoke,  with  his  large  orange  eyes  set  in  his 
black  face,  with  light  ear  tufts  and  frill,  his 
white  under-coat  showing  with  every  move- 
ment, is  a  thing  of  beauty  hard  to  beat,  and 
I  feel  sure  the  smoke  variety  has  a  great 
future  before  it." 

Mrs.  Stead,  the  owner  of  "  Champion 
Ranji "  and  "  Rhoda,"  a  winning  smoke 
female,  has  kindly  given  me  her  opinion  on 
smokes  : — • 

"  My  ideal  of  perfect  smoke  cats  is  that 
they  should  be  black,  shading  to  smoke  grey, 
with  as  light  an  under-coat  as  possible,  light 
frill  and  ear  tufts,  eyes  orange.  This  is  the 


dark  one,  with  beautiful  light  under-coat.  I 
strongly  advise  all  breeders  not  to  despair  of 
colouring  until  their  kittens  are  fully  grown. 
Permanent  markings  are,  of  course,  very 
detrimental,  and  there  is  always  great  anxiety 
as  to  the  final  colour  of  the  eyes.  If,  however, 
both  parents  are  good  in  this  respect,  the 
result  is  generally  satisfactory." 

The  following  article  on  smoke  cats  in 
America  is  taken  from  Field  and  Fancy  of 
October,  1902  :— 

"  Smokes,  with  us,  will  probably  rank  with 
the  silvers,  and  are  destined  to  always  hold  a 
measure  of  popularity,  though  we  have  not 
such  a  very  strong  lot ;  in  fact,  we  may  say 


1 86 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT, 


that  good  smokes  are  never  so  numerous  any- 
where as  to  become  a  nuisance,  and  we  may 
fairly  congratulate  ourselves  at  this  stage  of 
the  game  upon  what  we  have  had  and  bred. 

"  Opinions  differ  as  to  what  is  a  smoke,  and 
at  times  we  have  to  be  rather  lenient  in  the 
judging  of  these  cats,  for  they  are  apt  to  be 
off  colour — too  light  or  too  streaky.  No  one 
has  yet,  in  America,  taken  up  the  colour 
solely  to  breed  smokes  and  nothing  else, 
which  seems  a  pity,  for  they  can  be  bred  and 
kept  with  blacks,  and  each  sets  off  the  other, 
and  when  visitors  come  to  the  cattery  the 
contrast  is  made  more  apparent. 

"  Those  not  conversant  with  the  colour  are 
apt  to  think  anything  smoky  is  a  smoke 
exhibition  cat,  and  no  doubt,  when  good, 
those  cats  with  dark  faces  and  paws  and  light 


bodies  are  very  handsome,  but  more  often 
than  not  they  are  streaky  and  are  smoke 
tabbies.  After  mature  consideration  and 
after  seeing  a  good  many,  we,  as  well  as  other 
breeders,  still  think  that  unless  the  '  South- 
down '  cats,  as  some  have  called  them,  are 
very  good  we  had  better  stick  to  the  old 
definition  of  a  smoke,  and  demand  them  dark 
enough. 

"  A  really  dark,  rich  smoke  without  marks 
is,  without  doubt,  one  of  the  richest  in  colour- 
ing of  all  our  long-hairs,  and  the  stars  are 
few.  One  may  go  away  from  the  original 
definition  of  a  smoke,  but  when  brought  face 
to  face  with  a  good  one  it  forces  one  to  con- 
fess that  this  is  the  genuine  article,  and,  when 
in  grand  condition,  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a 
joy  for  ever." 


"  I.UCY    CLAIRK." 
OWNED   BY   MRS.  CLINTON   LOCKE. 


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i87 


MRS.  SINGLETON'S  "  ORANGE   GIRL. 

(Photo :  J.  G.  Christopher,  Crcwkerne.) 


CHAPTER    XV. 


ORANGE      PERSIANS. 


IN  the  short-haired  varieties,  these  cats 
are  sometimes  called  red  tabbies  ;  but 
I  do  not  think  the  term  gives  such  a 
true  idea  of  the  correct  tone  of  colour,  which 
should  be  just  that  of  a  ripe  orange  when  in 
perfection.  As  I  write  I  have  in  my  mind's 
eye  the  mass  of  bright  colour  presented  by  a 
pile  of  oranges  in  a  greengrocer's  shop,  and 
this  is  the  tone  that  is  to  be  desired  in  our 
orange  cats.  There  is  a  dash  of  red  in  the 
ideal  orange  cat,  suggestive,  perhaps,  of  the 
blood-oranges  with  which  at  Christmastide  we 
are  familiar.  Anyhow,  an  orange  cat  should 
be  as  far  removed  as  possible  both  from  sandy 
or  yellow  or,  as  I  have  heard  them  called, 
lemon-coloured  cats. 

I  have  left  out  the  term  "  tabby  "  from  the 
heading  of  this  chapter,  and  I  think  advisedly  ; 
for  in  the  Persian  varieties  the  markings  are 
gradually  but  surely  vanishing,  and  orange 
cats  may  be  said  to  stand  in  the  same  relation 
to  orange  tabbies  as  shaded  silvers  do  to  silver 
tabbies.  I  mean  that  most  of  the  orange 


Persians  now  exhibited  have  shaded  bodies, 
with  tabby  marking  on  head,  face,  and  paws. 
The  body  markings,  never  very  strong  in 
Persian  tabbies,  are  even  less  distinct  in  the 
orange  than  in  the  silver  varieties.  It  may 
therefore  be  said  that  in  judging  this  breed 
as  they  are  represented  in  the  show  pen  to- 
day, colour  is  taken  into  consideration  first, 
and  tabby  markings  are  of  less  account.  As 
regards  other  distinctive  features  of  this  breed, 
I  may  say  that  it  is  the  exception,  and  not  the 
rule,  to  find  good  round  heads  and  short  noses. 
The  longest  faces  I  have  ever  seen  in  any 
felines  have  been  those  possessed  by  orange 
Persian  and  short-haired  cats.  I  have  really 
sometimes  felt  quite  sorry  for  a  magnificent 
puss  of  this  colour  whose  nose  was  so  self- 
assertive  that  every  other  point,  however 
excellent,  seemed  to  be  lost  sight  of,  and  that 
nose  with  the  accentuated  terminus  stood  out 
with  distressing  prominence.  Until  the  year 
1894  the  classification  at  the  Crystal  Palace 
was  "  brown  or  red  tabby,  with  or  without 


iSS 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


white,"  and  the  descriptions  given  in  the 
catalogue  by  some  owners  on  entering  their 
cats  read  "  brown  and  red,"  "  red-marked 
tabby,"  "  spotted  red  tabby,"  "  sandy  Persian." 
In  1895  orange  and  cream  cats  were  placed 
together  in  one  class. 

A  specialist  society  for  orange,  cream,  fawn, 
and  tortoiseshell  cats  was  founded  in  1900, 
and  although  the  number  of  members  is  small, 
yet  they  have  proved  a  strong  body  of  staunch 
supporters  of  these  breeds,  and  a  really 
astonishing  amount  of  good  work  has  been 
done  by  these  few  enthusiasts.  The  classifica- 
tion at  the  large  shows  has  been  greatly 
supplemented,  and,  whereas  before  the  forma- 
tion of  the  society  the  sexes  were  never 
separated,  now  this  energetic  little  club  asks 
for,  obtains,  and  often  guarantees  extra 
classes.  The  result,  therefore,  to  breeders  of 
orange  and  cream  cats  is  much  more  satis- 
factory, and  males  and  females  have  their 
respective  classes  ;  and  right  well  have  they 
been  filled.  It  was  in  1900  that  classes  for 
creams  were  introduced  at  shows.  At  the 
Richmond  show  in  1902  there  were  thirteen 
entries  in  male  and  thirteen  in  female  orange 

and  c  r  e  a  m 
classes,  the 
sexes,  but  not 


Photo] 


lal. 


"  SWAGGEK." 

BRED  BY  MRS.   VIDAL. 


11  PUCK,"    SON    OF    MKS.    VIDAL's    "  BLLWAYDA.' 


THE  PROPERTY  OF  MRS.  MOXON. 
(Plwto:   E.   D.    Percival,    Ilfracombe.) 


the  colours,  being  divided.  This  was  really  a 
splendid  testimony  to  the  efforts  of  a  specialist 
society  of  less  than  two  years'  standing.  It 
is  such  a  short  time  ago  that  orange,  cream, 
and  tortoiseshell  cats  were  relegated  to  the 
"  any  other  colour  "  class,  even  at  our  largest 
shows  ;  now  it  is  often  remarked  by  reporters 
in  the  cat  papers  that  the  well-filled  cream  and 
orange  classes  were  the  chief  attractions  of 
the  show. 

•  I  will  here  give  a  copy  of  the  circular  issued 
by  the  honorary  secretary  inviting  members 
!to  join,  and  the  points  for  orange  cats,  as 
drawn  up  by  the  specialist  society,  which  were 
decided  upon  at  the  inaugural  meeting  : — 

ORANGE,    CREAM,    FAWN,    AND    TORTOISE- 
SHELL    SOCIETY. 

LONG  AND  SHORT  HAIRED. 

As  societies  have  been  lately  formed  to  promote  the 
interests  of  one  or  more  colours  in  the  cat  world,  it 
has  been  thought  by  a  few  fanciers  of  orange,  cream, 
fawn,  and  tortoiseshell  cats  that  there  is  an  opening 
for  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  the  breed- 
ing of  these  colours.  The  objects  of  such  a  society 
would  be  : — 

(i)  To  secure  better  classification  for  these  varie- 
ties at  the  different  shows. 

(2}  To  encourage  fanciers  to  breed  and  show  these 
colours  by  offering  special  prizes,  etc. 

(3)  To  improve  the  type  of  cat  bred. 

(4)  To  secure  recognition  for  all  shades  of  orange, 


ORANGE    PERSIANS. 


189 


cream,  and  fawn  ;  and,  inasmuch  as  many  fanciers 
disagree  as  to  the  merits  of  the  different  tints  for 
eyes,  to  encourage  the  breeding  and  showing  of 
specimens  with  green,  orange,  hazel,  and  blue  eyes. 

Miss  Mildred  Beal,  Romaklkirk  Rectory,  Darling- 
ton, has  undertaken  to  act  as  hon.  sec.  to  the  society, 
and  will  be  glad  to  hear  from  any  fanciers  who  may 
wish  to  support  it. 

November,  1900. 

ORANGE    SELF    OR    TABBY    POINTS. 

Colour  and  marking. — Colour   to  be  as  bright   as 
•possible,  and  either  self  or  markings  to  be  as  distinct 
is  can  be  got.     25. 

Coat. — To  be  silky,  very  long, 
•and  fluffy.  25. 

Size  and  Shape. — To  be  large, 
not  coarse,  but  massive,  with 
plenty  of  bone  and  substance  ; 
short  legs.  20. 

Head. — To  be  round  and  broad, 
with  short  nose,  ears  small  and 
well  opened.  15. 

Eyes. — To  be  large  and  full, 
and  bright  orange  or  hazel.  5. 

Condition. — 10. 


It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
heading  of  these  points  is 
"orange  self  or  tabby";  but, 
as  I  have  pointed  out,  the 
cats  exhibited  as  orange  Per- 
sians are  neither  self-coloured 
nor  can  they  be  called  tabby. 
So  it  remains  to  be  seen 
which  type  of  cat  will  in  due 
course  be  the  established  one. 
I  incline  towards  a  self-coloured  orange  in 
the  Persian  breeds,  and  a  very  handsome  cat 
this  would  be — of  just  one  tone  of  bright  even 
colour,  perhaps  slightly  lighter  on  the  flanks 
and  stomach,  under  the  tail,  and  with  a  frill 
of  paler  tone.  In  fact,  very  much  the  type  of 
a  smoke  cat,  in  two  shades  of  brilliant  orange. 
At  the  same  time,  if  real  orange  tabbies  can  be 
bred  with  the  distinct  body  markings  these 
should  be  encouraged. 

At  the  Cat  Club  shows  it  has  been  custom- 
ary to  give  the  classification  for  orange  cats 
marked  or  unmarked,  so  that  then  the  judge 
may  not  have  to  take  tabby  markings  into 
consideration,  but  give  his  awards  according 


•'  BENJAMIN    OF   THK    DURHAMS 

THE    PROPERTY   OF  MRS.  D'ARCY    HILDYARD. 
(Photo:  Burgess,  Market  Lavington.) 


to  colour  and  other  points  of  excellence.  It  is 
the  same  when  a  class  is  given  for  sable  or 
brown  tabby,  silver  or  shaded  silver.  In  such 
classes  it  would  be  unfair  to  consider  either 
the  tabby  markings  in  the  one  or  the  amount 
of  shadings  in  the  other.  Of  course,  it  is 
possible  that  in  time  orange  cats  may  be  bred 
to  such  perfection  that  two  distinct  classes 
will  be  given,  namely  "  orange "  (selfs)  and 
"  orange  tabby."  In  former  years  blues 
(selfs)  and.  blue  tabbies  were  included  in  one 
class,  but  gradually  blue 
tabbies  have  been  disappear- 
ing from  our  midst.  If, 
therefore,  orange  tabbies — I 
mean,  of  course,  long-haired 
cats  —  should  likewise  be- 
come extinct,  our  browns 
and  silvers  would  be  the  sole 
representatives  of  tabbies  in 
the  long-haired  varieties. 

As  regards  the  eyes  in 
orange  Persians,  the  stand- 
ard given  in  the  foregoing 
list  of  the  specialist  society 
is  "bright  orange  or  hazel." 
I  should  prefer  the  terms 
"  golden  bronze  or  hazel," 
as  there  is  a  special  shade  of 
gold  with  a  dash  of  bronze 
or  brown  which  seems  to 
tone  best  with  the  bright 
coats  of  these  cats.  Cer- 
tainly the  pale  yellow  or  greenish-yellow  eye 
is  not  desirable — better  a  bright  green  eye.  I 
often  wonder  if  ever  fanciers  will  be  fortunate 
enough  to  breed  an  orange  Persian  with  bright 
blue  eyes,  such  as  are  seen  in  whites  and 
Siamese.  I  have  heard  of  a  short-haired 
orange  cat  with  blue  eyes,  and  sometimes  I 
have  been  told  by  a  fancier  of  the  Persian 
tribe  that  they  had  bred  an  orange,  and  its 
eyes  had  not  turned  from  the  deep  kitten  blue 
at  four  months,  so  they  were  fondly  hoping 
they  were  going  to  astonish  the  cat  world  ;  but 
their  hopes  were  dashed  to  the  ground,  for 
surely  and  sadly  a  change  came  o'er  the  colour 
of  that  cat's  eyes,  and  it  was  a  case  of  the 


igo 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


blue  that  failed  !  I  once  noticed  an  advertise- 
ment in  one  of  our  cat  papers  which  announced, 
"  For  sale,  a  unique  orange  Persian  male  with 
perfect  deep  blue  eyes  "  ;  but  I  also  remarked 


Orange  cats  make  a  splendid  foil  for  other 
varieties.  This  is  especially  the  case  as 
regards  blues  and  blacks ;  the  contrast  in 
colour  enhances  the  beauty  of  each.  I  know 


that  the  age  of  this  unique  specimen  was  not     one  lady  who,  having  an  eye  to  the  artistic, 


"  TORRINGTON    SUNNYSIDES." 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  MRS.  G.   W.  VIDAL. 

(Photo:   G.  W.  Vidal.) 


given,  and 'I  did  not  think  it  was  worth  while 
to  write  and  inquire. 

The  texture  of  coat  in  this  breed  ought  to  be 
particularly  soft  and  silky,  and  is  often  of  great 
length  and  thickness.  The  kittens  when  born 
are  usually  dull  in  colour,  and  gradually 
brighten  as  they  grow  older.  As  is  well  known 
to  cat  fanciers,  orange  females  are  rarer  than 
orange  males,  so  their  market  value  is  higher. 
There  is,  therefore,  always  a  flutter  of  excite- 
ment on  the  arrival  of  a  litter,  and  too  often 
fate  has  decreed  that  all  are  males  ! 


keeps  a  blue  and  an  orange  neuter,  and  a  lovely 
pair  they  make.  I  think  the  largest  cat  I  ever 
saw  was  an  orange  neuter  that  simply  filled 
the  show  pen  with  a  mass  of  bright  colour — but 
he  had  a  white  shirt  front  and  white  gloves  ! 
As  regards  mating  orange  cats,  they  make 
a  good  cross  with  blacks  and  tortoiseshells  ;  and 
if  a  brown  tabby  lacks  the  admired  tawny  or 
golden  tint,  then  an  orange  may  assist  to 
brighten  and  improve  the  general  tone,  and  do 
away,  perchance,  with  that  drabbiness  which 
is  so  undesirable  in  a  brown  tabbv. 


ORANGE    PERSIANS. 


191 


I  do  not  think  orange  cats  have  ever  been 
very  popular,  and  I  have  remarked  at  shows 
that  a  certain  number  of  people  refuse  to  give 
anything  but  a  passing  contemptuous  glance 
at  the  classes  which  contain  what  they  call 
"  those  yellow  cats." 

A  very  common  defect  among  orange  Persian 
cats  is  the  white  or  very  light  chin.  Some- 
times there  is  the  still  more  damaging  blemish  of 
a  white  spot  on  the  throat,  spreading,  perhaps, 
further  down  the  chest.  It  is  very  rare  to  find 
an  orange  that  has  really  a  dark  under-lip,  and 
chin  level  in  tone  with  the  body  colour.  The 
white  lip  is  a  bugbear  to  breeders  and  exhi- 
bitors, for  Nature  repeats  itself,  and  judges 
make  notes  of  the  defect ;  and  in  these  up-to- 
date  catty  days  of  specialist  clubs  and  standards 
of  points  a  cat  full  of  quality  failing  in  one 
particular  is  too  often  a  white  elephant,  if 
desired  for  anything  more  than  a  pet.  I  have 
observed  that  orange  cats  will  sometimes 
develop  a  light  or  nearly  white  chin  in  their 
old  age.  I  never  consider  a  white  spot  or  tuft 
of  white  hairs  such  a  blemish  to  a  cat  if  these 
are  on  the  stomach,  as  compared  with  the  same 
defect  on  the  throat.  Such  a  spot  would  not 
be  so  likely  to  be  handed  down  to  successive 
generations  ;  and,  of  course,  a  blemish  that 
has  to  be  sought  for  in  an  obscure  part  of  the 
body  is  not  such  an  eyesore  in  a  self  or  tabby 
cat.  I  have  often  observed  orange  cats  with 
very  light  hair  underneath  which  has  almost 
approached  white  ;  but  such  defects  are  some- 
times only  temporary,  whereas  a  white  spot  on 
the  throat  or  a  white  chin  remains  once  and 
for  ever. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  fancy,  orange  cats 
were  decidedly  more  tabby  marked  than  they 
are  in  the  present  day.  A  noted  one  of  this 
type  was  "  Cyrus  the  Elamite,"  born  in  1889, 
and  bred  by  Mrs.  Kinchant,  an  enthusiastic 
fancier  at  that  and  later  periods.  In  1893  and 
1894  Mr.  Heap  exhibited  a  handsome  orange, 
"  Prince  Charlie,"  at  the  Crystal  Palace.  He 
also  owned  another,  called  "  Prince  Lyne,"  of 
the  same  breed,  the  celebrated  tortoiseshell 
"  Queen  Elizabeth  "  being  the  mother  of  both 
these  cats.  "  Puff  "  was  exhibited  by  Mrs. 


Spackman  in  1894  ;  this  orange  cat  was  not 
much  marked,  and  "  Lifeguard  "  was  bred 
from  him.  It  was  about  this  date  that  un- 
marked orange  Persians  became  more  fashion- 
able. Among  females,  "  Lifeguard's  "  sister, 
"  Goldylocks,"  owned  by  Mrs.  Marriott,  was 
one  of  the  very  best  queens  ever  shown.  Mrs. 
Foote,  who  is  still  well  known  in  the  fancy, 
had  several  beautiful  orange  females,  notably 
"Marigold,"  "Buttercup,"  and  "Cowslip." 
With  these-cats  Mrs.  Foote  tried  to  breed  un- 
marked creams  and  oranges,  "  Ripon,"  a  noted 
cream,  being  the  sire.  She  built  up  several 
storeys  of  her  catty  castle,  but  then  sold  them 
to  Lady  Marcus  Beresford.  "  Trilby,"  litter 
sister  to  "  Zoroaster,"  a  famous  cream,  was 
one  of  the  brightest  and  deepest  coloured 
orange  females — or,  indeed,  orange  cats— that 
has  ever  been  seen. 

Coming  down  to  the  present  day,  I  may  re- 
mark that  the  number  of  orange  cats  placed  at 
stud  is  very  limited.  A  great  loss  to  the  ranks 
of  male  orange  Persians  was  "  Lifeguard,"  for- 
merly the  property  of  Lady  Marcus  Beresford. 
This  cat  was  almost  unmarked,  of  a  beautiful 
bright  shade,  and  had  an  unusually  round  head 
and  short  face,  with  Ion?  silky  coat.  He  was 


"  LIFKGUAKn." 

FORMERLY  THE  PROPERTY  OF  LADY  MARCUS  BERESFORD. 
(Photo  -.   E.  Landor,  Ealing.) 


192 


THE     BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


purchased  by  Miss  Cartmell,  who  is  well  known 
as  an  enthusiastic  breeder  of  orange  Persians, 
but  who  never  exhibits.  This  lady  has  been 
very  successful  in  breeding  numerous  fine 
female  orange  cats,  and  many  a  winner  has 
been  born  to  blush  unseen  in  the  Barham 
Cattery,  near  Canterbury. 

Another  noted  winner  and  stud  cat  is 
"Torrington  Sunnysides,"  of  whom  a  portrait 
is  given.  This  cat  is  the  property  of  Mrs. 


Vidal,  and  sent  out  to  Mr.  Storey  in  Chicago.  A 
son  of  "  Torrington  Sunnysides  "  has  also  found 
a  home  in  a  Chicago  cattery.  "  Red  Knight  " 
was  sent  by  the  writer  to  Mrs.  Colburn, 
and  in  an  article  in  the  American  Field  and 
Fancy  mention  is  thus  made  of  him  : — "  '  Red 
Knight,'  an  orange  male,  with  deepest  orange 
eyes,  was  imported  from  England.  He  is  a 
very  good  type,  and  has  sired  some  beautiful 
kittens,  notably  two  by  Miss  Adams'  '  Daffodil,' 


ONE   OF    MRS.    NEATE  S   OUT-DOOR    CATTERIES    AT    WEKNHAM. 


G.  H.  Vidal,  and  has  done  a  lot  of  winning. 
His  colour  is  exceptionally  good,  and  he  has 
sired  several  prize  kittens,  some  of  which  have 
been  sent  out  to  America  and  gained  distinc- 
tion over  the  water.  "  Torrington  Sunny- 
sides  "  has  a  most  luxurious  house  in  the 
spacious  garden  surrounding  Mrs.  Vidal's 
residence  at  Sydenham.  The  photograph  is  by 
Mr.  G.  W.  Vidal,  who  dislikes  taking  orange  cats, 
because  the  tone  is  so  difficult  to  reproduce 
in  photography,  Mrs.  Davies,  of  Caterham, 
has  owned  some  good  orange  cats.  Her  male 
"  Hamish  "  was  a  grand  specimen,  but  was 
only  twice  exhibited,  when  he  gained  highest 
honours.  He  was  then  purchased  by  Mrs. 


very  fine  specimens  of  pure  orange,  with  cobby 
bodies,  wide  heads,  tiny  ears  set  far  apart, 
and  beautiful  coats.  They  have  been  fed  on 
1  Force,"  and  Miss  Adams  is  going  to  call  the 
male  '  Sunny  Jim.'  Another  son,  seven 
months  old,  of  the  same  parentage,  is  the  largest 
cat  ever  seen  for  his  age,  and  if  he  continues 
growing  will  certainly  be  enormous." 

One  of  Mrs.  Vidal's  orange  kittens,  "  Puck  " 
by  name,  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Moxon,  of 
Ilfracombe,  from  whom  I  have  obtained  a 
photograph  for  reproduction. 

A  few  notes  on  orange  Persian  cats  by  Mrs, 
Vidal  will  be  interesting  to  my  readers  : — 

"  It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  gorgeous 


ORANGE    PERSIANS. 


193 


colour  than  a  really  good  orange  lying  full 
length  in  the  sun.  There  is,  however,  rather 
a  prejudice  against  them,  chiefly  because  some 
people  persist  in  calling  them  '  sandy  '  or  '  red,' 
both  of  which  names  are  quite  misleading.  I 
have  several  times  had  people  say  to  me  when 
visiting  my  cattery,  '  I  have  always  thought 
I  did  not  like  sandy  cats,  but  I  have  never 
before  seen  a  cat  of  such  a  lovely  colour  as  the 
one  you  have  just  shown  me.'  Six  years  ago, 


it  is  very  rarely  seen.  The  absence  of  markings 
usually  means  absence  of  the  rich  orange  colour 
so  much  admired.  Any  white  on  chin  or  bib 
is,  of  course,  a  blemish,  and  for  breeding  or 
show  purposes  such  an  animal  is  perfectly 
useless. 

"  An  orange  stud  cat  is  a  very  useful  animal 
to  have  in  a  cattery,  for  crossing  with  him  will 
improve  many  colours,  viz.  tortoiseshell,  brown, 
grey,  and  sable  tabbies  ;  while  if  he  is  mated 
to  a  blue_  queen  the  kittens,  if  orange,  are 
beautiful  in  colour — brighter,  I  think,  than  if 
two  orange  cats  are  mated  together..  In 


CURIOSITY. 
(Photo:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


when  I  first  took  up  cat  rearing,  it  was  rare  to 
see  any  orange  cats  at  the  shows,  but  now  they 
and  the  creams  form  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
classes,  and  they  have  a  specialist  society  of 
their  own  and  an  energetic  secretary  in  Miss 
Mildred  Beal. 

"  There  are  two  classes  of  oranges,  one  which 
has  the  ordinary  tabby  markings,  more  or 
less  distinct,  and  the  other  which  is  '  necked  ' 
all  over  the  back  in  small  patches,  and  which 
is  usually  not  nearly  so  bright  in  colour  as  the 
so-called  '  tabby  '  markings.  The  correct  thing 
is  to  breed  a  totally  unmarked  orange  ;  and, 
although  many  people  claim  this  for  their  pets, 
13 


mating  with  other  colours  it  is  a  toss-up  what 
colour  will  predominate,  but  the  only  way 
to  ensure  all  orange  kittens  is  to  mate  with 
orange  queens,  when,  according  to  my  experi- 
ence with  my  stud  cat  ('  Torrington  Sunny- 
sides  '),  the  results  are  all  orange.  Mated  with 
tortoiseshells  the  orange  kittens  are  very  good  ; 
but  mated  with  blacks  the  strongest  colour 
carries  the  day,  and  the  kittens  are  mostly 
black  or  tortoiseshell,  seldom  orange.  Silvers, 
chinchillas,  and  smokes  should,  of  course, 
never  be  mated  with  oranges,  as  the  result 
would  be.  a  horrible  mixture  !  Orange  queens 
were  at  one  time  very  rare,  and  even  now 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


194 

are  not  plentiful,  being 
delicate  and  difficult  to 
rear. 

"The  time  at  which  the 
kittens  change  the  colour 
of  their  eyes  from  the 
baby  blue  to  orange  varies 
a  great  deal  in  individual 
animals,  from  seven  to 
twelve  weeks.  When  the 
eyes  are  very  deep  blue, 
they  change  to  bright  rich 
orange  or  hazel ;  but  if  of 
a  pale  blue,  they  change 
very  quickly  to  a  poor 
yellow,  and  never  get  the 
rich  dark  orange  which 
the  deeper  blue  get.  Therefore  rejoice  when 
you  see  your  kittens  with  deep  blue  eyes. 
Some  of  our  kittens  have  had  the  most  lovely 
deep  blue  eyes,  and  great  has  been  our  sorrow 
as  we  found  the  inevitable  change  coming  on. 
If  I  could  only  manage  to  get  some  kittens  with 
the  permanent  blue  eyes  that  the  best  white 
cats  have,  I  should  indeed  be  proud  ;  but 
thinking  of  the  kittens  with  terrible  white 
chins  and  under -coats,  which  would  crop 
up  in  every  litter  and  would  have  to  be 
drowned,  quite  deters  me  from  sending  my 
orange  queens  to  white  studs  with  blue 


MRS.    NEATE'S    CAT    HOUSES. 


ANOTHER    VIEW    OF    MRS.    NEATK  S 
CAT   HOUSES. 


eyes  !  All  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
frequent  the  show  pens  will  remember 
Miss  M.  Beal's  splendid  old  orange  queen 
'  Jael,'  who  up  to  the  last,  although 
nearly  fourteen  years  old,  always  took  first 
prize,  and  was  a  very  good  specimen  of  what 
an  orange  queen  should  be- — of  a  bright  rich 
orange,  without  any  suspicion  of  light  under 
her  chin  or  chest  (the  usual  weak  point),  and 
having  the  splendid  head,  short  nose,  and  good 
cobby  shape  which  all  breeders  strive  for. 
Short-haired  orange  cats  are  often  seen  about 
our  towns  and  villages,  and  are  always 
called  'sandy,'  but  are  not, 
I  think,  held  in  much  ac- 
count. They  are  distinct  from, 
the  so  -  called  '  red  tabby,' 
which  is  a  recognised  colour 
in  our  shows." 

Among  the  prize  -  winning 
females  of  the  present  day  I 
must  not  forget  to  notice  Mrs. 
Singleton's  "Orange  Girl,"  bred 
from  Miss  Beal's  noted  strain. 
This  cat  has  had  many  honours 
showered  upon  her  during  a 
very  short  career,  and  as  there 
must  always  be  a  scarcity  of 
queens  in  this  breed,  this  fine 
specimen  is  a  valuable  posses- 
sion. 


ORANGE    PERSIANS. 


195 


So  long  as  there  are  two  cat  clubs  and  two 
registers  there  will  be  a  confused  multiplicity 
of  names,  and  so  yet  another  orange  male 
called  "  Puck  "  inhabits  the  cat  world.  This 
handsome  fellow  is  owned  by  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
McLaren  Morrison,  to  whom  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  awarding  first  prize  and  many  specials  at 
the  Botanic  show  held  in  June,  1902.  His  vivid 
colouring  and  well-shaped  limbs  and  splendid 
eyes  will  always  make  him  a  conspicuous 
specimen  in  the  show  pen.  Alas  !  his  photo- 
graph does  him  but  scant  justice.  Quite  a 
surprise  packet  appeared  at  the  Crystal  Palace 
show  of  1902  by  the  appearance  of  a  very 
handsome  young  male  in  "  William  of  Orange  " 
exhibited  by  Mrs.  Stillwell,  and  bred  from 
Dr.  Roper's  noted  black  "  Johnnie  Fawe  "  and 
tortoiseshell  queen  "  Dainty  Diana."  This 
cat  was  awarded  first  and  many  specials,  and 
was  claimed  by  Lord  Decies  at  catalogue  price. 
As  "  William  "  was  not  a  year  old  when  he 
won  his  laurels,  it  may  readily  be  believed  that 
he  has  a  distinguished  career  before  him,  and 
may  add  another  to  the  long  list  of  winners 
owned  and  exhibited  by  Lady  Decies.  No 
orange  male  cat  is  better  known  in  the  fancy 
than  that  splendid  fellow  "  The  King's  Own," 
belonging  to  Mrs.  Neate.  He  has  had  a  most 
successful  career,  and  may  be  considered  as 
nearly  self-coloured  an  orange  as  any  yet 
exhibited. 

Mrs.  Neate  is  a  devoted  admirer  of  this  breed 
and  also  a  great  cat  lover,  and  has  recently 
started  an  arrangement  for  boarding  cats,  and 
truly  I  know  of  no  place  better  adapted  for 
successful  cat  keeping  than  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Francis  Neate,  at  Wernham,  near  Marlborough  ; 
situated  as  it  is  in  the  very  heart  of  the  country, 
a  mile  from  any  other  house,  her  cats  can  enjoy 
their  liberty  with  perfect  safety. 

A  large  range  of  brick-built  and  slated  out- 
houses has  been  converted  into  catteries  and 
comfortably  fitted.  All  have  wooden  floors, 
wire  doors,  and  large  runs  attached.  A  number 
of  portable  houses  and  runs  are  dotted  about 
the  kitchen  garden  and  meadows.  An  empty 
cottage  serves  as  an  isolation  hospital,  or  place 
of  quarantine  for  cats  returning  from  shows. 


A  herd  of  pure-bred  goats  supply  the  inmates 
of  the  cattery  with  milk,  and  rabbits,  which 
abound,  form  their  staple  food  when  in  season. 
The  largest  of  the  outhouses  is  fitted  with  a 
Tortoise  stove,  carefulty  guarded.  The  pride 
of  Mrs.  Neate's  cattery  is,  of  course,  the  famous 
orange  stud  "The  King's  Own."  He  is  the  sire 
of  the  two  winning  orange  queens  "  Mehitabel 
of  the  Durhams  "  and  "  Glory  of  Prittlewell." 

Fitting  mates  for  him  are  "  Wernham 
Titmouse  "^(tortoiseshell-and-white),  "  Evening 
Primrose "  (a  cream  daughter  of  "  Cham- 
pion Midshipmite  "  and  "  Hazeline  "),  also 
"  Mimosa  "  (an  orange  bred  by  Miss  Cartmell 
from  "  Richmond  Bough  "  and  "  Mistletoe  ")  ; 
these  occupy  the  house  adjoining  the  stables. 

"  Champion  Bundle  "  and  "  Betsy  Jane,"  a 
lovely  little  blue  with  glorious  orange  eyes,  are 
the  only  blues  of  the  establishment.  Latterly 
Mrs.  Neate  has  reduced  her  own  stock  of  breed- 
ing queens,  and  makes  a  speciality  of  receiving 
cats  during  the  holidays.  Judging  by  the 
number  of  cat  fanciers  who  sent  their  pets  to 
Mrs.  Neate  during  the  summer  of  1902,  it  is 
certain  that  a  great  want  has  been  most 
efficiently  supplied.  Not  only  does  Mrs.  Neate 
give  personal  supervision  to  her  catty  boarders 
and  visitors,  but  they  have  splendid  caretakers 
on  the  premises.  These  custodians  are  Mrs. 
Neate's  big  St.  Bernard  and  a  chow-chow,  who 
jealously  guard  the  Wernham  cattery.  These 
dogs  are  on  the  very  best  terms  with  the 
feline  inmates,  and  the  strange  pussies  very 
soon  appear  to  settle  down  to  an  amicable 
cat-and-dog  life.  The  accompanying  photo- 
graphs, as  will  be  seen,  were  taken  in  the  depth 
of  winter.  These  brick-built  houses,  slate 
roofed  and  with  wooden  floor,  are  splendidly 
adapted  for  keeping  the  cats  snug  and  warm 
during  the  cold  weather.  One  of  the  buildings 
illustrated  is  25  feet  by  15  feet,  and  has  three 
windows.  This  house  is  provided  with  large 
table,  shelves,  and  chairs,  and  cosy  sleeping- 
boxes.  An  outside  wire  run,  of  the  same 
length  and  width  as  the  building,  is  erected  for 
an  exercise  ground  in  summer  weather. 

Mrs.  Neate  has  kindly  supplied  me  with  a 
few  notes  on  orange  Persian  cats  : — 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


"  It  was  in  1897,  at  Boscombe  show,  that  I 
claimed  the  winner  in  a  class  of  twenty-six 
kittens,  my  now  well-known  orange  Persian 
stud  '  The  King's  Own.'  The  same  year,  at 
the  Crystal  Palace,  I  purchased  a  lovely  orange 
female  kitten  sired  by  Mrs.  Pettit's  '  Champion 
King  of  Pearls  '  and  the  tortoiseshell-and-white 
'  Dainty  Doris.'  From  her  I  fondly  hoped  to 
establish  a  breed  of  blue-eyed  oranges,  which 
feature  would  be  charming  in  the  variety  ;  but 
alas  !  she  came  home  to  sicken  and  die,  as  so 
many  another  valuable  kitten  has  done,  and  I 
have  never  since  been  able  to  obtain  an  orange 
of  either  sex  sired  by  a  blue-eyed  white. 

"  It  is  most  difficult  to  breed  oranges  without 
white  lips  and  chins  ;  the  pink  nose,  too,  is  a 
feature  in  the  breed  that  I  do  not  like. 

"  I  have  found  crossing  an  orange  male  with 
a  cream  female  the  surest  way  to  breed  sound- 
coloured  specimens  of  both  sexes  and  varieties, 
e.g.  '  Mehitabel  of  the  Durhams  '  (a  really  rich- 
coloured  unmarked  orange  queen,  and  quite 
free  from  the  objectionable  light  shading  on 
lips  and  chin)  ;  she  was  bred  by  Mrs.  D'Arcy 
Hildyard  from  her  cream  female  '  Josephine 
of  the  Durhams '  and  ' The  King's  Own.'  Again, 
from  a  blue  male  and  a  tortoiseshell  queen  you 
are  more  certain  of  breeding  good  oranges 
(though  seldom  of  the  female  sex)  than  from 
mating  tortoiseshell  and  orange  together  ;  in 
the  latter  case  more  often  than  not  black 
kittens  predominate  in  the  litter,  and  there  is 
rarely,  if  ever,  an  orange  female  amongst  them. 

"  Mrs.  Vidal's  famous  orange  stud  '  Torring- 
ton  Sunnysides  '  was  a  son  of  my  light  blue 
'  Champion  Bundle  '  and  a  tortoiseshell  dam 
'  Torrington  Owlet,'  herself  of  an  orange 
strain.  Mrs.  Walford  Gosnall's  '  Rufus  '  (whose 
name  discloses  his  colour)  was  also  the  result 
of  this  union.  '  Red  Ensign,'  the  orange  kitten 
who  won  first  and  three  specials  at  Westminster 
in  1902,  was  bred  by  me  from  '  Champion 
Bundle  '  and  '  Mimosa,'  an  orange  queen  of 
cream  breeding,  and  with  his  litter  brother 
'  Scarlet  Lancer  '  took  first  and  silver  medal 
for  the  best  pair  of  kittens.  The  latter  is  now 
the  property  of  Miss  Cartmell,  and  has  grown 
into  a  fine  cat.  Unfortunately  for  the  cat 


fancy  generally,  '  Red  Ensign  '  was  claimed  at 
the  show,  and  is  now  a  house  pet. 

"  The  best  orange  kittens  I  have  bred  were 
from  my  '  Wernham  Titmouse,'  a  tortoiseshell- 
and-white  who  owns  an  orange  dam,  and  '  The 
King's  Own  '  ;  the  whole  litter  were  females, 
and  redder  than  any  oranges  I  have  seen. 
These  never  lived  to  see  a  show,  and  their  death 
was  one  of  the  greatest  disappointments  I 
have  experienced  in  my  career.  The  demand 
for  good  orange  and  cream  females  is  greater 
than  the  supply  ;  in  fact,  these  colours  are 
decidedly  '  booming,'  and  better  classification 
is  given  for  them  at  our  principal  shows. 

"  At  the  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1898  there 
were  only  four  entries  in  the  open  class  for 
orange  and  cream  males,  and  four  of  the  same 
varieties  in  the  female  class,  compared  to  the 
ten  entries  in  orange  and  cream  male  classes 
and  the  same  number  in  the  female  classes  at 
the  Cat  Club's  show,  held  at  Westminster, 
1902.  These  facts  speak  for  themselves  of  the 
increased  interest  now  taken  in  these  varieties. 

"  Unlike  some  of  the  warmer  tinted  of  us 
humans,  orange  cats  of  both  sexes  are  particu- 
larly sweet  tempered,  showing  great  attach- 
ment to  their  owners.  They  are  of  strong 
constitution  and  attain  to  great  size,  being  at 
present  free  from  the  in-breeding  that  is  practised 
amongst  many  other  varieties  of  our  show  cats. 
A  small  piece  of  sulphate  of  iron  in  the  drinking 
water  will  enrich  the  colour  of  orange  and 
tortoiseshells,  besides  being  an  excellent  tonic, 
especially  during  the  moulting  season. 

"  Orange  Persian  cats  do  not,  as  a  rule,  make 
good  photographs,  as  they  lack  expression 
compared  to  the  short-haired  tabby  varieties 
of  this  colour." 

The  Misses  Beal,  of  Romaldkirk,  near  Dar- 
lington, have  long  been  associated  with  orange 
and  cream  cats.  "  Jael  "  was  quite  unique 
as  an  orange  female,  and  at  fifteen  years  of 
age  could  yet  win  in  her  class  by  reason  of  her 
grand  colour,  perfectly  shaped  head,  short  face, 
and  tiny,  well-set  ears.  Such  a  cat  stands  out 
in  any  breed,  and  such  a  cat  may  never  again 
be  bred.  "  Jael  "  died  in  1902,  after  a  long 
and  successful  career. 


§3 
1} 


e 

b. 


13* 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


Miss  Beal's  male  orange  "  Minotaur  "  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  cats  of  this  breed  now 
exhibited,  and  has  quite  the  best  round  head 
and  face,  with  sweetest  expression.  These  are 
qualities  too  often  lacking  in  orange  cats. 

Miss  Beal's  name  is,  perhaps,  more  closely 
associated  in  the  cat  world  with  cream  cats, 
and  in  my  next  chapter  on  this  breed  she  has 
kindly  supplied  some  notes. 

Another  fancier  of  both  orange  and  cream 
cats  is  Mrs.  D'Arcy-Hildyard,  and  to  her  I 
am  indebted  for  the  following  notes  on  orange 
Persian  cats  : — 

"  Until  comparatively  lately  I  confined  my- 
self entirely  to  the  breeding  of  creams,  and  my 
efforts  were  attended  with  considerable  success, 
both  in  multiplying  the  number  of  cats  of 
that  colour — I  bred  thirteen  one  year — and  in 
filling  the  classes  given  for  cream  females.  I 
was  particularly  lucky  in  breeding  many 
creams  of  the  gentler  sex. 

"  The  birth  of  the  Orange  and  Tortoiseshell 
Society  fired  me  with  ambition  to  start  breed- 
ing oranges.  I  was  much  fascinated  with  the 
colour,  though  I  hate  their  being  penned  beside 
the  creams  at  shows,  as  they  completely  take 
all  colour  out  of  the  lighter  animals  and  give 
them  a  washed-out  appearance.  I  started  by 
crossing  my  cream  queen  'Josephine  of  the  Dur- 
hams  '  with  Mrs.  Neate's  famous  '  The  King's 
Own.'  This  proved  a  most  satisfactory  cross, 
the  results  being  three  rich-coloured  unmarked 
orange  kittens,  one  male  and  two  females.  I 
sold  one  female  to  Miss  Scratton,  of  Prittlewell 
Priory,  and  it  has,  I  hear,  grown  into  a  very 
handsome  cat  ;  the  other  two  I  kept,  and  they 
won  all  before  them  at  Manchester  Kitten  Show, 
1901,  and  were  shown  at  Slough  after,  where 
the  male  was  claimed.  The  remaining  one, 
'  Mehitabel  of  the  Durhams,'  I  kept,  and  she 
won  me  many  prizes  last  winter,  and  being 
mated  this  year  to  '  Champion  Romaldkirk 
Admiral '  has  presented  me  witli  a  litter  of 
two  creams  and  an  orange.  Certainly  creams 
and  oranges  cross  well,  and  often  I  think 
produce  a  brighter  and  deeper  tone  of  colour 
than  is  obtained  from  other  shades.  I  have 
lately  purchased  an  orange  torn,  and  by  cross- 


ing him  with  '  Hazeline,'  one  of  my  cream 
queens,  have  got  a  splendid  litter  of  seven  pure 
oranges.  This,  I  think,  proves  that  the  cream 
and  orange  cross  is  good,  and  that  they  breed 
very  true.  Oranges  bred  by  crossing  other 
colours  seem  to  me  rather  spasmodic,  if  I  may 
use  the  term.  When  breeders  try  crossing 
an  orange  and  a  tortoiseshell  they  very  often 
get  blacks  and  blues  as  well  as  oranges  ;  on  the 
other  hand,  from  a  blue  and  a  tortoiseshell  cross 
sometimes  an  orange  is  obtained.  But  they  do 
not  seem  able  to  count  exactly  on  the  results. 

"  Reliability  is  what  I  claim  from  the  cream 
and  orange  cross.  I  emphatically  believe  in 
mating  creams  to  creams  if  you  wish  to  get  a 
good  pale  colour  and  few  markings,  and 
oranges  and  creams  crossed  have  certainly 
produced  good  specimens  of  both  colours  for 
me.  I  speak  from  my  own  experience. 

"  I  hope  to  do  great  things  by  trying  a 
cross  between  my  orange  torn  '  Benjamin ' 
and  '  Mehitabel.'  Miss  Winifred  Beal's  '  Mino- 
taur '  was  the  result  of  a  cross  between  a 
cream  and  a  tortoiseshell.  Her  well-known 
'  Garnet '  is  the  daughter  of  a  cream  and  a 
blue.  At  present  there  is,  to  my  mind,  no 
orange  female  on  the  show  bench  to  compare 
with  the  late  '  Jael,'  owned  by  Miss  Mildred 
Beal,  whose  brilliant  colour  and  perfect  head 
with  its  tiny  ears  made  her  hold  her  own  at  all 
the  shows  up  to  within  two  months  of  her  death 
at  quite  a  venerable  age  ;  but  I  hope  in 
the  future,  as  oranges  become  more  popular 
and  breeders  work  hard  at  producing  good 
specimens,  we  may  see  her  like  again.  I  was 
.  much  taken  at  Richmond  show  with  Mrs.  Sin- 
gleton's 'Orange  Girl,'  and  also  with  the  kitten 
of  that  colour  exhibited  by  the  same  lady  at 
Manchester.  Every  year,  I  think,  shows  that 
the  general  world  is  becoming  more  alive  to  the 
beauties  of  orange  and  cream  cats,  as  proved 
both  by  the  large  increase  in  entries  of  these 
colours  at  the  principal  shows  and  the  great 
demand  for  kittens  when  any  are  offered  for 
sale.  Undoubtedly  breeders  owning  creams 
should  stick  to  them,  if  they  wLh  to  produce 
good  oranges — see  the  many  splendid  speci- 
mens sired  by  '  Midshipmite  '  and  '  Admiral.' 


ORANGE    PERSIANS. 


199 


"  It  is  a  hard  matter  to  say  decisively  what 
tint  orange  kittens  should  be  when  born,  i 
have  known  them  enter  the  world  a  bad  cream, 
and  gradually  grow  redder  till  they  develop 
into  the  brilliant  colour  we  all  look  to  see  in  a 
cat  of  orange  hue.  Personally,  I  prefer  them 
born  a  dark  shade  ;  they  usually  lighten  and 
brighten  a  little,  but  on  the  whole  I  think  that 
is  the  more  satisfactory  of  the  two.  It  is 
distinctly  discouraging  to  see  a  washed-out 


"  I  think  the  time  is  approaching  when  the 
orange  and  cream  cats  are  going  to  be  among 
the  most  attractive  classes  at  our  bigger  shows. 
Already  the  classes  are  much  better  filled  than 
when  I  first  joined  the  fancy,  and  you  always 
find  an  admiring  crowd  in  front  of  their  pens. 
I  wish,  though,  that  a  nice  sprinkling  of  blues 
could  always  be  placed  between  the  two 
colours  at  shows.  The  close  company  of  the 
oranges  is  so  excessively  unbecoming  to  the 


OUT    IX    THE    COLD. 

(Photo :  E.  Lnndor,  Eating.) 


looking  kitten  when  you  are  expecting  a  bright 
orange  one. 

"  Fanciers  differ  about  the  eyes  which  are 
supposed  to  be  correct  in  this  breed.  Hazel 
eyes  are  universally  acknowledged  to  be  the 
right  thing.  Personally,  I  admire  green,  or 
rather  eau-de-nil  eyes,  as  giving  more  contrast 
to  the  colour  of  the  coat,  but  you  do  not  often 
see  them.  I  have  always  wished  to  breed  a 
cream  with  blue  eyes — I  do  not  mean  the  baby 
blue,  but  the  colour  -that  Siamese  have — and 
only  the  other  day  I  sold  a  kitten  three  months 
old  with  brilliant  blue  eyes  of  this  tint,  and 
shall  be  anxious  to  know  whether  they  change 
in  time  or  not. 


creams,  while  when  you  see  the  three  colours 
together  they  are  especially  lovely.  To  see 
cream  and  orange  cats  at  their  best  they  should 
be  at  large  in  the  country  and  running  about 
on  the  green  grass." 

In  1902  an  Orange  and  Cream  Cat  Club  was 
started  by  a  few  enthusiastic  breeders  of  these 
varieties  over  in  America.  The  Misses  Beal, 
Mrs.  Vidal,  and  Miss  Frances  Simpson  were 
elected  as  honorary  members.  The  follow- 
ing is  an  extract  from  Field  and  Fancy,  the 
American  weekly  paper  : — 

ORANGE    CATS. 

There  is  very  little  doubt  that  this  is  a  colour  that 
has  from  the  beginning  of  the  fancy  in  America  been 


20O 


THE     BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


very  popular,  and  has  had  a  very  strong  hold  upon 
the  American  love  for  colour.  But,  of  course,  as  is 
generally  the  case  with  the  popular  ones,  the  supply 
has  never  been  too  plentiful,  and  probably  never  will 
be  as  regards  the  queens,  for  they  only  appear  once 
in  a  while,  according  to  what  seems  to  be  one  of 
Nature's  rules,  that  the  queens  should  be  tortoise- 
shells. 

The  Orange  and  Cream  Club  is  probably  destined 
to  do  a  great  deal  for  the  variety,  which  is  one  of  the 
colours  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  Breeding 
orange  cats  opens  quite  a  field,  for  in  attaining  your 
end  you  can  at  the  same  time  indulge  in  other  colours, 
for  undoubtedly  a  cross  with  a  tortoiseshell  will  be 
found  necessary  to  keep  the  colour  sufficiently 
intense,  and  at  other  times  it  may  be  quite  as  well 
to  throw  in  a  little  black.  The  tendency  for  the 
queens  to  be  tortoiseshells  may  possibly  be  somewhat 
overcome  in  time,  but  these  inherent  traits  in  colours 
in  animals  and  birds  are  often  so  strong  that  they 
have  a  knack  of  reappearing  even  after  several 
generations.  We  occasionally  see  queens  of  the 
orange  colour,  and  these  are  usually  high  quality 


ones,  both  in  colour  and  type  ;  but  the  orange 
queens  are  not  destined  to  at  present  make  heavy 
classes  by  themselves.  Though  the  standard  calls 
for  orange  eyes,  it  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  the 
most  consistently  successful  cat  of  recent  times  has 
been  Miss  Beal's  "  Jael,"  who  had  green  eyes  ;  but 
so  good  was  her  colour,  so  good  her  type,  that  she 
generally  won  when  exhibited. 

The  struggle  carried  on  in  the  British  Isles  for  some 
years  to  breed  these  cats  without  marks  has  been 
hardly  a  success,  and  there  have  not  been  very  many 
evolved  of  that  colour  that  were  really  without  marks, 
and  it  is  a  great  question  if  in  this  craze  for  absence  of 
marks  they  have  not  been  passing  by  a  lot  of  good 
cats.  As  far  as  we  personally  are  concerned  in  the 
matter,  we  see  little  to  be  gained  by  the  absence  of 
marks  in  the  orange  cats.  If  the  colour  had  been 
very  prolific  in  numbers  it  might  have  been  a  good 
idea  to  try  and  split  up  the  classes,  but  they  were 
never  too  well  filled,  and  there  is  room  still  for  plenty 
more,  though  we  cannot  complain  so  much  at  th& 
representation  that  they  have  had  in  America  last 
season,  either  in  numbers  or  quality. 


HIGHER   EDUCATION. 
(Photo  :   Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


201 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


CREAM    OR    FAWN    PERSIANS. 


T 


MRS.  CLINTON    LOCKE  S    CREAM 
KITTEN. 


VHIS  may  be 
said  to  be 
the  very 
latest  variety  in 
Persian  breeds, 
and  one  which 
bids  fair  to  be- 
come very  fash- 
ionable. The 
term  "  cream  " 
describes  exactly 
what  is  the  de- 
sired tint  of  these 
cats,  but  few  and 
far  between  are 
the  specimens 

which  are  pale  and  even  enough  in  colour  to 
be  correctly  described  as  creams.  No  doubt, 
in  times  past  now  and  again  a  cream  cat 
would  be  seen  exhibited  in  the  "  any  variety  " 
class,  but  then  they  might  be  designated  as 
freaks  or  flukes.  Now,  however,  fanciers  of 
these  cats  have  a  system  in  their  matings,  and 
therefore,  as  a  result,  there  is  a  breed  of  cats 
established  which  until  late  years  were  not 
recognised  or  classified. 

It  is  true  that  the  cream  Persians  seen  in  the 
show  pens  are  often  much  darker  than  is  implied 
by  the  name,  and,  indeed,  are  really  fawn- 
coloured.  The  great  thing,  however,  is  to 
obtain  an  even  tint  throughout,  whether  dark 
or  light,  and  to  avoid  any  patches,  streaks,  or 
tabby  markings.  I  think  the  very  pale  creams 
are  more  dainty  and  fascinating  than  the  darker 
cats,  but  the  lighter  the  coat  the  more  difficult 
it  is  to  obtain  perfect  uniformity  of  colour.  Of 
course,  there  will  always  be  a  certain  amount 
of  shading  in  cream  cats — that  is,  the  spine-line 
will  be  slightly  darker,  shading  off  on  the  sides 
and  under  the  stomach  and  tail.  I  think  that 
creams  are  making  more  rapid  strides  towards 
attaining  the  "  almost  unmarked  "  stage  than 


are  silvers.  Certainly,  good  creams  of  to-day 
are  very  slightly  barred  on  head  or  legs  or  tail, 
and  this  cannot  be  said  as  regards  some  of 
our  best  silver  cats.  This  is  probably  to  be 
accountgd_for  by  the  cautious  and  wise  dis- 
crimination used  in  mating  creams  by  selecting 
blues  or  tortoiseshells,  and  thus  avoiding 
tabby-marked  cats.  It  is  a  peculiarity  of 
cream  cats  that  the  eyes  are  generally  almond- 
shaped,  and  are  set  rather  slanting  in  the  head. 
It  is  rare  and  a  great  treat  to  see  bold,  round, 
owl-like  eyes  in  cream  cats.  These  in  colour 
should  be  golden  or  hazel,  the  brighter  the 
colour  the  better.  I  will  here  give  the  points 
of  cream  or  fawn  cats,  as  drawn  up  by  the 
specialist  society  : — 

CREAM    OR    FAWN. 

Colour. — To  be  as  pure  as  possible  without  marking 
or  shading,  either  paler  or  darker,  dulness  and  white 
to  be  particularly  avoided.  All  shades  from  the 
palest  fawn  to  be  allowable.  25. 

Coat. — To  be  very  long  and  fluffy.     25. 

Size  and  shape. — To  be  large — not  coarse,  but 
massive,  with  plenty  of  bone  and  substance  ;  short 
legs.  20. 

Head. — To  be  round  and  broad,  with  short  nose, 
ears  small  and  well  opened.  15. 

Eyes. — To  be  large  and  full,  and  bright  orange  or 
hazel  in  colour.  5. 

Condition. — 10. 

Much  has 
been  done 
by  this  en- 
ergetic spe- 
cialist so- 
ciety to  get 
a  better 
classifica- 
t  i  o  n  f  o  r 
creams  at 
our  shows  ; 
and  p  e  r- 
haps,astime  A  CREAMY  SMILE. 


2O2 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


goes  on  and  a  larger  number  of  fanciers  take 
up  these  breeds,  a  distinct  classification  will  be 
given  for  creams  and  fawns.  It  may  always  be 
a  little  difficult  to  draw  the  line  between  the 
two  ;  but  such  a  division  of  colours  would,  I 
think,  give  satisfaction  to  the  breeders  of  both 
creams  and  fawns,  for  at  present  judges  are 
more  inclined  to  give 
a  preference  to  the 
palest  -  coloured  cats, 
perhaps  because  more 
beautiful  and  more 
difficult  to  breed. 

In  the  former  breeds, 
more  especially  blues 
and  silvers,  that  I  have 
described  in  this  work 
it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  name  all 
those  cats  that  were 
noted  in  the  fancy,  for 
the  simple  reason  that 
their  name  is  legion  ; 
but  it  is  different  in  a 
breed  like  creams,  for, 
as  I  mentioned  in  the 
beginning  of  this 
chapter,  in  times  past 
it  was  a  case  of  only  here  and  there  a 
cream  Persian  appearing  on  the  scene,  then 
vanishing  perhaps  to  America,  or  else  being 
purchased  for  a  pet  and  retiring  from  public 
life.  These  "  sports  "  in  the  fancy  were  not 
seriously  taken  up,  and  no  one  thought  of 
trying  to  establish  a  strain ;  so  that  one  can, 
as  it  were,  put  one's  finger  on  the  cats  of  this 
variety,  if  not  so  easily  in  the  present  day, 
certainly  in  the  past. 

The  first  recorded  cream  Persian  in  cata- 
logues or  stud  books  is  "  Cupid  Bassanio," 
born  in  1890,  bred  by  Mrs.  Kinchant  ;  no 
pedigree  is  given.  He  was  a  big,  broad- 
headed,  heavily  coated  cat,  with  a  good  many 
marks  and  shadings,  and  was  sold  to  Mrs. 
Preston  Whyte,  and  passed  on  to  Miss  Norman. 
In  the  same  year  Mrs.  Kinchant  exhibited 
cream  kittens  at  Brighton.  "  Ripon "  was 
another  well-known  cream  of  imported  parents 


MRS.    F.    NORRIS  S    CREAM    KITTEN 
(Photo:  E.  Lander,  Baling.) 


(a  blue  and  an  orange).  This  cat  was  pur- 
chased from  Mrs.  Foote  by  Lady  Marcus 
Beresford,  and  eventually  disappeared  when 
in  the  possession  of  Miss  Cockburn  Dickinson. 
Mr.  McLaren  Morrison  in  1893  owned  a  pale 
cat  called  "  Devonshire  Cream."  In  the  follow- 
ing year  Miss  Taylor  bred  a  splendid  speci- 
men from  "  Tawny," 
her  noted  tortoise- 
shell.  This  cat,  called 
"  Fawn,"  was  an  ab- 
solutely self  -  coloured 
fawn  with  brown  eyes, 
and  would  do  some 
winning  if  alive  now 
to  compete  in  our 
up-to-date  classes  for 
cream  or  fawn.  It  was 
in  1895  that  Miss  Beal 
first  exhibited  some  of 
her  creams,  upon 
which  at  that  time  she 
did  not  set  much  store, 
more  interested  as  she 
was  in  blues  ;  but  of 
her  now  celebrated 
strain  more  anon. 

One  of  the  best- 
known  creams  of  late  years  is  "  Zoroaster," 
bred  by  Mrs.  Bagster  from  her  tortoiseshell 
"Pixie."  This  was  a  remarkably  large  pale 
cat  with  glorious  eyes,  but  he  was  a  good  deal 
patched  in  colour  when  I  saw  him  at  Mrs. 
Mackenzie  Stewart's  cattery.  Mrs.  Cartwright 
bred  a  well-shaped  light  cream,  "  Upwood 
Junket,"  by  "  Timkins,"  a  blue,  and  a  daughter 
of  "  Cyrus  the  Elamite."  Mrs.  Davies,  of 
Caterham,  has  often  had  creams  in  her  posses- 
sion, notably  "  Lord  Cremorne,"  quite  one  of 
the  palest  seen  in  the  show  pen.  Two  noted 
creams  now  placed  at  stud  are  Mrs.  Norris's 
"  Kew  Ronald  "  and  Mrs.  Western's  "  Matthew 
of  the  Durhams."  Both  these  cats  arc  bred 
from  Miss  Beal's  famous  "  Heavenly  Twins." 
Regarding  "  Matthew,"  a  reporter  in  Our  Cats 
thus  writes  after  the  Botanic  show  of  1901  : — 
"  Creams  are,  we  prophesy,  the  coming  cats. 
There  seems  to  us  great  possibilities  in  this 


CREAM    OR    FAWN   PERSIANS. 


203 


variety.  '  Matthew  of  the  Durhams  '  'is  one 
of  the  cats  we  would  bring  forward  in  support 
of  this  view.  Eminently  aristocratic,  breath- 
ing an  air  of  refinement,  this  cat  might  be  the 
petted  darling  of  a  princess  whose  cats  are  all 
selected  by  a  connoisseur."  Mr.  Western  is 
justly  proud  of  his  purchase,  for  he  claimed 
this  fine  cat  at  the  Sandy  show,  1901,  when  he 
was  exhibited  by  Mrs.  D'Arcy  Hildyard. 
"  Matthew  "  has  on  four  separate  occasions 
taken  second  to  his  father  ".Admiral's  "  first. 
He  has  sired  some  lovely  creams,  notably 
"  Wynnstay  Myrtle,"  also  owned  by  Mrs.  F. 
Western.  This  female  is  one  of  the  best  of  her 
breed,  and  is  sure  to  have  some  influence  over 
the  creams  of  the  future.  At  the  Crystal 
Palace  show  of  1902,  where  she  was  awarded 
first  and  many  specials,  she  was  the  admired  of 
all  admirers.  As  a  rule,  cream  females  have 
been  very  much  behind  the  males  in  quantity 
and  quality. 
Almost  the 
first  two  were 
bred  by  Miss 
Hester  Coch- 
r  a  n  e  from 
"Cyrus  the 
Elamite"  and 
"Brunette." 
"Creme  d'Or" 
is  quite  one  of 
the  best,  and 
was  owned  by 
Mrs.  Wellbye, 
who  sold  her 
to  Mrs.Xorris. 
This  cat  de- 
clined to  enter 
into  any  mat- 
rimonial alli- 
ance for  some 
time,  but  at  last  presented  her  owner  with  a 
family  by  "  Darius,"  Mrs.  Ransome's  noted 
blue.  Two  of  these  cats,  "  Kew  Laddie  "  and 
"  Kew  Ronald,"  are  well  known  in  their 
different  spheres.  "  Kew  Laddie "  I  pur- 
chased to  send  out  to  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke, 
in  Chicago,  and  she  presented  him  to  the 


honorary  secretary  of  the  Beresford  Club,  Miss 
Johnstone.  This  lady  exhibited  "  Laddie  " 
at  the  big  Chicago  Cat  Show,  where  he 
won  high  honours,  and  in  a  letter  received 
from  Miss  Johnstone  I  learn  he  is  growing  a 
grand  fellow  and,  in  fact,  is  quite  la  creme  de 
la  creme  in  catty  society  over  the  water. 

The  picture  of  a  perfect  kitten  on  the  opening 
page  of  this  chapter  represents  a  cream  female, 
"  Jessica  Kew,"  bred  by  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke 
from  "  Lockhaven  Daffodil,"  sired  by  Miss 
Johnstone's  "  Laddie  Kew."  Mrs.  Clinton 
Locke  is  justly  proud  of  this  lovely  kitten,  and 
writes:  "Jessica  is  the  finest  kitten  I  have 
ever  seen  ;  all  her  points  are  perfect.  She  was 
five  weeks  old  when  this  photo  was  taken. 
Her  grandfather  was  my  '  Victor,'  an  orange, 
her  great-grandmother  a  tortoiseshell  -  and - 
white." 

I  have  mentioned  Mr.  F.  Norris  as  a  breeder 

of  creams  and 
the  owner  of 
the  handsome 
pair  of  cats 
illustrated  on 
this  page.  He 
has  kindly 
supplied  me 
with  the  fol- 
lowing notes : 
"Cream  cats 
are  of  a  mod- 
ern colour  in 
Persians,  but 
are  now  being 
more  freely 
bred  and  find- 
ing numerous 
supporters. 
There  are, 
however,  very 
for  size  and 
The  great 


KEW    RONALD        AND    "KEW    LADDIK. 

(Photo  :  E.  Lamior,  Baling.) 


few   good   ones   in    the   fancy, 

colour    are    difficult    to    obtain. 

failing  with  them   is   that,  although  they  are 

called    cream    cats,    the    best    and    soundest 

coloured  ones  are  really  of  a  fawn  shade.     So 

many   show   markings,   patches,    or   shadings, 

whereas  the  colour  should  be  one  shade  and 


204 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


sound  throughout  ;  better  be  a  little  dark  in 
colour  rather  than  shade  from  cream  to  white, 
as  is  the  case  with  so  many  specimens  ex- 
hibited. 

"For  one  grand-headed  and  good-eyed  cot 
you  see  a  dozen  snipy,  long-faced  ones  with 
curious  slit  eyes,  instead  of  a  short,  snub  head, 
with  glorious  big  round  golden  eyes. 

"  In  my  opinion,  to  get  the  short  head,  good 
eye,  fine  body  shape,  and  short  legs,  it  is  best 
to  mate  a  cream  with  a  good  cobby  blue.  From 
my  experience  nothing  beats  a  blue,  although 
you  can  mate  them  with  a  red,  tortoiseshell, 
or  black.  Mating  two  creams  together 
I  do  not  advocate,  unless  one  of  them 
has  a  distinct  out-cross  in  the  first 
generation  to  totally  different  blood. 

"All  the  creams  shown  are  descended 
from  Miss  Beal's  two  brothers '  Romald- 
kirk  Admiral '  and  '  Romaldkirk  Mid- 
shipmite,'  and  to  keep  the  colour, 
breeders  have  bred  in  and  into  them 
again  ;  and  that  is  why  they  have 
lost  so  much  in  type  and  character, 
which  would  have  been  improved  by 
using  an  out-cross. 

"  I  have  heard  people  say,  '  Cream 
females  will  not  breed.'  If  they  only 
studied  the  question  a  minute,  they 


would  know  the  reason  well  enough, 
which  is  that  they  have  been  too  much 
in-bred.  If  breeders  will  only  try  the 
blue  cross  more,  they  will,  I  am  sure, 
be  pleased,  and  we  shall  see  a  better 
cat  being  shown.  Breeding  from  blue 
you  will  get  pure  creams  and  some 
cream  and  blue  mixed.  Keep  the  blue 
and  cream  females,  and  when  old 
enough  mate  them  to  a  cream,  and 
you  will  get  some  fine  sound-coloured 
cream  kits. 

"  It  is  very  curious  that  there  has 
been  nothing  yet  bred  in  males  to  beat 
the  twin  cats  '  Admiral  '  and  '  Mid- 
shipmite.' 

"  In  females  the  best  I  have  seen  is 
'  Miriam  of  the  Durhams,'  who  has  a 
lovely  body  and  coat,  but  is  long  in  face 
and  has  those  bad-shaped  eyes.  '  Creme  d'Or ' 
runs  her  close,  as  she  has  such  a  good  head, 
with  perfect  eye,  but  is  a  wee  bit  long  in  the  leg." 
Miss  Beal's  females  "Calliope"  and  "Mignon- 
ette "  were  both  noted  prize-winning  cream 
females.  Mrs.  D'Arcy  Hildyard  has  been  most 
successful  in  her  endeavours  to  breed  creams 
from  creams,  and  a  letter  from  her  in  Our  Cats 
of  April,  IQOI,  will  be  interesting  to  breeders 
of  this  variety  : — 

BREEDING    OF    CREAMS. 

SIR, — Being   much   interested   in   the  breeding  of 
creams,    I   should   like   to   say   a  few  words  on  the 


MRS.  D'ARCY  HILDYARD'S  CREAM  KITTENS. 

(Photo :  E.  Yeoman,  Barnard  Castle.) 


CREAM    OR    FAWN   PERSIANS. 


205 


subject  and  state  my  experience.  Though  only  a 
novice,  I  have  up  to  date  succeeded  in  breeding 
twenty  creams — two  in  1899,  thirteen  in  1900,  and 
seven  this  year.  I  began  by  mating  my  mixed  blue 
and  cream  queen  "  Senga  "  to  a  cream  torn  "  D'Arcy," 
which  I  bought  from  Mr.  Hutchinson,  of  Egglestone. 
From  this  pair  I  got  four  kittens,  all  females — two 
cream  and  two  marked  blues.  I  kept  the  creams 
"  Josephine  "  and  "  Hazeline,"  winners  at  Westmin- 
ster as  kittens,  first  and  second  special  and  medal, 
1900.  Later  on  in  the  year  I  mated  them,  "  Hazeline" 
to  Miss  Beal's  "  Midshipmite,"  "  Josephine  "  to  her 
"  Admiral."  Both  litters  were  entirely  cream, 
"  Josephine  "  producing  six  kittens,  "  Hazeline  "  pro- 
ducing five,  two  of  which  I  have  kept.  "  Matthew  " 
and  "  Miriam  of  the  Durhams  "  both  won  as  kittens 
at  Manchester,  and  "  Miriam  "  has  since  taken  first 
and  specials  at  Barnard  Castle,  Westminster,  and 
Reading.  "  Matthew  "  is  growing  into  a  very  hand- 
some cat,  and  I  hope  to  exhibit  him  at  the  Botanic. 
On  Saturday  last,  April  ijth,  "  Hazeline  "  again 
kittened  and  produced  five  creams,  having  again  been 
mated  to  "  Midshipmite.  '  This  I  think  distinctly 
proves  that  good  ci  earns  can  be  got  from  a  pair  of 
the  same  colour.  On  April  i4th  "  Senga  "  also  pre- 
sented me  with  two  more  creams,  also  two  marked 
blues,  this  time  the  result  of  a  mating  with  Miss 
Beale's  "  Romaldkirk  Toza." 

AGNES  D'ARCY  HILDYARD. 

Mrs.  Barton  Collier  has  two  good  creams, 
"Bruin"  and  "Dolly  of  Brough."  Again 
these  cats  are  from  Miss  Beal's  strain,  the  male 
being  a  fawn  and  the  female  quite  one  of  the 
palest  of  creams. 

Miss  H.  Cochran,  who  formerly  took  a  great 
interest  in  this  breed,  writes  : — "  I  should  be 
inclined  to  mate  a  pale  cream  male  or  female 
with  a  white,  and  the  progeny  with  an  un- 
marked orange,  or  vice  versa.  I  had  a  litter 
from  '  Buttercup  '  and  '  Zoroaster,'  consisting 
of  two  oranges,  two  fawns,  and  a  cream.  The 
fawn  and  creams  were  females,  but  all  died  in 
their  youth.  I  made  other  attempts  with 
similar  crosses,  as  I  had  been  told  it  was  im- 
possible to  breed  cream  queens,  and  in  the  first 
year  all  the  creams  were  queens,  and  the  males 
red  !  My  idea  was  to  select  a  male  of  the 
required  colour,  and  mate  a  queen  of  suitable 
breeding  with  him,  then  to  mate  the  resulting 
queens  with  their  own  father.  I  believe  this 
plan  would  have  been  a  success  if  I  had  followed 
it  up.  My  idea  is  that  the  natural  males  are 


"MIRIAM      OF      THE      DURHAMS. 

(Photo:   £.   yeoman,  Barnard  Castle.) 

the  fawns  and  oranges,  and  that  their  com- 
plementary queens  are  the  blue  tortoiseshells 
and  the  ordinary  tortoiseshells.  No  harm  is 
ever  done  to  a  cream  or  orange  strain  by  cross- 
ing with  black,  and  it  may  do  much  good  to 
the  latter  by  deepening  the  colour  of  the 
oranges,  and  promoting  patchiness  as  opposed 
to  streakiness  in  the  tortoiseshells." 

I  have  made  frequent  mention  of  Miss  Beal's 
noted  creams  during  my  chapters  on  orange 
and  cream  cats.  These  two  celebrated  cham- 
pions are  commonly  known  in  the  fancy  as  the 
"  Heavenly  Twins,"  their  registered  names 
being  "  Romaldkirk  Admiral  "  and  "  Romald- 
kirk Midshipmite."  They  are  really  fawn 
Persian  cats,  very  sound  in  colour,  well  made, 
big  boned,  and  are  always  exhibited  in  the  pink 
of  condition,  and  at  all  seasons  of  the  year 
are  in  marvellous  coat.  Certainly,  the  cold 
climate  of  the  Romaldkirk  cattery,  which  is 
situated  730  feet  above  the  sea  level,  must, 
anyhow,  suit  this  variety  of  Persian  cat.  I 
suppose  the  day  will  come  when  these  well- 


206 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE    CAT. 


tried  and  well-seasoned  veterans  will  have  to 
retire  from  public  life  and  make  way  for  some 
of  their  already  noted  offspring.  In  the  North, 
South,  East,  and  West  these  "  Heavenly  Twins" 
have  reigned  supreme,  and  Miss  Beal  must 
almost  have  lost  count  of  the  number  of  prizes 
won  by  them,  which,  I  think  I  am  safe  in 
saying,  would  give  an  exact  record  of  the 
number  of  times  exhibited.  In  response  to  my 
request,  Miss  Beal  has  sent  me  some  notes  re- 
garding her  cattery  arrangements,  She  says  : — 
"  Most  of  the  houses 
old  farm 


are 


buildings 


round  about  our  stable 
yard,  and  I  have  recently 
utilised  an  old  granary 
which  is  over  the  coach- 
house. This  is  about  40 
feet  long,  and  has  a  room 
at  one  end,  with  five  win- 
dows and  good  ventilation 
above.  In  addition  I  have 
three  big  cat  houses  and 
a  loft,  where  most  of  the 
queens  reside .  '  Middy '  and 
'  Admiral '  (the  '  Heavenly 
Twins ')  have  small  wooden 
houses,  felted  inside  and 
out,  with  wired  runs  and 
concrete  floors. 

ic  I  have  the  use  of  two 

laundries   and  a   tool-house    fitted  with  fire- 
places, and  these  I  reserve  in  case  of  illness." 

There  are  no  cats  exhibited  in  better  coat 
and  condition  than  those  that  come  from  the 
Romaldkirk  cattery,  and  the  Misses  Beal  may 
be  justly  proud  of  their  splendid  specimens 
of  creams,  oranges,  tortoiscshells,  and  blue 
Persians.  Miss  W.  Beal  has  kindly  supplied 
me  with  a  short  article  on  cream  and  fawn 
Persians  :— 

"  The  cream  and  fawn  Persian  was  a  few 
years  ago  looked  upon  as  a  '  sport,'  and  when 
cream  kittens  appeared  in  an  orange  strain 
they  were  considered  spoilt  oranges,  and  were 
either  given  away,  sold  for  a  few  shillings,  or  in 
many  cases  destroyed  as  useless.  Now,  how- 
ever, it  is  very  different  ;  there  is  a  growing 


CHAMPION    ROMAI.DK1KK   ADMIKAL. 
(Photo:   G.  W.   Vidals.) 


demand  for  cats  and  kittens  of  this  colour,  and 
at  the  big  shows  they  usually  have  two  classes, 
i.e.  male  and  female,  for  them.  They  were 
certainly  slow  in  coming  into  general  favour, 
owing,  I  think,  to  the  following  facts  :  First, 
that  the  specimens  formerly  exhibited  failed 
very  noticeably  in  head,  being  very  narrow  in 
face  arid  long  in  nose  ;  secondly,  that  cream 
females  were  practically  unknown ;  and,  thirdly, 
that  a  show,  where  they  are  generally  seen, 
is  emphatically  the  worst  place  to  see  cream 
Persians  to  advantage,  as 
the  journey  and  being  in 
a  town,  etc.,  takes  off  the 
spotlessness  of  their  coat 
and  dulls  their  colour,  and 
the  dingy  grey  of  the  pens 
and  the  yellow  of  the  straw 
combine  to  spoil  the  effect 
of  their  colour. 

"The  place,  without 
doubt,  to  see  creams  to 
perfection  is  the  country, 
where  against  a  background 
of  vivid  green  lawn  their 
pure,  soft  colouring  is  in- 
deed a  thing  of  beauty, 
and  rarely  fails  to  com- 
mand admiration.  The 
colour  is  rather  difficult 
to  describe,  and  there  are 
two  distinct  tones  of  colour  bred,  the  one 
which  is  generally  seen  and  is  so  far  most 
successful  at  shows  being  a  cream  rather  deep 
in  shade,  almost  buff,  with  a  distinct  pink 
tinge  about  it,  which  is  very  different  from  the 
washed-out  orange  or  sandy  colour  some  people 
imagine  it  to  be.  The  other  tone  of  cream 
colour  is  much  paler  in  shade,  but,  instead  of 
the  pink,  it  inclines  to  a  lemon  tinge,  and, 
though  paler,  it  is,  as  a  rule,  more  '  flaky  '  and 
uneven  than  the  darker  shades,  and  it  is  also 
very  apt  to  fade  into  white  underneath. 

"  Nearly  all  the  best-known  creams  are  bred 
in  the  first  place  from  orange  and  blue  strains, 
though  creams  have  appeared  as  freaks  in 
many  colours — silvers,  tabbies,  etc. ;  but  I  be- 
lieve the  present  strains  sprang  from  crossing 


CREAM    OK    FAWN    PERSIANS. 


207 


blue  and  orange,  and  you  can  generally  rely  on 
getting  some  creams  by  crossing  a  tortoise- 
shell,  cream,  orange,  or  blue  tortoiseshell  queen 
with  a  blue  sire.  But,  so  far,  reversing  the  mat- 
ing, i.e.  a  blue  queen  with  a  cream  or  orange 
sire,  is  not  successful  from  the  cream  breeders' 
point  of  view,  though  very  good  from  that  of 
those  breeders  who  want  blues,  as  the  kittens 
generally  excel  in  purity  of  colour.  Cream 
females  are  now  fairly  common,  and  so  in  a 
few  years  there  ought  to  be  a  well-established 
strain  of  cream-bred  creams  ;  but,  as  in  all 
other  breeding  for  colour,  people  are  apt  to 
get  surprises — for  instance,  one  strain  of  cream 
females  mated  to  a  cream  sire  invariably 
produces  whole  litters  of  creams,  while  another 
strain,  more  cream-bred  than  the  first  named, 
mated  to  the  same  sire  produces  equal  numbers 
of  creams  and  orange-and-creams.  If  people 
wish  to  start  breeding  creams,  and  cannot 
afford  a  cream  female,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  buy 
a  well-bred  nondescript  coloured  female,  either 
blue-and-cream,  tabby,  tortoiseshell,  or  any- 
thing that  has  cream  or  orange  about  it,  and 
if  it  is  properly  mated  there  are  nearly  sure 
to  be  one  or  two  creams  :  thus  a  cream  strain 
can  be  gradually  built  up. 

"  There  are  several  things  to  be  remembered 


in  trying  to  breed  good  creams.  One  point  to 
be  aimed  at  is  to  keep  the  colour  as  level  as  pos- 
sible, whether  it  be  of  a  dark  or  light  shade,  and 
to  keep  it  pure,  not  tinged  with  blue  or  dull. 
Among  other  faults  to  be  bred  out  are  the  light 
lip  and  chin,  which  are  very  common  defects,  and 
the  long  head,  which  is  still  seen  sometimes, 
though  creams  have  improved  vastly  in  this 
respect  in  the  last  few  years.  Creams  have 
been  taken  up  greatly  in  America  as  well  as 
oranges,  and  there  they  seem  to  be  formidable 
rivals  in -popularity  to  the  silvers,  which  have 
so  far  over  here  outdone  them  in  that  respect. 
"  One  great  point  in  favour  of  creams  is  their 
hardiness,  for  they  do  not  possess  the  delicate 
constitutions  which  seem  to  belong  to  most  of 
the  other  very  pale  varieties  of  Persians.  With 
other  coloured  cats — blues,  silvers,  etc. — 
creams  make  a  splendid  contrast,  and  with 
oranges  add  greatly  to  the  effect  of  a  group. 
They  also  cross  well  with  several  colours — 
blue,  black,  tortoiseshell,  etc. — for  breeding ; 
and  many  breeders  think  the  result  of  the 
growing  fancy  for  these  colours,  i.e.  cream  and 
orange — for,  though  so  different,  they  are  hard 
to  deal  with  separately — will  be  that  they  will 
be  better  catered  for  at  shows  as  to  classes,  and 
more  extensively  bred  than  they  are  at  present." 


MRS.    F.    WESTERN'S    "  MATTHEW    OF    THE 

DURHAMS." 
(Photo:   E.  Yeoman,  Barnard  Castle.) 


208 


"  TOPSY    OF    MEREVALE." 

THE    PROPERTY    OF    MRS.    BIGNELL. 

(Photo:   O,  Hardee,  Chislelmrst.) 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


TORTOISESHELL    PERSIANS. 


MANY  years  ago,  when  I  first  took  up 
the  cat  iancy,  I  used  to  think  tor- 
toiseshells  ugly  and  commonplace,  and 
I  am  afraid  even  now  I  have  not  that 
admiration  for  the  breed  which  I  feel  a 
really  good  specimen  of  this  variety  ought 
to  inspire.  To  begin  with,  it  is  seldom  that 
a  true  type  of  long-haired  tortoiseshell  is 
seen  or  exhibited,  and  perhaps  this  may 
account  for  the  breed  being  so  much  neg- 
lected. They  are  not  taking-looking  cats, 
and  make  a  poor  show  in  the  pen.  I  have 
often  remarked,  however,  that  this  is  a  favourite 
breed  with  the  sterner  sex,  and  that  our  pro- 
fessional men  judges  will  almost  invariably 
pick  out  a  tortoiseshell  when  judging  an  "  any- 
other  colour  "  class,  and  give  it  some  mark  of 
distinction.  This  may  be  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that,  of  all  varieties,  a  really  good 
tortoiseshell  is  most  difficult  to  breed,  and 
therefore  any  specimen  approaching  perfection 
should  be  encouraged.  There  are  splashed  and 
sable  tortoiseshells.  and  tortoiseshell  tabbies, 
all  handsome  cats  of  their  kind,  but  not  the 
genuine  article.  Real  tortoiseshells  may  be 
called  tricolour  cats,  for  they  should  bear  three 
colours,  like  a  tortoiseshell  comb,  on  their 


bodies,  namely  black,  red,  and  yellow,  in 
distinct  patches  or  blotches,  solid  in  colour  and 
well  broken  up,  with  no  trace  of  stripes,  bars, 
or  tabby  markings.  A  brindling  effect  is  to 
be  avoided,  and  a  white  spot  on  chin  is  a  great 
blemish.  It  is  most  undesirable  that  the  black 
should  predominate,  in  which  case  the  specimen 
will  lack  brilliancy.  The  three  colours  should, 
if  possible,  be  pretty  evenly  distributed  over 
the  body,  legs,  and  tail,  and  should  not  run 
into  each  other.  The  red  and  yellow  may 
preponderate  over  the  black  with  good  effect. 
A  blaze,  so  called,  up  the  face  is  considered 
correct,  and  this  should  be  of  the  red  or  yellow, 
and  in  a  straight  line  from  the  nose  upwards. 
This  is  a  very  distinctive  feature  in  the  breed, 
and  one  that  judges  will  look  for  in  a  good 
show  specimen.  It  is  incorrect  for  the  tail  to 
be  in  any  way  ringed  with  the  colours.  The 
texture  of  the  coat  is  often  coarser  and  more 
hairy  in  this  breed,  and  it  is  not  usually  so  long 
and  flowing  as  in  other  varieties  of  Persian 
cats.  There  is  no  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
the  correct  colour  for  the  eyes  of  tortoiseshells. 
They  should  be  a  bright  golden  or  orange,  and 
these  seem  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  colour- 
ing of  the  coat.  Tortoiseshells  never  attain 


TORTOISESHELL    PERSIANS. 


209 


any  great  size,  and  may  be  called  a  small 
breed  of  Persian  cats.  I  give  the  list  of  points 
as  drawn  up  by  the  specialist  society  :— 

TORTOISESHELL. 

Colour  and  marking. — The  three  colours — black, 
orange,  and  yellow — to  be  well  broken  and  as  bright 
and  well  denned  as  possible ;  free  from  tabby  mark- 
ings, no  white.  30. 

Coat. — To  be  silky,  very  long,  and  fluffy.     20. 

Size  and  shape. — To  be  large — not  coarse,  but 
massive,  with  plenty  of  bone  and  substance  ;  short 
legs.  25. 

Head. — To  be  round  and  broad,  with  short  nose, 
ears  small  and  well  opened.  15. 

Eyes. — To  be  large  and  full,  and  bright  orange  or 
hazel  in  colour.  5. 

Condition. — 10. 

They  are  quite  one  of  the  most  interesting 
from  which  to  breed,  and  experiments  can  be 
tried  successfully  in  crossing  a  tortoiseshell 
queen  with  black,  cream,  orange,  and  blue 
cats.  The  litters  will  often  be  a  study  in 
variety.  I  have  known  one  family  to  consist 
of  a  black,  a  white,  a  cream,  an  orange,  and 
a  blue  !  The  owner  of  such  a  litter  would 
have  something  to  suit  all  comers.  A  really 
good  tortoiseshell  queen  may,  therefore,  be 
considered  a  valuable  property.  And  what  of 
a  tortoiseshell  torn  ?  A  mine  of  wealth  would 
such  a  possession  be  to  any  fancier.  Among 
short-haired  cats  a  tortoiseshell  torn  is  a  rare 
animal,  but  I  do  not  think  a  long-haired  speci- 
men has  ever  been  seen  or  heard  of.  Several 
experiments  have  been  tried,  but  it  remains 
for  some  skilful  and  scientific  breeder  to  solve 
the  problem  of  the  manner  and  means  to  be 
employed  to  produce  males  of  this  breed.  The 
classification  at  our  smaller  shows  for  tortoise- 
shells  is  generally  of  a  meagre  and  discouraging 
description.  There  are  so  few  specimens  that 
executives  of  shows  fight  shy  of  giving  a  class 
for  even  tortoiseshell  and  tortoiseshcll-and- 
white  together.  So  tortoiseshells  are  mixed 
up  in  the  "  any  other  colour  "  class,  and  there- 
fore this  breed  can  seldom,  if  ever,  be  really 
judged  on  its  own  merits,  or  comparisons  made 
between  the  different  specimens  that  are  ex- 
hibited. At  our  largest  shows  there  are  classes 
provided,  which,  however,  are  poorly  filled. 
14 


Tortoiseshells  may  be  said  to  have  had 
no  past.  There  are  no  celebrities  in  feline 
history  save  and  except  "  Queen  Elizabeth," 
and  not  only  was  she  the  finest  of  her  breed, 
but  she  also  made  her  name  famous  by  severely 
injuring  Mr.  W.  R.  Hawkins,  who  was  examin- 
ing her  when  making  his  awards ;  and  I  have 
good  reason — or  rather  bad  reason — for  recol- 
lecting her,  on  account  of  her  fixing  her  teeth 
into  my  hand  when  I  was  removing  her  from 
her  basket  to  pen  her  at  the  Westminster  show 
in  1899.  It  seems  that  she  had  a  great  objec- 
tion to  travelling,  and  resented  making  an 
exhibition  of  herself  in  public  !  She  was  a 
grand  specimen,  however,  and,  besides  always 
carrying  off  highest  honours  herself,  she  was 
the  mother  of  many  prize-winning  orange  and 
tortoiseshell  cats,  amongst  others  "  Prince 
Charlie,"  "Prince  Lyne,"  and  "  Mattie."  I 
have  failed  to  obtain  a  photograph  of  this 
celebrated  cat ;  and,  even  had  I  succeeded, 
a  tortoiseshell  makes  a  tetribly  poor  picture 
when  reproduced  in  photography,  for  the 
reason  that  the  yellow  comes  out  only  fairly 
light,  the  orange  appearing  as  dark  as  the 
black  patches. 

Miss  H.  Cochran  had  a  dear  old  pet  puss 
called  "Brunette,"  a  dark  tortoiseshell,  and 
from  her  were  bred 
some  of  the  first 
cream  females  ever 
exhibited.  The 
Hon.  Mrs. 
McLaren 
M  orrison 
has  a  good 
tortoise- 


Miss  H.  COCHRAN'S  TORTOISESHELL  "  BKUXETTK." 


210 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


"  TOPSY. 

OWNED  BY  Miss  SARGENT. 

(Pltoto :  J.  P.  Bennett,  West  Norwood.) 

shell,  "  Curiosity  "  by  name.  The  best  three 
specimens  now  before  the  public  are  Dr.  Roper's 
"  Dainty  Diana,"  Miss  M.  Beal's  "  Pansy,"  Miss 
Kate  Sangster's  "  Royal  Yum  Yum,"  and  Mrs. 
Bignell's  "  Topsy  of  Merevale."  As  regards 
the  last-named,  Mrs.  Bignell  has  kindly  sup- 
plied me  with  particulars  of  "  Topsy's " 
litters  when  mated  with  different-coloured  cats. 
"  Topsy's  "  first  litter  in  1896,  when  mated 
to  the  "  Duke  of  Kent  "  (a  blue),  was  two 
creams  and  two  smokes.  When  mated  to 
"  Johnnie  Fawe  "  (a  black)  her  kittens  were 
all  of  the  father's  dusky  hue.  Again,  when 
crossed  with  another  blue  m'ale  her  litter  con- 
sisted of  two  orange  males  and  a  tortoiseshell 
female,  and  again  to  the  same  cat  one  black 
male  and  two  orange  males.  "Topsy"  is  a 
noted  prize-winner,  and  one  of  her  smoke 
children,  "  Lucy  Claire,"  went  out  to  Chicago, 
and  is  considered  the  finest  smoke  specimen  in 
the  American  fancy.  Dr.  Roper's  "Dainty 
Diana  "  is  one  of  the  best-known  tortoiseshells, 
and  her  colouring  as  good  as  any  exhibited ; 
she  is  the  mother  of  many  winners.  Miss 
Kate  Sangster,  who  is  a  great  admirer  of  this 
breed,  writes  :  "  My  '  Champion  Royal  Yum 
Yum  '  was  bred  from  a  black  and  a  tortoise- 
shell,  and  her  grandsire  was  a  cream.  She  is 
over  .seven  years  old,  and  has  had  twenty- two 
kittens,  namely,  five  cream,  five  blue,  five 
orange,  four  black,  and  three  tortoiseshell." 


Miss  Mildred  Beal,  who  with  her  sister  is 
so  well  known  in  connection  with  cream  and 
orange  cats,  is  also  the  owner  of  some  fine 
tortoiseshells.  "  Wallflower  "  (well  so  named) 
is  the  mother  of  a  noted  prize-winning  cream 
called  "  Sunlocks."  "  Pansy,"  Miss  M.  Beal's 
special  pet,  is  a  well-known  tortoiseshell. 
"  Snapdragon,"  another  prize-winner,  was  ex- 
'ported  to  America,  where  quite  a  number  of 
the  Romaldkirk  cats  have  found  their  home. 
We  need  a  few  more  enthusiastic  admirers  of 
tortoiseshells  like  Miss  M.  Beal  to  take  up  this 
rather  despised  breed  and  follow  in  her  foot- 
steps. Some  notes  by  the  owner  of  "  Pansy  " 
will  be  of  interest  : — 

"  Even  fanciers  who  will  go  into  raptures 
over  the  blue,  orange,  cream,  or  silver  members 
of  the  establishment  have  no  admiration  to 
spare  for  a  tortoiseshell,  however  striking  its 
record  of  prizes  may  be  ;  and  yet  to  those  who 
breed  and  understand  them  there  is  something 
very  fascinating  about  these  quaint  creatures, 
though  the  taste  for  them  is  certainly  an 
acquired  one. 

"  Among  non-catty  people  great  ignorance 
prevails  as  to  what  colour  a  tortoiseshell  cat 
really  is.  Many  people,  if  asked  to  describe 
a  tortoiseshell  cat.  would  say  that  it  was  a  sort 
of  sandy  colour  all  over  ;  others  imagine  that 
the  '  chintz '  cat,  as  it  is  called  in  the  North — 
white  with  black  and  red  patches — has  a  right 
to  the  name.  So  let  it  be  said  at  once  that 
three  colours,  namely,  orange,  yellow,  and 
black,  and  these  only,  enter  into  the  composi- 
tion of  the  true  tortoiseshell.  There  must  be 
no  white,  neither  should  there  be  any  trace  of 
tabby  markings,  though  this  is  very  difficult 
to  attain.  The  three  colours  should  be  patched 
or  '  broken  '  all  over  the  cat,  and  the  more 
distinct  each  separate  colour  is  in  these  patches 
the  better.  Brilliancy  of  colour  is  another 
point  which  breeders  have  to  consider  ;  many 
tortoiseshells  have  far  too  large  a  proportion 
of  black  in  their  colouring,  which  gives  them 
a  dingy  and  uninteresting  appearance,  and  is 
sure  to  go  against  them  in  the  show  pen.  The 
eyes  should  be  orange,  and  in  other  points, 
such  as  shape,  head,  and  texture  of  coat,  the 


K 

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TORTOISESHELL    PERSIANS. 


211 


standard  is  the  same  as  for  the  other  varieties 
of  long-haired  cats. 

"  One  curious  fact  in  connection  with  long- 
haired tortoiseshells,  which  is  well  known  to 
fanciers,  may  be  mentioned,  namely,  the  non- 
existence  of  the  male  sex.  Among  short- 
haired  tortoiseshells  toms  are  exceedingly  rare, 
though  one  or  two  do  exist  ;  but  an  adult  long- 
haired male  appears  to  be  absolutely  unheard 
of.  The  writer  knows  of  one  male  kitten  born 
some  years  ago,  but  it  was  either  born  dead 
or  died  in  very  early  infancy.  Darwin's 
theory  that  the  orange  torn  and  tortoiseshell 
queen  were  originally  the  male  and  female 
of  the  same  variety  is  borne  out  by  the  fact 
that  until  recently  orange  females  were  also 
rare.  Of  late  years  a  good  many  of  these  have 
been  bred  and  reared,  and  therefore,  if  the 
Darwinian  theory  be  correct,  it  seems  hard  to 
believe  that  the  tortoiseshell  torn  must  be 
regarded  as  unattainable.  If  the  difficulty 
has  been  successfully  overcome  in  the  one  case, 
why  not  in  the  other  ?  Breeding  with  this 
object  in  view  is  very  slow  work,  for  some 
tortoiseshell  queens  will  produce  litter  after 
litter  without  a  single  kitten  of  their  own 
colour,  and  a  family  con- 
sisting entirely  of  tortoise- 
shells  would  be  as  wel- 
come as  it  is  rare.  But  it 
would  be  a  pity  to  despair 
of  breeding  the  long 
looked  for  torn  ;  if  he  ever 
does  make  his  appearance, 
he  will  be  hailed  with 


sufficient   interest    to   gratify  any  quantity  of 
feline  vanity. 

"  At  present,  breeders  hardly  seem  to  recog- 
nise the  great  value  of  a  tortoiseshell  queen 
for  breeding  almost  any  variety  of  self-coloured 
cat.  If  the  queen  is  mated  to  an  orange,  a 
cream,  or  a  blue  torn,  she  will  be  very  likely  to 
produce  at  least  one  or  two  really  good  speci- 
mens of  the  same  colour  as  the  sire,  and  some- 
times a  far  larger  proportion  of  the  litter  will 
'  favour '  him.  Much,  of  course,  depends  upon 
how  the  queBn  herself  is  bred,  and  this  no  doubt 
accounts  for  disappointment  in  some  cases. 

"  Tortoiseshells  compare  very  favourably 
with  the  other  varieties  of  long-haired  cats  in 
the  matter  of  intelligence.  The  writer  knows 
one  which  enjoys  the  well-earned  reputation 
of  being  the  cleverest  thief  in  the  cattery. 
Nothing  is  safe  from  her  nimble  paws  ;  she  has 
often  been  known  to  remove  the  lid  from  the 
saucepan  in  which  the  meat  for  the  cattery 
supper  had  been  placed,  and  make  off  with  the 
contents  ;  and  if  the  cook's  back  should  be 
turned  for  only  half  a  minute,  woe  to  to- 
morrow's dinner  or  to  anything  else  tempting 
which  may  chance  to  be  within  reach  ! 

;'  Though  tortoiseshells  may 
be  distinguished  for  brains,  some 
of  them  certainly  fail  consider- 
ably in  temper.  They  seem  to 
find  it  most  difficult  to  keep  the 
peace  with  the  other  members 
of  the  cattery.  I  sincerely  hope 
thisbreedwill  receive  more  atten- 
tion from  fanciers  in  the  future. 


MISS  KATK  SANGSTKK'S  "  ROYAL  YUM  YUM." 

(I'lwto:    W.  V.  Amey,  Lanilpoft.) 


212 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

TORTOISESHELL-AND-WHITE    PERSIANS. 

cats,  both  long-  and  short-haired,  shell-and-white   should   be.      She   was  not   a 

-L       have    always   had  a   great   fascination  white-and-tortoiseshell,  as  so  many  now  seen 

for  me.     One  of  my  first  Persian  pets  in  the  show  pen  might  be  called.     In  these 

was  a  tortoiseshell-and-white,  with  a  gorgeous  cases  the  white  predominates,  and  in  reality 

coat,  stand-out  frill,  and  wide-spreading  tail,  the    four    colours    should    be    about    equally 


PEGGY 


She  was  so  stately  and  dignified  that  we 
called  her  "The  Lady  Mayoress."  In  those 
days  cats  were  of  no  account,  and  shows 
were  non-existent.  My  pretty  pet  roamed  at 
will  and  made  her  own  matrimonial  arrange- 
ments :  the  kittens  were  consequently  mostly 
consigned  to  the  bucket. 

With  my  present  knowledge  of  the  feline 
race,  I  realise  that  "  The  Lady  Mayoress " 
was  a  grand  specimen  of  what  a  tortoise- 


OWNED  BY  Miss  TEKKILL. 

(Photo:    W.  Baker,  Birmingham.) 

distributed.  The  patches  of  black,  red,  and 
yellow  should  cover  the  back,  head,  and  tail, 
leaving  the  chest  and  paws  and  part  of  the 
hind-quarters  white.  There  should  be  patches 
of  the  three  colours  on  each  side  of  the  face, 
with  a  white  blaze  up  the  nose. 

As  in  the  tortoiseshells,  so  in  this  breed  it  is 
better  for  the  brighter  colours  rather  than 
the  black  to  predominate.  I  believe  an  old- 
fashioned  name  for  this  breed  was  chintz  cats. 


TO R  TOISESHELL-AND  -  WHITE    PERSIANS. 


213 


I  think  they  might  also  be  called  patchwork 
cats  !  There  is  a.  great  deal  in  the  manner 
in  which  the  colours  are  distributed  on  either 
side  of  the  head,  for  expression  in  a  cat  goes 
n  long  way,  and  if  the  patches  are  badly 
placed  and  unevenly  distributed  the  effect 
may  be  displeasing,  and  perhaps  grotesque. 

Harrison  \Yeir,  in  writing  of  this  breed, 
says:  "In  a  good  tortoiseshell  -  and  -  white 
there  should  be  more  white  on  the  chest,  belly, 
and  hind  legs  than  is  allowable  in  the  black- 
and-white  cat.  This  I  deem  necessary  for 
artistic  beauty  when  the  colour  is  laid  on  in 
patches,  although  it  should  be  even,  clear,  and 
distinct  in  its  outline  ;  the  larger  space  of  white 
adds  brilliancy  to  the  red,  yellow,  and  black 
colouring.  The  face  is  one  of  the  parts  which 
should  have  some  uniformity  of  colour,  and 
yet  not  so,  but  a  mere  balancing  of  colour  ; 
that  is  to  say,  there  should  be  a  relief  in  black, 
with  the  yellow  and  red  on  each  side,  and  so 
in  the  body  and  tail.  The  nose  should  be 
white,  the  eyes  orange,  and  the  whole  colouring 
rich  and  varied,  without  the  least  '  tabbiness,' 
either  brown  or  grey,  or  an  approach  to  it,  such 
being  highly  detrimental  to  its  beauty." 

This  is  another  of  the  breeds  of  long-haired 
cats  that  may  be  said  to  have  no  history  in  the 
fancy,  and  I  doubt  if  tortoiseshell-and-whites 
will  ever  be  taken  up  seriously.  There  will 
always  remain  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  good 
mates  for  the  queens,  as  males  in  this  variety 
are  almost  as  rare  as  in  the  tortoiseshells.  It 
would  seem  that  the  corresponding  males  to 
tortoiseshells  and  tortoiseshell-and-whites  are 
orange  and  fawns.  I  do  not  remember  ever 
having  seen  or  heard  of  a  long-haired  tortoise- 
shell-and-white  torn  cat ;  and  as  regards  notable 
females,  these  have  never  at  any  time  been 
numerous,  and  few  really  good  specimens  have 
been  exhibited. 

The  most  perfect  type  was  Lady  Marcus 
Beresford's  "  Cora,"  an  imported  cat  of  great 
size  and  beautiful  shape.  Her  colouring  and 
markings  were  lovely,  and  her  round  snub 
face  and  short  nose  lent  great  charm  to  this 
unique  specimen.  It  was  a  grievous  loss  to 
her  owner  and  the  fancy  when  poor  "  Cora  " 
14* 


MISS    YEOMAN ,  S    TOKTOISESHELL-AXD-WHITE 

"  MARY     II." 
(Photo:    D.  Pym,  Streatlmm.) 

suddenly  developed  dropsy,  and  succumbed  to 
this  rather  unusual  complaint  amongst  cats. 
Mrs.  Davies  possessed  a  fine  tortoiseshell-and- 
white  named  "  Chumly,"  and  Mrs.  Bamp- 
fylde's  "  Susan  "  was  a  good  type.  Many  of 
the  cats  exhibited  have  either  too  much  or 
too  little  white,  and  often  there  is  a  grave  sus- 
picion of  tabby  amongst  the  black  and  orange. 

Coming  down  to  the  present-day  cats,  I  may 
mention  Mr.  Furze's  "  Beauty  of  Birming- 
ham "  and  "  Peggy  Primrose,"  both  of  which 
he  disposed  of  after  shows  where  they  were 
exhibited.  There  is  no  doubt  these  cats  are 
very  taking  in  the  show  pen,  where  darker 
feline  beauties  are  at  a  considerable  dis- 
advantage. 

I  have  had  a  difficulty  in  obtaining  any 
good  photographs  illustrative  of  these  cats, 
for,  as  with  tortoiseshells,  the  colouring  cannot 
be  successfully  portrayed  by  any  grada- 
tions in  tone,  so  that  the  orange  and  black 
both  appear  dark  on  a  white  ground,  and 


214 


THE    BOOK    OP    1HE    CAT. 


thus  the  individuality  of  the  breed  is  lost. 
It  is  different  in  painting,  when  it  may  be 
generally  noticed  that  artists  choose  to  depict 
these  broken-coloured  cats  in  preference  to 
the  self-coloured  ones.  In  Madame  Ronner's 
lovely  pictures,  of  which  several  adorn  these 
pages,  it  will  be  remarked  that  almost  all 
the  fascinating  fluffy  kittens  are  patched  in 
colour. 

As  I  have  remarked,  one  of  the  reasons  why 
these  cats  have  not  been  seriously  taken  up 
by  fanciers  is  the  difficulty  experienced  in 
selecting  suitable  mates  that  will  be  likely  to 
perpetuate  the  breed.  In  fact,  this  is  not 
possible  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  Tor- 
toiseshell  -  and  -  whites  may  be  crossed  with 


black  or  orange  cats,  and  it  is  a  toss-up  what 
the  progeny  may  be.  Creams  are  sometimes 
bred  by  mating  with  blues,  but  there  is  alwaj'S 
the  danger  of  white  spots  and  white  toes.  I 
once  mated  a  pretty  tortoiseshell  -  and  -  white 
with  my  silver  "  Cambyses,"  and  the  result 
was  a  good  pale  silver  and  an  almost  un- 
marked cream.  Considering  all  things,  I  can- 
not prophesy  any  future  for  this  breed  in  the 
fancy  ;  in  fact,  I  think  there  is  every  chance 
of  these  really  pretty  pussies  disappearing 
from  our  midst.  At  the  Westminster  show 
of  1903  there  was  only  one  solitary  entry  in 
the  tortoiseshell-and-white  class !  This  was 
Miss  Yeoman's  "  Mary  II.,"  whose  portrait 
appears  on  the  foregoing  page. 


AT   HOMK. 

(From  a  Painting  by  Madame  Ronner.) 


21  = 


MISS  SIMPSON'S  BROWN  TABBY  "  PERSIMMON. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

BROWN   TABBY    PERSIANS. 


MY  first  prize-winning  kitten  was  a  brown 
tabby,  exhibited  many  years  ago  at  the 
Crystal  Palace.  He  became  my  stud 
cat  "  Rajah,"  called  after  an  Indian  prince 
who  was  visiting  us  at  that  time.  "  Rajah  " 
was  wholly  and  devotedly  attached  to  the 
lady  of  his  choice,  namely,  my  blue  Persian 
"  Mater."  These  two  names  occur  in  the 
pedigree  of  many  a  prize-winner  of  the  present 
day,  and  very  numerous  were  the  lovely  litters 
I  reared  from  this  eminently  respectable  pair 
of  Persians.  I  never  knew  either  "  Rajah  "  or 
"Mater"  troubled  with  a  day's  illness,  and  if 
one  of  their  kittens  had  died  such  an  event 
would  have  caused  as  much  astonishment  as 
grief.  But  I  must  return  to  my  tabbies. 

I  cannot  explain  it,  but  certain  it  is  that 
of  all  the  feline  race  (blues  not  excepted)  the 
warmest  corner  in  my  heart  has  always  been 
kept  for  the  brown  tabbies.  There  is  some- 
thing so  comfortable  and  homely  about 
these  dear  brownies — they  seem  to  have  more 
intelligent  and  expressive  countenances  than 
any  other  cats,  and  I  am  firmly  of  opinion 


that  no  Persian  cats  are  so  healthy  and 
strong  as  brown  tabbies.  They  are  a  hardy 
race,  and  as  such  I  have  frequently  recom- 
mended novices  in  the  fancy  to  start  with  a 
good  brown  queen,  and  with  ordinary  care  they 
may  reasonably  expect  to  rear  litter  after 
litter  without  the  difficulties  and  disasters  that 
one  hears  of  in  connect  on  with  the  bringing 
up  of  Persian  kittens  in  general. 

I  know  there  is  a  kind  of  idea  that  brown 
tabbies  are  a  common  sort  of  cat,  and  this 
breed  is  often  spoken  of  in  a  most  dis- 
paraging way.  Then,  again,  the  ignorant  in 
the  cat  world  have  an  extraordinary  notion 
that  tabbies  are  always  females  !  Perhaps 
because  we  sometimes  hear  a  meddlesome  or 
gossiping  woman  called  a  "tabby" — and  I 
had  a  dear  old  friend  who  always  bade  me 
beware  of  "  tabby  bipeds  "  among  catty  com- 
munities ! 

The  word  "tabby"  is  supposed  to  have  had 
its  origin  in  a  certain  street  in  Bagdad  called 
"Atab,"  which  was  chiefly  inhabited  by 
weavers  of  a  particular  kind  of  material  called 


2l6 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


"  Atabi."  This  is  what  Harrison  Weir  says  on 
the  subject  : — "  The  word  '  tabby  '  was  derived 
from  a  kind  of  taffeta,  or  ribbed  silk,  which 


tabbies — the  splashed  or  heavily  marked,  and 
the  barred  or  ticked.  I  think  the  former  the 
handsomer  breed,  with  the  well  denned  and 


when    calendered,    or    what    is    now    termed  evenly  balanced  side  markings,  the  dark  spine 

'  watered,'    is   by   that   process   covered   with  line  (not  too  wide),  the  clear  rings  round  the 

wavy  lines.     This  stuff  in  bygone  times  was  chest    (commonly   called   the    "  Lord   Mayor's 

often  called  '  tabby,'  hence  the  cat  with  lines  chain  "),  the  paws  ringed  in  graduated  bars  to 

or  markings  on  its  fur  was  called  a  tabby  cat.  the  foot.     On  the  head  and  face  the  markings 

Certain    it    is    that   the   word    '  tabby  '    only  should  be  very  clear  and  distinct,  the  narrow 

referred  to  the  marking  or  stripes,  not  to  the  dark    head    lines    running    symmetrically    till 


absolute  colour,  for  in 
'Wit  and  Drollery 'is 
the  following  : — 

Her  petticoat  of  satin, 
Her  gown  of  crimson 
tabby. 

Be  that  as  it  may, 
I  think  there  is  little 
doubt  that  the  fore- 
going was  the  origin 
of  the  term.  Yet  it 
was  also  called  the 
brindled  cat,  or  the  \ 
tiger  cat,  and  with  V 
some  the  grey  cat— 
'  graymalkin.' '  We 
are  told  also  by  the 
same  authority  that 
tabby  cats  in  Nor- 
folk and  Suffolk  were 
called  cyprus  cats, 


MISS  MELI.OK'S  BROWN  TABBY  "  LADY  SHOLTO.' 

(Photo:  N.  N.  Stat/iam,  Matlock  Bridge.) 


they  join  the  broad 
spine-line.  The  ruff 
should  be  of  the  light 
shade,  and  ears  of  the 
same  tone  lend  great 
distinction  to  this  cat. 
As  in  the  other  tabby 
breeds,  the  browns  are 
terribly  addicted  to 
white  chins  ;  in  fact, 
I  think  it  is  certainly 
rarer  to  find  a  brown 
tabby  without  this 
blemish  than  an 
orange,  more  pains 
having  been  taken  to 
eradicate  the  evil  in 
orange  tabbies.  There 
is  no  denying  the  fact 
that  brown  tabbies 
are  a  very  neglected 


cyprus  being  a  reddish-yellow  colour,  so  that  breed,  and  at   present   the   only   one,  except 

the  term  may  have  applied  to  orange  as  well  tortoiseshell  -  and  -  white,    that   is    not    taken 

as  brown  tabbies.     The  term  "  tiger  cat  "  is,  I  up  by  a  specialist  society.     This   is   a  crying 

believe,   often  used  in  America,   and  it  well  shame,  and  it  remains  for  some  ardent  admirer 

describes  the  true  type  of  a  brown  tabby.     The  of   the   dear  brown   tabbies   to   form  a  club, 

groundwork  should  be  of  a  bright  tawny  shade,  and  to  try  to  breed  really  good  specimens  of 

with  a  dash  of  burnt  sienna,  the  markings  a  the  golden-brown  order ;  not  the  drab  or  grey 

dark  seal   brown — almost   black.     As  regards  animals  that   are    so    frequently  seen  at  our 

the  colour  of  eyes  in  brown  tabbies,  I  prefer  shows,  and  which  are  very  far  removed  from 

the  golden  or  orange ;  but  some  of  the  finest  the  genuine  article. 

cats  in  this  variety  have  possessed  the  green  I  do  not  think  that  any  breed  can  produce 

eye,  and  some  fanciers  are  disposed  to  prefer  such  fascinating  kittens.     They  have  such  re- 

this    colour,    which    I    think    should    be    the  markably  intelligent  expressions,  and,  as  a  rule, 

speciality   of    the    silvers.     Anyhow,    a    good  the  sturdy  cobby  shape  and    broad  heads  of 

brilliant  green  is  preferable  to  a  washed-out  brown  tabbies  are  very  conspicuous.  This  breed 


undecided  yellow. 


should  distinctly  be    massive    in    build,    with 


There    are    two    distinct    types    of    brown     plenty   of   bone   and   muscle  ;    in   fact,   with 


BROWN    TABBY    PERSIANS. 


217 


brown  tabbies  the  larger  the  better,  if  well  whether  near  or  distant,  this  beautiful  breed 
proportioned.  With  the  sterner  sex  brown  will  gain  all  the  admiration  and  attention  that 
tabbies  are  decided  favourites,  and  I  cannot  help  it  deserves.  There  is  a  distinct  kind  of  brown 
noticing  that  the  very  few  fanciers  who  have  tabby,  so  called,  which  may  better  be  de- 
taken  up  this  breed  amongst  the  gentler  sex  scribed  as  sable.  These  cats  have  not  the 
are  what  might  be  termed  strong-minded.  regular  tabby  markings,  but  the  two  colours 
I  have  also  remarked  that  when  once  are  blended  one  with  another,  the  lighter  sable 
fanciers  start  breeding  brown  tabbies  they  tone  predominating.  At  the  Crystal  Palace 


"CHAMPION      CRYSTAL. 
OWNCD  BY  C.  H.  JONES,  PALMYRA,  N.Y. 


continue,  and  this  cannot  be  truly  said  of 
other  breeds — silvers,  for  instance  ;  but  I  would 
fain  see  a  steady  increase  to  the  ranks  of 
breeders  of  brown  tabby  Persians,  and  more 
encouragement  given  at  shows.  I  know  that 
as  matters  now  stand  fanciers  complain  they 
cannot  get  any  market  for  their  tabby  kittens, 
and  that  classification  is  poor  at  shows  and 
prizes  scarce.  It  is  all  too  true,  but  surely  it  is 
a  "  long  lane  that  has  no  turning,"  and  as  every 
dog  has  its  day,  so  perhaps  in  the  future, 


Cat  Show  of  1902  the  class  was  for  brown 
tabby  or  sable.  I  was  judging,  and,  considering 
the  mixed  entries,  I  felt  that  markings  must 
not  be  of  the  first  importance,  and  so  awarded 
first  and  second  to  Miss  Whitney's  beautiful 
sable  females,  the  third  going  to  a  well-marked 
though  out  of  condition  brown  tabby.  These 
sable-marked  cats  are  rare,  but  still  more  beau- 
tiful would  be  a  cat  entirely  of  the  one  tawny 
colour — a  self  sable,  without  markings.  "  The 
most  suitable  factors  to  obtain  this  colour," 


218 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


so  writes  Mrs.  Balding,  "  would  probably  be 
tortoiseshell  -  and  -  sable  tabby,  as  free  from 
marking  and  as  red  in  ground  colour  as 
possible.  A  cross  of  orange,  bright  coloured 
and  as  nearly  as  obtainable  from  unmarked 
ancestors,  would  be  useful.  Some  nine  years 
ago  I  purchased  a  dimly  marked  bright  sable 
coloured  cat,  '  Molly,'  shown  by  Mrs.  Davies 
at  the  Crystal  Palace,  with  a  view  to  producing 
a  self-coloured  sable  cat ;  but  '  Molly '  unfor- 
tunately died,  and  I  abandoned  the  idea."  The 
nearest  approach  to  a  self-sable  I  have  ever 
come  across  was  a  cat  I  obtained  for  the 
Viscountess  Esher,  which  had,  alas  !  been 
neutered.  He  was  almost  unmarked,  and  of 
the  colour  of  Canadian  sable,  with  golden  eyes 
— a  most  uncommon  specimen. 

Another  species  is  the  spotted  tabby,  but  I 

have  never  seen  a  true  specimen  in  Persians. 

Some  brown  tabbies  are  ticked  or  spotted  on 

the  sides,  but  they  have  the  spine  line  and 

ings  on  neck,  head,  and  tail. 


Very  few  and  far  between  have  been  good 
brown  tabbies  in  the  history  of  the  fancy. 
Amongst  the  males  two  names  may  be  said 
to  stand  out  conspicuously — Miss  Southam's 
"  Birkdale  Ruffie  "  and  my  own  "  Persim- 
mon." Both  these  cats,  of  quite  different  types, 
have  gone  to  their  rest. 

As  regards  the  famous  Birkdale  strain,  the 
following  account,  kindly  supplied  to  me  by 
Miss  Southam,  will  be  of  interest  :— 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that,  until  quite  recently, 
.our  old  friend  the  tabby  has  been  deliberately 
placed  in  the  background,  and  regarded  in  the 
show  world  with  an  indifference  which  has 
proved  an  unmistakable  stumbling  block  to  the 
improvement  of  this  particular  breed. 

"  Nor  is  this  very  much  to  be  wondered  at, 
when  we  take  into  consideration  the  hideous 
combination  of  the  drab,  colourless  browns, 
dowdy  greys,  and  indistinct  markings  which 
had  hitherto  constituted  the  chief  charms  of 
the  typical  tabby.  Instead,  it  would  appear 


A      ROOM      IN      BKAYKOKT      CATTERY. 
(Photo  :  W.  Lawrence,  Dublin.) 


TABBY   PERSIANS. 


219 


that  the  commonplace  and  unattractive  grey 
was  openly  encouraged,  rather  than  otherwise  ; 
for,  although  the  silver  tabby  was  provided 
with  a  classification  of  his  own,  only  one  class 
was  relegated  to  "  brown  and  grey  tabbies," 
either  colour  being  considered  equally  worthy 
of  carrying  off  premier  honours  ! 

"  It  was  at  this  period,  when  the  nondescript 
tabby  was  reigning  supreme,  that  Champion 
'  Birkdale  Ruffie  '  made  his  debut  in  the  show 
world,  my  sister,  Miss  Emily  Southam,  being 
the  first  to  bring  the  sable  tabby  into  prom- 
inence. \Yhether,  however,  it  was  that  the 
public  was  not  sufficiently  up-to-date  to  ap- 
preciate the  sudden  departure  from  the  usual 
sombre  colours  with  which  it  had  hitherto 
been  satisfied  to  a  brilliant  sable,  or  whether 
he  was  particularly  unfortunate  in  his  choice 
of  judges,  it  is  difficult  to  say  ;  at  any  rate,  it 
was  not  until  four  years  after  his  first  appear- 
ance in  the  show  pen  that  he  met  with  the 
justice  that  his  many  beautiful  points  so 
richly  deserved.  In  fact,  after  exhibiting  him 
at  several  shows,  where  he  was  deliberately 
passed  over  for  other  and  most  inferior  cats, 
he  being  in  the  pink  of  condition,  my  sister 
was  so  annoyed  at  the  treatment  he  received 
that  she  simply  burnt  the  schedules  which 
poured  in  upon  her  and  kept  him  at  home, 
determined  he  should  not  be  further  insulted 
by  such  flagrant  injustice  ! 

"  It  was  at  the  \Yest  of  England  Cat  Show 
in  1894  that  '  Birkdale  Ruffie  '  scored  his  first 
real  success — I  believe  under  Mr.  Gresham— 
winning  two  first  prizes  in  the  open  and  novice 
classes  and  two  specials.  Here  at  last  his 
beautiful  sable  colouring,  his  dense  black 
markings,  and  wonderfully  expressive  face 
were  appreciated. 

''  The  year  1896  was  the  occasion  of  his 
sensational  win  at  the  Crystal  Palace  show. 
He  simply  swept  the  board,  carrying  every- 
thing before  him — first  prize,  championship, 
several  specials,  and  the  special  given  by  the 
King  (then  Prince  of  Wales) — for  the  best 
rough-coated  cat  in  the  show,  the  prize  being 
a  handsomely  framed  portrait  of  the  King 
with  his  autograph  attached.  Mrs.  Vallance 


MISS     WHITNEY    AND    HER    NEUTER 

HROWN   TABBY. 
(Photo  :    W.  Lawrence,  Dublin.) 

was  judge.  Again,  in  1897,  he  was  shown  with 
great  success  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  winning 
first  prize,  championship,  and  special. 

"  This  was  the  occasion  of  '  Birkdale 
Ruffie's '  last  appearance  before  the  public, 
as  it  was  during  the  following  month  my  sister 
was  taken  dangerously  ill,  and  for  this  reason 
his  pen  at  the  Brighton  show  was  empty. 
After  her  death  we  determined  to  subject  him 
no  more  to  the  trials  and  discomforts  of  the 
show  pen,  so  '  Ruffie,'  who  was  now  seven 
years  old  and  a  great  pet,  both  for  his  own 
sake  and  that  of  his  mistress,  only  too  gladly 
retired  into  the  privacy  of  home  life,  spending 
the  cold  winters  by  the  fireside  in  his  own 
little  snug  retreat,  and  in  the  long  summer  days 
lying  under  his  bower  of  shady  hops,  lazily 
watching  his  facsimile,  his  little  son  '  Master 
Ruffie,'  growing  up  more  beautiful  each  day 
and  ready  to  take  up  the  thread  of  his  father's 
famous  career  in  the  exhibition  world. 


22O 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


"  Into  the  latter  '  Master  Ruffie  '  made  his 
debut  without  any  of  the  numerous  anxieties 
encountered  by  his  celebrated  parent.  The 
way  was  paved  for  him,  and  when  he  appeared 
at  the  Crystal  Palace  show  in  1899,  in  all  the 
full  glory  of  his  youth  and  beauty,  it  was 
difficult  for  the  judges  to  realise  that  it  was 
not  their  old  favourite  who  was  now  confront- 
ing them  through  the  wires  ! 

"  '  Master  Ruffie  '  has  only  been  shown  on 
two  occasions — in  1897  as  a  kitten,  and  in 
1899  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  when  he  returned 
home  with  his  box  literally  filled  with  cards, 
his  winnings  including  three  first  prizes,  four 
specials,  and  a  championship. 

"  I  am  sorry  we  can  manage  to  get  no  really 
good  photo  of  '  Master  Ruffie.'  Time  after 
time  we  have  attempted  it — in  studios,  out  of 
doors,  by  means  of  professionals  and  amateurs 
—including  many  kind  relatives  and  friends 
with  their  ever-ready  little  Kodaks !  '  Master 
Ruffie  '  steadfastly  refuses  to  face  the  camera. 
Again  and  again  the  button  is  pressed  in 
vain,  and  only  the  glimpse  of  a  vanishing  tail 
upon  the  negative  is  all  we  have  to  show  as 
'  Ruffle's  '  portrait  ! 

"  But  we  have  only  to  look  at  '  Birk- 
dale  Ruffle's'  picture,  and  we  have  '  Master 
Ruffie '  too  !  The  only  difference  between 
them  is  that  the. latter  is  a  very  cobby 
little  fellow,  being  perhaps  shorter  in  the 


MISS  WHITNEY'S  "  BKAYKOKT  PRINCESS. 

(Photos:    W.Lawrence,  Dublin.) 


legs,  which  makes  him  appear  to  be  a  some- 
what smaller  cat  than  his  father.  In  fact,  at 
the  Crystal  Palace  show  he  was  pronounced 
by  the  judges  to  be  perfect  in  every  point. 

"  '  Birkdale  Ruffie  '  was  noted  for  the  ex- 
treme beauty  of  his  expression  ;  he  had  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  most  characteristic  faces  ever 
seen  in  a  cat,  and  his  son  inherits  the  same. 
The  former  was  constantly  the  subject  of 
sketches  in  the  illustrated  papers,  those  by 
Mr.  Louis  Wain  being  especially  lifelike. 

"  Some  of  '  Master  Ruffle's  '  descendants  are, 
I  believe,  in  the  possession  of  Miss  Witney, 
and  have  met  with  great  success  in  the  show 
pen. 

"  Our  cattery  is  built  on  the  principle  of 
shepherds'  huts,  each  house  having  a  separate 
wire  run,  with  shrubs  planted,  and  a  thick 
wall  of  ivy  in  the  background,  which  gives  a 
picturesque  appearance  to  the  whole  of  the 
little  colony.  In  summer  a  mass  of  luxuriant 
hops  makes  a  welcome  shade  from  the  hot 
sun. 

"  The  houses  are  warmed  by  gas  stoves,  on 
which  the  cats  love  to  sit,  purring  contentedly, 

and  with  the  pretty 
curtained  windows,  car- 
pets, wickerwork  arm- 
chairs, and  cosily  cush- 
ioned benches,  I  think 
'  Master  Ruffie '  and  his 
seven  feline  playmates 
have  a  pretty  easy  time 
in  this  tempestuous 
world  ! 

'  The  one  bone  of 
contention  is  that  the  cats  have 
appropriated  the  sunniest  cor- 
ner of  the  garden,  their  houses 
having  the  much  desired  south- 
ern aspect,  which  our  gardener 
looks  at  with  longing  eyes  for 
his  beloved  peaches  and  early 
peas.  Happily,  he  bears  the 
little  occupants  no  grudge,  and 
when  we  go  from  home  takes 
over  the  whole  of  the  cattery 
into  his  charge." 


BROWN    TABBY  PERSIANS. 


221 


Here  let  me  give  a  few  details  of  my  dear  from   the   country  to   London   obliged  me   to 

departed    puss.       "Persimmon"  was  a  well-  board    him    out. 

known  character  in  the  fancy,  and   had  the  "Persimmon"  sired  some  splendid  kittens, 

distinction  of  being  a  champion  in  the  National  which    whenever    shown    proved    themselves 

Cat  Club  and  the   Cat  Club.     It  was  in  1899  worthy    of    their    sire's    long    prize  -  winning 

when,  judging  at  Brighton,  I  was  greatly  taken  record.     At  the  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1902 


"  LOXSDALE    CHRYSALIS        AND    "  LONSDALE    MOTH. 

BRED  BY  MRS.  GREGORY. 
(Photo:    W.  G.  Lai'is,  Bath.) 


with    a   wonderful-headed   brown   tabby  that 
came    under   my  awards.      I    gave    him    first 
in    his    class,    and    when   later    I    obtained   a 
catalogue  and  saw  his  price  was  a  very  reason- 
able one,   I   purchased  him,   and   I   may  say 
I  never  made  a  better  bargain,  in  or  out  of 
the    cat    fancy.     "  Persimmon  "    (as    I    after- 
wards  called  him,   in  memory  of   the   Derby 
winner)  was  bred  by  Mr.  Heslop,  of  Darlington, 
that  astute  and  clever  cat  fancier  ;    and  his 
grandsire     was     "  Brown     Prince,"     a    noted 
Northern  prize-winning  tabby.     I  have  never 
seen    such    a    wonderful  head    as  that  which 
made  "  Persimmon's  "  chief  glory. 

His  face  was  very  round,  and  his  nose 
quite  a  snub,  and  he  was  blessed  with  tiny 
ears  and  short  tail.  His  shape  was  perfect, 
but  the  markings  on  his  back  were  rather  too 
heavy,  and  alas  !  he  had  a  white  under-lip. 
But,  taking  him  all  round,  he  was  a  grand 
specimen,  and  a  most  lovable  puss.  He  fretted 
himself  to  death  when  a  change  of  residence 


Miss  Whitney  exhibited   two   of  his  progeny 

—  a    superb    neuter     "Persimmon    Laddie," 

who    covered    himself    with    glory    and    his 

cage    with    cards,     and     a    beautiful     kitten 

that  had  previously  won  at  Manchester  and 

has  since  been  purchased  at  a  high  figure  by 

a  lover   of  the  brownies.      At  the   Specialist 

Show  at  Bath  in  January,  1903,  "  Persimmon 

Laddie "  was  again   to  the   fore,  and  won  in 

the  open  and  ring  classes.     "  Persimmon  "  was 

a   great   loss,    for     good    brown    tabbies    are 

rare.      I  hope,  however,  to  purchase    a   fine, 

well-grown  son  of  my  dear  old  "  Simmy,"  and 

as  "Persimmon  II."  I  trust  it  may  be  a  case 

of  "like   father  like    son,"  and  that  by-and- 

by    we  may  find    quite  a  long  list  of  brown 

tabby  Persians  "  at  stud  "  in  the  columns  of 

the  catty  papers. 

I  think  I  may  with  truth  assert  that  brown 
tabbies  arc  more  appreciated,  'and  that  better 
specimens  are  produced  in  the  North  than  in 
the  South  of  England.  I  have  mentioned 


222 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


MRS.  D'ARCY  HILDYARD'S  "  SULPHURLAND.: 

(Photo:  BoxeH  &  Co.,  Scarboro'.) 

Mr.  Heslop  as  having  owned  some  splendid 
specimens,  and  at  one  time  he  used  to  exhibit 
quite  a  number  at  our  Southern  shows.  Miss 
Eggett,  of  Manchester,  has  a  grand  tabby  of 
the  golden  order  named  "  Cleopatra."  Mrs. 
Whittaker  has  some  nice  specimens,  and 
Mrs.  Mackenzie's  "Cleo"  was  much  admired 
at  the  Westminster  show  in  1900,  when  she 
took  first  in  her  class.  Mrs.  Ricketts  has 
always  been  partial  to  the  breed,  and  Mrs. 
Stead's  "  Timber "  has  done  some  winning. 
Miss  Gray's  "  Lady  Babbie  "  was  one  of  the 
finest  brown  queens  that  used  to  visit  "  Per- 
simmon," and  another  was  Miss  Meeson's 
"  Jolie,"  whom  I  used  greatly  to  admire. 
Miss  Derby  Hyde  exhibits  a  wonderful  copper- 
coloured  brown  tabby  called  "  Maraquetta," 
who,  if  only  possessed  of  a  good  head  and 
shorter  face,  would  be  a  splendid  specimen. 
Mrs.  Davies  formerly  owned  "  Susan,"  a  cat 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  G.  Wilson,  very 
good  in  colour  and  markings,  but  failing  in 
head  and  face.  Mr.  Western,  of  Sandy,  has 
a  good  male  in  "  Wynstay  Monarch."  In 
the  West  of  England  Mrs.  Hellings  and  Mrs. 
Gregory  are  admirers  and  breeders  of  brown 
tabbies. 

Mrs.  Gregory,  of  Bath,  started  breeding 
brown  tabbies  in  1899.  Her  female  (a  black) 
she  mated  to  her  stud  cat  "  Azor,"  and, 
curiously  enough,  all  the  litters  have  consisted 
of  brown  tabbies,  the  kittens  numbering 


sixteen  in  all.  When,  how- 
ever, "  Queen  Caterpillar  " 
was  mated  to  Mrs.  Gregory's 
blue  Persian,  her  kittens  were 
all  black. 

A    picture    of   two   pretty 
brown  tabby  kittens  bred  by 
Mrs.  Gregory  appears  in  this 
chapter.     I  am  happy  to  say 
that     Mrs.    Gregory   intends 
to  continue  breeding  brown 
tabbies,     and     has     kept    a 
handsome  specimen  from  one 
of  her  recent  litters  to  per- 
petuate the  strain.      Mrs. 
Drury,  of  Graffham,  is  very 
faithful   to    the  brownies,    and   in   her  lovely 
old-fashioned   cottage   near    Petworth  she  is 
always    surrounded    by  several    of    her    pet 
pussies.     She  writes  as  follows  :— 

"  When  first  I  received  a  margarine  basket, 
and  out  of  it  came  a  little  brown  fluffy  kitten, 
I  knew  no  more  about  Persian  cats  than  the 
man  in  the  moon — in  fact,  he  probably  knew 
more,  as  he  is  frequently  the  only  witness  to 
their  nocturnal  gambols.  I  had  heard  of  such 
things  as  Persian  cats,  yet  never  remember 
having  seen  one.  However,  kind  friends  soon 
gave  me  a  helping  hand,  and  as  time  went  on 
and  my  fluffy  kitten  became  a  fluffy  cat,  being 
passionately  fond  of  animals,  I  soon  found  out 
the  very  fascinating  ways  of  dear  '  Miss  Wiggs,' 
so  named  because  the  fur  on  her  head  in  her 
kitten  days  would  stand  erect,  and  it  is  the 
only  name  she  condescended  to  answer  to. 
She  has  been — and  is  so  still,  in  spite  of  all  her 
maternal  cares  and  five  years'  experience — 
one  of  the  healthiest  pussies  imaginable,  and 
has  never  had  one  day's  illness  since  she  came 
into  my  possession,  though  I  believe,  in  her 
babyhood,  distemper  nearly  carried  her  off ; 
and  all  her  children  have  been  equally  healthy — 
in  fact,  I  have  never  lost  one  of  her  kittens, 
which  is,  I  imagine,  almost  a  unique  experi- 
ence. 

"  '  Miss  Wiggs '  came  from  a  blue  father  and 
a  silver  mother,  but  has,  with  one  exception, 
always  had  brown  babies,  even  when  mated  to 


BROWN    TABBY  PERSIANS. 


223 


a  silver.  The  varied  beauties  of  blues,  silvers, 
whites,  and  blacks  have  never  taken  such  a  hold 
upon  me  as  compared  with  the  fascination  of 
the  browns,  and  it  is  quite  a  wonder  to  me 
more  fanciers  do  not  breed  them.  Nothing 
looks  handsomer,  to  my  mind,  than  a  rich  brown, 
tabby  male  with  tawny  markings,  like  a  young 
lion,  and  judging  from  my  experience  they 
amply  repay  any  trouble  taken  by  their  loving 
ways  and  robust  health.  I  have  a  son  of 
'  Miss  Wiggs  '  and  poor  old  '  Persimmon  '  now, 
who  follows  me  like  a  little  dog,  even  out  in  the 
road,  and  goes  for  a  walk  running  by  my  side. 

"  Perhaps  what  would  astonish  a  stranger 
most  on  coming  to  see  me  is  the  way  my  catty 
family  lives  in  peace  and  contentment  with 
the  dogs,  and  very  often  I  find  two  or  three 
kittens  in  the  dogs'  basket  very  busily  occupied 
cleaning  my  little  bull-terrier.  It  is  a  point  of 
honour  amongst  the  happy  family  that  they 
never  touch  each  other's  food,  and  very  rarely 
is  this  broken,  and  not  infrequently  we  see 
three,  and  perhaps  four,  cats  sitting  round  the 
dog  while  he  eats  his  dinner,  waiting  for  any 
leavings,  and  the  same  with  the  dog.  Persians 
have  the  reputation  of  being  bad  mousers. 
'  Miss  Wiggs  '  makes  quite  the  exception,  and 
on  one  occasion  caught  and  killed  two  mice 
at  the  same  time  ;  one  she  held 
in  her  paws  and  the  other  in 
her  mouth.  Young  rats  also 
she  has  many  times  brought  in, 
to  show  what  a  useful  little 
person  she  is,  and  her  children 
follow  in  her  footsteps. 

"  In  a  great  measure  I  at- 
tribute my  brownies'  good 
health  to  the  open-air  life  they 
lead.  From  early  morning  to 
when  darkness  approaches  they 
have  the  run  of  a  large  garden, 
even  on  a  wet  day.  They  go 
in  and  out  of  the  houses  as 
they  like  ;  never  sleep  indoors, 
always  in  a  very  dry  little  out- 
side cattery  —  in  summer  on 
benches,  and  in  winter  in  nice 
boxes  with  straw. 


"  Perhaps,  financially,  blues  or  silvers  may 
be  greater  successes,  but  brownies  have  been 
my  first  love  and  will  always  remain  so.  I 
am  only  sorry  I  cannot  show  what  a  lovely 
head  and  sweet  face  dear  '  Miss  Wiggs  '  has,  but 
she  absolutely  declines  to  be  photographed. 

"  In  time  I  hope  more  fanciers  may  realise 
how  rich  in  colour  and  markings  a  good  brown 
tabby  is,  and  then  we  may  hope  to  see  this 
beautiful  breed  brought  more  to  the  fore  at  all 
the  leading  shows. 

"  As  '  Mis?  Wiggs  '  has  been  the  foundress 
of  my  cattery,  perhaps  a  short  description  of 
her  would  not  be  amiss.  She  is  a  ticked  tabby — 
that  is  to  say,  she  has  not  the  broad,  dark 
stripes  with  tawny  splashes  ;  her  ground  colour 
is  a  beautiful  golden  brown,  and  down  the 
back  and  sides  are  pencilled  stripes,  more  like 
the  markings  on  a  silver.  Round  her  face, 
nose,  and  ears  she  has  most  lovely  golden  brown 
shades ;  eyes  are  green — they  used  to  be 
amber ;  her  head  is  very  broad  and  well  shaped ; 
and  her  expression  is  very  sweet. 

"When  mated  to  a  silver,  as  she  has  been 
twice,  the  litters  have  been  equally  divided — 
two  silvers  and  two  brownies  ;  but  both  silvers 
and  browns  in  that  case  had  broad  dark  and 
light  markings,  in  no  way  resembling  the  ticking 


'    PIONEER    BOBS. 

OWNED  BY  Miss  M.  WASHBURN,  SMITH'S  FALLS,  ONT. 
(Photo:   E.  F.  Briggs,  Smith's  Falls,  Ont.) 


224 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT; 


of  the  mother.  But  when  mated  to  poor  old 
'  Persimmon  '  the  kittens  have  been  equally 
divided,  always  two  resembling  the  maternal 
side  exactly,  and  two  following  out  '  Per- 
simmon's '  beautiful  splashes.  When  mated 
to  a  brown  tabby  all  the  kittens  were  brown. 
She  has  never  thrown  a  black  ;  but  her 
daughter,  whose  father  was  '  Abdul  Zaphir,' 
and  who  I  also  mated  to  '  Persimmon,'  had 
two  blacks  and  two  very  dark  tabbies  in  her 
litter.  '  Wiggs  '  has  in  all  her  five  litters  had 
only  two  females.  Her  average  is  four  or  five  . 
kittens  ;  she  looks  after  them  entirely  herself, 
and  has  never  been  the  worse  for  so  doing  ; 
but  I  do  not  allow  her  more  than  one  family 
a  year,  and  until  the  kittens  can  lap  she  is  fed 
every  two  hours." 

The  best-marked  brown  tabby  I  have  ever 
seen  was  Lady  Marcus  Beresford's'  "  Bas- 
sorah,"  who  was  unfortunately  given  away 
and  lost.  Her  markings  looked  like  oil  paint- 
ing, they  stood  out  in  such  distinct  relief- 
Another  specimen  of  a  different  type  was 
imported  by  Lady  Marcus  Beresford,  namely 
"  Kismet."  She  was  of  the  ticked  order,  with 
small  pencilled  markings,  very  compact  and 
cobby  in  shape.  Mrs.  Herring  has  always 
possessed  good  brown  tabbies.  To  begin  with, 
"  Adolphe,"  who  used  formerly  to  win  every- 
thing till  his  son,  "  Prince  Tawny  Boy," 
stepped  into  his  shoes,  to  be  displaced  later 
by  his  own  son,  "  Prince  Adolphe,"  and  his 
exquisite  daughter,  "  Floriana,"  now  in 
America.  Another  good  son  of  "  Adolphe's  " 
was  Mrs.  Bonar's  "  Lord  Salisbury."  To  go 
back  as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  there  was  Mr. 
Horrel's  "  Nero,"  and  Mrs.  Pearce's  "  Juliet  " 
and  "  Rosebud,"  also  Miss  Malony's  "  Lind- 
fields  Lion "  and  the  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren 
Morrison's  "  Cetewayo  "  and  "  Mazawattee," 
this  latter  a  really  wonderful  cat  which  was  im- 
ported by  Mrs.  Davies  at  the  same  time  as  the 
celebrated  "  Nizam,"  and  reported  to  be  his 
brother.  Anyway,  he  resembled  him  greatly 
in  everything  but  colour. 

For  sables  we,  of  course,  go  to  the  Birkdale 
strain.  I  remember  the  incomparable  "  Birk- 
dale Ruffie  "  in  his  full  glory  at  the  Crystal 


Palace — a  mass  of  red-brown  fur,  of  the  style 
of  "Persimmon  Laddie,"  but  with  more  dis- 
tinct markings  and  a  very  keen,  almost  fierce, 
expression  ;  in  fact,  he  looked  like  a  wild 
animal  ! 

Then  "  Master  Ruffie  "  appeared  as  a  kitten, 
and  later  as  a  mild  edition  of  his  sire.  From 
this  celebrated  strain  Miss  Whitney's  lovely 
sables  are  descended.  This  enthusiastic  fan- 
cier has  kindly  written  some  notes  on  her 
favourite  breed.  Her  cats  are  all  pets,  and 
lead  a  life  of  luxury  in  their  town  and  country 
houses  on  the  other  side  of  the  Irish  Channel. 
Miss  Whitney  says  :— 

"  I  am  pleased  to  see  that  brown  tabbies  are 
coming  to  the  front  again,  after  being  such  a 
long  time  in  the  background.  It  now  rests 
with  fanciers  of  this  charming  variety  of  the 
feline  species  to  improve  them  in  all  points. 
We  hear  often  that  they  should  be  a  rich  tan 
in  ground  colour,  clear  and  dense  in  markings, 
profuse  in  coat,  ruff  and  frill,  large  round  head, 
small  ears,  and  no  white  lip.  I  should  con- 
sider this  a  perfect  specimen  ;  but  where  is  such 
to  be  had  ?  I  do  not  say  it  will  not  be  obtained, 
but  up  to  this  I  have  never  seen  it.  Now 
what  we  are  to  endeavour  is  to  breed  up  to 
this  high  standard.  This  will  take  time,  no 
doubt  ;  but,  above  all,  do  not  let  us  give  up 
everything  for  markings,  though  they  are  very 
essential. 

"  My  idea  of  a  brown  tabby  is  that  it 
must  be  of  a  rich  tawny  ground  colour.  How 
could  a  brown  tabby  be  called  a  brown  if 
it  is  only  a  greyish  drab  ?  I  should  prefer  to  do 
without  such  perfect  markings,  but  to  have 
the  more  desirable  rich  colour,  and,  above  all, 
plenty  of  coat,  ruff,  and  frill ;  if  it  has  not 
these  latter  qualities,  it  could  not  be  called  a 
Persian,  which  must  have  an  abundance  of 
fine  soft-textured  coat.  If  we  only  breed  for 
marking,  why  not  mate  to  a  '  short-hair,' 
which  is  more  likely  to  be  perfect  in  that  point  ? 
But  then,  where  would  be  our  true  Persian  ? 
Now,  as  to  white  lip,  I  have  never  seen  a  good 
brown  tabby  without  it,  but  I  hear  that  there 
are  such,  though  they  fail  in  colour.  I  would 
prefer  the  well-coated  cat  with  good  colour 


BROWN    TABBY  PERSIANS. 


225 


and  markings  and  a  white  lip  to  one  that 
failed  in  these  other  points  and  had  no 
white  lip  (I  do  not  mean  when  it  extends  to  a 
white  throat).  Now  if  we  happen  to  breed  a 
good  kitten  without  a  white  lip,  and  should 
strive  to  mate  her  to  a  really  well-marked 
stud  cat,  even  should  he  fail  in  colour— per- 
haps we  might  get  even  one  kitten  nearly 
reaching  perfection  as  the  result.  It  would 
reward  the  patience,  expense,  and  time  ;  but 
we  need  never  expect  a  pro- 
fusely coated  cat  to  show  as 
distinct  markings  as  an  in- 
feriorly  coated  one  will.  I 
breed  nothing  but  brown  tab- 
bies, but  cannot  say  I  have  yet 
obtained  perfection.  I  have, 


I  feel  sure  I  shall  remain  faithful  to  them  to 
the  end  of  my  career  as  a  cat  fancier.     At 
present  I  have  not  a  cat  of  any  other  colour 
.  in  my  cattery. 

"  I  still  have  '  Ruffle,'  who  is  now  a  very 
large  neuter,  splendidly  marked,  but  per- 
haps not  quite  up  to  the  standard  in  other 
points  for  the  English  show  bench.  '  Bray- 
fort  Fina '  is,  I  may  say,  a  sable  tabby,  being 
particularly  rich  in  colour  all  throughout — 
indeed,  more  often  of  an  auburn 
4an  than  brown.  She  is  very 
profuse  in  coat,  carrying  a  long 
body-coat  and  a  big  ruff  and 
frill.  She  is  a  very  large  cat, 
with  plenty  of  bone,  and  well 
made,  with  a  fine-shaped  head. 


"  LOKNA    DOONE." 
BUED  BY  MRS.  ELLIS,  TORONTO. 


however,  secured  coat  and  colour,  and  expect 
to  attain  the  other  desirable  points  in  the  near 
future,  as  we  must  all  persevere,  but  always 
let  us  breed  up  to  the  standard  of  the  true 
Persian. 

"  I  first  became  interested  in  cats  by  being 
given  a  nice  brown  tabby  Persian  kitten,  which 
I  called  '  Ruffle,'  and  got  very  fond  of  him  ; 
but  as  he  seemed  lonely  I  thought  of  getting 
another  kitten  as  a  companion  for  him,  so  I 
then  purchased  a  pretty  little  silver  tabby 
from  Miss  Cochran  ;  but  after  some  time,  of 
all  the  varieties  I  saw,  none  pleased  me  so  well 
as  the  brown  tabbies.  This  breed  I  have  gone 
in  for  altogether  during  the  past  few  years,  and 
15 


She  was  once  mistaken  for  a  male  by  a  well- 
known  judge.  '  Fina '  was  bred  by  Miss 
G.  Southam,  and  is  by  '  Master  Ruffie '  ex 
'  Bluette,'  her  sire  being  a  son  of  the  famous 
'  Champion  Birkdale  Ruffle.' 

"  She  was  already  a  winner  when  I  pur- 
chased her,  and  has  since  won  many  times, 
including  second  and  special  at  Bristol,  1899, 
in  a  mixed  sex  class,  being  beaten  by  a  male. 
At  Belfast,  in  1900 — the  following  year — she  was 
beaten  out  of  first  by  her  sister,  '  Brayfort 
Princess.'  She  then  took  second  at  West- 
minster, 1902  ;  first  at  Reading,  and  first 
and  championship  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  1901 
and  1902.  Again  first  at  the  Bath  Specialist 


226 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


Show  in  the  same  year,  where  her  gorgeous  late  '  Champion  Persimmon  '  ex  '  Fina.'  He 
colouring  was  called  in  question  and  an  un-  _  won  first  and  special  at  the  kitten  show  in 
supported  protest  was  made  that  she  was  dyed  !  October,  1902,  and  first  and  two  specials  at 


"  BIRKDALE    RUFFIE." 
(Photo :   J.  A.  Kay,  Soulhport.)  ' 


She  is  a  most  successful  breeding  cat,  her 
produce  being  usually  winners.  Her  sister, 
'  Brayfort  Princess,'  is  also  a  sable  tabby,  and 
carries  an  immense  coat,  ruff,  and  frill  ;  it  is 
denser  than  '  Fina's,'  and  I. fancy  but  for  the 
latter  '  Princess  '  would  have  been  more  heard 
of  as  a  winner,  as,  except  on  one  or  two  occa- 
sions, she  has  been  usually  beaten  by  'Fina.' 
"  '  Brayfort  Persimmon  Laddie  '  is  by  '  Cham- 
pion Persimmon '  ex  '  Brayfort  Fina.'  He  made 
his  public  appearance  at  Bristol  when  he  was 
four  months  old,  taking  first  and  special  in  a 
tabby  kitten  class  and  third  in  novice,  against 
an  entry  of  twenty-five  adults  ;  then  he  won 
first  and  special  in  kittens,  and  second  in  open 
to  his  mother's  first  at  Belfast  in  1900 ;  also  he 
took  first  and  special  for  best  long-haired 
neuter  at  Manchester  in  1901  ;  first,  Liverpool ; 
and  first  and  two  specials  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 
1902.  He  is  too  well  known  to  comment  on. 
He  is  a  wonderful  sable  colour,  and  is  superb 
in  coat.  '  Brayfort  Sable  Boy '  is  also  by  the 


the  Crystal  Palace  show,  1902  ;  his  wins  speak 
to  his  merit. 

"  I  find  all  my  cats  very  strong  and  healthy, 
and  even  in  the  coldest  winter  they  never  have 
artificial  heat.  I  attribute  having  never  lost 
a  pet  after  a  show  to  taking  them  away  at 
night.  Unless  something  very  unforeseen 
occurred,  nothing  would  induce  me  to  leave 
a  cat  of  mine  in  a  show. 

I  have  found  mating  to  a  good  brown 
tabby  much  the  most  successful.  I  tried 
mating  to  an  orange,  but  did  not  like  the 
results.  I  always  mated  to  the  late  '  Cham- 
pion Persimmon,'  and  had  never  fewer  than 
six  kittens  in  a  litter — sometimes  eight — all 
strong  and  healthy.  Twice  only  have  I  lost 
any,  and  on  these  occasions  the  fault  lay  with 
the  foster  mothers. 

"  In  the  spring  and  summer  my  cats  get 
a  run  out  in  the  garden  every  day;  the  two 
neuters  go  on  leads,  but  the  females  have 
their  liberty  ;  indeed,  unless  I  were  present 


BROWN    TABBY    PERSIANS. 


227 


'  Fina '  would  not  leave  the  house.  Their 
rooms  look  out  on  the  grass  terrace,  so  they 
can  come  in  or  out  as  they  please  till  their 
breakfast  time,  which  is  at  about  ten  o'clock. 
They  are  groomed  every  morning  between 
8  and  8.30  o'clock,  winter  and  summer, 
and  always  fed  regularly.  Their  sleeping 
houses,  as  in  photo,  are  about  four  feet  long, 
lined  round  with  oilcloth,  so  they  can  be 
washed  when  necessary.  In  the  winter  the 
bedding  is  hay,  and  in  summer,  shavings.  The 
houses  are  sufficiently  long  to  allow  for  sanitary 
boxes  during  the  breeding  time.  I  find  Hall's 
washable  distemper  very  nice  for  the  cattery 
walls,  and  it  looks  so  bright  and  fresh.  The 
floor-covering  is  linoleum." 

In  America  brown  tabbies  are  beginning  to 
find  favour,  and  several  good  specimens  have 
been  exported.  "  Arlington  Hercules,"  who 
took  first  at  Westminster  in  1901,  was  shipped 
to  Mrs.  Sarmiento  and  Mrs.  Cutler,  and  I  sent  a 
"Persimmon"  kitten  out  by  Mrs.  Robert  Locke 
to  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke,  the  president  of  the 
Beresford  Club.  He  was  passed  on  to  her 
honorary  secretary,  and  in  Field  and  Fancy  of 
December,  1902,  the  following  notice  appears  :— 


"  Miss  Lucy  Johnstone  is  the  fortunate  owner 
of  '  Persimmon  Squirrel,'  a  son  of  the  noted 
brown  tabby  '  Persimmon,'  who  lately  died. 
Good  brown  tabbies  are  very  scarce,  and  she 
should  congratulate  herself  on  this  possession, 
as,  according  to  all  accounts,  he  is  destined  to 
make  a  good  hit." 

Another  American  lady,  Mrs.  Gotwalts,  of 
Pittsburg,  wrote  to  me  for  a  brownie,  and 
I  sent  her  one  bred  by  Mrs.  Bignell,  and 
the  cat  has,  I  believe,  had  some  good  litters. 
The  most  famous  brown  tabby,  however,  over 
the  herring  pond  was  Mr.  E.  N.  Barker's  won- 
derful "  King  Humbert."  This  cat  arrived 
in  America  in  1885,  and  made  a  considerable 
stir  in  catty  circles.  Mr.  Barker  is  said  to 
have  refused  a  thousand  dollars  for  him  from 
a  New  York  millionaire.  I  remember  when 
Mr.  Barker  was  over,  acting  as  judge  at  the 
Westminster  Cat  show,  he  sought,  but  did 
not  find  anything  to  beat  his  noted  brown 
tabby  now  gone  to  its  last  home.  Mr.  Barker, 
writing  of  this  breed,  says  : — 

"If  I  were  asked  suddenly  why  I  admire 
brown  tabby  Persians,  the  liking  must 
be  partly  attributed  to  face  markings  and 


BIKKDALE   RUFFIE  S  "    CATTERY. 


228 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


colour,  and  to  one  who  grows  accustomed  to 
these  they  are  fascinating  and  add  to  the 
general  beauty  of  the  cat,  and  seem  natural  and 
as  though  they  ought  to  be  there,  and  one  is 
not  so  overweighted  with  a  sense  of  continual 
sameness  as  may  be  apparent  in  a  whole  colour. 
I  must  confess,  personally  speaking,  I  have 
become  used  to  bars  and  stripes.  I  miss  them 
when  I  contemplate  a  self-coloured  Persian. 

"  I  once  had  a  good  many  brown  tabby 
Persians,  and  people  did  not  fancy  them, 
as  they  said,  'They  are  so  like  ordinary 
cats '  —  a  great  mistake  ;  but  by  gentle 
persuasion  I  managed  to  get  one  or  two 
adopted.  One  lady  some  time  afterwards 
candidly  confessed,  '  I  could  not  now  be  satis- 
fied with  any  other  kind,  I  should  miss  the 
stripes  so  much  on  the  face.'  That  is  just  it  ; 
in  a  tabby  you  have  a  little  more  than  your 
neighbours,  who  go  in  for  self-coloured  cats, 
and,  though  for  the  time  being  they  are  not 
quite  so  fashionable,  you  can  chuckle  to  your- 
self if  you  own  one,  and  feel  quietly  superior 
to  fashion  and  the  common  herd,  and  hold  your 
tabby  still  closer  to  your  heart,  and  purr 
softly  to  yourself  with  'satisfaction  at  its 
possession  ;  for  I  think  one  may  say  that  for 
good  all-round,  everyday,  reliable  qualities, 
the  brown  tabby  stands  pre-eminent. 

"  His  constitut'on  being  good,  he  is  not 
peevish  ;  he  stands  cold  and  heat,  change 
of  climate  and  surroundings,  better  on  an 
average  than  any.  Brown  tabbies  should  have 
the  under-coat  a  good  golden  hue,  the  markings 
black,  clear,  and  distinct,  rather  too  many 
than  too  few.  A  good-shaped  body,  lots  of 
bone,  a  bold  head,  red  nose,  golden  eyes,  well 
marked  on  the  chest,  and  no  light  colour  on 
the  lips  and  chin.  These  cats  may  with 
advantage  be  a  good  size.  With  care,  the 
under  colour  may  be  bred  to  a  grand  copper 
colour  ;  a  grey  hue  in  brown  tabbies  is  most 
undesirable." 

As  regards  brown  tabbies  in  America,  "  King 
Humbert  "  and  his  children  have  always  held 
their  own.  "  Humbert  "  was  bred  in  England, 
and  as  he  is  now  dead  I  may  be  allowed  to  say 
that  when  fit  and  in  good  condition  a  better- 


coloured  and  smarter  show  cat  never  stood  in 
a  pen  or  outside,  and  he  loved  to  show  himseli 
off.  The  best  kitten  bred  from  him  was 
"  Jasper."  He  was  very  short  in  leg,  and 
quite  lost  in  coat,  his  feet  being  hardly  visible." 

To  the  readers  of  that  very  excellent 
American  publication  The  Cat  Journal  the 
handsome  portrait  of  "  Crystal,"  the  brown 
tabby,  is  very  familiar.  The  editor,  Mr. 
C.  H.  Jones,  writes  thus  to  me  : — '"  I  am 
sending  you  some  pictures  as  promised.  The 
large  photo  is  '  Champion  Crystal,'  son  of 
'  Humbert,'  a  beautiful  cat  as  to  type  and 
disposition.  A  peculiar  thing  about  '  Crys- 
tal's '  kittens  is  that  they  do  not  show  very 
long  hair  till  they  are  several  months  old." 

And  now  a  few  remarks  as  regards  the 
mating  of  brown  tabbies.  I  have  tried 
several  experiments,  but  if  I  were  wishing 
to  breed  fine  specimens  I  should  continue 
to  mate  brown  tabbies  with  brown  tab- 
bies. Such  mating  frequently  results  in  a 
black  or  two,  and  these  are  generally  good 
ones.  The  orange  cross  is  sometimes  success- 
ful in  introducing  a  brighter  tone,  but  I  confess 
I  have  not  had  very  good  results  from  these 
attempts.  I  have  on  several  occasions  mated 
blues  to  my  brown  tabby  stud,  and  although 
blue  tabbies  have  appeared  in  the  litters,  I  have 
also  obtained  blues  with  very  grand  heads, 
plenty  of  bone,  and  massive  build.  My  famous 
"  Beauty  Boy,"  a  well-known  winner  and  sire 
of  bygone  days,  was  bred  from  "  Rajah  "  (a 
brown)  and  "Mater"  (a  blue).  I  have  been 
told  by  silver  breeders  that  a  brown  tabby  cross 
with  chinchillas  has  often  proved  advantageous. 
It  might  be  imagined  that  the  silvers  would 
be  tinged  with  brown  or  streaked,  but  I  have 
been  assured  this  is  by  no  means  usual,  and 
that  the  litters  consist  of  good  brown  tabbies 
and  equally  pure  silvers. 

A  well-known  breeder  of  silvers  says : — 
"  Although  it  may  be  incorrect  to  cross  silvers 
and  browns,  it  is  often  most  successful.  My 
first  torn  was  a  brown  tabby  with  a  white 
chin,  and  being  mated  with  a  silver  queen  the 
kittens  were  good  browns  and  exquisite  silvers, 
and  there  were  lots  of  winners  amongst  them. 


BROWN    TABBY   PERSIANS. 


229 


Many  of  the  silvers  were  very  pure  in  colour, 
with  lovely  markings.  My  old  '  Climax,' 
whose  pedigree  was  pure  silver  ('  Topso  '  and 
'  Lady  Pink '),  was  the  sire  of  the  noted 
brown  tabby  '  Birkdale  Ruffie.'  ' 

Before  closing  my  article,  I  would  remark 
that  the  brown  tabby  and  sable,  though  often 
classed  together,  must  not  be  confounded. 
The  brown  tabby  is  supposed  to  be  the  common 
ancestor  of  all  our  cats,  and  hence  the  tendency 
to  revert  to  that  colour,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
blue  Rock  pigeon.  This  being  the  case, 
surely  we  should  have  brown  tabby  cats 
more  nearly  approaching  perfection  than  any 
other  colour.  They  appear  in  very  unex- 
pected places — in  a  litter  of  chinchillas  or 
blacks,  or  among  our  oranges,  and  sometimes 
where  no  brown  ancestor  can  be  traced.  In 
the  brown  tabby  there  seems  to  be  little  or  no 
inclination  to  lose  the  markings,  as  in  other 
tabbies  ;  rather  the  contrary,  for  they  overdo 
themselves  sometimes,  and  form  into  solid 
black  patches,  thus  causing  the  dark  saddle, 
which  is  a  serious  fault  in  this  breed.  Query  : 
Would  generations  of  in-breeding  produce  a 
self  brown,  as  with  oranges  and  chinchillas  ? 
I  rather  doubt  it,  as  I  think  the  common 
ancestor  would,  so  to  speak,  "  chip  in "  and 
assert  himself. 

As  regards  the  sables,  I  may  remark 
that  they  are  late  in  maturing  and  do  not 
acquire  their  marvellous  colouring  till  about 
the  second  year.  Anyway,  they  rarely  make 
a  sensation  on  their  first  appearance.  As  I 
write  I  am  thinking  of  "  Persimmon  Laddie," 
who  seems  to  have  developed  his  glorious 
copper  coat  in  the  course  of  a  year,  and  when 
seen  at  the  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1902  was 
a"s  near  perfection  in  the  matter  of  colouring 
as  could  be  desired.  I  hope  that  in  time  this 
breed  of  Persians  may  find  more  admirers,  and 
that  with  patience  and  perseverance  a  really 
good  strain  of  grand-coloured,  dark-chinned, 
and  above  all  splendidly  marked  brown  tabby 
cats  may  be  seen  at  our  shows. 

In  America,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  Field  and  Fancy,  the  brownies 
are  making  good  headway  : — 
15* 


BROWN    TABBIES    IN    AMERICA. 

The  brown  tabby  cat,  whose  fate  seemed  to  hang  in 
the  balance  for  some  time,  is  now,  in  America,  on  the 
road  to  social  prominence,  and  daily  we  hear  of  the 
progress  of  the  breed,  so  that  the  classes  next  winter 
seem  to  promise  greater  results  than  ever.  From  all 
over  we  hear  of  brown  tabbies  being  bred  and  reared, 
and,  what  is  more,  finding  homes  at  remunerative 
prices.  In  looking  at  the  reasons  for  the  popularity 
of  the  browns  we  do  not  have  far  to  seek,  for  when 
once  well  tried,  these  cats  wheedle  their  way  into  your 
affections  by  the  strength  and  vitality  they  display, 


BROWN    TABBY        GOOXIE. 

as  a  rule  ;  and  the  general  average  being  level  in  their 
temper,  with  plenty  of  common  sense,  as  well  as  bold, 
lovable  cats,  are  very  satisfactory  to  deal  with. 
Besides  these  attributes,  when  bred  properly,  their 
colour  is  most  fascinating,  and  has  a  faculty  of  grow- 
ing upon  one,  and  weaker  colours  seem  tame  by 
comparison. 

So  far  as  we  can  say,  that  as  regards  the  brown 
tabbies,  the  whites  and  orange,  there  have  been  more 
concentrated  efforts  to  breed  good  ones  by  design 
than  in  any  of  the  colours,  though  the  silver  breeders 
are  now  coming  up. 

Taking  a  general  look  at  our  cats  of  this  colour,  we 
have  little  to  be  ashamed  of,  and  the  stock  is  good 
enough  to  make  the  nucleus  of  a  fine  lot  of  show  cats, 
for  they  inherit  their  goodness  from  several  genera- 
tions of  the  colour,  which  is  much  to  the  point. 

Our  breeders  will  find  that  to  breed  good  tabbies 
they  will  have  to  keep  to  blood  lines,  select  the  best- 


230 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE    CAT. 


marked  ones,  and  not  switch  about  in  search  of 
all  sorts  of  blood  crosses  ;  for  the  way  to  breed  tabbies 
is  to  keep  to  the  colour  and  get  the  marks,  which  too 
many  crosses  with  solid-coloured  cats  are  liable  to 
spoil.  After  a  time  the  purely  bred  and  carefully 
bred  strains  will  stand  out  and  perpetuate  themselves, 
and  the  chance-breds  will  go  to  the  wall. 

It  has  been  surmised  that  the  reason  why  the 
browns  are  so  hardy  is  that  possibly  they  more 
nearly  approach  the  natural  colour  of  cats  in  a  wild 
state,  and  are  perhaps  not  quite  so  artificial  ;  but 
the  number  that  will  be  bred  of  superlative  colouring 
to  fill  the  standard  from  a  show  point  of  view  will 
never  be  too  numerous  to  command  high  prices,  and 
the  greater  the  competition  the  greater  the  value  of 
the  variety,  as  we  see  in  our  dogs.  For  it  is  in  the 
popular  breeds  that  the  prices  rule  the  highest,  and 
the  scarce  ones  seldom  realise  the  same  figures, 
because  there  is  not  the  same  keen  competition  to 
get  the  best. 

When  we  look  back  we  can  call  to  mind  quite  a 
few  good  brown  tabbies  in  the  last  seven  years,  and 
not  very  many  bad  ones,  and  for  uniform  quality  our 
browns  have  been  the  equal  of  any  colour. 

Breeders  should  be  careful  to  select  those  with  the 
brown  or  red  body  colour,  and  with  the  stripes  as  dis- 
tinct as  possible.  In  our  own  experience  with  the 
colour  we  have  found  three  varieties,  and  these  are 
best  described  as  they  appear  at  birth.  No.  i  is 


the  cat  with  a  narrow  band  down  the  centre  of  the 
back,  and  thin,  narrow  lines  radiating  therefrom. 
These  marks  may  be  very  distinct  when  the  cat  is 
young,  but  are  not  strong  enough  for  a  long-haired 
cat,  and  the  marks  are  lost  when  the  coat  grows. 
Though  these  cats  are  not  the  best  of  exhibition  cats, 
they  are  very  useful  to  breed  to  those  too  heavily 
marked.  No.  2  is  the  cat  that  is  heavily  marked  and 
carries  too  much  black,  and  is  often  too  grey  in  his 
body  colour,  but  these,  by  being  carefully  bred  to 
other  colours,  may  throw  the  desired  cat  ;  or  No.  3, 
the  cat  with  the  orange  body  colour  and  the  distinct 
black  marks  covering  about  a  third  of  the  surface 
of  the  cat.  This  latter  we  hope  to  see  in  greater 
numbers  now  that  an  organised  effort  is  being  made 
to  breed  the  colour  true. 

A  great  many  of  our  browns  are  clear  of  one  great 
fault,  which  is  the  light  chin  and  throat,  and  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that  this  will  be  continued. 

Another  fault  that  wants  improving,  and  which  is 
the  prevailing  fault  in  one  of  our  prominent  strains, 
is  a  rather  sour  green  eye,  and  this  has  been  the  cause 
of  some  of  them  having  to  take  a  back  seat  on  occa- 
sions. Last  yeSar  was  fortunately  a  great  educator 
for  some  of  our  best  breeders,  and  they  are  now 
experimenting  along  the  right  lines,  and  are  aware, 
when  they  lose,  why  it  is  so.  As  the  years  roll  on 
those  who  do  learn  will  not  expect  to  win  over  better 
cats  just  because  they  think  they  ought. 


A     TRIO     OF     TABBIES. 
(Photo:  C.  ReiJ,  Wishaw.) 


231 


A   PICTURESQUE   GKOUP. 
(Photo:  E.   Landor,  Baling.) 


CHAPTER    XX. 

ANY   OTHER   COLOUR  "    PERSIANS. 


IN  the  early  days  of  the  fancy  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  cats  were  entered  in  this 
class.  Blacks,  whites,  and  tabbies  were 
considered  important  enough  to  have  classes 
assigned  to  them  ;  then  the  rest  were  all  huddled 
and  muddled  together  in  the  "any  other  vari- 
ety "  class.  Even  in  these  days  it  is  no  easy 
matter  to  place  the  awards  in  a  mixed  class ; 
but  formerly  the  judge  must  have  felt  puzzled 
over  the  prizes,  and  probably  finally  gave  the 
highest  awards  to  the  breed  of  cat  which  he 
most  admired.  I  do  not  mean  anything  per- 
sonal ;  but,  as  I  write,  I  recollect  a  very  large 
class  in  1887  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  two  years 
before  a  class  for  blues  was  instituted.  Mr. 
A.  A.  Clarke  was  judging,  and  a  female  blue, 
"  Fanny,"  which  I  had  given  to  Mrs.  W.  M. 
Hunt  as  a  birthday  present,  was  awarded  first. 
She  was  a  beautiful  specimen,  and  but  for  her 
green  eyes  would  have  been  a  remarkable  cat 
even  in  these  up-to-date  days  of  the  fancy. 
Whereas,  therefore,  for  many  years  this  "  any 
other  variety  "  class  was  the  largest  in  the 
show,  it  has  gradually  become  beautifully  less 


—and  rightly  so,  for  by  degrees  the  various 
breeds  have  been  improved,  and  the  number 
of  specimens  have  increased,  and  the  execu- 
tives of  shows  have  gone  with  the  times  and 
provided  separate  classes  for  each  breed  as 
occasion  seemed  to  arise.  So  orange  and  cream 
cats  are  no  longer  relegated  to  what  we  now 
call  the  "  any  other  colour  "  class,  and  tortoise- 
shells  and  tortoiseshell-and-whites  are  sepa- 
rately dealt  with  ;  therefore  it  is  only  tabby- 
and-whites,  nondescript  smokes,  blue  tabbies, 
and  black-and-whites  that  are  received  into 
the  fold  of  the  somewhat  despised  "  any  other 
colour  "  class.  Blues  and  blacks  with  white 
spots  used  to  be  entered  in  this  class,  but  of 
recent  years  both  cat  clubs  have  wisely  decided 
that  such  cats  must  be  entered  in  their  own 
classes,  for  a  blue  is  a  blue  and  a  black  a  black, 
and  having  a  blemish  does  not  alter  their 
breed,  but  takes  so  many  points  away  from 
them  ;  and,  of  course,  their  chances  of  success 
even  with  every  other  quality  is  small  indeed 
when  in  competition  with  pure  self-coloured 
cats. 


232 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


A    GROTESQUELY    MARKED    KITTEN. 
(Photo:  E.   Landor,  Baling.) 

I  am  of  opinion  that  ere  long  the  "  any  other 
colour  "  class,  at  least  at  our  principal  shows, 
will  cease  to  exist,  and  mismarked  cats,  white- 
spotted  cats,  and  doubtful  smokes  will  no 
longer  be  considered  worth  entering,  and  fan- 
'ciers  owning  such  specimens  will  make  up  their 
minds  to  keep  their  pets  at  home. 

For  instance,  Mrs.  Boutcher,  a  silver 
breeder,  owned  a  magnificent  cat,  a  son  of 
"  Lord  Argent."  He  was  a  superbly  shaped 
and  grandly  coated  animal,  and  was  neither 
a  silver  nor  a  smoke — in  fact,  what  might  be 
termed  a  silver  smoke.  His  face  was  dark, 
and  tail  and  paws,  and  his  body  was  a  pale 
silver-grey,  shaded  to  almost  white  at  the 
roots.  His  owner  entered  him  in  the  "  any 
other  colour "  class  one  year,  and  he  was 
disqualified  by  the  judge  ;  then  he  was  next 
located  in  the  smoke  class,  but  as  a  different 
judge  was  making  the  awards  he  was  again 
marked  "  wrong  class."  This  noble  "  Lord 
Sylvester  "  was  the  cause  of  much  correspond- 
ence in  the  cat  papers,  and  discussion  ran  high 
as  to  what  manner  of  cat  he  was.  One  of  our 


ablest  judges — now,  alas  !  no  longer  in  our 
midst — wrote  thus  in  Our  Cats  of  December 
1900  :— 

SIR, — In  your  issue  of  the  24th  I  notice  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Silver  Society  Mr.  Boutcher  asked  the 
opinion  re  the  decision  of  myself  at  the  Palace  as 
against  that  of  Mr.  House  at  Brighton.  In  defence 
of  my  own  award,  I  unhesitatingly  say  that,  in 
the  same  classification  as  at  the  Palace,  "  Lord 
Sylvester's"  class  was  the  A.O.C.,  in  which  I 
fearlessly  awarded  him  first  prize.  Of  course,  Mr. 
House  has  just  as  much  right  to  his  opinion  as  I  have 
to  mine  ;  but,  whether  right  or  wrong,  /  do  know 
"  Lord  Sylvester  "  is  not  a  smoke,  both  on  my  own 
knowledge  of  colour  and  of  that  set  forth  in  the 
standards. — I  am,  yours  truly,  E.  WELBURN. 

Surely  this  is  the  common-sense  view  to 
take.  A  year  later  "  Lord  Sylvester "  was 
purchased  by  Mrs.  Champion,  and  travelled 
out  with  her  to  America,  where,  no  doubt,  this 
splendid  animal  receives  all  the  admiration  he 
deserves,  in  whatever  class  he  is  entered  on 
the  other  side  of  the  herring  pond. 

Since  writing  these  lines  I  have  read  an 
article  in  Field  and  Fancy  on  the  New  York 
Cat  Show  of  January,  1903,  and  the  following 
mention  is  made  :  "  In  the  '  any  other  colour ' 
'  Lord  Sylvester '  was  to  the  front,  looking 
splendid." 

As  regards  the  advisability  of  doing  away 
with  the  "  any  other  colour  "  class,  I  will  quote 
from  a  letter  written  by  that  well-known 
fancier  Mr.  W.  R.  Hawkins  : — "  Why  should 
one  class  in  a  show  be  given  up  to  the  bad 
specimens  or  mismarked  cats  of  each  colour  ? 
Surely  the  intended  use  of  the  '  any  other 
colour '  class  was  that  when  any  definite  colour 
had  no  class  of  its  own  it  should  not  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  show,  but  take  refuge  in  the 
'  any  other  colour '  class  ;  for  instance,  at 
the  Brighton  show  (1900)  we  had  no  class  for 
cream,  orange,  or  tortoiseshell.  They  were, 
therefore,  shown  in  the  '  any  other  colour  ' 
class,  and  being  good  cats  of  definite  breeds 
were  a  credit  to  the  class,  and  in  no  way  a  dis- 
grace. But  what  do  we  often  see  ?  A  blue 
with  a  white  spot  or  some  other  freak  winning. 
I  say  this  is  absolutely  wrong,  and  that  a  blue 
with  a  white  spot  is  in  reality  a  bad  blue,  and 


OTHER    COLOUR"    PERSIANS. 


233 


should  not  be  encouraged.  In  the  same  way, 
a  tabby-and-white  is  a  bad  tabby,  and  ought 
not  to  go  to  a  show  at  all,  but  even  if  shown 
has  no  right  in  the  '  any  other  colour  '  class, 
according  to  my  ideas." 

There  is  one  cat  that  is  fast  vanishing  from 
our  midst.  I  mean  the  black  -  and  -  white 
Persian,  and  yet  I  confess  an  evenly  marked 
specimen  is  a  handsome  animal.  By  black  and 
white  I  mean  the  ground  should  be  black, 
dense  and  glossy  ;  the  feet,  chest,  and  nose 
white,  with  a  blaze  of  white  coming  to  a  point 
up  the  centre  of  the  face.  The  eyes  of  such  a 
cat  should  be  orange. 

Another  type  is  the  white-and-black  cat,  but 
unless  the  black  patches  are  evenly  balanced, 
especially  in  the  face,  the  effect  is  not  pleasing 
(see  illustration,  page  232).  Harrison  Weir 
gives  particulars  of  some  curiously  marked 
cats  coming  under  his  notice — "  one  entirely 
white  with  black  ears  ;  another  white  with  a 
black  tail  only  ;  another  had  the  two  front 
feet  black,  all  else  being  white." 

I  cannot  say  I  have  any  leaning  towards 
tabby-and-white  cats,  or  orange-and-white, 
these  being  the  least  attractive  of  any  in  the 
fancy.  Blue-and-whites  are  seldom  seen,  but 
the  photos  on  pp.  234-5  represent  some  sweetly 
pretty  kittens  of  this  variety.  Their  sire  was 
'  Yani,"  a  noted  blue  owned  by  Miss  E.  God- 
dard,  and  their  mother  a  black-and-white.  Blue 
tabbies,  so  common  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago, 
are  no  longer  to  be  seen,  at  least  only  here  and 
there  at  shows,  and  they  have  really  no  value 
beyond  being  pretty  pets.  A  cat  that  has  done 
some  winning  and  has  sired  some  lovely  kittens, 
but  must,  strictly  speaking,  be  considered  an 
"any  other  colour"  cat,  is  "Blue  Robin," 
formerly  the  property  of  Miss  H.  Cochran,  and 
now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  C.  W.  Witt.  This 
is  a  blue  cat  with  a  tabby-marked  head.  He 
was  bred  from  blues  and  silvers,  and  his  chin, 
ear  tufts,  and  eyebrows  are  silver,  and  his 
nose  pink.  As  will  be  seen  from  his  picture, 
on  page  236,  he  has  a  grand  head  and  beautiful 
expression.  I  am  indebted  to  Miss  Hester 
Cochran  for  the  following  notes  on  "  any 
other  coloured  "  cats  : — 


"  The  cats  known  as  '  A.O.C.'s  '  or  '  any 
other  colour,'  because  they  are  of  a  colour 
for  which  no  class  is  provided,  are  hard  to 
write  about,  because  they  have  no  history. 
They  are  not  bred  from  A.O.C.'s,  and  A.O.C.'s 
are  not  bred  from  them.  They  are  either 
pedigreeless  or,  more  commonly,  the  result  of 
indiscreet  crossing  of  two  definite  colours,  as, 
for  example,  when  the  owner  of  a  white  queen 
wishes  to  breed  a  litter  of  blue  kittens.  More 
rarely  they  result  from  a  cross  which'  has  been 
resorte4  to  to  fix  some  special  point,  as  when  a 
white  and  a  blue  with  particularly  massive 
heads  or  wonderful  orange  eyes  have  been 
mated  with  a  view  to  producing  a  strain  noted 
for  their  eyes.  Years  ago  the  classes  were 
interesting,  as  they  introduced  all  new  colours. 
"  I  remember  an  A.O.C.  class  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  not  many  years  ago  containing  seven 
entries,  all  good  smokes  ;  soon  after  smoke 
classes  were  given,  and  then  chinchillas 
began  to  appear  in  this  class.  These  cats 
being  specially  provided  for,  creams  were  the 
most  noticeable  A.O.C.'s  ;  but  now  the  blue 
tabbies  and  broken-coloured  cats — that  is, 

some  colour  and 
white — usually 
occupy  the  A.O.C. 
class.  Notable 
instances  of  cats 


"  LOCKHAVKN    COLBUKN.'1 

A  GOOD  EXAMPLE  OF  PERFECT  BLACK-AND-WHITE  MARKINGS. 
(Photo  :   Koehne  &  Bretsinan,  Chicago.) 


234 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


with  white  spots  were  'Cain,'  'Nankipoo,'  and 
'  Kingfisher,'  all  grand  blues  with  this  blemish. 

"  In  1892  Mrs.  Pattison's  exquisitely  shaped 
and  coated  orange-and-white  '  Chicot '  (pedi- 
greeless),  then  shown  as  tabby  with  or  without 
white,  established  a  record  by  winning  as  best 
in  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace.  Other  tabby  - 
and-white  cats  have  done  well. 
Miss  Malony  used  to  show  some 
good  ones ;  the  best,  '  Lindfield 
Sweet  William,'  was  a  blue  tabby- 
and  -  white,  very  massive  and 
heavily  coated,  son  of  the  smoke 
'  Lindfield  Bogie.'  Mrs.  Pearce, 
of  New  Barnet,  also  used  to  win 
with  tabby-and-white  cats,  and 
Mr.  Law's  '  Buffer '  was  a  cele- 
brity in  his  day,  but  whether 
he  was  a  brown  tabby  or  an 
A.O.C.  is  doubtful ;  he  was  later 
known  as  'Leopold.'  The  Hon. 
Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison  had  a 
really  good  silver  tabby  with 
white  feet  in  '  Kepwick  Silver 
King '  ;  and  later  Miss  Snell's 
grand-headed  'Wonderland' 
made  a  small  sensation. 

"  Another  good  cat  which  won 
in  an  A.O.C.  class  is  Lady  Mait- 
land's  '  Cheeky  Blue,'  a  lovely 
blue  with  a  sprinkling  of  white 
hairs  on  her  body.  Blue  and  smoke  tortoise- 
shells  are  freaks,  and  not  really  exhibition 
cats  at  all,  but  are  by  some  people  considered 
useful  for  breeding.  Personally,  I  do  not 
think  they  are  capable  of  producing  anything 
which  a  definitely  coloured  cat  of  proper 
ancestry  cannot  produce  as  well  or  better. 
When  cream  queens  were  unavailable  they  had 
to  be  used,  but  now  they  are  becoming  un- 
necessary. Perhaps  the  best  is  Miss  W.  Beal's 
'  R.  Fluffie.'  Mrs.  D'Arcy  Hildyard's  '  Sengo 
of  the  Durhams '  was  another.  Miss  Taylor's 
'  Tawney  '  began  life  as  a  blue  with  a  few 
yellow  marks,  and  wound  up  as  a  good  tor- 
toiseshell,  though  a  trifle  too  red.  Mrs. 
Cunliffe  Lee's  'Tiger,'  a  kind  of  yellow-brown, 
more  ticked  than  marked,  and  principally  dis- 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  THE  AIR. 

(Photo  :   E.  Lamior,  Baling.) 


tinguished  by  his  great  coat,  made  his  mark 
in  the  A.O.C.  classes. 

"  Of  blue  tabby  cats  which  have  won  well 
(mostly  bred  from  blues  and  silver  tabbies) 
there  is  a  long  list.  They  became  common 
through  the  craze  for  blues,  as  silver  queens 
were  sent  to  blue  toms.  Later  the  desire  for 
chinchillas  started  them  afresh, 
as  blue  queens  were  sent  to  chin- 
chilla toms. 

"  Mrs.  Herring's  'Braemar'  was 
a  son  of  '  Cceruleus  '  by  '  Turko  ' ; 
'  Upwood  Dew  '  and  '  Camera  ' 
are  from  the  '  Timkins  '  strain  ; 
Miss  Jebb's  '  Julius  Caesar,'  Miss 
Rae's  'Romanoff,' Miss  Nicholay's 
'  Sacho,'  and  Miss  Jay's  '  Holm- 
wood  Skittles '  were  all  celebrated 
cats.  Some  of  these  have  thrown 
beautiful  kittens,  both  blues  and 
chinchillas ;  and  as  a  makeshift, 
when  a  correctly  coloured  cat  of 
the  required  pedigree  is  unavail- 
able, they  may,  when  judiciously 
mated,  be  found  useful ;  but  good 
breeders  will  part  with  all  mis- 
marked  kittens  for  pets.  The 
best  and  most  definitely  coloured 
A.O.C.  I  ever  saw  was  Mrs. 
Davies'  '  Sin  Li,'  a  deep  self- 
coloured  chocolate  -  brown  cat. 
He  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  three  Swiss 
mountain  cats  imported  to  this  country,  and 
he  was  a  most  handsome  and  interesting 
animal.  Unfortunately,  he  died  young,  leaving 
no  progeny.  Another  interesting  A.O.C.  cat 
I  have  seen  was  a  short-haired  neuter,  red, 
with  black  stripes  and  white  paws  and  chest. 
In  the  future  I  hope  to  see  a  variety  of  strange 
cats  in  the  A.O.C.  classes,  but  at  present  they 
are  very  uninteresting.  Good  suggestions  for 
future  colours  are  red,  orange,  blue,  or  white 
with  black  stripes,  chestnut-brown  self- 
coloured,  and  black  with  white  tips  to  the  fur. 
So  far  as  I  can  see,  it  should  be  possible  by 
crossing  with  various  foreign  breeds  to  produce 
in  a  few  years'  time  cats  of  all  these  colours." 
One  of  the  finest  "  any  other  colour  "  cats 


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"ANY    OTHER    COLOUR"    PERSIANS. 


235 


of  the  present  day  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Miss  Moxon,  of  Ilfracombe.  "  Cinder  "  was 
purchased  from  Mrs.  Davies,  who  has  a  rare 
faculty  of  picking  up  uncommon-looking  cats. 
Miss  Moxon  writes  : — "  I  am  sending  you  a 
detailed  description  of  '  Cinder,'  who  is  a 
difficult  cat  to  describe,  and  is  quite  the  hand- 
somest cat  I  have  ever  seen.  By  '  handsome  ' 
I  mean  striking,  as  she  attracts  everyone's 
attention,  and  very  often  visitors  to  our  well- 
filled  cattery  have  not  a  glance  to  spare  for 
our  other  specimens."  The  following  is  the 
•description  of  this  very  uncommon  long-haired 
cat  : — 

"  '  Tors  Side  Cinder,'  winner  of  many  prizes, 
including  second  Brighton  A.O.C.  kitten  class, 
1899  ;  first  A.O.C.  kitten,  medal,  and  two 
specials,  Westminster,  1900  ;  first  and  special 
for  best  cat  in  show,  Maidstone,  etc. 

"  '  Cinder '  was  described  to  me  by  the 
lady  from  whom  I  bought  her  in  1901  as  '  a 
very  peculiar  colour — a  kind  of  tortoiseshell 
creamy  smoke.'  She  has  a  dark  seal-brown 
mask  and  ears,  except  for  one  creamy  orange 
(tortoiseshell)  splash  above  left  eye,  and 
another  under  chin.  These  give  great  expres- 


GRACE     BEFORE     MEAT. 

(Photo  :   E.  Lamtor,  Eating.) 


"  MARCUS     SUPERBUS,"    A    SILVER   SMOKE. 

OWNED  BY  Miss  SHAW. 
(Photo :   Mo/at,   Edinburgh.) 

sion  to  her  face.  Head  exceptionally  fine, 
considerable  breadth  of  skull,  small  tufted 
ears,  short  broad  face,  very  sweet  expression. 
Round  orange  eyes,  for  which  she  has  won 
more  than  one  special.  Fine  outstanding  frill 
of  a  creamy  smoke  colour  ;  fur  on 
chest  very  long  and  feathery,  of  a 
creamy,  bluish  smoke  shade,  with  a 
pale  cream  knot  in  centre.  Seal  spine 
line,  splashed  with  creamy  brown, 
shading  gradually  lighter  to  shoulder 
knots  and  side  puffs,  which  are  of  a 
rather  darker  tint  than  the  frill. 
Paws  and  legs  of  a  dark  seal-brown ; 
waistcoat  and  knickers  of  a  bluish 
cream.  Splendid  thick  brush — upper- 
side  to  match  spine  line,  under-side  of 
a  bluish  cream  shade.  Slightly  bluish 
tint  all  over,  distinct  under-coat  of 
palest  cream  shading  to  soft  creamy 
blue." 

American  fanciers  have  always  shown 
a  partiality  for  broken-coloured  cats, 
and  orange-and-white  and  blue-and- 
white  cats  have  classifications  given 
for  them  at  the  leading  shows.  In 
England  there  is  a  marked  antipathy 


236 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


to  these  cats,  chiefly  because  they  have  little 
or  no  value  for  breeding,  though  they  un- 
doubtedly make  pretty  pets.  As  a  sign  of  the 
times,  I  may  mention  that  at  the  Westminster 
show  in  1903  the  three  "  any  other  colour  " 
classes  for  males,  females,  and  kittens  had 
to  be  cancelled,  no  entries  having  been  made. 


Speculative,  but,  I  must  add,  persevering 
fanciers  might  derive  interest  and  amusement 
from  trying  to  breed  out  -  of  -  the  -  common 
specimens.  A  black-and-white,  spotted  like 
a  Dalmatian  hound,  or  a  cat  marked  with 
zebra  stripes,  could  doubtless  be  produced  in 
time  by  careful  and  judicious  selection. 


"  BLUE     ROBIN." 
(Photo:    Witcomb  &•  Son,  Salisbury.) 


237 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

NEUTER   CATS. 


MISS     KIRKPATKICK  S 

"  CHILI." 
(Photo:     E.  LanJor,  Ealing.) 


T  has  been  my  experience 
in  the  past  year  or  two 
that  the  demand  for 
neuter  cats,  or,  in  other 
words,  household 
pet  pussies,  is  on 
the  increase ;  and 
I  am  inclined  to  be- 
lieve that  if  some 
fanciers  made  a 
speciality  of  these 
cats  they  might  do 
a  thriving  trade. 
As  it  is,  owners  of 
male  kittens  do  not 
care  to  undertake 

the  trouble  and  responsibility  of  having  them 
gelded,  or  doctored,  as  this  process  is  some- 
times called,  and  novices  in  purchasing  are 
always  very  anxious  that  the  operation  should 
have  taken  place  before  they  become  possessed 
of  their  pets.  A  selling  class  for  neuters  at 
our  large  shows  would  not  be  at  all  a  bad  idea, 
but  the  age  should  be  limited  to  eight  months, 
or  at  most  ten  months,  as  it  is  only  natural 
that  purchasers  should  desire  pussies  before 
they  reach  the  prime  of  life,  so  that  they  may 
grow  up  as  pets  in  the  home.  For  reasons 
that  are  easily  understood,  it  is  necessary,  if 
you  wish  to  have  a  house  pet  of  unimpeach- 
able manners,  to  have  your  male  cat  doctored 
when  he  arrives  at  years  of  discretion. 

For  my  own  part  I  consider  between  five 
and  eight  months  the  best  time  for  a  cat  to 
be  gelded,  but  I  have  often  known  successful 
operations  taking  place  much  later.  It  is. 
however,  most  important  that  the  torn  should 
not  previously  have  shown  any  desire  to 
mate.  In  all  cases  a  cat  should  be  kept 
on  low  plain  diet  for  two  or  three  days 
before  being  neutered,  and  it  is  more  humane 


to  pay  the  extra   fee   for  the  use   of   an   an- 
aesthetic. 

I  have  been  told  on  good  authority  that  if 
a  female  cat  is  to  be  made  neuter  she  ought 
to  be  allowed  to  have  one  litter  before  the 
operation  is  performed.  Neuter  cats  are 
essentially  for  the  "  one  cat  "  person.  They 
undoubtedly  make  a  grand  show  when  ex- 
hibited, but  those  who  are  possessed  of 
these  pet  pussies  are  generally  very  dis- 
inclined to  let  them  run  the  risks  and  dis- 
comforts of  a  show  pen.  I  have  advocated 
having  neuters  shown  only  in  the  ring,  on  the 
lead.  If  this  course  were  adopted,  I  think 


"  KING   CY." 

SILVER  NEUTER  BELONGING  TO  Miss  AVERY  JONES. 
(Photo  :   F.  Bromhead,  Ciijton.) 


23S 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


owners  would  not  mind  exhibiting  their 
precious  cats,  as  they  could  be  sent  or  taken 
home  after  their  turn  round.  Certainly  neuters 
are  the  only  cats  that  ought  to  be  led  into  the 
ring,  and  in  this  way  their  fine  proportions 
and  generally  heavy  coats  can  be  seen  and 
judged  to  the  best  advantage.  It  is  too  often 
a  practice  with  fanciers  to  have  the  worst  of 
the  litter  kept  for  a  pet  and  made  neuter,  and 
therefore  we  see  many  blues  with  light  green 
eyes,  and  cats  with  the  blemish  of  a  white 
spot,  in  the  classes  set  apart  for  gelded  cats  ; 
and  if  a  beautiful,  almost  perfect,  neuter  is 
exhibited,  fanciers  are  apt  to  protest  at  what 
they  consider  is  "  a  grave  mistake."  From 
the  lips  of  some  noted  and  over-wrought 
breeders  of  Persian  cats  I  have  heard  the  ex- 
clamation, "  I  shall  go  in  for  neuters  only  !  " 
This  has  been  called  forth,  perhaps,  by  a 
succession  of  failing  litters  or  by  a  rampageous 
stud  cat  that 
has  fought 
with  the 
neighbour's 
torn  or  has 


MISS    CHAMBERLAYNK  S    "  BELVEDERE   TIGER. 
(Photo  :  J.  A  tkins,  Upper  Norwood.) 

wandered  off  on  amorous  thoughts  intent, 
perhaps  never  to  return,  or  on  returning  to 
bring  disease  to  the  cattery.  Certainly,  for 
a  thoroughly  comfortable  domestic  pet  there 
is  nothing  like  a  neuter  cat.  They  are  more 
affectionate,  and  with  children  more  docile,  not 


less  keen  in  catching  rats  and  mice,  and  they 
are  proverbially  very  clean  in  their  habits.  One 
great  advantage  that  neuters  have  over  the 
other  long-haired  breeds  is  that  they  retain 
their  lovely  coats  nearly  all  the  year  round. 
In  spite,  however,  of  the  many  points  in  favour 
of  neuter  cats,  they  are  nevertheless  rather 
looked  down  upon  in  the  fancy.  Certainly,  at 
our  shows  no  cats  are  more  attractive  to  visitors 
than  the  big  burly  neuters,  and  I  would  fain 
see  a  better  classification  for  these  really  fine 
animals. 

A  specialist  society  was  started  in  10,01  by 
an  admirer  of  these  cats,  but  either  through 
lack  of  energy  or  want  of  enthusiasm  the  work 
was  not  carried  on,  and  the  club  died  a  natural 
death.  It  remains  for  some  other  fancier  with 
a  love  for  pet  pussies  to  start  a  society,  for 
as  it  is  the  neuters  fare  badly  at  our  shows, 
the  classes  provided  never  numbering  more 
than  two,  and  the  special  prizes  being  few  and 
far  between.  Formerly  neuters  were  judged 
by  weight,  and  I  remember  some  specimens 
exhibited  at  the  Palace  that  really  looked  like 
pigs  fatted  up  for  market.  It  was  in  1886 
that  the  classification  for  neuters  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  show  ran  thus  :  "  Gelded  cats,  not 
judged  by  weight,  but  for  beauty  of  form, 
markings,  etc."  Happily,  therefore,  this  state 
of  things  has  been  abolished,  and  though 
neuters  should  be  big,  massive  cats,  yet  they 
need  not,  and  should  not,  be  lumps  of  inert 
fat  and  fur.  It  is  true  that  a  big  show  cat 
appeals  to  the  non-exhibitor,  and  visitors  to 
our  shows  are  always  greatly  impressed  with 
huge  animals  over  filling  their  all  too  small 
pens.  The  heaviest  and  biggest  neuter  I  have 
ever  seen  was  possessed  by  Mrs.  Reay  Green. 
This  enormous  silver  turned  the  scale  at  20  Ib. 
I  believe  the  record  weight  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  was  25  Ib.  It  is  a  libel  to  say  that 
neuter  cats  are  lazy  and  uninteresting.  I 
have  always  possessed  a  neuter,  either  a  blue 
or  a  brown  tabby,  and  these  beloved  pets  have 
ably  fulfilled  their  duties  as  mice-catchers  of 
the  establishment.  My  "  Bonnie  Boy,"  who 
but  recently  joined  the  noble  army  of  neuters, 
is  as  keen  as  a  knife,  and  will  sit  for  hours 


NEUTER    CATS. 


239 


watching  a  likely  hole,  and  never  a  mouse 
escapes  his  clever  clutches.  He  kills  them  in- 
stantly, and  then  amuses  himself  for  hours 
dancing  about  and  throwing  his  dead  prey  with 
wild  delight  into  the  air.  Then,  again,  he  is, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  just  as  destructive  with  the 
poor  London  sparrows,  and  many  a  time  I 
have  had  to  chastise  my  pet  for  stalking  the 
game  in  our  little  back  garden. 

Miss  H.  Cochran,  writing  of  neuters,  says  : 
"  There  are,  without  doubt,  a  great  number 
of  people  who  like  to  keep  a  cat,  especially  a 
Persian,  for  a  pet  pure  and  simple — one  that 
will  be  the  admiration  of  all,  and  of  service  in 
ridding  the  house  of  mice  and  rats.  They  will 
attain  a  greater  size,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
retain  all  the  pretty  habits  and  antics  of  their 
kittenhood.  Neuter  cats  are  often  very  trouble- 
some in  a  large  cattery  ;  they  fight  with  each 
other  and  with  the  queens,  which  have  a  poor 
chance  against  their  superior  size.  I  think 
they  do  it  for  fun." 

In  Fur  and  Feather  "Zaida"  thus  writes  of 
neuters  : — 

Undoubtedly  it  is  a  crying  mistake  for  neuter  cats 
to  be  allowed  to  compete  in  open  classes,  but  per- 
sonally I  should  be  delighted  to  see  more  classes  for 
them  at  shows,  and  much  greater  interest  taken  in 
them.  Sometimes  one  is  tempted  to  think  the 
ordinary  run  of  cats  has  deteriorated  in  general 
beauty,  remembering  the  splendid  animals,  both 
English  and  foreign,  which  we  used  to  see  in  friends' 
houses  in  our  childhood  ;  but  the  real  explanation 
lies  in  the  fact  that  formerly  "  house  "  cats  were 
almost  entirely  kept  as  pets,  and  handsome  kittens 
were  obtained  for  the  purpose.  Nowadays  anything 
not  good  enough  for  breeding  from  is  made  a  neuter, 
and  fanciers  undoubtedly  look  on  them  with  a  certain 
contempt.  Why  should  this  be  more  the  case  with 
cats  than  with  horses  ?  For  a  perfect  household  pet 
the  neuter  cat  holds  its  own,  if  only  the  public  would 
universally  acknowledge  it.  But  too  often  every 
purchaser  of  a  kitten  starts  breeding,  and  multiplies 
a  race  of  weedy,  ill-kept  animals,  who  do  little  credit 
to  their  owner.  A  cat  with  kittens  is  undoubtedly  a 
charming  sight  ;  but  a  female  cat  is  more  or  less  of 
a  worry,  and  is,  besides,  only  in  coat  for  a  very  short 
time  each  year.  Then  a  torn  cat  roams,  fights,  and 
is  often  objectionable,  but  the  stay-at-home  cat  is 
always  a  thing  of  beauty,  never  requires  periods  of 
seclusion,  will  mouse  and  rat  with  the  best,  and  be 
a  credit  to  any  establishment.  In  short,  we  should 


like  to  see  more  of  them,  not  fewer,  and  a  neuter 
class  for  every  colour  in  a  show.  In  many  a  house- 
hold cats  are  now  disliked  through  the  ill-advised 
action  of  some  member  of  the  family  in  starting 
breeding  with  more  zeal  than  knowledge,  and  without 
proper  convenience.  If  a  lovely  neuter,  or  even 
two  or  three,  reigned  in  their  glory,  there  would  be 
an  end  to  the  trouble,  to  the  groans  of  the  other 


"  BEXON'I." 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  Miss  COTTOR. 
(Photo:   F.   Wallace,  Dalkeith.) 

members  of  the  family,  to  the  "  wasn't  .engaged  to 
wait  on  cats  "  of  the  servants. 

In  the  schedule  of  the  Beresford  Cat  Club 
show,  held  at  New  York,  January,  1903,  the 
classification  for  gelded  cats  reads  thus  : 
"  Class  25,  neuter,  white  or  black  ;  Class  26, 
neuter,  blue  or  smoke  ;  Class  27,  neuter,  '  any 
other  colour  '  ;  Class  28,  neuter,  any  colour 
tabby  with  white."  It  will  be  seen,  therefore, 
that  in  America  a  much  more  liberal  classi- 
fication is  given  for  long-haired  neuters,  and 
for  short-haired  there  are  three  classes  pro- 
vided. I  do  not  know,  nor  have  I  heard  of, 


240 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


any  remarkable  American  neuters,  and  no 
photographs  have  been  received  by  me  for 
reproduction  in  this  work. 

If  we  go  back  some  years  in  the  fancy,  I 
remember  Miss  Sangster's  "  Royal  Hector,"  a 


twenty-eight  first  prizes  and  many  specials, 
and  his  championship  before  he  was  a  year  old. 
I  had  an  offer  of  £20  for  him.  The  greatest 
honour  '  Blue  Boy '  received  was  a  caress  from 
her  Majesty,  then  Princess  of  Wales. 


MISS    ADAMSON  S    CHINCHILLA   NEUTER. 


blue  of  great  celebrity  ;  also  same  owner's 
"  Royal  Bogey,"  a  handsome  black  with  a 
white  star.  Miss  Boddington's  cobby,  woolly- 
coated  white  "  Ba  Ba "  appeared  later  in 
exquisite  form,  winning  well  till  he  was  eleven 
years  old.  At  this  same  period  Mrs.  Herring's 
little  smoke  "  Ally  Sloper"  and  Miss  Molony's 
big,  heavily  coated  black  "  Uncle  Quiz  "  were 
noted  winners. 

Then  we  come  to  Mrs.  Willman's  "  Charlie," 
a  fine  blue  of  "  Beauty  Boy  "  strain,  and  Miss 
Knight's  "  Albion  Joey,"  one  of  the  finest 
neuters  ever  exhibited,  a  huge  smoke  with  the 
roundest  of  heads,  a  trifle  marked  and  not 
good  in  eye,  but  a  glorious  animal. 

A  little  later  came  Madame  Portier's  "  Blue 
Boy,"  and,  as  I  have  received  some  notes  from 
the  owner  of  this  magnificent  cat,  I  will  give 
them  : — "  I  am  very  proud  of  my  '  Blue  Boy,' 
born  on  St.  Patrick's  Day,  1895.  He  has  won 


"  I  often  take  my  pet  out  for  a  walk  on  a 
collar,  and  he  is  quite  easily  led,  and  people 
often  stop  and  ask  if  it  is  really  a  cat.  I  send 
you  his  photo  for  reproduction  in  '  The  Book  of 
the  Cat.'  "  One  of  "  Blue  Boy's  "  wins  was 
at  the  Richmond  show,  1902,  where  he  was 
greatly  admired  for  the  dignified  way  in 
which  he  comported  himself  on  a  lead.  In 
these  up-to-date  days,  however,  "  Blue  Boy  " 
has  to  run  the  gauntlet  with  superior  coloured 
eyes,  but  in  shape,  size,  and  coat  he  holds  his 
own.  Miss  Kirkpatrick's  "  Chili,"  now  no 
more,  was  a  beautiful  creature — a  silver}7 
smoke,  almost  a  smoke  tabby,  with  a  wonder- 
ful fleecy  coat  and  grand  frill.  Mrs.  Reay 
Green  has  always  been  the  proud  possessor  of 
superb  neuters — "  Mosca,"  a  blue  ;  "  Abdul 
Zephir,"  a  chinchilla  ;  and  later  "  Ajax," 
who  has  done  some  winning.  Viscountess 
Esher  also  has  quite  a  cattery  of  neuters.  I 


XEL'TER    CATS. 


241 


procured  for  her  a  sable,  almost  unmarked  and 
very  rich  in  colour,  a  white  with  limpid  sea- 
green  eyes,  and  a  Siamese  with  perfect  points. 
Miss  Cochran's  "  Patpaw  "  (now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Viscountess  Esher),  a  son  of  the  cele- 
brated tortoiseshell  "  Tawney,"  is  rather  small 
for  a  neuter,  but  full  of  quality,  with  wonderful 
orange  eyes.  "  Persimmon  Laddie,"  owned  by 
Miss  Whitney,  is,  perhaps,  the  most  perfect 
specimen  that  has  been  seen  in  the  pen  of  the 
neuter  classes.  He  is  not  a  brown  and  not  a 
tabby,  but  a  sable  ;  and,  having  the  blood  of 
the  "  Birkdale  Ruffies  "  and  "  Champion  Per- 
simmon "  in  his  veins,  it  is  no  wonder  he 
carries  all  before  him.  No  photograph  can 
do  him  justice. 

Mrs.  Boyce's  "  Fur  "  could  beat  any  male 
chinchilla  now  on  the  show  bench  ;  for  in 
colour,  shape,  and  head  he  is  well-nigh  per- 
fect. Mrs.  Millar's  "  Lord  Bute "  is  a 
monstrous  black,  and  in  spite  of  his  green 
eyes  is  generally  in  the  prize  list  ;  but  in 


honours,  and  Miss  Chamberlayne's  "  Tiger  "  is 
a  handsomely  marked  brown  tabby.  Miss 
Meeson's  "  Fluff  Duvals,"  another  brownie, 
won  first  at  the  Crystal  Palace  and  Brighton, 
and  after  a  second  at  Westminster  came  home 
to  die  !  Miss  Averay  Jones  has  a  splendid 
chinchilla  neuter  "  King  Cy,"  a  possession  too 
precious  to  be  risked  at  any  exhibition. 

So  much  for  the  long-haired  pet  pussies,  and 
we  will  take  a  glance  at  past  and  present  short- 
haired  neuters.  A  lovely  coated  cat  was 
"  Tiger  of-K-epwick,"  owned  by  Mrs.  MacLaren 
Morrison,  a  brown  tabby,  as  his  name  denotes. 
Then  Mrs.  Butler's  orange,  which  for  many 
years  won  at  the  Crystal  Palace  and  Brighton. 
Mr.  Lane  had  a  good  yellow-eyed  white, 
"  Leonidas."  Mrs.  Herring  owned  a  well- 
marked  brown  tabby  in  "  Sir  Peter  Teazle." 
Of  late  years  the  most  remarkable  short-haired 
neuters  have  been  Miss  Cartwright's  really 
lovely  Siamese  "  Chote "  and  Lady  Alex- 
ander's blues,  "  Brother  Gamp  "  and  "  Tom 


"  NIGEL   THE   RAVEN." 

MRS.  MELLER'S  SHORT-HAIRED  BLACK  NEUTER. 

Mrs.     Curtis's      "  Baron    Bonelli "     he     met  Gamp,"   who    are    rarely,   if    ever,    defeated, 

more  than  his  match  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in  A    richly    coloured     orange     tabby     neuter, 

1902.     This   black   cat    (a   son   of    "  Johnnie  "  Red"  Eagle,"  also  hailed  from  the  same  cat- 

Fawe  ")  has  all  the  good  points  of  "  Patpaw,"  tery. 

including  his  gorgeous  eyes,  and  he  is  very  large.          In  judging  neuters,   I  think  it  is  rather  a 

Miss   Holmes'    "  Blue   Tut  "    has   won   many  mistake  to  go  too  much  by  points.     I  consider 
16 


242 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


size  should  be  a  most  important  factor,  also 
coat  and  general  effect.  Of  course,  in  close 
competition  points  would  come  into  question  ; 
but  I  really  think  that  a  large,  heavily 
coated  neuter,  whose  colour  was  a  trifle  un- 
sound, or  whose  markings  or  eyes  were  below 
par.  should  not  be  placed  below  a  small  mean- 
looking  cat  who,  however,  excelled  in  these 
points. 

Louis  Wain,  writing  on  a  general  survey  of 
the  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1900,  referring  to 
the  neuter  class  that  he  judged,  says  :— 
"Neuters  have  suffered  somewhat  through 
the  extended  schedule  of  the  '  whole  '  cats. 
At  one  time  it  was  quite  a  usual  thing  for 
exhibitors  to  have  their'  cats  neutered  to  pre- 
serve the  natural  beauties  of  a  fine  cat,  and 
very  often  a  really  handsome  cat  was  neutered 


because  he  stood  no  chance  in  a  class  of  twenty 
or  thirty  cats,  and  yet  would  take  first  as  a 
neuter  in  a  class  of  six  or  eight.  The  neuter 
classes  have  not  grown  as  have  the  other  class*  -. 
As  '  home  '  cats  neuters  should  be  encouraged, 
and  I  feel  sure  that  many  are  kept  at  home 
in  fear  of  the  dreaded  '  blues,'  which  are 
usually  unbeatable."  Mr.  Wain  also  com- 
plains of  the  poor  classification  for  neuters  at 
our  shows,  and  on  this  particular  occasion  he 
states  that  the  cats  were  such  extremely  fine 
animals  that  they  needed  classes  of  their  own 
for  him  to  do  justice  to  their  merits.  Cer- 
tainly there  ought  at  least  to  be  three  classes 
provided  for  neuters  at  our  large  shows,  viz.  : 
Neuters,  self-coloured  (blue,  black,  and  white)  ; 
neuters,  tabby,  "  any  colour "  ;  and  neuters, 
"  any  other  colour." 


MADAME    POKTIKKS   NEUTER    "BLUE    BOY. 

(I'lioto :  Hana,  London.) 


RASCALS. 

(/•>o;;i  «  Pointing  by  Madame  Henriette  Ronncr.) 


244 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

MANX   CATS. 


THESE  quaint  cats  are  rapidly  and  surely 
coming  into  notice  in  the  fancy.  As  a 
breed  they  are  intelligent  and  affection- 
ate, and,  I  believe,  splendid  sporting  cats. 
They  are  undoubtedly  great  favourites  amongst 
the  sterner  sex,  perhaps  because  they  are  such 
keen  and  plucky  ratters.  As  a  breeder  of 
Persian  cats,  and  having  become  used  to  the 
beautiful  wide-spreading  tails  of  these  cats,  I 
confess  there  is  something  grotesque  and  un- 
finished, to  my  eyes,  in  the  Manx,  and  from 
choice  I  should  not  care  to  keep  these  tail- 
less pussies  as  pets.  They  do  not  appeal  to 
me  and  to  my  sense  of  the  beautiful.  Having, 
therefore,  never  kept  or  bred  Manx  cats,  I  feel 
diffident  in  writing  about  them  ;  but  I  have 
carefully  studied  those  exhibited,  and  have 
also  had  opportunities  of  judging  of  their 
points  whilst  visiting  friends  who  have  fallen 
victims  to  the  fascinations  of  these  curious 
felines.  I  know  a  good  Manx  when  I  see  one, 


TYPE   OF    MANX    KITTEN. 
(Photo:    Russell  &•  Sons,    Windsor.) 


and  to  prove  this  assertion  I  will  tell  an  inci- 
dent in  connection  with  a  prize-winning  Manx 
of  to-day.  A  friend  of  mine  living  in  London 
took  compassion  on  a  little  stray  black  kitten 
who  came  crying  for  food.  She  fed  him,  and 
repeatedly  tried  to  find  poor  pussy's  owner, 
but  in  vain.  I  was  appealed  to  to  know  what 
had  better  be  done,  and  when  I  saw  the  little 
black  fellow  I  strongly  recommended  my 
friend  to  keep  it  and  exhibit  it  at  the  next 
large  show,  as  I  considered  he  would  go  in  and 
win  easily.  She  followed  my  advice  in  the 
latter  respect,  but  placed  too  low  a  figure  on 
"  Nig,"  as  she  declared  sne  did  not  wish  to  go 
in  for  Manx.  I  warned  her  he  would  be  sold, 
and  sure  enough  that  clever  and  astute  judge 
of  cats  of  uncommon  breeds,  Mrs.  H.  C. 
Brooke,  snapped  him  up  at  catalogue  price  ; 
and  since  then  he  has  blossomed  forth  into  a 
champion,  and  as  "  King  Clinkie  "  has  taken 
highest  honours  whenever  shown.  It  is  only 
just  to  state  that  Mrs.  Brooke  most  generously 
handed  over  some  of  her  winnings  to  "  King 
Clinkie's  "  former  owner. 

I  will  therefore  proceed  to  give  my  opinion 
of  Manx  cats,  but  with  all  due  deference  to 
my  fellow  fanciers  who  have  had  personal 
experience  with  the  breed.  I  think  I  have 
judged  every  species  of  cat,  long-  and  short- 
haired,  except  Manx  ;  but  if  I  were  given  a 
class  of  this  breed  upon  which  to  adjudicate,  I 
should  first  closely  examine  their  tails,  or,  to 
be  more  correct,  the  place  where  the  tails 
ought  not  to  be  !  I  remember  in  former  times 
stump-tailed  cats,  called  Manx,  used  to  win 
comfortably  at  shows,  but  in  our  up-to-date 
times  I  should  make  a  black  mark  in  my 
judging  book  against  those  cats  with  a  stump 
or  an  appendage,  or  even  a  mere  excrescence. 
I  do  not  fear  contradiction  when  I  state  that 


MAXX    CATS. 


245 


a  Manx  cat  of  the  true  type  should  have  no 
particle  of  tail— only  a  tuft  of  hair,  which 
ought  to  be  boneless. 

The  next  point  for  which  I  should  search 
would  be  the  length  of  hind  quarters,  which 
lends  such  great  individuality  to  this  breed 
of  cat.  Xo  doubt  the  lack  of  tail  in  itself 
makes  a  cat's  hind  legs  look  long,  but  we 
want  more  than  that ;  we  need  a  very  short 
back,  so  that  from  the  point  of  the  quarters 
to  the  hocks  there  is  a  continuous  and  de- 
cided outward  slope.  In  fact,  the  hind  legs 
stand  right  back  from  the  body,  like  a  well- 
trained  hackney's  in  the  show  ring.  Coat  I 
should  next  consider,  as  this  differs,  or  should 
differ,  considerably  from  both  the  long-  and 
short-haired  breeds.  It  should  bear  more  re- 
semblance to  the  fur  of  a  rabbit,  being  longer 
and  softer  than  that  of  our  common  or  garden 
cats.  I  think  a  good-shaped  round  head  as 
desirable  in  a  Manx  as  in  other  breeds.  As 
regards  colour,  the  most  common  would  seem 
to  be  tabbies,  either  silver,  brown,  or  orange, 
and  often  there  is  a  mixture  of  white.  Self- 
coloured  Manx  seem  to  be  much  rarer,  and 
Harrison  Weir  tells  us  he  does  not  recollect 
having  seen  a  white  Manx. 

As  regards  the  colour  of  eyes  in  Manx  cats, 
it  is  the  custom  to  say  that  they  do  not  matter 
in  this  breed  ;  but,  nevertheless,  a  cat  that 
has  the  correct  colour  of  eye  must  necessarily 
beat  an  animal  that  has  just  the  opposite  to 
what  is  set  forth  in  the  standard  for  short- 
haired  English  cats. 

A  lady  friend  of  mine,  who  was  brought  up 
in  the  Isle  of  Man,  has  told  me  that  she  always 
understood  that  Manx  cats  came  from  a  cross 
with  a  rabbit,  but  if  this  supposition  is  correct 
it  seems  too  strange  to  be  true  that  cats  and 
rabbits  should  only  form  matrimonial  alliances 
in  the  little  island  off  our  coast  !  It  would 
appear  more  probable,  therefore,  that  a  foreign 
breed  of  cat  was  brought  to  the  island,  and  the 
following  article  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Gambier 
Bolton  gives  his  ideas  on  the  subject  : — 

"  In  the  Isle  of  Man  to-day  we  find  a  rock 
named  the  Spanish  Rock,  which  stands  close 
into  the  shore,  and  tradition  states  that  here 
16* 


"  GOLFSTICKS. 

OWNED  BY  Miss  SAMUELS. 

(Photo:  Albert  Hester,  Clapton,  N.E.) 

one  of  the  vessels  of  the  Spanish  Armada  went 
down  in  the  memorable  year  1558,  and  that 
among  the  rescued  were  some  tailless  cats 
which  had  been  procured  during  one  of  the 
vessel's  voyages  to  the  Far  East.  The  cats 
first  swam  to  the  rock,  and  then  made  their 
way  to  the  shore  at  low  tide ;  and  from  these 
have  sprung  all  the  so-called  Manx  cats  which 
are  now  to  be  found  in  many  parts  of  Great 
Britain,  Europe,  and  America. 

"  The  tale  seems  a  bit  '  tall,'  and  yet  the 
writer  feels  so  satisfied  of  its  truth  that  he 
would  welcome  any  change  in  the  name  of 
this  peculiar  variety  of  the  domestic  cat  to 
sweep  away  the  idea  that  they  sprang  from 
the  Isle  of  Man  originally. 

"  Any  traveller  in  the  Far  East — Japan, 
China,  Siam,  and  the  Malay  region — who  is  a 
lover  of  animals  must  have  noticed  how  rarely 
one  meets  with  a  really  long-tailed  cat  in  these 
regions,  for  instead  one  meets  with  the  kink- 
tailed  (i.e.  those  with  a  bend  or  screw  at  the 
tip  of  the  tail),  the  short  kink-tailed  (i.e.  those 
with  a  screw  tail  like  the  bull-dogs),  the  forked- 
tailed  (i.e.  those  having  tails  which  start  quite 
straight,  but  near  the  tip  branch  out  into  two 
forks),  and  finally  the  tailless  (or  miscalled 
Manx)  cats ;  and  the  naturalist  Kgempfer  states 


246 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


definitely  that  the  specimens  of  this  breed 
now  so  common  in  parts  of  Russia  all  came 
originally  from  Japan.  Again,  anyone  who 
breeds  these  tailless  cats,  and  keeps  the  breed 
quite  pure,  must  have  noticed  how  they  differ 
in  appearance  and  habits  from  the  common 
short-haired  cats.  They  are,  and  should  be, 
much  smaller  in  size  ;  the  coat  should  be 
longer  and  more  '  rabbity  '  ;  the  '  call '  is  much 
nearer  that  of  the  jungle  cat  of  the  East  than 


"  Kink-tailed,  screw-tailed,  fork-tailed,  and 
absolutely  tailless  cats  have  all  been  exhibited 
at  British  shows  of  recent  years,  and  the  writer, 
from  a  personal  knowledge  of  nearly  all  breeds, 
has  no  hesitation  in  recommending  the  latter 
as  companions,  their  quaint  and  doglike  ways 
making  them  general  favourites  whenever  they 
are  met  with. 

"  There  are  at  present  six  distinct  types  of 
Manx,  or  '  rumpy,'  cats  being  exhibited  at  our 


SPECIMEN    OF    A    MANX    TABBY. 

(Photo:   C.  Reid,  Wishaw.) 


that  of  the  ordinary  cat  ;  and  their  habits,  like 
those  of  the  Siamese  cats,  are  much  more  dog- 
like.  In  all  these  points  they  keep  closely 
to  what  the  writer  firmly  believes  to  be  their 
original  type,  the  domesticated  cats  of  the  Far 
East. 

"  The  photographs  illustrating  this  article 
give  some  idea  of  the  general  appearance  of 
these  delightfully  quaint  little  creatures,  and 
one  notices  immediately  the  great  point  that 
all  judges  look  for,  viz.,  the  high  hind  quarters, 
which  is  so  typical  of  the  tailless  breed  of 
cats,  the  few  hairs,  which  represent  the  spot 
where  the  tail  should  be,  constantly  appearing 
even  a  few  hours  after  birth,  although  there  is 
not  a  sign  of  a  caudal  appendage  beneath  them. 


shows,  viz.  :  The  long  straight-backed  cat,  the 
long  roach-backed  cat,  the  long  straight- 
backed  cat  with  high  hind  quarters,  the  short 
straight-backed  cat,  the  short  roach-backed 
cat,  the  short-backed  cat  with  high  hind 
quarters.  The  last  type  is  the  correct  one,  the 
first  is  the  worst  and  commonest  type,  the 
others  are  intermediate  and  should  be  judged 
accordingly. 

"  Manx  cats  should  always  be  judged  in  a 
good,  large,  empty  pen,  and  never  in  their  own 
pens,  or  when  held  by  the  judge. 

"  Coat. — Exactly  the  opposite  to  the  ordinary 
domesticated  short-haired  cat.  A  long  and 
open  outer  coat  and  a  soft,  close  under  coat 
is  the  correct  thing." 


MA XX    CATS. 


247 


At  one  time,  we  may  presume,  the  Manx 
cat  was  kept  pure  in  the  Isle  of  Man  ;  but, 
alas  !  the  natives,  with  an  eye  to  the  main 
chance,  have  been  led  into  manufacturing  a 
spurious  article,  and  many  more  tailless  cats 
and  kittens  than  ever  were  born  have  been 
sold  to  tourists  eager  to  carry  home  some 
souvenir  of  the  island  to  their  friends  on  the 
mainland.  I  have  been  told  that  the  landing 
pier  is  a  frequent  resort  of  dealers  in  so-called 
Manx  cats,  where  the  unwary  traveller  is  way- 
laid and  sold  !  On  some  out-of-the-way  farms 
on  the  island  I  believe  none  but  tailless  cats 
have  been  kept  for  generations,  and  some 
genuine  specimens  may  thus  be  picked  up,  if 
the  tourist  gives  himself  the  trouble  to  go  off 
the  beaten  tracks. 

The  following  letters  which  appeared  in  Our 
Cats,  in  the  issue  of  June  3Oth,  1900,  will  be 
read  with  interest.  They  were  written  by  two 
gentlemen  of  prominent  position  in  the  Isle 
of  Man,  but  as  they  did  not  wish  to  be  identi- 
fied as  authorities  on  cats  their  names  were 
not  given  :  — 

[LETTER  I.] 

Castletown,  Isle  of  Man, 

1 2th  July,  1898. 

I  received  yesterday  your  letter  respecting  Manx 
cats.  I  fear  I  am  unable  to  aid  you  much  in  your 
inquiries  as  to  the  Manx  cat,  for  any  personal  in- 
formation I  can  give. 

When  I  was  a  boy  there  was  a  kind  of  tradition 
that  the  tailless  cat  was  brought  here  by  the  Spanish 
Armada.  We  have  a  headland  called  "  Spanish 
Head,"  where  it  has  been  believed  that  some  tailless 
cats  escaped  and  took  refuge  here,  and  that  from 
such  cats  all  the  so-called  Manx  cats  have  been 
derived.  During  my  life  I  have  frequently  met 
persons  who  have  travelled  in  Spain,  and  I  think  I 
have  always  asked  from  such  persons  if  they  had 
ever  met  with  tailless  cats  there,  but  I  never  met 
anyone  who  had  seen  them.  I  never  heard  any  other 
(traditional)  origin  of  the  Manx  cat  alleged.  They 
are  very  common  here,  but  not  so  common  as  cats 
with  tails.  Both  cats  with  and  cats  without  tails 
associate  together.  In  my  own  house  we  have  always 
kept  cats,  and  in  almost  every  litter  of  kittens  there 
are  some  with  and  some  without  tails.  I  have  two 
tailless  cats  now — one  is  a  kitten  of  a  few  weeks  old. 
It  has  no  sign  of  a  tail,  but  is  (as  designated  here)  a 
pure  rumpy.  The  mother  is  one  also,  but  she  has 
a  little  fur  tuft.  I  have  frequently  seen  kittens 


having  a  very  small  "  rudimentary  tail,"  such  as  one 
or  two  bones. 

I  have  seen,  I  think,  Manx  cats  of  most  of  the 
colours  mentioned  by  you,  but  the  most  common  are 
the  grey  or  tabby. 

I  have  never  heard  of  wild  cats  found  here,  and  I 
do  not  think  there  is  any  tradition  about  them. 

A  few  years  ago  I  had  a  very  fine  torn  cat  (bred  in 
my  own  house),  black  all  over,  and  with  no  sign  of 
a  tail.  I  lost  it.  I  presume  it  was  stolen  by  some 
tripper.  Trippers  are  frequently  on  the  look-out  for 
Manx  cats,  and  I  fear  that  many  tailed  kittens  are 
deprived^of  their  tails  to  meet  the  demand. 


[LETTER  II.] 

Ramsey, 

i /th  July,  1898. 

Thank  you  for  letting  me  see  the  interesting 
letters  about  Manx  cats.  I  suppose  the  Society 
wants  to  have  a  standard  by  which  to  judge  them. 
.  .  .  I  am  sure  we  should  all  be  interested  to  hear 
what  they  have  to  say  on  the  subject,  and  we  may 
be  able  to  add  some  general  information. 

To  take  the  questions  in  order  I  should  say  that 
grey  tabby  (barred,  not  spotted)  is  the  most  natural 
and  correct,  if  one  may  so  speak.  I  think  it  is  cer- 
tainly most  common.  I  have  known  tortoiseshell, 
black-and-white,  black,  white,  and  perhaps  others, 
which  I  now  forget.  The  eye,  so  far  as  I  know,  is 
the  same  as  in  the  common  English  tabby. 

Certainly  we  have  cats  with  tails — the  rumpy  being 
the  rare  form.  Perhaps  one  in  a  litter,  and  one  or  two 
of  them  with  half-tails. 

As  to  what  they  are  supposed  to  be,  I  have  of 
course  heard  the  Spanish  Armada  story.  My  own 
belief  is  that  they  have  originated  in  a  sport,  e.g.  as 
we  find  in  dogs  and  fowls,  and  have  been  perpetuated 
as  curiosities,  and  in  modern  times  on  account  of 
their  commercial  value. 

I  do  not  know  that  there  is  any  type  which  can  be 
said  to  be  more  true  than  another  with  regard  to  size 
and  shape  of  head,  etc.  The  height  at  the  hind  legs 
is  perhaps  more  apparent  than  real,  caused  by  the 
abrupt  ending,  without  the  falling  tail  as  in  ordinary 
cats. 

Professor  Owen  made  a  preparation,  which  may  be 
seen  at  the  British  Museum,  showing  the  bones  (if  any) 
of  the  tail.  I  think  in  a  perfect  specimen  there 
should  be  no  bones.  Of  course,  there  are  all  degress 
of  stumps. 

It  is  only  of  recent  years  that  any  English 
fanciers  have  tried  to  breed  true  Manx 
cats.  Miss  Samuel  has  been  very  success- 
ful in  establishing  a  strain  which  again 
and  again  breeds  true  to  type.  The  "  Golf- 


248 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


sticks  "  and  "  Kangaroo,"  two  noted  winners, 
are  owned  by  her.  In  former  days  Miss 
Bugden's  "  Gorrie,"  Mr.  Woodiwiss's  "  Manx 
King,"  "Pickles,"  "Belle,"  and  "Beauty," 
all  good  cats,  accounted  for  most  of  the  prizes. 
Miss  Jay,  whose  name  is  more  familiarly  known 
in  connection  with  blue  Persians,  has  always 
been  partial  to  Manx  cats,  and  used  to  exhibit 
at  the  Crystal  Palace.  The  last  time  I  visited 
the  Holmwood  cattery  I  was  much  struck  with 
the  number  of  tortoiseshell  Manx  cats  running 
about  the  stable  yard.  Miss  Jay  has  quite  a 
family  of  these  ;  but,  needless  to  say,  they 
are  all  of  the  female  sex  !  Mrs.  Herring  has 
not  been  unmindful  of  this  breed,  and  has 
exhibited  some  good 
specimens.  Miss 
Dresser  has  owned 
Manx  cats  for  many 
years  and  shown 
some  good  ones. 
Her  "Belle  Mahone" 
and  "  Moonlight  " 
were  nice  tabbies, 
free  from  tail,  and 
"  Bonhaki  Junior" 
was  a  very  fine- 
shaped  silver  tabby- 
and-white ;  but,  un- 
fortunately, he  had 
a  stump  which  al- 
ways kept  him  back. 
Mrs.  Mosely  has  ex- 
hibited some  good 
blacks.  Lady  Alex- 
ander owned  several 
prize-winning  Manx, 
but  these  have 
passed  into  the 
hands  of  Miss  Hester 
Cochran.  The  best  of 
these  are  "  Balloch- 
myle  Bell  Stump," 

a  curiously  spotted  tabby,  absolutely  tailless. 
"  Bell  Spitz  "  and  "  Strathcona  "  are  also 
good  specimens  in  Miss  Cochran's  possession. 
Mr.  Gambier  Bolton  owned  and  bred  some 
fine  cats.  "  Manx  Primrose,"  a  black,  and 


ORANGE 
OWNED   BY  MRS. 
(rlwto  :   S.  S.  F 


"  D-Tail,"  a  silver  tabby,  won  respectively 
first  and  second  at  the  Westminster  show  in 
1902.  It  is  so  usual  to  see  "  Breeder  and  pedi- 
gree unknown  "  after  almost  all  the  entries  in 
the  Manx  classes  that  these  two  cats  were  dis- 
tinguished by  having  a  certified  pedigree.  It 
was  a  grievous  loss  when  "  D-Tail  "  disappeared 
very  mysteriously  from  his  home  in  St.  John's 
Wood.  "  Manx  Silverwing  "  passed  from  Mr. 
Bolton's  possession  to  that  of  Mr.  Foulstonc's, 
and  was  later  purchased  by  Mr.  A.  Ward,  the 
well-known  cat  specialist.  As  will  be  seen 
from  the  illustration  on  page  251,  this  puss  is 
almost  a  spotted  tabby. 

Lady  Marcus  Beresford  has  lately  shown  a 

great  partiality  for 
Manx.  I  think  I  am 
right  in  stating  that 
the  first  one  that  in- 
habited the  Bishops- 
gate  a>tlery  was  a 
beautiful  white  called 
"Mona,';  that  I 
procured  lor  her. 
This  fine  specimen 
was  brought  from 
the  island  direct, 
and  proved  herself 
a  splendid  ratter  ; 
but,  alas  !  she  did 
not  live  long  to  en- 
joy the  luxuries  of 
her  new  home. 
There  are,  however, 
no  fewer  than  five 
Manx  now  at 
Bishopsgat  c — 
"Jack,"  a  silver 
tabby;  "Patch,"  a 
tortoiseshell; 
"Satanella."  a 
black  female  ;  and 
"  Stumps,"  a  brown 
tabby  male.  The  most  recent  addition  is 
"  King  Clinkie,"  whom  I  Inve  before  men- 
tioned as  being  owned  by  Mrs.  H.  C.  Brooke. 
Does  he  ever  think  of  his  former  struggling 
existence,  now  that  his  ways  are  those  of 


MANX. 

CLINTON   LOCKE. 
inley,  Chicago.) 


MANX    CATS. 


249 


pleasantness  and  peace  ?  One  of  the  latesc 
of  the  specialist  clubs  is  the  Manx  Club, 
formed  by  Miss  _^  Hester  Cochran  in  1901, 
with  an  annual  subscription  of  IDS.  ;  this- 
has  been  reduced  to  55.,  and  the  members 
in  the  beginning  of  1903  numbered  about 
twenty.  The  club  has,  as  far  as  possible, 
devoted  its  limited  funds  to  guaranteeing  a 


THE  PROGENY' OF  A  TAILLESS  CAT  OF  THE  ISLE  OF  MAN. 

A  cat  brought  from  the  Isle  of  Man  (felis  catus 
anura)  to  S.  Germain  en  Lave,  of  which  the  pedigree 
is  unknown,  was  mated  with  ordinary  long-tailed 
cats,  and  among  twenty-four  kittens  the  four  fol- 
lowing different  kinds  appeared  : — 

I. — Kittens  with  ordinary  long  tails. 
II. — Kittens  with  short  and  stump  tails. 
III. — Kittens  without  tails,  like  the  mother. 
IV. — Kittens  without  the  least  sign  of  a  tail. 


MRS.  H.  c.  BROOKE'S  MANX,  "KATZEXJA.MMKK.'' 

(Photo:   A.  R.  Picket!,  Be.rley  Heath.) 


better  classification  for  Manx  cats  at  the  prin- 
cipal shows,  and  when  unable  to  afford  a 
guarantee  has  given  special  prizes  for  competi- 
tion. The  efforts  of  this  small  body  of  fanciers 
have  been  substantially  rewarded  by  the  great 
improvement  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
the  Manx  cats  exhibited  during  the  last 
eighteen  months.  Miss  H.  Cochran,  who  has 
given  up  all  other  cats  for  Manx,  is  the  hon. 
secretary,  and  Lady  Alexander  hon.  treasurer. 
Committee  :  Lady  Alexander,  Miss  H.  Cochran, 
Mrs.  Herring,  and  Miss  White  Atkins.  No 
doubt  in  time  the  officials  and  members  ot 
the  Manx  Club  will  be  able  to  acid  to  their 
number. 

The  following  is  translated  from  a  para- 
graph in  a  German  weekly  paper  called  Mutter 
Erde,  and  appeared  in  Our  Cats  of  March 
ist.  1900  : — 


The  comparison  between  the  influence  of  the  sire 
and  that  of  the  dam  on  the  young  is  interesting  : — 


1  litter.     I  kitten  like  the  mother. 

2  6  kittens,  5  like  the  mother,  I  like  the  father. 

5      „        3    ..  -        2    "  » 

3  „        i    „  ,,2    „ 

4  „        i   „  ,.3    „ 


It  will  be  seen  that  the  influence  of  the  mother 
predominates. 

Manx  cats  may  be  considered  shy  breeders, 
and  constantly  the  litter  will  consist  of  one 
kitten  only  !  I  have  been  told  that  they  are 
excellent  mothers  ;  but,  in  the  words  of  a 
Manx  fancier,  "  they  only  care  to  have  one 
family  a  year,  many  queens  won't  breed  at 
all,  and  heaps  of  males  are  very  funny  and 
take  no  notice  of  their  wives  !  "  Another 
breeder  of  Manx  informs  me  that  these  cats 
seem  entirely  fearless  with  dogs,  and  that  her 


250 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


canines  arid  felines  live  together  in  perfect 
amity.  I  believe  Mr.  H.  C.  Brooke  once  ex- 
hibited a  Manx  in  the  same  pen  as  a  bull-dog 
at  the  South  London  Bull-dog  Show  of  1893. 
And  now,  having  mentioned  Mr.  Brooke's 
name,  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  this  well- 


BALLOCHMVLE      BELL      SPITZ. 

OWNED  nv  Miss  HESTER  COCHRAN. 

known  and  successful  fancier  of  Manx,  as  well 
as  foreign,  cats  has  kindly  written  an  article 
on  this  variety,  which  is  his  pet  speciality : — 

"  On  this  breed  I  think  I  may  claim  to  write 
with  some  authority,  as  I  have  kept  it  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  it  has  always  been  my 
favourite  breed  of  cat.  I  believe  I  may,  with- 
out boasting,  say  that  I  have  of  late  years  been 
of  some  service  to  the  breed,  by  constantly 
agitating  for  the  Manx  classes  to  be  entrusted 
to  judges  who  take  some  interest  in  the  variety  ; 
for  it  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  there  are  num- 
bers of  people,  good  judges  of  the  more  popular 
breeds,  who  are  quite  willing  to  adjudicate 
upon  the  Manx  classes  without  possessing  the 
slightest  qualifications,  and  these  usually 
merely  judge  the  Manx  as  a  tailless  cat,  which 
is  all  wrong.  During  the  last  few  years  I 
am  glad  to  say  that  the  National  Cat  Club,  at 
almost  all  its  shows,  instead  of  tacking  the 
Manx  classes  on  to  the  list  of  any  all-round 
judge,  has  appointed  capable  judges ;  and 
whilst,  of  course,  no  judge  has  ever  succeeded 
in  pleasing  all  concerned  (except  when  there 


was  only  one  entry  in  the  class),  the  awards  at 
these  shows  have  always  been  reasonable  and 
sound,  and  free  from  the  absurdities  which  too 
often  sicken  fanciers  and  render  the  judge 
ridiculous  at  other  shows.  When  we  find  an 
all-round  judge  openly  stating  that  a  Manx 
is  but  a  tailless  cat,  and  that  he  could  manu- 
facture perfect  specimens,  it  is  high  time  that 
that  judge's  name,  however  excellent  a  judge 
he  may  be  of  other  breeds,  should  be  inscribed 
upon  the  tablets  of  every  Manx  fancier's 
memory,  and  when  he  again  officiates  he 
should  be  saved  the  trouble  of  going  over  cats 
which  he  neither  likes  nor  understands. 

'"What  is  a  Manx  but  a  tailless  cat  ?  ' 
some  may  ask.  Well,  a  cat  with,  perhaps, 
an  inch  of  tail,  though  in  my  opinion  unfit 
to  win  a  prize,  may  possibly  be  really  a 
better  Manx,  more  calculated  to  do  good  to 
the  breed,  than  an  absolutely  tailless  cat.  It 
may  possess  more  Manx  character,  and  this 
Manx  character  is  a  thing  not  '  understanded 
of  the  people  '  ;  and  here  it  is  that  those  judges 
score  who  have  taken  a  real  interest  in  and 
studied  the  breed.  A  cat  may  have  a  couple 
of  joints  of  tail,  crooked  or  straight,  and  yet 
be  a  pure  Manx ;  though,  as  we  strive  for  per- 
fection, I  consider  that  such  cats  should  be 
relegated  to  the  stud,  or  at  most  only  be  placed 
'  in  the  money  if  the  competition  be  very  weak, 
and  then  never  awarded  any  high  prize. 

"  If  breeders  of  Manx  were  more  careful, 
there  should  be  no  difficulty  in  obtaining 
litters  without  any  tail  whatever.  No  cat 
can  be  a  really  typical  Manx  who  is  long-cast 
in  the  body.  A  short,  cobby  body  is  an  essen- 
tial in  a  show  Manx.  So  also  is  a  round,  short 
skull.  These  points  are  usually  noticeable 
when  the  kittens  are  young  ;  as  they  grow 
older  they  disappear,  frequently  to  return 
when  the  cat  has  outgrown  its  kittenhood. 
But  the  most  important  Manx  property  is  the 
great  length  of  hind  leg,  which  absolutely 
marks  the  typical  Manx  as  a  cat  quite  distinct 
from  a  tailless  cat  ;  with  this  should  be  coupled 
a  round,  guinea-pig-like  rump,  round  as  an 
orange,  which,  of  course,  can  only  be  obtained 
when  there  is  absolutely  no  tail.  Even  a  tuft 


MANX    CATS. 


of  gristle  or  hair,  as  found  in  many  of  the  best 
specimens,  though  in  itself  but  a  very  trifling 
defect,  detracts  from  this  typical  '  rumpy ' 
appearance,  by  giving  a  more  or  less  angular 
appearance  to  the  hind  quarters,  unless,  that  is, 
it  be  situated  so  far  back  between  the  hip- 
bones that  it  in  no  way  projects.  As  typical 
specimens  showing  this  rumpy  formation  to 
perfection,  I  may  mention  the  late  '  Champion 
and  Premier  Katzenjammer,'  and  '  Balloch- 
myle  Bell  Stump,'  probably  two  of  the  best 
ever  seen  in  this  respect.  Had  these  two  been 
mated,  what  glorious  progeny  should  have 
resulted.  Now  these  two  cats,  whilst  possessing 
the  round  rumpy  formation  to  perfection,  did 
not  excel  so  much  in  length  of  hind  leg,  and 
for  superlative  excellence  in  this  property  we 
must  turn  to  another  celebrated  couple,  the 
late  silver  tabby  '  Champion  and  Premier  Bon- 
haki '  and  'King  Clinkie,'  who  has  just  passed 
into  the  possession  of  Lady  Marcus  Beresford, 
and  who  at  the  age  of  about  fifteen  months 
has  already  twice  won  championship  awards. 
Now,  these  two  cats  exhibited  the  great  length 
of  hind  leg  which  gave  them  when  in  motion 
the  desired  comical  rabbity  action ;  but 
in  roundness  of  rump  they  lost  to  the 
other  two,  being  somewhat  more  an- 
gular. 

'  To  gain  absolute  perfection  we  re- 
quire roundness  of  nlmp  united  to  great: 
length  of  hind  leg.  These  are  the  great 
characteristics  of  the  Manx,  to  which 
every  Manx  judge  worthy  of  the  name 
will  attach  the  greatest  importance.  Then 
come  other  body  properties — shortness  of 
back,  general  cobbmess,  roundness  of 
skull,  small  ears,  shortness  of  face  ;  then, 
last  of  all,  colour.  And  here  it  is  that 
the  average  all-round  judge  goes  astray, 
for  in  too  many  cases  he  attaches  too 
much  weight  to  colour,  a  good  instance 
of  which  occurred  when  '  Ballochmyle 
Bell  Stump,'  above  referred  to,  whose 
colour,  though  quaint,  is  not  very  pleasing, 
was  placed  below  a  long-cast  cat  of  a  taking 
'Colour,  but  in  no  wise  a  typical  Manx. 

"As   I   before  remarked,   colour  should  be 


considered  last.  I  think  a  good  black  is  the 
nicest  colour  for  a  Manx,  and,  of  course,  the 
eyes  should  be  of  the  colour  sought  for  in 
ordinary  black  cats.  A  pure  blue-eyed  white 
is  very  pretty,  and  also  very  scarce.  Tabby- 
and-white  I  personally  do  not  care  for.  Silver 
tabbies  are  uncommon  and  very  handsome. 
Tortoiseshells  are  also  pretty  and  quaint. 

"  The  fur  of  the  Manx  should  be  just  a  little 
longer  and  softer  than  that  of  the  ordinary 
short-haired  cat.  Now  and  then  we  see  long- 
haired -Manx  advertised,  but  these  are,  of 
course,  mongrels  or  abortions,  and  by  no  means 
Manx  cats. 

"  What  is  the  origin  of  the  Manx  ?  That  is 
a  question  which  in  all  probability  will  never 
be  answered.  The  theory  that  it  originated 
from  a  cat  (or  cats)  having  lost  its  tail  by 
accident  I  do  not  consider  worth  a  moment's 
consideration.  Such  a  cat  might  well  have 
tailless  progeny,  but  that  would  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  abnormal  length  of  the  hind 
legs,  which  in  good  specimens  is  patent  to  the 
most  superficial  observer,  and  which  makes 
the  gambols  of  a  couple  of  Manx  a  comical 


MANX    CAT. 

(Photo:   Gambier  Ballon,  F.Z.S.  [Rcgil.].) 

sight  calculated  to  excite  laughter  in  the  most 
mournfully  disposed  person. 

"  Quaint   is   the   old   versified   explanation, 
which   I   remember  hearing  some   years   ago. 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


It  ran,  if  I  remember  rightly,  somewhat  like 
this  :— 

Noah,  sailing  o'er  the  seas, 

Ran  high  and  dry  on  Ararat. 
His  dog  then  made  a  spring,  and  took 

The  tail  from  off  a  pussy  cat. 
Puss  through  the  window  quick  did  fly, 

And  bravely  through  the  waters  swam, 
Nor  ever  stopped,  till,  high  and  dry, 

She  landed  on  the  Isle  of  Man. 
Thus  tailless  puss  earned  Mona's  thanks, 
And  ever  after  was  called  Manx. 

"  The  most  feasible  explanation,  in  my 
opinion,  though  of  course  it  can  be  but  a 
theory,  is  that  these  cats  were  originally  im- 
ported from  the  East.  Asiatic  cats  of  domes- 
tic varieties  show  remarkable  variety  in  the 
shape  of  their  tails,  as  witness  the  kinks  often 
found  in  the  tail  of  the  Siamese  cat,  and  the 
knot  tails  of  other  varieties.  This  subject  will 
be  referred  to  again  in  a  subsequent  paper. 

"  It  is  also  noticeable  that  many  Manx,  like 
the  Siamese,  are  very  dog-like  in  their  habits, 
showing  extreme  affection  for  their  owners. 
Poor  old  '  Katzen jammer,'  for  instance,  would 
follow  me  to  the  railway  station,  and  many  a 
time  on  my  return,  from  town  have  I  found  him 
sitting  in  the  middle  of  a  field  waiting  for  me, 
and  on  seeing  me  he  would  accompany  me 
home  just  like  a  dog. 

"  To  return  to  the  question  of  the  Manx 
cat's  tail,  this  should,  of  course,  be  like  snakes 
in  Iceland — absent.  What  we  want  is  for  the 
spinal  column  to  come  to  an  end  high  up  on 
the  back,  so  that  on  placing  the  finger  where 
the  tail  would  begin  a  hollow  or  depression  is 
felt.  This  is  the  perfection,  but  it  is  not  always 
obtainable  in  even  the  very  best  specimens. 
Next  to  be  desired  is  when  only  a  little  tuft  of 
gristle  and  hair,  with  at  most  a  suggestion  of 
a  twisted  and  withered  bone,  is  present.  Then 
comes  a  distinct  caudal  vertebra,  if  twisted 
or  abnormal  in  shape  so  much  the  better  ;  but 
in  my  opinion  more  than  two  joints  should  not 
be  allowed  in  show  specimens  at  all,  though 
such  cats,  as. I  remarked  above,  may  be  valu- 
able at  stud  for  breeding  from.  But  I  see  no 
reason,  if  Manx  breeders  would  pay  more 
attention,  and  incompetent  judges  were  barred, 


why  absolute  taillessness  should  not  be 
attained  in  ninety-nine  kittens  out  of  each 
hundred.  I  have  bred  many,  but  none  have 
had  the  crooked  stumps  we  often  see  in  other- 
wise good  specimens. 

"  I  do  not  care  for  large  Manx,  which  gener- 
ally look  coarse.  Here,  again,  the  all-rounder 
often  goes  astray,  and  unduly  favours  a  large 
cat. 

"  I  can  heartily  recommend  the  Manx  as  a 
pet,  and  the  quaintness  of  his  movements  are 
certainly  a  recommendation.  My  cats  are  all 
house  pets,  so  that  I  can  watch  them  and  enjoy 
their  company ;  the  '  cattery  '  cat  is  abhor- 
rent to  me.  I  cannot  understand  why  so  few 
people  go  in  for  rationally  breeding  this  quaint 
variety.  I  had  hoped  that  the  recent  purchase 
by  his  Majesty  of  two  couples  of  the  breed 
might  have  given  it  a  fillip. 

"  To  illustrate  the  breed,  I  may  perhaps 
be  accused  of  egotism  in  giving  the  portrait 
of  one  of  our  own  cats,  but  as  he  is  dead  it 
is  less  invidious  than  if  living  specimens  were 
selected,  and  as  they  were  awarded  the  very 
highest  prizes  by  the  very  greatest  authorities 
they  may  safely  be  taken  as  near  perfection. 
The  silver  tabby  '  Champion  and  Premier 
Bonhaki '  was  bred  by  Mr.  Jungbluth,  one  of 
the  keepers  of  the  monkey  house  at  the  Zoo. 
He  made  his  debut  at  the  Botanic  Gardens  as  a 
kitten,  when  he  was  much  admired  by  the  then 
Princess  of  Wales,  and  Mr.  Wain  awarded  him 
the  championship.  This  success  he  followed  up 
by  winning  four  others  under  various  j  udges,and 
died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-seven  months. 
'  Champion  and  Premier  Katzenjammer  '  was 
bred  at  home  ;  he  did  not  commence  his  show 
career  till  late,  and  then  he  had  to  meet 
'  Bonhaki,'  after  whose  death,  however,  he 
was  unbeaten,  and  had  earned  his  champion 
title  at  the  time  of  his  death  from  gastritis  last 
year,  which  robbed  me  of  one  of  the  most 
affectionate  '  pals  '  man  ever  had,  and  I  am 
not  ashamed  to  own  that  many  and  bitter 
were  the  tears  I  shed  over  his  grave. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  would  advise  Manx  fan- 
ciers to  do  their  best  to  accustom  their  cats 
to  seeing  strangers,  to  being  handled,  and  to 


Q 
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>. 

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5 

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MANX    CATS. 


253 


the  show  pen  ;  for  when  a  cat  is  nervous  and 
crouches  in  a  heap  it  is  most  difficult  to  see 
whether  the  desired  shape  of  hind  quarters  and 
rabbity  action  are  present.  They  can  best  be 
seen  when  the  cat  holds  itself  fearlessly  and 


boldly;  and  when  a  judge  has  a  large  number 
of  classes  to  get  through  in  a  short  space  of 
time,  in  very  likely  an  ill-lighted  building,  he 
cannot  spend  half  an  hour  coaxing  each  cat 
to  show  its  action." 


MR.    WARDS    MANX    "  SILVERWIXG. 

(Photo :   H.  Glacier,  Longzight.) 


A    LITTKR    BY        TACHINY 

OWNED  BY  LADY  MARCUS  BERESEORD. 

(Photo  :   J.   Fall,   Baker  Street.) 


CHAPTER     XXIII. 

SIAMESE     CATS. 


I  HAVE  often  remarked  at  our  cat  shows 
that  strangers  in  the  fancy  will  inquire 
and  ask  to  be  directed  to  the  Siamese 
class,  and  many  and  varied  are  the  exclama- 
tions of  surprise  and  admiration  expressed 
-by  them  on  seeing,  perhaps  for  the  first 
time,  a  row  of  Siamese  cats  seated  in  their 
pens.  Nor  is  it  always  necessary  to  direct 
visitors  to  the  Siamese  classes,  for  generally 
these  animals  will  betray  their  whereabouts 
by  the  unique  tone  of  their  voice,  which  is 
distinguishable  at  a  great  distance. 

There  is  certainly  a  great  fascination  about 
this  peculiar  breed  of  cats,  which  is  yearly 
becoming  more  popular  and  fashionable.  But 
fanciers  are  also  learning  a  lesson  in  the  school 
of  experience,  where  frequently  the  fees  are 
high,  that  they  dare  not  trust  their  valuable 
specimens  on  the  show  bench.  Siamese  cats 
seem  to  be  more  sensitive  than  even  the  most 
delicate  of  long-haired  breeds,  and  if  attacked 
by  any  of  the  ills  that  catty  flesh  is  heir  to 
they  do  not  appear  to  have  any  stamina  to 
bear  up  against  the  ravages  of  the  disease. 
Their  recuperative  powers  are  almost  nil,  and 
they  rarely  pull  through  a  severe  illness.  I 
have  never  kept  Siamese  myself,  but  I  have 


had  many  opportunities  of  observing  them  in 
sickness  and  in  health.  I  have  seen  grown-up 
specimens  go  out  like  the  snuffing  of  a  candle 
with  acute  pneumonia,  almost  before  one  has 
realised  they  were  even  ailing.  These  creatures 
are  quite  human  in  the  way  they  look  at  you 
with  those  bonnie  blue  eyes,  and  when  you 
talk  to  them  they  seem  to  answer  in  their 
croaking  voice.  I  can  well  understand  what 
companionable  cats  these  may  become,  and  tc* 
fanciers  of  this  unique  breed  other  cats  must 
appear  lacking  in  interest  and  wanting  in 
intelligence. 

From  time  to  time  there  have  been  discus- 
sions in  our  cat  papers  on  Siamese  cats  in 
general,  and  on  their  kinked  or  kinkless  tails 
in  particular.  It  is  certain  that  those  cats 
known  to  us  as  royal  Siamese  are  not  the  only 
species  in  Siam,  the  common  cat  of  the  country 
being  tabby  or  black.  So  many  of  my  friends 
who  are  fanciers  and  breeders  of  Siamese  have 
kindly  supplied  me  with  interesting  facts  con- 
cerning this  variety,  that  I  do  not  intend  to 
enter  into  any  details,  but  will  state  that  in 
1902  a  Siamese  Cat  Club  was  started  by  several 
enthusiastic  admirers  of  this  breed,  and  the 
members  have  certainly  done  much  to  improve 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


255 


the  classification  at  shows,  by  offering  prizes 
and  guaranteeing  classes. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officials  of  the 
specialist  club,  with  a  standard  of  points  for 
royal  Siamese  cats  : — 

President. — Mrs.   Vary  Campbell. 

Vice-Presidents. — The  Lady  Decies,  Mrs.  Vyvyan, 
Miss  Sutherland,  The  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren  Morrison, 
Mrs.  Chapman,  and  Miss  H.  Cochran. 

Committee. — Mrs.  Parker-Brough,  Mrs.  Carew  Cox, 
Miss  Derby  Hyde,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Robinson,  Mrs.  A. 
Spencer,  Miss  Forestier  Walker,  Mr.  Gambier  Bolton, 
and  Mr.  C.  W.  Cooke. 

Hon.  Treasurer. — Mrs.  Parker-Brough,  Springfield, 
Kettering. 

Hon.  Secretary. — Miss  Forestier  Walker. 
Hon.   Auditor. — Conrad   W.   Cooke. 


STANDARD     OF     POINTS     FOR    THE     "  ROYAL  "     SIAMESE 
CAT. 

Body  Colour. — As  light  and  even  as  possible,  cream 
being  most  desirable,  but  fawn  also  admissible,  with- 
out streaks,  bars,  blotches,  or  any  other  body  mark- 
ings. 

Points,  i.e.  mask,  ears,  legs,  feet,  and  tail,  dark 
and  clearly  defined,  of  the  shade  known  as  "  seal  " 
brown. 

Mask. — Complete,  i.e.  connected  by  tracings  with 
the  ears,  neither  separated  by  a  pale  ring  (as  in 
kittens)  nor  blurred  and  indistinct,  the  desideratum 
being  to  preserve  the  "  marten  face,"  an  impression 
greatly  aTcTecT  by  a  good  mask. 

Eyes  — Bright  and  decided  blue. 

Coat — Glossy  and  close  lying. 

Shape. — Body  rather  long,  legs  proportionately 
slight. 

Head. — Rather  long  and  pointed. 


THE    GARDEN    CATTERY    AT    BISHOPSGATE. 
(Fhotoi:  Casse/I  &•  Company,  Limited.) 


256 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


General  Appearance. — With  points  emphasised 
above,  a  somewhat  curious  and  striking  looking  cat, 
of  medium  size  ;  if  weighty,  not  showing  bulk,  as 
this  would  detract  from  the  admired  "  svelte  "  appear- 
ance. In  type,  in  every  particular,  the  reverse  of 
the  ideal  short-haired  domestic  cat,  and  with  properly 
preserved  contrasts  of  colour,  a  very  handsome 
animal,  often  also  distinguished  by  a  kink  in  the  tail. 

Remarks. — While  admit- 
ting that  blues,  blacks, 
whites,  tabbies,  and  other 
coloured  cats  may  be  also 
cats  of  Siam,  these  being 
common  to  all  parts  of  the 
world,  this  club  recognises 
only  as  Siamese  cats  those 
cats  the  points  of  which 
conform  to  the  above 
standard,  and  is,  in  fact, 
desirous  of  encouraging  the 
breeding  of  those  particular 
cats  first  made  known  to 
British  fanciers  as  the 
-'  royal  "  Siamese. 

The  points  of  the 
"  chocolate  "  Siamese  are 
the  same  as  above,  with 
the  exception  of  body 
colour. 

VALUE    OF    POINTS. 

Body  colour 

Shape 

Coat 

Head 

Eyes 

Mask 

Density  of  points 


20 
IO 
10 
IO 
2O 
15 
15 


MRS.    ROBERTS    LOCKE,    WITH 

AM)    "  BANGKOK." 
(Photo:  S.  S.  Finlcy,  Chicago.) 

75    of    the    above    marks 

shall  not  be  eligible  for  the  club's  challenge  prizes 

and  medals. 


Total      .  .      . .    100 
Any  cat  failing  to  obtain 


It  was  shortly  after  the  formation  of  the 
Siamese  Cat  Club  that  the  following  letter 
appeared  in  Fur  and  Feather: — 

POINTS  OF  THE  SIAMESE. 
The  committee  of  the  Siamese  Club  wish  to  draw 
attention  to  the  unfortunate  diversity  of  opinion 
concerning  Siamese  cats  expressed  in  articles  which 
appear  from  time  to  time  in  some  of  the  papers  which 
devote  a  portion  of  their  issue  to  cat  news.  One  great 
object  of  the  Siamese  Club  is  to  encourage  the  dis- 
tinct breeding  of  the  royal  cat  of.  Siam  and  also  of  the 
chocolate  cat  of  Siam — both  beautiful  in  their  own 


way,  but  recognised  as  distinct  breeds.  The  Siamese 
Club  is  young,  and  not  infallible  ;  but,  containing  as 
it  does  most  of  the  principal  breeders  and  exhibitors, 
its  committee  would  like  to  record  their  opinion  on 
some  few  points  which  have  appeared  in  the  Press, 
in  order  to  avoid  a  silence  which  might  be  construed 
as  consent.  With  regard  to  colour,  they  cannot  agree 
that  a  royal  can  be  too  light  in  body  colour,  nor  can 

they  endorse  "  we  like  a 
rich  cream  body,  choco- 
late saddle,  and  the  points 
glossy  black,  shading  away 
to  chocolate."  Another 
paper  advises  the  mating 
of  royal  Siamese  with  the 
chocolate  variety.  It  is 
true  that  the  young  kittens 
are  very  pretty,  but  after 
six  months  old  quickly 
become  dark  and  blurred. 
The  great  beauty  of  royal 
Siamese  is  the  contrast 
between  the  sharply  de- 
fined, deepest  brown  mark- 
ings and  a  body  of  as 
light  a  cream  as  possible. 
A  third  paper  gives  the 
information  that  an  exhibi- 
tor known  to  it  has  bred 
prize  -  winning  Siamese 
from  a  cross  between  a 
white  cat  with  blue  eyes 
and  a  Siamese  queen.  It 
also  mentions  another  case 
where  such  crossing  has 
produced  good  Siamese 
kittens,  and  thinks  "that 
many  other  people  have, 
with  more  or  less  suc- 
cess, followed  the  same 
tactics.  The  above  ex- 
periment has  often  been  tried,  purposely  and  acci- 
dentally, but  no  case  is  known  to  the  writers  where 
the  result  has  been  anything  like  Siamese,  the  kittens 
always  favouring  the  English  parent.  All  Siamese 
are  born  white,  and  therefore  if  the  children  of  one 
white  parent  died  quite  young  such  a  mistake  might 
be  natural.  It  certainly  would  be  very  unfair  to 
sell  such  kittens,  as  their  progeny  would  inherit,  and 
might  pass  on,  an  English  parentage,  not  even  neces- 
sarily white.  A  white  is,  or  may  be,  merely  an  albino 
variety.— (Signed).  A.  Forestier  Walker,  Jean  A. 
Spencer,  May  Robinson,  L.  Parker-Brough,  S.  E. 
Backhouse,  Constance  Carew  Cox. 

Miss    Forestier    Walker    and    Mrs.    Vyvyan 
were  amongst  the  first  to  introduce  Siamese  cats 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


257 


into  England,  and  they  have  always  owned  a 
direct  descendant  from  the  first  and  famous 
"  Tiam-o-Shian,"  and  many 
are  the  prize-winners  they 
have  reared  and  shown  from 
this  celebrated  strain.  Miss 
Forestier- Walker  has  fre- 
quently acted  as  judge  of 
Siamese,  and  took  a  very 
active  part  in  the  formation 
of  the  specialist  club  for  this 
breed.  She  has  kindly  fur- 
nished me  with  the  follow- 
ing notes,  and  given  me 
some  photographs  of  Mrs. 
Vyvyan's  cats : — 

"  Siamese  cats  were  first 
introduced  into  England 
about  twenty-five  years  ago, 
but  were  not  often  seen  until 
a  few  years  later.  Among 
the  earliest  were  those 
belonging  to  Sir  Robert 
Herbert,  Lady  Dorothy 
Nevill,  the  Rev.  S.  Baring-Gould,  Mrs.  Cun- 
liffe  Lee,  Mrs.  Vyvyan,  and  myself.  Since 
then  they  have  become  fairly  common. 

"There  are  two 
distinct  varieties 
in  the  present  day. 
(i)  The  ro3'al  cat 
of  Siam,  cream- 
coloured  in  body, 
with  sharply  de- 
fined seal  -  brown 
markings  on  head, 
ears,  legs,  feet, 
and  tail  ;  eyes  a 
decided  blue. 
The  cats  generally 
become  darker 
after  two  years 
old,  but  where 
great  care  has 
been  taken  in  breeding  the  true  royal  cats 
keep  the  light  colour  longer.  In  any  case  the 
body  colouring  should  be  even,  not  blotched 
or  striped.  The  larger,  lighter-coloured  cats 
17 


THE  PROPERTY    OF  W.   MARGETSON,   ESQ. 
(Photo:   H.J.  Comley,  Stroud.) 


TIAM-O-SHIAN     I  \ 
OWNED  BY  MRS.  VYVYAN. 
(Photo :  Speight,  Kittering.) 


have  china  or  ultramarine  blue  eyes  ;  the 
more  slender,  darker  cats  have  deeper-coloured 
eyes.  (2)  The  chocolate  cats 
are  deep  brown  in  colour, 
showing  hardly  any  mark- 
ings, and  have  blue  eyes. 

"  All  Siamese  kittens  are 
white  when  born,  but  in  a 
few  days  slight  markings 
appear  on  tail,  ears,  and 
paws,  and  by  four  months 
old  the  markings  are  dark 
and  complete,  excepting 
those  which  connect  the  face 
and  head  ;  these  are  seldom 
perfect  before  eight  months 
old. 

"  The  tails  are  sometimes 
straight,  which  is  not  a  fault ; 
but  a  knot  or  kink  in  the 
tail  is  a  peculiarity  of  the 
breed,  and  therefore  desir- 
able. In  England  it  has 
been  asserted  that  this  is  a 
defect,  but  in  Siam  it  is  highly  prized,  and 
cats  from  the  royal  palace  which  have  been 
given  bv  the  King  as  presents  of  value  to 

important  people 
have  had  this  dis- 
tinction. In  the 
East  a  cat  with  a 
kinked  tail  fetches 
a  higher  price. 

"  The  Siamese 
have  a  great  affec- 
tion for  animals, 
and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the 
cats  are  much  val- 
ued, those  in  the 
royal  palace  hav- 
ing been  kept  ex- 
ceptionally pure. 
"  There  is  a 
legend  that  the  light-coloured  cats,  with  blue 
eyes,  represent  silver ;  the  dark  cats,  with 
yellow  eyes,  gold  ;  and  that  the  possessor  of 
both  will  always  have  plenty.  This  rather 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


gives  the  idea  that  originally  the  eyes  of  the 
pure  chocolate  cat  were  yellow,  and  that 
the  present  variety  has  been  crossed  with  the 
royal  cat. 

"  Mr.  Young,  of  Harrogate,  had  some  years 
ago  a  chocolate  cat  with  yellow  eyes. 

"  Another   belief  is   that   they  receive   the 
souls  of  their  owners  at  death,  and  it  is  well 
known  that  the  King  of  Siam 
had  one   on  board   his   yacht 
when   visiting    Europe    a    few 
years  ago. 

"  It  is  a  great  mistake  to 
mix  the  varieties,  as  the  result 
after  they  become  adult  is  a 
blurring  of  the  markings  and 
a  patchy  coat. 

"  The  males  are  extremely 
powerful,  and  will  kill  strange 
cats  and  fight  dogs.  They  are 
devoted  to  their  wives  and 
children,  and  to  their  owners. 
They  are  exceedingly  intelli- 
gent. With  the  dogs  of  the 
house  they  will  be  on  excellent 
terms. 

"  The  litters  vary  in  size, 
but  four  to  five  is  the  usual  number.  The 
kittens  are  difficult  to  rear,  as  they  suffer  from 
worms  and  teething,  but  after  seven  or  eight 
months  old  there  is  little  danger.  Some 
people  think  a  meat  diet  best,  but  I  find  it 
satisfactory  to  bring  them  up  on  lighter  food, 
such  as  Ridge's  food,  milk,  gravy,  and  fish, 
until  they  begin  to  cut  their  teeth,  when 
meat  is  required. 

"  A  pair  from  the  Palace  were  given  to  Mrs. 
Vyvyan  and  myself  in  1884-5,  and  we  have 
been  very  careful  in  breeding,  mating  when 
possible  with  such  good  cats  as  Mrs.  Lee's 
celebrated  '  Meo,'  Miss  Moore's  '  Siam,'  Mrs. 
Harrington's  '  Mechi,'  etc,  and  have  bred  in 
consequence  the  famous  '  Tiam-o-Shians  '  II., 
III.,  and  IV.,  '  Polyphema,'  '  Susa,'  '  Kitya 
Kara,'  '  Goblin,'  '  Champion  Eve,'  '  Mafeking,' 
'  Vishuddha,'  '  Ah  Choo,'  '  Suzanne,'  and  many 
others." 

Among  fanciers  and  importers  of  Siamese 


OWNED  BY  LADY  MARCUS  BEKKSFORD. 
(Photo :   Russell  &  Sons,  Windsor.) 


cats  in  the  past,  I  may  mention  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
McLaren  Morrison,  Lady  O'Malley,  Lady 
Decies,  Mrs.  Brodie,  Mr.  Temple,  Mr.  Gambier 
Bolton,  Miss  Moore,  Mrs.  Elliott  Hill,  Mrs. 
Cunliffe  Lee  (owner  of  the  celebrated  "  Meo  "), 
and  Mrs.  Carew  Cox,  who  later  in  this  article 
will  give  some  account  of  her  "  King  Kesho  " 
and  the  breed  with  which  her  name  is  still 
associated.  Mrs.  Herring  has 
exhibited  good  specimens  from 
time  to  time.  Mrs.  Chapman's 
"  \Yally  Pug "  used  to  cross 
the  Irish  Channel  to  visit 
English  cat  shows.  Mr.  Young 
and  Mr.  Inman,  both  of  Har- 
rogate, favoured  this  breed, 
and  had  some  lovely  cats. 
Mrs.  Nield  owned  a  charming 
little  female  named  "  Mintha- 
mee  "  ;  and  Miss  Sutherland, 
who  lives  in  the  south  of 
France,  used  to  breed  a  lot 
of  good  Siamese  from  her 
imported  "  Prince  of  Siam." 
Several  of  her  breeding  have 
been  sold  in  England,  and 
have  won  at  shows.  Mrs. 
Patton  Bethune  has  often  exhibited,  and  is  an 
ardent  admirer  of  the  breed.  Mrs.  Parker 
Brough,  in  whose  care  "  Tiam-o-Shian  IV."  is 
placed  by  Mrs.  Vyvyan,  is  well  known  as  a 
Siamese  breeder,  as  is  also  Mrs.  Spencer,  of 
Eye  Vicarage,  who  exports  quite  a  number  of 
cats  ;  one  of  her  breed — owned  by  Mr.  E. 
Ratcliffe — is  a  beautiful  animal.  Mrs.  Vary 
Campbell,  the  president  of  the  Siamese  Club, 
is  a  generous  supporter  of  the  breed.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  W.  R.  Hawkins  have  always  had  some 
fine  specimens  ;  and  Mrs.  Hankey,  Miss  H. 
Cochran,  Miss  Derby  Hyde,  and  Miss  Armitage 
are  among  others  who  owned  some  notable 
Siamese  cats.  Mrs.  Backhouse's  "  Champion 
Eve  "  was  a  distinguished  prize-winner,  and 
Mrs.  Robinson's  "  Ah  Choo  "  was  chosen  as 
a  model  for  the  medal  of  the  Siamese  Club. 
But  it  is  chiefly  as  the  owner  of  the  celebrated 
"  Champion  Wankee  "  that  Mrs.  Robinson  is 
known  in  the  cat  fane}'  in  general,  and  among 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


259 


Siamese  breeders  in  particular.  "  Wankee  " 
was  the  first  Siamese  to  win  the  title  of  "  Cham- 
pion." He  was  bred  in  Hong-Kong,  his  mother 
— •'  Xims  " — being  a  stolen  palace  kitten. 
"  Wankee "  was  six  months  old  when  he 
arrived  in  England :  and  was  born  in  Sep- 
tember, 1895.  He  has  won  over  thirty  prizes, 
but  was  never  shown  till  June,  1898,  there- 
fore losing  the  time  in  which  most  Siamese 
cats  gain  their  honours — namely,  between  six 
months  and  two  years,  when  they  are  pale  in 
colour  of  coat. 

Many  are  the  prize  kittens  he  has  sired,  too 
numerous  to  mention.  Mrs.  Robinson,  who 
is  a  member  of  the  National  Cat  Club  com- 
mittee, has  frequently  acted  as  a  judge  of 
Siamese,  and  has  kindly  written  the  following 
account  for  this  chapter  : — 

"  One  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  short- 
haired  cats  is  undoubtedly  the  royal  cat  of 
Si  am,  and  the  breed  is  greatly  increasing  in 
popularity  ;  but  is  never  likely  to  be  common, 


they  get  dark  there  is  a  tendency  to  call  them 
chocolates.  I  know  of  only  one  real  chocolate 
—Mr.  C.  Cooke's  '  Zetland  Wanzies  ' — so  con- 
sider them  more  likely  to  be  a  freak  than  a 
distinct  variety. 

"  Of  the  royals  there  seem  to  be  two  types 
in  England  :  the  one — rather  a  small,  long- 
headed cat,  with  glossy,  close-lying  coat  and 
deep  blue  eyes,  and  with  a  decided  tendency 
to  darken  with  age — is  generally  the  imported 
cat  or  having  imported  parents  ;  the  other  is 
a  larger^ort,  with  a  rounder  head,  a  much 
thicker,  longer,  and  less  close-lying  coat,  and 
the  eyes  a  paler  blue  (these  cats  do  not  darken 
as  much  or  as  soon  as  the  other  type,  and  have 
generally  been  bred  for  several  generations  in 
England). 

"  The  kittens  are  born  absolutely  white,  and 
in  about  a  week  a  faint  pencilling  comes  round 
the  ears,  and  gradually  all  the  points  come.  At 
four  or  five  months  they  are  lovely,  as  gener- 
ally they  retain  their  baby  whiteness,  which 


MR.  RATCLIFFE'S  SIAMESE. 

(Photo:    Hartley,  Burnley.) 


as  the  cats  are  delicate  in  this  country.  The 
best  description  is  that  drawn  up  by  the 
Siamese  Cat  Club  in  their  standard  of  points. 
The  points  of  the  chocolate  Siamese  are  the 
same  as  the  royal,  with  the  exception  of 
body  colour,  which  is  a  dark  rich  brown  all 
over,  thus  making  the  markings  less  noticeable. 
All  Siamese  cats  darken  with  age,  and  when 


contrasts  well  with  their  almost  black  ears, 
deep  brown  markings,  and  blue  eyes.  Some 
kittens  are  much  longer  than  others  in  getting 
dense,  these  making  the  lightest  cats. 

"  This  breed  is  said  to  be  kept  very  care- 
fully in  the  palace  in  Bangkok — hence  the  title 
'  royal  '• — and  is  by  no  means  the  common 
cat  of  Siam.  One  gentleman  (a  missionary), 


26o 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


who  had  lived  there  fifteen  years,  had  during 
that  time  seen  only  three.  A  few  years  ago 
there  was  a  pair  of  these  cats  in  the  Zoological 
Gardens  at  Bangkok,  but  they  were  very  poor 
specimens. 

"  They  have  occasionally  been  given  by  the 
King  as  presents  of  great  value,  and  several 
pairs  have  come  to  England  in  this  way  ;  also 
kittens  have  undoubtedly  been  stolen  from 
the  palace  from  time  to  time. 

'  There  is  a  legend  that  these  cats  were  kept 
exclusively  and  with  great  care  in  the  King's 
palace,  as  resting  places  for  royal  souls.  The 
Siamese  are  Buddhists,  and  consequently 
believe  in  the  transmigration  of  souls  ;  but 


has  sent   me  some   charming  photographs  of 
her  pets.     She  writes  : — 

"  I  have  very  few  cats  at  present  ;  I  lost  so 
many  beautiful  Siamese  last  year,  and  I  think 
I  made  rather  a  mistake  in  having  their  skins 
made  into  mats  !  '  Cora,'  the  mother  of  my 
Siamese  cats  and  kits,  is  still  a  beauty,  and  I 
really  think  she  improves  with  age  ;  and 
though  her  eyes  are  not  all  I  could  wish  for  in 
colour,  yet  her  kittens  have  always  had  the 
desired  tone  of  blue.  I  have  now  a  lovely 
daughter  of  '  Cora  '  and  '  Champion  Wankee,' 
aged  nine  months.  When  she  was  a  few  hours 
old  I  put  her  to  be  fostered  by  our  old  English 
garden  tabby,  who  makes  her  headquarters  in 


LADY    MARCUS    BERESFORD  S    "  URSULA. 
{Photo  :  E.  Landor,  Ealing.) 


with  the  growth  of  Western  ideas  and  Western 
scepticism  I  doubt  this  being  admitted. 

"  They  are  very  intelligent,  almost  doggy  in 
their  ways,  and  very  affectionate,  but  not 
universally  friendly.  The  males  are  great 
fighters,  and  freely  use  their  terrible  voices  ; ' 
but  they  are  well  suited  for  house  pets,  as  they 
seem  happiest  with  their  human  friends. 

"  The  first  specimens  were  brought  to 
England  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago, 
and  Mr.  Harrison  Weir  says  that  among  those 
who  possessed  them  were  Lady  Dorothy  Nevill, 
whose  cats  were  '  imported  and  presented  by 
Sir  R.  Herbert  of  the  Colonial  Office.  The  late 
Duke  of  Wellington  imported  the  breed,  also 
Mr.  Scott  of  Rotherfield.'  " 

Miss  Armitage,  of  Chaseleyfield,  Pendleton, 


the  greenhouse.  This  kitten  has  never  had  a 
day's  illness.  She  leads  a  wild  life,  catching 
birds  and  mice,  and  nibbling  the  tips  oft  the 
ferns — much  to  the  gardener's  annoyance.  I 
am  hoping  to  send  her  to  our  next  National 
Cat  Club  show,  if  I  can  catch  her  that  day, 
but  she  is  generally  up  a  tree  when  wanted  ! 

"  I  find  the  way  to  succeed  in  breeding  and 
rearing  Siamese  kittens  is  to  only  keep  a  few. 
I  strongly  believe  in  putting  them  forth  into 
cottage  homes.  Distemper  spreads  like  wild- 
fire amongst  this  breed,  and  it  is  heartrending 
to  lose  whole  litters  at  once.  It  is  strange  how 
much  stronger  the  females  are  than  the  males. 
I  have  never  lost  a  female  kitten  yet  ;  but, 
alas  !  many  a  promising  male." 

I  remember  a  beautiful  male  bred  by  Miss 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


261 


Armitage  that  she  exhibited  at  one  of  the 
Manchester  shows.  "Sam  Sly"  was  as  near 
perfection  as  possible,  and  after  taking 
everything  in  the  way  of  prizes,  medals,  and 
championships  this  fine  fellow  came  home  and 
died  !  Mrs.  Spencer,  of  Eye  Vicarage,  to  whom 
I  have  alluded  as  a  Siamese  fancier,  has  bred 
so  many  large  litters  of  kits  that  I  wrote  to 
ask  if  she  would  kindly  give  me  and  my 
readers  the  benefit  of  some  of  her  experience 
in  rearing  young  Siamese.  She  writes  in 
reply  : — 

"  My  '  Royal  Siam  '  came  from  the  royal 
palace,  and  I  consider  him  a  splendid  specimen. 
I  did  not  breed  from  him  until  he  was  between 
three  and  four  years  old,  which  may  be  one 
of  the  reasons  why  all  the  kittens  by  him  are 
so  wonderfully  strong  and  healthy.  He  has 
never  ailed  anything  since  I  have  had  him. 
I  have  never  placed  him  at  stud,  but  have 
allowed  a  few  friends  to  send  their  queens  to 
visit  him.  Neither  have  I  ever  exhibited  him, 
for  he  is  far  too  precious  a  pet  to  be  allowed 
to  run  any  risks.  My  queen  '  Princess  Mai- 
mowne  '  is  also  a  fine  strong  cat,  a  daughter 
of  Mrs.  Carew  Cox's  '  King  Kesho  ' ;  and  many 
are  the  prize-winners  bred  from  these  two.  I 
heat  my  catteries  during  the  day  in  winter, 
and  at  night  in  cold  weather  I  give  the^cats  a 
hot  stone  bottle  in  their  sleeping  boxes,  for  it 
is  the  damp  and  cold  of  our  English  winter 
nights  which  are  so  dangerous.  The  windows 
of  my  catteries  face  south,  and  this  is  import- 
ant in  rearing  Siamese.  I  always  allow  my 
cats  an  abundance  of  fish  ;  this  I  give — mixed 
with  bread  soaked  in  water — twice  a  day,  with 
another  meal  of  something  different,  thus 
making  three  meals  a  day.  I  boil  all  the  milk. 
Sometimes  I  give  a  little  cod-liver  oil  over 
their  food — with  very  beneficial  results.  If  the 
kittens  have  bad  colds  or  any  trifling  ailment, 
I  indulge  them  with  a  little  finely  cut  up  raw 
beef.  I  have  been  breeding  Siamese  for  over 
five  years,  and  I  have  only  lost  one  kitten  of 
my  own  rearing.  I  think  the  reason  of  my 
success  is  that  I  never  pass  over  the  most 
trifling  symptom  of  illness,  and  it  is  very  neces- 
sary to  take  the  temperature  of  Siamese  at 
17* 


the  slightest  sign  of  sickness.  I  send  a  great 
number  of  kittens  away  to  purchasers,  and  I 
am  most  particular  in  the  way  I  pack  the  kits 
for  their  journey.  The  basket  outside  should 
be  covered  with  thick  brown  paper,  leaving 
just  a  square  piece  in  the  lid  for  ventilation. 
Inside  I  line  with  new  house  flannel,  and  place 
a  soft  cushion  at  the  bottom,  and  if  very  cold 
weather  I  put  an  indiarubber  hot-water 
bottle  under  the  cushion.  If  the  cats  have  to 
pass  through  London,  I  arrange  with  the 
District  Messengers  Company  to  meet  the 
cat  and  convey  it  to  its  destination  or  to 
another  station.  Thus  dangerous  delays  are 
avoided  at  a  very  little  cost." 

As  everyone  knows,  Lady  Marcus  Beresford 
has  always  been  especially  fond  of  Siamese 
cats,  and  many  splendid  specimens  have 
inhabited  the  Bishopsgate  cat  cottage.  At 
present  "King  of  Siam"  and  "Khoula,"  and 
a  quaint  little  female  called  "  It,"  represent 
this  breed.  In  the  days  gone  by  "Tachin" 
and  "  Cambodia  "  were  the  admired  of  all 
admirers,  and  I  doubt  if  ever  a  more  perfect 
pair  has  landed  on  these  shores.  These  cats 
were  given  to  Lady  Marcus  Beresford  twelve 
years  ago  by  the  late  Lord  William  Beresford, 
who  brought  them  straight  from  the  palace 
at  Bangkok.  Lady  Marcus  writes  : — 

"  I  never  once  had  any  trouble  or  anxiety 
with  them — dear,  gentle,  friendly  little  people, 
so  clever  and  attractive.  I  have  never  seen 
any  I  have  so  admired.  They  had  many  fine, 
healthy  litters,  scattered  about  now  amongst 
various  friends.  My  success  all  round  was 
great  with  them — no  illness  of  any  kind,  till  one 
day  a  fiend  poisoned  both  '  Tachin '  and  '  Cam- 
bodia,' and  some  of  their  six  months  kittens.  • 
I  have  replaced  them  with  some  bred  in 
England  ;  and  my  opinion  is  that,  as  a  rule, 
the  imported  ones  are  much  the  stronger.  A 
pair  of  Siamese  imported  from  the  temple  at 
Bangkok  I  purchased  from  Mrs.  Vary  Campbell, 
and  had  the  great  misfortune  to  lose  them. 
They  differed  from  the  royal  Siamese,  being 
darker  and  having  a  more  pointed  head 
and  face,  and  their  eyes  were  larger  and 
fuller. 


262 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


"  I  consider  that  Siamese  cats  are  much 
cleverer  than  other  breeds,  and  with  patience 
can  be  taught  several  clever  tricks.  I  in- 
tend to  go  in  more  largely  for  them  in  the 
future." 

Several  of  Lady  Marcus  Beresford's  Siamese 
found  their  way  into  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawkins' 
possession,  and  were  exhibited  from  time  to 
time,  always  gaining  great  distinction.  Mrs. 
Hawkins  possesses  a  daughter  of  "Tachin," 
and  so  hopes  to  keep  up  this  unique  strain. 
Mrs.  Hawkins  has  some  of  the  best  arranged 
and  very  solidly  built  catteries  at  Brighton, 
of  which  I  give  an  illustration.  These  are 
specially  adapted  for  the  breeding  of  Siamese 
and  silvers,  the  two  varieties  which  find 
favour  at  Shalimar.  A  long  experience  with 
Siamese  enables  Mrs.  Hawkins  to  write  with 
authority,  and  I  give  her  notes  as  given  to 
me  for  the  benefit  of  my  readers  : — 

"  The  first  thing  you  have  to  consider  with 
regard  to  these  animals  is  that  when  newly 
imported  they  are  naturally  delicate,  and  must 
be  hardened  off,  so  to  speak,  just  as  our 
delicate  foreign  birds  have  to  be  ;  that  is  to 
say,  you  cannot  treat  them  at  first  as  you  would 
our  ordinary  fireside  cats.  If  you  are  for- 


MISS    AKMITAGE  S    "  CORA. 
(I'lioto :    Salmon  Sr  Katchan,  New  Bond  Street,   W.) 


tunate  enough  to  pick  up  newly  imported  ones, 
even  if  you  have  to  pay  a  good  price  for 
them,  they  will  prove  a  good  investment ;  and 
perhaps  you  may  be  able  to  get  some  from  one 
of  our  numerous  cat  fanciers,  though  they  are 
very  scarce  at  present  and  difficult  to  obtain. 
My  advice  is  to  get  the  best  possible  pair,  and 
let  them  breed  in  the  spring  in  the  house,  if 
you  can  let  them  have  a  spare  room,  which 
need  not  be  warmed  in  any  way.  Leave  the 
mother  quietly  with  the  kittens  ;  and,  having 
provided  a  warm  bed  and  bedding  for  them 
previously,  leave  them  to  nature  as  much  as 
possible,  just  going  in  now  and  then  to  see 
that  all  is  going  on  all  right,  and  giving  the 
mother  warm  milk,  etc.,  and  coaxing  her  to 
get  used  to  you. 

"Siamese  cats  are  particularly  gentle  and 
affectionate,  and  if  you  are  kind  to  them 
they  soon  get  to  know  and  love  you.  It 
is  a  pity  their  nature  is  not  more  copied 
by  human  beings  —  then  we  should  not 
have  so  much  dissension  and  wrangling  in 
our  cat  fancy.  But  this  is  a  digression ! 
As  the  kittens  get  on  it  is  as  well  to  have 
a  warm  place  outside  prepared  ready  for 
them  ;  but  do  not  put  them  out  too  soon, 
and  if  any  show  the  slightest  suspicion  of 
cold  they  must  be  brought!  in  and  allowed 
to  get  over  it  completely  before  being  turned 
out  in  the  garden  or  outhouses,  with  the 
others. 

"  My  own  Siamese  kittens  were  born  in  a 
cat    house    in    my  garden    at    Brighton,    but 
they  were   June  kittens,   so  by  that  time  we 
were  having  very  nice  weather.     The  father 
and  mother  I  had  as  kittens  ;    I  pulled  them 
through     their     baby     ailments     successfully, 
and  as  soon  as  the  weather  was  pro- 
pitious  and    sunny   I    put    them    in 
their    outside    houses.    Siamese    and 
chinchilla    kittens     (both    of     which 
I  go  in   for)    must    be   hardened   off 
gradually.     They  are   just  like  Eng- 
lish  children   brought    from   abroad, 
who  have  to  be  carefully    nurtured 
at  first  and  trained   to   get  used  to 
our  English  climate. 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


263 


"  What  we  want  is  to  establish  a  really 
healthy,  strong  strain  of  Siamese  in  England, 
and  by  following  the  above  suggestions  I 
think  it  is  possible  to  do  it — not  without 
difficulty,  as,  of  course,  it  takes  a  little  time 
and  trouble  (like  everything  else),  but  what 
is  worth  having  is  worth  trying  for. 

"  I  may  say  I  won  with  my  Siamese  at 
Brighton  shows  every  time  I  exhibited  them, 
and  am  now  starting  breeding  them  again  ;  and 
I  think  that  everyone  who  will  have  the 
patience  to  go  in  for  this  charming  variety  will 
find  themselves  well  repaid,  as  the  kittens 
command  £5  to  £10  each  if  successfully  reared, 
and  sometimes  more.  Of  course, 
one  must  keep  a  careful  watch 
over  their  diet,  and  not  over-feed 
(this  is  a  great  point,  as  they  will 
contract  skin  diseases  if  you  do)  ; 
but  all  these  things  apply  as  much 
to  all  cats,  and  I  cannot  see  why 
Siamese  should  be  more  difficult 
to  breed  and  establish  thoroughly 
in  England  than  other  cats.  One 
of  mine,  a  female,  is  out  now  (and 
has  been  all  the  winter)  in  a  brick 
cat-house,  and  is  perfectly  well. 
I  have  been  told  Siamese  are  so 
delicate  that  people  cannot  rear 
them.  This  is  often  the  fault  of 
the  people  themselves,  for  if  they  will  not 
take  a  little  trouble  over  animals  they  cannot 
expect  to  make  money  by  them.  By  this 
I  do  not  mean  fussing  and  worrying  your 
servants  over  them.  Look  after  them  your- 
selves, see  that  they  are  all  right  every  day 
(a  good  feed  twice  a  day  is  quite  sufficient),  and 
then  your  Siamese  will  soon  be  as  healthy  and 
strong  as  your  other  cat?.  All  the  points  of  a 
good  Siamese  are  so  well  known  that  I  need 
not  touch  upon  them  here.  Start  with  a  good 
strain,  be  careful,  be  patient,  and  you  will  be 
rewarded  in  the  end." 

I  have  mentioned  Mrs.  Parker  Brough  as  a 
breeder  of  Siamese  cats,  and  I  am  indebted  to 
her  for  the  following  account  of  her  favourite 
breed  :— 

"  A  peculiarity  of  royal  Siamese  is  that  the 


kittens  are  born  quite  white,  and  at  about 
fourteen  days  the  points  begin  to  look  rather 
grey,  turning  at  two  months  to  a  deep  seal- 
brown,  while  the  rest  of  the  body  usually 
remains  white  or  cream  for  at  least  a  couple 
of  years  (the  whiskers  and  claws  remain  white). 
The  colouring  process  resembles  nothing  so 
much  as  that  of  a  meerschaum  pipe.  There 
are  distinct  varieties  of  Siamese  known  to 


1'AIk    OF    SIAMESH    BKI.ON'aiXG    TO    MRS.    ARMITAGE. 

(Photo :   Salmon  &•  Batchan,  New  Bond  Street,   W.) 

fanciers — the  palace  or  royal  cat,  the  temple 
cat  (chocolate),  and  there  is  likewise  the 
common  cat  of  the  country,  which  is  also 
found  within  the  palace.  The  points  of  the 
chocolate  cat  are  identical  for  shows  with  those 
of  the  royal  except  body  colour,  but  the  im- 
ported chocolate  is  often  dark  chocolate,  with 
blue  eyes,  stumpy  tail  with  a  marked  kink, 
short  legs,  and  heavy,  thick  body.  There  are 
not  many  chocolates  exhibited,  owing  to  the 
preference  given  to  the  royal  variety. 

"It  must  be  understood  that  there  is  no  defin- 
ite royal  breed  as  such,  but  the  palace  breed 
seems  to  have  originated  by  selection.  The 
Siamese  as  a  nation  are  lovers  of  anything 
quaint  or  uncommon,  and  the  white-bodied 
cats  in  Bangkok  seem  to  have  been  given  to,  or 
bought  by,  the  inhabitants  of  the  palace,  until 


THE     BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


they  have  established  a  breed  of  their  own,  and 
reproduced  the  cat  that  fanciers  know  to-day 
as  the  royal  cat  of  Siam.  This  should  explain 
a  point  which  has  given  rise  to  much  contro- 
versy, as  travellers  agree  that  other  cats  than 
royal  Siamese  are  to  be  found  inside  the  palace, 
yet  the  King  and  Prince  Damurong  have  given 
from  time  to  time  royal  Siamese  to  friends, 
naturally  choosing  for  a  present  the  cat  that 
has  the  most  value  in  their  eyes.  That  is  to 
say,  that  the  term  '  royal  Siamese  '  or  '  royal 
cat  of  Siam  '  is  a  descriptive  term  applied  to  a 
particular  variety  of  cat,  and  should  imply  no 
more  than  this.  We  have  a  parallel  case  in 
'  King  Charles  spaniels.'  The  temple  cat  is 
under  the  care  of  the  Jan  priests,  who  have 
the  greatest  reverence  for  animal  life,  and 
whose  temple  is  a  sanctuary  for  all  animals. 

''  Those  who  have  kept  Siamese  will  readily 
understand  that,  given  a  climate  to  suit  them, 
only  one  breed  of  cat  would  be  left  in  the 
temple — i.e.  the  Siamese,  for  this  breed  is  dis- 
tinguished as  much  by  its  pluck  and  activity 
as  by  hatred  for  any  other  breed  of  cat.  The 
common  cat  of  Siam  is  very  much  the  same  as 
anywhere  else,  except  that  the  Malay  kink  in 
the  tail  is  to  be  found  in  many  of  them.  Until 
recently  the  Siamese  was  but  little  known  in 
Europe,  but  occasionally  was  to  be  found  in 
the  various  zoological  gardens.  At  present 
there  is  a  fine  female  specimen  to  be  seen 
at  the  Zoo  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  having 
been  purchased  from  the  King  of  Roumania. 
One  or  two  are  to  be  seen  at  Berlin,  and  we 
understand  some  are  to  be  seen  at  the  Hague. 
London  has  the  first  one  it  has  had  for  six 
years,  but  it  is  not  shown  owing  to  its  want  of 
condition. 

"  A  point  on  which  the  Siamese  fancy  is 
divided  is  whether  the  ideal  cat  should  have 
a  kink  in  the  tail  or  not.  The  Club  remains 
neutral.  '  Champion  Wankee  '  has  a  decided 
kink,  looking,  in  fact,  as  though  the  tail  had 
been  caught  in  a  door  in  his  early  youth. 
'  Tiam-o-Shian  IV.,'  on  the  contrary,  has  none. 
This  kink  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  animals  of  the 
Malay  Peninsula,  and  sometimes  is  so  marked, 
as  to  make  the  tail  appear  like  a  corkscrew, 


though  others  of  the  same  litter  may  have  quite 
straight  tails.  There  is  a  peculiarity  in  breed- 
ing Siamese — i.e.  the  rarity  of  female  kittens 
in  a  litter,  the  average  seeming  to  be  five  males 
to  two  females.  This  may  be  due  to  the 
artificial  lives  so  often  led  by  these  cats  ;  and, 
if  so,  corroborates  the  theory  of  Herr  Schenk, 
the  Austrian  doctor,  of  the  probabilities  of 
sex  at  birth.  Three  of  the  most  noted  male 
cats  exhibited  in  England  have  been  Mrs. 
Robinson's  'Champion  Wankee,'  Mrs.  Vyvyan's 
'  Tiam-o-Shian  IV.,'  and  Mrs.  Parker  Brough's 
'  Koschka.'  Probably  Mrs.  Backhouse's 
'  Champion  Eve  '  and  Mrs.  Vyvyan's  '  Poly- 
phema  '  were  the  best  females  exhibited. 
'  Koschka '  was,  perhaps,  the  finest  cat  we 
ever  saw,  having  eyes  of  the  most  glorious  blue 
imaginable.  '  Koschka  '  died  after  the  West- 
minster show  of  1900.  Owners  run  a  great 
risk  in  sending  their  Siamese  (especially  kittens) 
to  shows,  as  in  addition  to  being  more  liable  to 
take  cold,  are  apt  to  fret  themselves  ill  at  being 
separated  from  their  mistresses.  Many  fanciers 
are  leaving  off  showing  Siamese  for  that  reason 
— for  instance,  the  Siamese  classes  were  can- 
celled at  the  Westminster  show  of  1903  owing 
to  lack  of  entries. 

"  It  is  hard  to  say  how  they  should  be  kept 
and  how  they  should  be  fed.  Some  Siamese 
thrive  by  being  treated  just  the  same  as 
ordinary  cats,  but  they  are  few  and  far  between. 
We  have  known  cats  which  have  been  allowed 
to  run  about  in  the  snow,  and  in  and  out  of 
draughts,  and  remain  perfectly  healthy  ;  and 
others,  who  seem  quite  strong  as  long  as  they 
are  taken  care  of,  catch  cold  and  die  if  they 
get  their  feet  wet.  However,  if  their  cattery 
is  kept  constantly  at  a  temperature  of  50 
degrees,  and  they  are  fed  on  scraped  beef,  milk 
(without  boracic  acid  or  preservative),  water, 
and  vegetables  they  seem  to  do  better  than 
under  any  other  conditions.  Personally,  we 
have  two  catteries — indoor  and  outdoor.  The 
indoor  one  is  fitted  up  with  '  foster-mothers,' 
as  used  for  chickens,  on  legs  about  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  We  find  this  very  necessary 
owing  to  the  draughts  on  the  floor.  The  rooms 
can  be  quickly  warmed  to  any  temperature 


SIAMESE  'CATS. 


205 


required,  even  in  the  depth  of  winter.  We 
like  our  grown-up  cats  loose  about  the  house, 
but  it  is  impossible  to  allow  kittens  their  full 
liberty  when  there  are  many  of  them,  as  they 
are  bound  to  get  into  mischief  and  do  much 
damage  to  the  furniture,  climbing  up  curtains 
and  breaking  ornaments  on  mantelpieces  and 
scratching  leather,  etc.  Of  course,  they  are 
allowed  downstairs  a  portion  of  every  day 
when  their  mistress  is  able  to  look  after  them. 
They  are  most  fascinating,  frolicsome  little 
creatures.  The  outdoor  catteries — for  use  in 
summer — consist  of  a  house  and  greenhouse, 
with  covered  runs  leading  from  them,  and  so 
arranged  that  any  or  every  cat  can  be  isolated 
at  will.  These  arrangements  have  taken  a 
great  deal  of  anxiety  off  our  shoulders. 

"  This  breed  is  certainly  the  noisiest,  least 
dignified,  most  intelligent,  and  most  active  of 
all  the  cats.  They  are  dog-like  in  their 
nature,  and  can  be  easily  taught  to  turn  back 
somersaults,  and  to  retrieve,  and  in  the  country 
take  long  walks  like  a  terrier. 

"  If  they  think  it  is  meal-time  and  they 
fancy  themselves  neglected,  they  cry  like 
children.  The  points  of  the  perfect  royal 
Siamese  lie  in  the  eyes,  which  should  be  a  most 
perfect  blue,  and  the  contrast  between  the 


MRS.  ROBINSON'S  "  AH  CHOO. 

BKKD  BY   MRS.  VVVVAN. 
'Photo:   E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


MRS.    ROBINSON  S    "  CHAMPION    WANKEE. 

(Photo :  E.  Landor,  Ealing. 

seal-brown  of  the  paws,  mask,  and  tail  and 
the  white  or  cream  of  the  rest  of  the  body, 
which  should  not  be  disfigured  by  bars  or 
blotches.  Age  should  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion in  judging  this  contrast.  There  are  many 
beautiful  kittens  shown  that  we  never  hear  of 
again  after  they  have  grown  up,  age  having 
blurred  their  coats,  thereby  making  the  con- 
trast less  defined. 

"  For  travelling  short  distances  there  are 
few  better  travelling  cases  than  a  Canadian 
cheese  box,  with  holes  bored  in  the  side.  They 
are  cheap  (say  4d.),  light,  and  damp  and 
draught  proof,  and  can  be  burnt  after  once 
using." 

It  will  be  gathered  from  the  accounts  given 
by  Siamese  fanciers  that  these  cats,  though 

delicate,  with  the  exercise  of  care  may  be 

reared  like  ordinary  ones  of  other  breeds. 

Miss    Cochran    is    very    emphatic   on    this 

point.      She   says  : — 

"  If   Siamese   are    treated    like    common 

English  cats,  given  plenty  of  fresh  air  and 

proper  food,  they  are  hardy  and  healthy  ; 

and  by  proper  food  I  mean  a  meat  diet — 

raw  shin  of  beef,  and  as  often  as  possible 


266 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


any  kind  of  bird  with  the  feathers  on,  or 
fowls'  heads  and  mice.  The  fur  and  feathers 
act  as  a  mechanical  vermifuge.  If  the  Siam- 
ese cats  are  coddled,  they  will  certainly  die. 
They  have  naturally  rather  delicate  lungs,  and 
for  these  fresh  air  is  absolutely  necessary  ; 
a  close,  hot  atmosphere  and  heated  rooms 
are  fatal." 

Mrs.  Carew  Cox  I  have  alluded  to  as  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  Siamese  fancy,   and  she 


penetrating  eyes  appear  to  see  so  far  and  so 
much,  whose  intelligence  seems  almost  human, 
and  who  seldom  stay  with  us  for  long.  Unfor- 
tunately, these  cats  are  difficult  to  rear,  the 
constant  damp  of  our  climate  affecting  their 
lungs  and  producing  frequent  colds  and  coughs, 
lowering  vitality  and  causing  debility. 

"  There  are  two  recognised  varieties  of  this 
breed- — the  royal  and  the  chocolate.  The 
former  is  certainly  the  most  beautiful  in  appear- 


"MAFEKIXG. 

THE  PROPERTY  OF  MRS.  VyvyAN. 
(Photo:   E.  Lamtor,  Baling.) 


still  remains  an  ardent  admirer  of  this  breed, 
and  often  acts  as  judge.  She  has  kindly 
written  a  very  valuable  article  specially  for 
this  work,  and  I  have  therefore  great  pleasure 
in  giving  her  interesting  experience  in  this 
chapter  on  Siamese  : — 

"  Only  those  who  possess  Siamese  can  under- 
stand how  reluctantly  a  lover  of  this  breed 
takes  up  a  pen  to  endeavour  to  do  justice  to  its 
characteristics — it  is  like  attempting  the  impos- 
sible. One  feels  one  must  step  softly — so  to 
speak — in  the  presence  of  these  wonderfully 
fascinating  creatures,  whose  thoughtful  yet 


ance,  the  seal-brown  points — sometimes  black 
in  adults — relieving  the  pale  but  rich  cream 
colour  of  the  rest  of  the  body,  and  the  brown 
mask  forming  a  grand  setting  for  the  superbly 
blue  eyes.  The  mask  on  the  face  should  circle 
well  above  the  eyes,  but  should  not  extend 
into  the  ear  space  ;  the  cream  colour  should 
be  in  evidence  beyond  the  circle  ;  the  cars 
should  be  seal  and  well  and  distinctly  put  on 
— i.e.  the  seal  or  brown  should  not  merge  into 
the  cream  ;  the  legs,  feet,  and  tail  should  be 
of  the  same  shade  of  seal,  the  darker  the 
better.  The  tail  of  a  Siamese  cat  has  been 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


267 


the  subject  of  considerable  discussion  and 
argument,  some  preferring  the  straight  tail  and 
some  the  kinked.  The  former  is  surely  the 
most  to  be  desired  for  appearance  sake ;  but 
the  latter  undeniably  adds  to  the  quaint  and 
foreign  appearance  of  the  cat,  and  in  Hong- 
Kong  preference  is  given  to  them  and  higher 
prices  paid  for  '  kinks.'  The  eyes  should  be 
large  and  luminous,  of  a  bright  shade  of  true 
blue,  appearing  flame-coloured  at  night  or  by 


retained  her  pale  colouring  and  her  well- 
defined  points  to  the  last,  and  was  the  mother 
of  many  very  beautiful  kittens.  Male  cats  are 
generally  larger  than  females,  and  possess 
voices,  which  demand  instant  attention. 

"  The  chocolate  Siamese  are  of  a  rich  choco- 
late or  dark  seal,  with  still  more  intense  points. 
These  cats  usually  possess  eyes  of  rich  amber. 
I  have  Miss  Forestier-Walker's  kind  permis- 
sion to  utilise  the  following  most  interesting 


THE    LATE    "  KING    KESHO." 
(Photo :   Phillips,  Croydon.) 


artificial  light  ;  good  specimens  are  often 
spoilt  by  small  eyes,  pale  in  colour.  There 
appear  to  be  two  distinct  types — the  compactly 
built,  short  in  body,  short  on  legs,  and  round 
in  head  ;  and  the  long-bodied,  long-faced, 
lithe,  sinuous,  and  peculiarly  foreign-looking 
variety.  I  am  informed  that  the  small  cats 
are  held  in  great  esteem  in  Siam,  some  of  the 
females  being  quite  liliputian.  It  is  a  matter 
for  regret  that  as  the  cat  ages  the  beautiful 
clear  cream  colouring  becomes  cloudy  and  dark. 
There  have  been  exceptions  to  this  rule  :  the 
late  '  Polyphema,'  owned  by  Mrs.  Vyvyan, 


— and  hitherto  unpublished — extract  from  a 
letter  received  by  her  in  October,  1902  : — 
'  I  am  very  pleased  to  write  and  give  you 
the  following  information  re  Siamese  cats. 
During  a  stay  of  some  thirteen  years  in  the 
Straits  Settlements  I  have  visited  Siam  on 
several  occasions,  and  on  one  of  these  visits 
the  present  King  of  Siam  gave  a  friend  of  mine 
a  pair  of  cats.  These  cats  were  what  the  King 
called  palace  cats,  were  very  valuable  and 
perfect  specimens,  with  short  twisted  tails.  It 
may  also  interest  you  to  know  that  the  Siamese 
have  a  superstition  about  their  cats,  and  like 


268 


THE     BOOK     OF     THE     CAT, 


to  have  both  breeds  in  their  houses — i.e.  the 
dark,  coffee-coloured  ones  with  yellow  or 
golden-coloured  eyes,  and  the  cream-coloured 
with  blue  or  silver  eyes.  The  idea  is  that  the 
yellow-eyed  cats  will  bring  gold  and  the  blue- 
eyed  silver,  hence  if  you  have  both  breeds 
there  will  always  be  plenty  in  the  house.' 

"  I  advocate  that  all  kittens  should  be 
reared  by  healthy  English  foster-mothers,  and 
am  convinced  that  if  breeders  would  adopt 
this  plan  we  should  in  time  succeed  in  establish- 
ing a  far  stronger  breed  of  cats.  As  matters 
now  stand,  the  kittens  inherit 
and  develop  any  ailment  or 
weakness  to  which  their 
mothers  may  be  subject,  so 
that  from  the  very  commence- 
ment of  their  existence  they 
have  but  little  chance  of  be- 
coming strong  and  healthy 
enough  to  withstand  our  cli- 
mate of  many  moods. 

"  Plenty  of  sun  and  air  they 
require,  but  damp  and  draughts 
are  fatal.  All  young  kittens 
should  be  encouraged  to  take 
exercise  ;  empty  cotton  reels 
cause  hours  of  amusement, 
also  a  rabbit's  foot  tied  on 
to  string  or  otherwise  ;  corks 
of  any  description  must  be 
avoided.  Large  bones  should 
be  given  when  the  kittens  are  two  months  old 
— they  assist  the  growth  of  teeth  ;  small  ones, 
such  as  of  game,  chicken,  or  fish,  are  danger- 
ous. The  best  and  safest  of  all  is  a  bullock's 
foot  boiled  down  and  pulled  apart  ;  these  bones 
will  occupy  kittens  for  a  considerable  time. 

"  Worms  cause  an  enormous  mortality 
amongst  Siamese,  and  are,  I  feel  convinced,  at 
the  root  of  nearly  every  ailment  from  which  cats 
or  kittens  suffer ;  therefore,  however  reluctant 
one  may  feel  as  to  giving  medicine  to  young- 
sters of  tender  age,  it  is  better  to  do  this 
than  to  run  the  risk  of  these  odious  parasites 
establishing  themselves,  for  they  are  most 
difficult  to  dislodge  permanently.  I  have  used 
Saunder's  worm  powders  with  considerable 


LADY    MARCUS    BERESFORD  S 

"  CAMBODIA." 
(Photo  :   E.  Laniior,  Baling.) 


success.  Of  course,  the  dose  for  kittens  must 
be  administered  in  minute  quantity- — just  a 
small  pinch  given  in  warm  olive  oil  early  in 
the  morning  after  an  all-night  fast.  In  giving 
the  powder  to  adults  I  always  enclose  it  in 
capsules.  In  cases  of  weakness  or  exhaustion 
a  few  drops  of  brandy  or  whisky  in  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  warm  milk  works  wonders.  It  is 
often  necessary  to  give  some  sort  of  tonic  after 
medicine  of  this  description. 

"  Siamese  kittens  should  be  well  fed ;  not 
much  at  a  time,  but  little  and  often — lean 
scraped  beef  or  mutton,  veget- 
ables, stale  bread  and  gravy, 
boiled  fish,  rabbit,  raw  eggs, 
milk  (previously  boiled);  in  fact, 
anything  light  and  nourishing. 
The  remains  of  a  meal  should 
never  be  left  on  the  floor. 
These  kittens'  digestions  are 
not  strong,  and  their  intestines 
are  most  delicately  formed. 

'•  The  colour  of  the  eyes  of 
Siamese  kittens  should  be  well 
determined  at  eight  weeks. 
They  are  most  interesting  and 
playful  at  this  age  ;  a  tunnel 
made  of  newspapers  will  afford 
endless  amusement,  and  after 
a  long  and  energetic  game  oi 
play  they  will  sleep  for  hours. 
It  is  not  desirable  to  lift 
or  handle  them  more  than  can  be  avoided 
whilst  they  are  very  young.  In  cases  of 
bad  colds  or  coughs,  a  simple  but  usually 
effective  remedy  is  a  mixture  of  three  penny- 
worth of  oil  of  almonds  and  three  pennyworth 
of  syrup  of  violets,  mixed  by  a  chemist — a 
quarter  of  a  teaspoonful  thrice  daily  (it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  shake  the  bottle  thoroughly 
before  administering  the  medicine).  For  an 
adult  an  eggspoonful  three  times  daily  may 
be  given.  Cod-liver  oil  is  always  safe  (also 
the  best  olive  oil),  and  helps  to  build  up  the 
constitution.  As  a  tonic  I  know  of  nothing  to 
equal  half-grain  (coated)  quinine  pills,  given 
early  each  morning  for  a  few  days  now  and 
again.  In  cases  of  bronchitis,  Carvill's  Air 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


269 


and  to  effect  a  perma- 
nent cure  the  treatment 
must  be  very  persistent. 
"  I  do  not  know  when 
Siamese  were  first  intro- 
duced into  England,  but 
Lady  Dorothy  Nevill 
possessed  some  several 
years  ago.  Sir  Robert 
Herbert  imported  some ; 


PUGS   PAYING  A  VISIT  TO 
THE    SIAMKSK. 

Purifier  (about  a  tea- 
spoonlul)  should  be 
placed  in  boiling  water, 
and  the  cat  or  kitten 
made  to  inhale  the 
steam  several  times 
daily,  and  particularly 
the  first  thing  in  the 
morning  and  the  last 
at  night. 

"  For  adults  suffer- 
ing from  bad  throat 
complaint  and  total 
refusal  of  all  food  I 
have  found  no  remedy 
to  equal  the  following 
prescription,  if  given 

in  time.  I  have  administered  it  with  great 
success  to  numberless  cats  :  Forty  drops 
Calvert's  pure  carbolic  acid,  two  drachms 
spirits  of  wine,  six  ounces  pure  water.  Not 
quite  half  a  teaspoonful  to  be  mixed  with 
a  teaspoonful  of  warm  milk,  poured  down 
the  throat  three  times  daily ;  for  very  young 
cats  a  smaller  quantity  of  the  mixture  should 
be  given.  I  doubt  if  it  would  be  advisable  to 
give  it  to  young  kittens.  Even  if  the  cat  does 
not  swallow  the  whole  dose,  it  acts  beneficially 
as  a  mouth-wash  and  disinfectant,  apparently 
removing  an  unpleasant  taste  and  re-establish- 
ing the  power  to  smell — the  loss  of  this  sense 
often  preventing  a  sick  cat  from  eating.  Weak 
eyes,  sickness,  and  diarrhoea  are  tedious  ail- 
ments to  which  all  kittens  are  very  subject, 


MRS.    HAWKINS     CATTKRY. 


and  Miss  Forestier-Walker  and  her  sister  (Mrs. 
Vyvyan),  who  have  owned  and  bred  many 
beautiful  specimens,  first  made  acquaintance 
with  this  breed  in  1883,  and  soon  afterwards 
were  presented  with  '  Susan  '  and  '  Samuel ' 
direct  from  the  palace  at  Bangkok.  'Tiam-o- 
Shian  I.'  also  came  from  Bangkok.  All  these 
cats  had  kinked  tails.  From  'Susan'  and 
'  Tiam  -  o  -  Shian  I.'  —  mated  with  Mrs.  Lee's 
'  Meo,'  Mr.  Harrington's  '  Medu,'  and  Miss 
Moore's  '  Siam  ' — descended,  amongst  others, 
the  following  well-known  and  typical  cats  : 
'  Bangkok,"  Tiam-o-Shian  II.,' '  Goblin, "Kitza 
Kara,'  'Queen  Rhea,'  '  King  Wallypug,' '  Prince 
of  Siam,'  ' Tiam-o-Shian  III.,'  'Adam,'  'Eve,' 
'Cupid,'  'Mafeking,'  '  Rangsit,'  'Vishuddha,' 
'  Tiam-o-Shian  IV.,'  '  Suzanne,'  '  Ah  Choo,' 


270 


THE   BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


'  Tornito,'  and  '  Evangeline.'  In  awarding 
prizes  in  the  Siamese  classes  at  the  Cat  Club 
show  at  Westminster  in  1901 1  found  '  Suzanne  ' 
quite  the  best  cat  present,  and  upon  referring 
subsequently  to  a  catalogue  was  not  surprised 
to  find  that  Mrs.  Vyvyan  was  her  owner. 
'  Champion  Wankee  '  for  a  long  time  held  his 
own  in  the  show  pen,  and  has  sired  some  very 
good  kittens  ;  but,  of  course,  as  is  usual,  age 
has  darkened  him. 

"Mrs.  Robinson's  'Ah  Choo '.  and  Mr. 
Cooke's  '  Zetland  Wanzes  '  are  well-known 
cats  of  to-day.  Lady  Marcus  Beresford's 
'  King  of  Siam '  is  imported,  has  glorious 
eyes  of  sapphire-blue,  and  sires  exceptionally 
good  kittens  ;  he  is  short  on  the  leg,  has  a  coat 
like  satin  and  an  excellent  constitution.  '  Royal 
Siam,'  the  property  of  Mrs.  Spencer,  of  Eye 
Vicarage,  Suffolk  (who  has  bred  some  of  the 
best  kittens  I  have  ever  seen),  is  a  superb 
creature  with  eyes  of  deepest  blue  ;  he  was 
given  to  a  friend  of  Mrs.  Spencer  in  Siam, 
is  a  genuine  royal  palace-bred  specimen  with 
bright  blue  eyes,  a  handsome  cat  with,  strictly 
typical  points,  and — he  is  never  ill  !  Miss 
Harper's  (late)  '  Curly  Tail,'  a  daughter  of 
'  King  Kesho,'  was  an  excellent  example  of 
the  breed,  all  her  points  were  very  good  ; 
unfortunately  her  life  was  not  of  long  duration 
— she  died  a  victim  to  dropsy.  It  is  so  long 
ago  since  I  first  possessed  a  Siamese  kitten  that 
I  cannot  remember  from  whom  I  purchased 
her  ;  she  was  a  very  perfect  little  creature, 
absolutely  adorable  with  her  quaint  way? 
appealing  and  yet  assertive  nature. 

"  After  her  death  from  rapid  decline  I 
tried  to  put  aside  all  thoughts  of  securing 
another,  and  not  until  September,  1893,  did 
I  again  fall  a  victim  to  the  attractions  of  this 
breed,  purchasing  a  female  of  about  one  year 
old  from  Zache,  of  Great  Portland  Street.  I 
named  her  '  Yuthia  '  ;  she  was  supposed  to 
have  been  imported,  had  very  expressive  blue 
eyes,  and  she  lived  until  February,  1899. 

"  In  October,  1893 — immediately  after  the 
Crystal  Palace  show — I  became  the  owner  of 
'  Kitza  Kara,'  a  very  perfect  male,  bred  by 
Miss  Forestier-Walker,  which  won  first  prize 


and  several  medals  and  specials.  He  also- 
carried  all  before  him  at  Bath  in  March,  1894. 
Unfortunately,  he  died  that  year  from  con- 
gestion of  the  lungs. 

"  '  King  Kesho,'  the  well-known  male  (sire 
of  many  beautiful  kittens),  I  bought  from 
Mr.  Forsgate  in  1894  ;  he  claimed  descent  from 
the  Duchess  of  Bedford's,  Mrs.  Seton-Kerr's, 
and  Miss  Forestier-Walker's  cats ;  he  had 
large  bold  eyes  of  a  glorious  shade  of  blue, 
and  very  dark  points  ;  he  won  many  prizes 
and  specials,  but  died  in  1897.  '  Lido,'  a  male 
bred  by  Mrs.  Chapman  and  sired  by  '  Champion 
Wankee,'  was  descended  from  some  of  the 
best  of  his  time  ;  he  was  of  the  long-bodied, 
narrow-faced  type,  most  graceful  in  his 
movements. 

"Amongst  the  many  females  I  have  pos- 
sessed, '  Cameo '  was  one  of  my  best,  her 
pale  body  colour  being  relieved  by  intensely 
dark  points  ;  this  little  pet  died  suddenly  in 
July,  1896,  from  failure  of  the  heart's  action. 
'  Koko  '  was  a  very  large  cat,  comparatively 
coarse  in  appearance  for  one  of  this  variety  ; 
she  won  the  Duchess  of  Bedford's  special  at 
Holland  Park  in  1896,  for  the  best  adult 
Siamese.  '  Princess  To-To,'  1900,  bred  by 
Mrs.  Bennet,  became  a  great  favourite  ;  no 
words  of  mine  could  ever  do  justice  to  her  re- 
markable individuality,  her  fascinating  moods, 
her  expressive  little  face  and  sense  of  the  comic. 
She  loved  to  be  sung  to  sleep,  closing  her 
eyes  with  an  unmistakable  air  of  enjoyment  and 
confidence,  and  clearly  requesting  an  encore 
when  the  song  ceased.  I  taught  her  to  dance, 
and  every  night  at  ten  o'clock  she  frantically 
enjoyed  prancing  round  the  room  on  her 
hind  legs. 

"  Alas,  that  these  little  companions  to  whom 
we  are  permitted  to  become  so  deeply  attached 
should  be  only  lent  us  to  brighten  our  weary 
way  for  so  short  a  period  !  '  To-To  '  was 
always  very  delicate,  and  after  lying  at  death's 
door  on  several  occasions  she  finally  entered 
in  ;  with  her  very  last  breath  she  crept  into 
my  arms  to  die.  '  Yolanda,'  the  female  I  now 
own,  was  presented  to  me  by  Mrs.  Hankey,  and 
bred,  I  believe,  by  Mrs.  Foote.  She  is  a  small 


SIAMESE    CATS. 


2',L 


cat  with  very  blue  eyes,  and  has  recently  had 
a  litter  of  five  kittens  by  Lady  Marcus  Beres- 
ford's  '  King  of  Siam '  ;  these  kittens  all 
possessed  the  gloriously  blue  eyes  to  which 
both  of  their  parents  can  lay  claim. 

"  '  Attache  '  (a  neuter)  was  given  to  me 
in  October,  1900,  when  six  months  old,  by 
Mrs.  Spencer,  of  Eye  Vicarage,  Suffolk  ;  he 
is  a  very  large  and  powerful  creature,  with 
massive  limbs,  and  an  unconquerable  an- 
tipathy to  all  other  cats  of  any  description, 
excepting  only  my  Russian  neuter,  whose 


things,  which  he  keeps  under  one  particular 
cushion,  hunting  them  out  when  he  feels 
inclined  to  play  ;  for  so  large  a  cat  he  is 
remarkably  athletic,  and  as  yet  his  health 
has  caused  me  no  anxiety. 

"  It  is  highly  desirable  that  all  who  own 
cats  should  keep  a  few  simple  medicines 
always  at  hand.  Personally,  I  am  never 
without  the  remedies  previously  alluded  to. 
Delay,  in  neglecting  to  note  and  treat  at  the 
very  commencement  certain  symptoms  of  ill- 
ness, often  proves  fatal,  whereas  a  '  stitch  in 


"ROMEO"  AND  "JULIETTE." 

THE    PROPERTY  OF   MRS.  VARY  CAMPBELL. 
(Photo  :  J.  Clat>pcrton,  Galashiels.) 


presence  he  tolerates.  So  great  is  his  aver- 
sion to  even  the  semblance  of  a  cat,  that 
he  has  attacked  a  life-size  print  of  an  as- 
sertive-looking Persian  that  acted  as  a  stove 
ornament  in  the  room  he  occupied  during  the 
summer  months,  scratching  it  several  times 
across  and  across,  and  then  retiring  behind  it, 
evidently  to  watch  the  effect  from  another 
point  of  view  !  He  has  large  and  luminous 
eyes,  in  whose  unfathomable  depths  linger 
many  and  varied  expressions  ;  he  is  of  a 
peculiarly  jealous  disposition,  capable  of  in- 
tense devotion.  In  spite  of  his  living  the 
life  of  a  recluse,  he  is  by  no  means  a  victim 
of  ennui,  possessing  his  own  special  play- 


*ime  saves  nine,'  and  may  even  save  one  of  the 
nine  lives  that  a  cat  is  (or  was)  supposed  to 
possess." 

The  love  of  Siamese  cats  has  not  seemed  as 
yet  to  have  developed  in  America,  and  speci- 
mens of  the  breed  are  few  and  far  between. 
Lady  Marcus  Beresford  sent  out  two  good  cats 
to  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke,  and  I  believe  several 
fine  litters  have  been  reared,  and  some  fine 
exhibits  appeared  at  recent  shows.  I  give 
an  illustration  of  some  of  these  pets,  with 
Mrs.  Robert  Locke,  on  page  256. 

In  the  foregoing  remarks  of  noted  breeders 
of  this  variety  many  useful  hints  are  given, 
and  some  peculiarities  of  the  breed  mentioned. 


272 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


I  would,  however,  draw  attention  to  a  curious 
and  rather  remarkable  fact  in  connection  with 
Siamese  cats. 

When  they  are  ill,  a  sprinkling  of  white  hairs 
invariably  appears  all  over  the  face  and  head. 
The  bright  blue  of  the  eye  vanishes,  leaving  it 
a  sort  of  pale  opal  colour.  It  often  takes 
many  weeks  before  the  cat  regains  its  ordinary 
appearance.  Harrison  Weir,  in  his  allusions 
to  Siamese,  tells  us  that  he  had  observed  a 
great  liking  of  these  cats  for  "  the  woods," 
and  goes  on  to  describe  them  as  not  passing 
along  like  an  ordinary  cat,  but  quickly  and 
quietly  creeping  from  bush  to  bush  ;  nor  do 
they  seem  afraid  of  getting  their  feet  wet 
— like  the  feline  tribe  in  general.  The  male 
Siamese  will  take  a  most  friendly  and  parental 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  madame's  family ; 
indeed,  he  shows  a  great  liking  always  to  have 
the  company  of  a  lady,  and  frets  greatly  when 
left  alone. 

The  males  are,  however,  antagonistic  to 
others  'of  their  sex,  and  fight  with  a  terrible 
persistency.  I  have  heard  of  a  stalwart  fellow 
who,  being  allowed  his  liberty,  cleared  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  all  other  wandering  toms.  When 
made  neuter,  Siamese  become  most  charming 
home  pets,  and  can  be  taught  to  do  tricks 
more  easily  than  other  cats.  The  sole  objec- 


tion to  a  Siamese  house  cat  is  the  trying 
nature  of  its  unmelodious  voice.  Siamese  are 
rather  prolific  breeders,  the  litters  being  gener- 
ally large  ones,  and  the  females,  as  a  rule,  in 
the  minority. 

I  do  not  believe  that  Siamese  will  ever  be- 
come common  in  England,  for  many  reasons. 
These  cats  are  expensive  to  purchase,  difficult 
to  rear,  and  fanciers  are  afraid  to  risk  them 
in  the  show  pen  ;  but  in  spite  of  these  draw- 
backs, I  think,  as  time  goes  on,  and  the  Siamese 
Club  extends  its  labours,  we  shall  see  and  hear 
more  of  these  really  curious  creatures,  for  what 
we  call  the  royal  Siamese  bears  no  resemblance 
to  any  other  cat,  and  the  distinguishing 
differences,  being  so  great,  tend  to  make  the 
breed  one  of  our  best  show  cats  and  a  clear 
class  to  itself,  for  the  Siamese  of  the  purest 
blood  should  not  be  crossed  with  other  cats. 
We  have  heard  of  "  any  other  colour  "  Siamese, 
but  these  cats  of  varied  hue  claiming  to  be 
Siamese  are  but  the  offspring  of  a  cross.  We 
have  been  told  of  black  and  blue  and  tabby 
Siamese  ;  but  the  fanciers  of  Siamese  look 
askance  at  these  freaks,  and  feel  that  it  is 
worse  than  useless  to  attempt  to  produce 
any  other  variety  than  that  which  we  have 
learned  by  custom  to  designate  the  Royal 
cat  of  Siam. 


A    COSY    CORNER.  , 

{From  a  Painting  by  Madame  Ronncr.) 


18 


274 


"  ASHBRITTLE    PETER.' 
THE    PROPERTY    OF    MRS.    E.    A.    CLARK. 


CHAPTER     XXIV. 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


IF  a  census  could  be  taken  of  the  cats  in 
England,  or  even  in  London,  I  suppose 
the  proportion  of  short-haired  cats  to 
long-haired  cats  would  be  about  ten  to  one. 
In  the  cat  fancy,  however,  the  breeders  of 
Persians  in  comparison  with  those  of  the 
short-haired  varieties  are  far  more  numerous. 
In  former  days,  when  cat  shows  were  first 
held  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  the  premier  position 
was  given  to  the  short-haired  breeds.  On 
reference  to  the  catalogues  up  to  1895  I  find 
the  following  heading  at  the  commencement  : 
"  Class  I.  Short-haired  Cats  :  He  Cats,  Tortoise- 
shell  or  Tortoiseshell  -  and  -White."  Then 
followed  the  rest  of  the  short-haired  varie- 
ties, including  Siamese,  Manx,  and  blue  (self 
colour). 

The  long-haired  breeds,  therefore,  in  those 
days  had  to  play  second  fiddle,  so  to  speak. 
It  was  in  1896,  when  the  National  Cat  Club 
took  over  the  Crystal  Palace  shows,  that  the 


place  of  honour  was  given  to  the  long-haired 
or  Persian  cats  ;  and  now,  as  all  the  world 
knows — or,  at  any  rate,  all  the  cat  world — 
at  every  show  the  short-haired  cats  are  in  a 
very  small  minority. 

At  one  time — not  so  very  long  ago — there 
was  a  danger  of  these  breeds  becoming 
an  unknown  quantity  at  our  shows.  This 
would  have  been  a  grievous  pity  ;  so  some 
champions  of  the  household  or  homely  puss 
arose,  and  Sir  Claud  and  Lady  Alexander 
founded  in  1901  the  British  Cat  Club,  to 
encourage  the  breeding,  exhibiting,  and  kind 
treatment  of  these  cats.  The  subscription 
first  started  at  55.,  but  was  reduced  to  2s.  6d., 
so  as  to  try  to  get.  members  of  the  poorer 
classes  to  join  and  take  an  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  pussy.  A  goodly  number  of 
members'  names  are  now  on  the  list,  and  much 
has  been  done  in  supporting  shows  by  offer- 
ing specials — chiefly  in  money — and  in  the 


W 


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SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


275 


generous  guaranteeing  of  classes.      The  hon.  I  do    not  think  such  cats  are  to  be   found 

secretary  and  treasurer  is  Sir  Claud  Alexander,  now    in   our   midst,   and    so   I    presume    this 

Faygate  Wood,  Sussex.     There  is  a  Scottish  species   of     long-haired    cat    has     died    out. 

branch  of  this  club,  of  which  the  secretary  is  Anyhow,    the    term    "  Russian,"    when    now 


Miss  Leith,   Ross  Priory,  Alexandria,   N.B. 

It  was  also  in  1901  that  the  Short-haired 
Cat  Society  was  founded  by  Mr.  Gambier 
Bolton,  whose  name  is  so  well  known  in  the 
animal  world.  At  most  of  the  principal  shows 
this  society  is  represented,  and  some  hand- 
some challenge  cups  and  prizes  are  placed  for 
competition.  The  hon.  secretary  is  Mrs. 
Middleton,  67,  Cheyne  Court,  Chelsea,  and  the 
annual  subscription  is  55.,  and  2s.  6d.  to  work- 
ing classes. 

In  considering  the  short-haired  breeds,  I 
will  divide  them  into  three  sections — viz. 
selfs  or  whole  colours,  broken  colours,  and 
any  other  distinct  variety.  The  Siamese 
and  Manx  cats  I  have  dealt  with  in  previous 
chapters,  and  foreign  cats  will  have  a  corner 
to  themselves  later  on  ;  so  I  propose  to  deal 
first  with  those  interesting  short-haired  self- 
coloured  cats  formerly  called  Russian  or  Arch- 
angel, and  which  in  America  are  termed 
Maltese. 

There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  discussion 
lately  as  to  the  points  desirable  in  these  cats, 
which  of  recent  years  have  clearly  be- 
come a  species  of  British  cats,  and  there- 
fore are  rightly  classed  as  such  at  our 
shows,  instead  of  as  Russians.  Yet  this 
latter  name  sticks  to  the  variety,  and  no 
doubt  there  are  still  some  real  foreign 
short-haired  blues  to  be  found,  differ- 
ing, however,  in  type  from  those  we 
have  become  accustomed  to  breed  and 
exhibit  in  England.  Harrison  Weir  and 
John  Jennings,  in  their  book  on  cats 
in  the  early  days  of  the  fancy,  deal 
with  cats  called  Russians  amongst  the 
long-haired  breeds,  and  these  are  de- 
scribed by  them  as  larger  in  body  and 
shorter  in  leg  than  Persians,  with  a 
coat  of  woolly  texture  interspersed  with 
wiry,  coarse  hairs.  In  colour  we  are 
told  they  were  generally  dark  tabby, 
the  markings  being  rather  indistinct. 


used,  is  meant  to  designate  the  self-coloured, 
smooth-haired  cat  with  which  we  are  all 
familiar.  Certainly,  the  best  blues  I  have 
always  remarked  are  those  that  have  been 
bred  in  England,  or  that,  at  least,  can  boast 
an  English  sire  or  dam  ;  and,  after  writing 
right  and  Jeft  to  breeders  of  British  cats,  I 
have  had  a  difficulty  in  obtaining  any  really 
good  photographs.  I  cannot,  however,  com- 
plain of  the  pictures  of  blue  short-hairs 
which  illustrate  these  pages,  and  which 
have  been  really  showered  upon  me.  I  have 
failed,  however,  to  be  able  to  illustrate 
the  difference  between  the  foreigners  and 
Britishers. 

That  there  are  two  distinct  types  of  these 
blue  cats  is  apparent  to  anyone  who  observes 
the  specimens  exhibited  at  our  shows.  The 
foreign  or  imported  variety  have  wedge- 
shaped  faces,  and  are  longer  and  larger  in  the 
head,  with  prominent  ears ;  otherwise,  in 
colour  and  coat,  they  are  similar  to  those  bred 
in  England,  and  which  partake  of  the  same 
formation  as  an  ordinary  British  cat.  In 


"  BALLOCHMYLE    BLUE    QUEEN. 
BELONGING  TO  LADY  ALEXANDER. 


276 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


describing  the  correct  texture  of  coat  of 
these  short-haired  blues,  I  would  compare 
it  to  plush,  for  the  hair  does  not  lie  softly 
on  the  slope,  but  has  a  tendency  to  an 
upright  growth,  and  yet  the  coat  should  not 
have  any  suspicion  of  coarseness  or  rough- 
ness to  the  touch.  We  know  the  difference 
between  silk  and  cotton  plush,  and  it  is  to 
the  former  I  would  liken  the  correct  coat  of 
these  blues.  Needless  to  say  that,  as  in  all 

self  -  coloured 
cats,  the 
colours 
should  be  ab- 
solutely even 
— of  a  bluish 
lilac  tint,  - 
without  any 
sootiness  or 
rusty  shade. 
As  in  other 
breeds  of 
"selfs,"  the 
y  o  u  n  g  k  i  t- 
tcns  exhibit 
distinct  tab- 
by markings, 
but  these 
vanish  as  the 
coat  grows, 
and  many  a 
ringed  tail 
which  may 
have  caused 
distress  to 
the  breeder 
will  as  time 

goes  on  be  proudly  held  aloft  without  a 
suspicion  of  any  blemish.  The  blues  now 
exhibited  appear  generally  to  fail  in  eye,  the 
colour  being  yellow,  and  often  green  or  greenish- 
yellow  ;  whereas  a  special  feature  of  this  breed 
should  be  a  deep  orange  eye,  round  and  full. 
Another  fault  which  is  sometimes  apparent 
is  too  thick  a  tail,  which  is  suggestive  of  a 
long-haired  ancestor.  The  following  is  an 
interesting  letter  from  Mrs.  H.  V.  James 
which  appeared  in  Fur  and  Feather  : — 


MRS.    CARKW    COX  S    BLUE    MALE 
"  BAYARD.'.'  .  ' 


BLUE    RUSSIANS. 

I  am  very  interested  in  the  discussion  on  blue  Russians, 
as  years  ago  I  had  a  perfect  type  of  a  blue  Russian, 
which  had  been  imported.  When  Russians  were 
judged  as  Russians  it  won  well  at  shows,  so  you  may 
like  to  have  a  description  of  the  cat — which  is,  1 
believe,  a  correct  one,  according  to  several  authorities 
on  Russian  cats.  A  real  Russian  should  be  longer  in 
the  leg  than  the  English  blue.  The  head  is  pointed 
and  narrow  ;  the  ears  large,  but  round  ;  tail  long,  full 
near  the  body,  but  very  tapering.  According  to  the 
English  taste,  it  is  not  a  pretty  cat,  and  only  excels 
over  the  British  blue  in  the  colour  and  quality  of  its 
coat,  which  is  much  shorter  and  softer  than  the  latter. 
The  true  colour  is  a  real  lavender-blue,  of  such  softness 
and  brilliancy  that  it  shines  like  silver  in  a  strong 
light.  The  eyes  are  amber.  I  think  it  a  great  mis- 
take to  give  "  Russian  "  in  our  show  classification 
now,  as  these  are  really  almost  extinct  in  England,  I 
believe,  and  our  principal  clubs  have  been  wise 
enough  to  drop  the  title  for  "  Short-haired  Blues," 
in  the  same  way  that  "  Persian  "  has  been  dropped 
for  "  Long-haired  Cats."  The  last  time  I  showed  my 
Russian  was  at  the  first  Westminster  show,  in  a  class 
for  Russians.  She  was,  however,  beaten  by  the 
round-headed  British  blue,  although  she  was,  1 
believe,  the  only  Russian  in  the  class.  In  iqoi  the 
class  was  altered  to  "  Short-haired  Blues,"  which 
was  more  correct,  as  few  of  the  blues  shown  then  had 
anything  of  the  Russian  about  them,  either  in  shape 
or  coat.  As  hese  classes  are  no-*  arranged,  it  would 
be  unfair  to  judge  them  except  by  the  standard  of  our 
own  short-haired  cats,  and  I  think  that  if  a  club  wants 
to  encourage  Russians  it  should  give  the  extra  class, 
"  Blue  Russian,"  and  let  it  be  judged  as  such.  I 
must  own  it  is  disappointing  for  a  Russian  owner,  who, 
seeing  "  Russian  Blue  "  only  given  in  the  schedule, 
enters  his  cat  accordingly,  and  gets  beaten  by  a  short- 
haired  blue  failing  in  just  the  points  that  the  Russian 
is  correct  in.  I  know  my  feelings  after  Westminster, 
1899,'  when  my  Russian  was  described  as  "  grand 
colour,  texture  of  coat,  failing  to  winner  in  width  of 
head. and  smallness  of  ears."  The  blue  short-hairs 
now  shown  are,  I  know,  far  more  beautiful  with  their 
round  heads  and  shorter  legs  ;  but,  unfortunately, 
the  beautiful  is  not  always  the  correct  type.  As 
British  cats,  however,  they  are  both  beautiful  and 
correct,  so  why  not  drop  the  Russian  name  alto- 
gether ?  I  had  a  most  amusing  talk  with  a  blue 
Russian  (?)  owner  the  other  day,  and  a  good  laugh 
with  him  over  the  ancestors  of  his  "  Russian  " 
blues.  ANNIE  P.  JAMES. 

At  the  Crystal  Palace  show  of  1902  Mr. 
Woodiwiss  judged  the  blue  classes,  and  awarded 
first  to  a  cat  having  the  English  type  of  head. 
He  gave  as  his  reasons  that  although  he 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS 


277 


considered  the  long  nose  and  thin  head  the  right 
shape  for  a  Russian,  yet,  he  added,  "I  am  not 
here  to  judge  on  those  lines;  I  have  to  judge 
according  to  the  standard,  which  gives  prefer- 
ence to  round  head,  neat  ears,  and  short  nose  ; 
and,  although  I  really  believe  Mrs.  Walker's 
blue  '  Moscow  '  to  be  the  nearest  in  type  to 
those  I  have  seen  in  Eastern  countries,  yet 
according  to  our  English  breeders'  standard 
it  is  out  of  it,  and  I  can  only  give  it  reserve." 
Mr.  Mason,  our  ablest  judge  of  all  classes  of 
cats,  upheld  Mr.  Woodiwiss  in  his  awards,  and 
makes  the  following  remarks  in  Fur  and 
Feather  of  February,  1003,  in  reporting  on  the 
Manchester  show  : — "I  hope  exhibitors  and 
breeders  of  short-haired  self-blues  will  take 
my  remarks  in  the  spirit  in  which  they  are 
written.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  the  Manchester 
committee  named  the 
classes  '  Blues  (Male) ' 
and  '  Blues  (Female).' 
To  call  them  Russians 
is  a  mistake,  seeing 
that  a  very  large  num- 
ber of  those  exhibited 
are  crosses  from  some 
other  varieties.  To 
all  intents  the  self 
blues,  as  we  find  them 
to-day,  have  little  of 
the  Russian  blood  in 

them.  Then  why  call  them  Russian  ?  Why 
not  '•  self  blues,"  and  judge  them  on  the  same 
lines  as  the  British  short-haired  cats  ?  What 
I  want  to  obtain  is  a  uniform  type.  To  go 

for  two  op- 
posite types 
in  one  class 
of  exhibits 
cannot  be 
right  or  ad- 
vantageous 
to  breeders  or 
exhibitors." 

Breeders  of 
short  -  haired 

blues  have 

"SHKRDLEY  MicHAKi.."  ncverbeen 

18* 


manyin  num- 
ber, nor  has 
there  ever 
appeared  any 
startling  ly 
good  speci- 
men in  the 
show  pen. 
Mr.  Woodi- 
wiss kept  and 
e  x  h  i  b  it_e  d 
several  line 


SHERDLEV  ALEXIS. 


SHERDLEY  SACHA  II."   "  SHERDLEY  SACHA  I." 


specimens  — 
"Blue  Boy," 

"  Blue  King,"  and  "  Blue  Queen."  The  two 
latter  have  been  passed  on  to  Lady  Alexander. 
Mr.  Mariner,  of  Bath,  is  an  old  exhibitor  and 
great  enthusiast  of  this  breed.  Mrs.  Mjddleton, 

Mrs.  Herring,  Mrs. 
Crowther,  Miss  Butler, 
Mrs.  Illingworth,  and 
Mrs.  Pownall  have  all 
from  time  to  time  been 
possessed  of  fairly  good 
Russians  so  called. 
Mr.  Cole  used  to  show 
a  lovely  fat-faced  cat 
called  "Muff,"  but  she 
had  green  eyes.  Mr. 
Dewar's  "  Firkins  " 
and  Mr.  McNish's  "St. 
Juan  "  are  blues  that  have  made  their  name. 

The  three  principal  breeders  at  the  present 
time  of  these  cats  are  Lady  Alexander,  Mrs. 
Michael  Hughes,  and  Mrs.  Carew  Cox.  It  is 
at  the  Crystal  Palace  shows  that  an  oppor- 
tunity is  given  of  admiring  the  fine  team  of 
blues  from  the  Faygate  cattery.  "  Brother 
Bump  "  has  won  a  first  prize  whenever  he  has 
appeared  in  the  show  pen,  and,  curiously 
enough,  each  time  under  a  different  judge.  He 
is  a  full  champion,  and  special  prizes  have  been 
showered  upon  him.  Besides  this  handsome 
fellow,  Lady  Alexander  owns  another  male — 
"  Blue  King  " — and  two  good  females. 

At  Sherdley  Hall,  in  Lancashire,  there  is 
quite  a  colony  of  blues  owned  by  Mrs.  Michael 
Hughes. 


278 


THE    BOOK     OF     THE    CAT. 


The  cats  are  reared  in  outside  and  unwarmed 
houses,  with  ample  wired-in  runs.  All  the 
Sherdley  cats  are  prize-winners.  I  am  able  to 
give  illustrations  of  "  Alexis  Michael  "  and  the 
two  "  Sachas."  The  first  named  has  been 
quoted  as  a  typical  British  blue. 

Mrs.  Carew  Cox  is  a  most  ardent  supporter 
and  successful  breeder  of  short-haired  blues. 
As  she  has  had  a  long  and  varied  experience, 
I  asked  her  to  send  me  some  notes.  I  have 


effaced  before  they  are  many  weeks  old.  In 
one  case  a  kitten  (now  a  large  neuter)  had 
until  five  months  of  age  two  broad  black 
stripes  down  his  back  on  either  side  of  his 
spine  ;  they  were  so  decided  in  appearance 
that  it  seemed  very  doubtful  that  they  would 
ever  disappear.  However,  at  six  months  old 
he  was  a  perfectly  self-coloured  cat  !  This  is, 
of  course,  most  remarkable  and  unusual,  and 
amongst  all  the  many  kittens  of  this  breed 


pleasure  in  publishing  them  for  the  benefit  of     that  I  have  reared  for  the  past  thirteen  years 


my  readers  : — 

"  Blue  short-haired  cats — many  of  them 
imported  from  Northern  Russia — make  very 
desirable  pets,  presenting,  as  they  do,  a  neat, 
smart,  '  tailor-built '  appearance  all  the  year 


there   has   never   been    another   presenting   a 
similar  appearance. 

"  The  eyes  of  a  Russian  should  be  golden 
in  colour,  or  deep  orange.  To  procure  deep- 
coloured  eyes,  experiments  have  been  made  in 


round,  and  possessing  the  great  intelligence  crossing  Russians  with  Persians,  but  the  results 
usually  to  be  met  with  in  all  short-haired  — so  far  as  I  have  seen — have  not  proved  satis- 
breeds.  They  have  the  advantage  over  many  factory,  and  to  an  experienced  eye  the  cross  is 


other  varieties  in  that  they  are,  as  adults, 
strong,  healthy 
cats — not  at  all 
liable,  as  a  rule, 
to  pulmonary  at- 
tacks. Kittens, 
however,  require 
both  care  and 
patience  to  rear 
successfully,  and, 
strange  to  say, 
attain  sounder 
constitutions 
when  brought  up 
by  healthy  Eng- 
lish foster-moth- 
ers. Females 
are  more  difficult 
to  rear  t  han 
males.  A  Russian 
cat  should  be  of 


"  MARIA. 

OWNED  BY  MRS.  WOODCOCK. 
(Photo:   S.  Richardson,  Standish.) 


perceptible.  I  believe  there  is  no  really  recog- 
nised standard 
of  points  for  this 
breed,  which  un- 
til quite  recently 
was  c  o  m  p  a  r  a- 
t  i  v  e 1 y  little 
known.  I  note 
that  there  is  a 
very  fair  demand 
for  Russians 
at  the  present 
time — chiefly, 
strange  to  say, 
from  the  North 
of  England.  The 
shape  of  the  head 
in  many  of  those 
imported  is  more 
pointed  than 
round ;  indeed, 


an  even  shade  of  blue  throughout,  even  the     some   have    long,    lean,    pointed   heads   and 
skin  itself  being  often — in  fact,  generally — of     faces,   with  big  ears.     The   backs  of  the  ears 


a  bluish  tinge.  There  should  be  no  stripes 
or  bars,  and — for  exhibition  purposes — there 
should  be  no  white  patches.  Kittens  f re- 


should  be  as  free  from  hair  as  possible  ;  some, 
I  remark,  are  entirely  devoid  of  hair  on  the 
upper  parts  of  their  ears — at  least,  if  there  is 


quently  have  body  markings  when  very  young,  any,  it  is  not  perceptible^  to  the  naked  eye. 
also  rings  on  their  tails;  but  in  pure-bred  Others,  again,  have  ears  covered  with  peculiarly 
specimens  these  defects  generally  become  fine,  close,  silky  hair.  Some  imported  blues  are 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


279 


very  round  in  face  and  head,  with  tiny  ears, 
and  eyes  set  rather  wide  apart.  These  are 
surely  the  prettiest,  and  are  generally  given 
the  preference  at  shows  ;  but,  of  course,  it 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  long-faced  variety 
present  the  most  foreign  appearance,  more 
especially  when  this  type  also  possesses  a  lithe 
and  rather  lean  body.  The  whiskers,  eye- 
lashes, and  tip  of  nose  should 
all  be  dark  blue. 

"  The  coat  should  be  short 
and  close,  glossy,  and  silver}' ; 
sometimes  it  is  rather  woolly 
and  furry,  Nature  having 
evidently  provided  these  cats 
with  their  warm,  close  coats 
to  enable  them  to  resist  the 
severities  of  their  native 
climates,  short-haired  blues 
existing  also  in  the  north  of 
Norway,  Iceland,  and — I  am 
told — in  some  parts  of  the 
United  States.  Many  years 
ago  some  blues  (with  faint  tabby  markings) 
were  imported  from  the  north  of  Norway ; 
these  were  called  '  Canon  Girdlestone's 
breed.'  I  owned  two  very  pretty  soft -looking 
creatures.  Blue-and-white  cats  have  been 
imported  from  the  north  of  Russia,  and  are 
particularly  attractive  when  evenly  marked. 

"  Some  blues  are  far  paler  in  colour  than 
others.  Amongst  my  kittens  are  frequently 
some  very  beautiful  lavender-blues  ;  I  have 
remarked  that  these  are  rather  more  deli- 
cate in  constitution  than  those  of  darker 
hue.  As  these  cats  advance  in  years  they 
frequently  become  a  rustv  brown  during  the 
summer  months,  or  when  acquiring  a  fresh 
coat  ;  this  discoloration  asserts  itself  prin- 
cipally at  the  joints  of  legs  and  feet.  The  fur 
of  a  very  old  cat  becomes  dull  and  rough, 
losing  the  soft  and  glossy  appearance  identical 
with  the  blue  Russian  in  his  prime. 

;'  There  are  some  people  who  appear  to 
wish  to  assert  that  there  is  an  English  breed 
of  blues,  and  I  have  been  told  strange  tales  of 
unexpected  meetings  in  country  villages  with 
cats  of  this  colour,  whose  owners  declared  that 


MKS.    CAKEW   COX  S    "  YUI.A. 


both  parents  were  English  bred.  As,  how- 
ever, it  is  not  always  possible  to  identify  the 
sires  of  household  cats,  I  venture  to  doubt 
these  assertions.  It  is  sometimes  possible  to 
breed  blues  from  a  black  English  female  mated 
to  a  Russian  male.  This  experiment  does  not 
always  succeed,  as  some  blacks  never  breed 
blues,  although  mated  several  times  consecu- 
tively with  Russians.  A  white 
English  female  mated  to  a 

<blue  male  simply  produces 
white  kittens — at  least,  this 
has  been  my  experience.  Cats 
imported  from  Archangel  are 
generally  of  a  deep,  firm  blue 
throughout ;  the  eyes  and 
ears  rather  larger  than  those 
of  English  cats,  the  head  and 
legs  longer.  In  many  of  the 
Russian  peasants'  cabins  can 
be  seen  a  curious  coloured 
print  (executed  in  Moscow). 
It  represents  the  burial  of 
the  cat  after  a  dramatic  fashion,  and  derives  its 
origin  from  a  very  interesting  Russian  legend. 
The  cat  is  represented  as  slate-coloured. 

"  It  is  often  impossible  to  decide  the  ulti- 
mate colour  of  a  kitten's  eyes  until  it  is  four 
months  old.  They  vary  very  much,  some- 
times giving  one  the  impression  that  they  are 
green,  and  perhaps  a  few  days  aftei wards  one 
discovers  them  to  be  yellow  !  As  these  cats 
become  better  known  they  naturally  increase 
in  popularity,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised 
to  hear  of  several  well-established  kennels 
of  this  breed  in  the  immediate  future. 

"It  is  man}'  years  ago  since  I  first  made 
acquaintance  with  this  breed  ;  but  I  find  I 
made  no  notes  at  the  time,  so  cannot  give  full 
particulars.  In  1889,  however,  I  purchased  a 
smooth  blue,  whose  owner  declared  her  to  be 
a  Siamese — she  certainly  resembled  a  puma- 
shaped  Siamese  in  her  body  outline  and  move- 
ments— and  I  believe  I  entered  her  in  the  stud 
book  as  such.  '  Dwiua  '  won  many  prizes  at 
Crystal  Palace  and  other  shows  in  '  any 
variety  '  classes,  was  a  most  faithful  creature, 
reared  many  families,  and  lived  until  June, 


280 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


1901.  In  1890  I  owned  a  very  pretty  soft- 
looking  blue  female — she  was,  in  fact,  a  blue 
tabby  (one  of  Canon  Girdlestone's  breed) ; 
also  a  male  of  the  same  variety.  They  had 
evidently  been  the  victims  of  tape-worm  for  a 
considerable  period,  and  finally  succumbed 
owing  to  the  presence  of  these  odious  parasites 
in  overwhelming  numbers.  That  same  year 
'  Kola  ' — a  very  pretty  blue-and-white  female 
—became  mine.  She  was  imported  from  Kola, 
and  after  changing  hands  more  than  once 
whilst  at  sea  she  was  finally  exchanged  at  the 
London  Docks  for  a  leg  of  mutton  !  A  very 
lovable  little  cat  was 
'Kola,'  with  very 
round  face  and  very 
soft  fur.  She  lived 
until  November,  1900, 
and  evidently  died 
from  old  age,  becom- 
ing feeble  and  tooth- 
less, but  quite  able  to 
enjoy  the  soft  food 
that  was  specially  pre- 
pared for  her.  These 
two  old  pets — '  Dwina ' 
and  '  Kola  ' — were  a 
great  loss,  after  twelve 
and  ten  years'  com- 
panionship. '  Ling- 
popo  ' — an  extremely 
beautiful  blue  —  was 
imported  from  Arch- 
angel, very  sound  in 
colour,  rather  long  in  face  and  legs,  sleek,  sinu- 
ous, and  graceful,  peculiarly  lethargic  in  her 
movements,  and  dainty  in  her  deportment.  I 
bought  her  in  1893,  when  she  was  seven  months 
old.  Unfortunately,  a  disease  of  the  kidneys 
carried  her  off  when  in  the  flower  of  her  exist- 
ence. '  Moscow  '  (1893)  was  a  very  successful 
blue  Russian  sire  of  many  kittens ;  he  won 
many  first  and  special  prizes  ;  he  died  in  1897, 
during  my  absence  from  home.  In  1895  Lady 
Marcus  Beresford  presented  me  with  a  very 
handsome  kitten — a  male — with  a  very  thick 
yet  close  coat,  and  very  compact  in  shape. 
'  Olga  '  came  to  me  in  1893  or  1894,  and  still 


LADY    ALEXANDER   OF   BALLOCHMYI.E. 
(Photo:  Lafayette,  Ltd.) 


lives  ;  she  was  imported,  and  has  been  a  great 
winner  in  her  time,  but  is  getting  an  old  cat 
now.  She  is  the  mother  of  my  stud  cat 
'  Bayard,'  who  was  born  in  1898,  and  whose 
sire  was  '  King  Vladimir.'  '  Fashoda  '  was 
born  in  1896,  and  was  imported  ;  she  is  a 
large,  strong  cat,  and  a  winner  of  many  prizes. 
'  Odessa  '  is  a  daughter  of  '  Fashoda  '  by 
'  Blue  Gown.'  '  Yula  '  came  to  me  in  1901, 
and  was  imported  from  Archangel.  '  Sing 
Sing '  (neuter)  is  the  cat  that  as  a  kitten 
had  the  peculiar  black  stripes  down  his  spine 
alluded  to  previously  He  was  born  on  Easter 

Monday,  1899,  a  son 
of  'Fashoda'  and 
'  Muchacho.'  He  has 
two  toes  off  one  of 
his  hind  feet — the  re- 
sult of  a  heavy  weight 
falling  upon  his  foot 
when  a  kitten  ;  he 
suffered  greatly  from 
shock,  and  every  day 
foi  three  weeks  he 
paid  visits  to  the 
doctor,  who  dressed 
his  foot,  having  previ- 
ously amputated  the 
toes.  The  little  fellow 
had  a  sad  time,  but 
he  does  not  miss  his 
toes  now. 

"  '  Muchacho,'  the 
stud  cat  that  has  sired 
so  many  winning  kittens,  is  a  son  of  Mrs. 
Herring's  (late)  '  Champion  Roguey  '  and  my 
(late)  '  Lingpopo.'  I  sold  him  as  a  kitten,  but 
after  two  people  had  had  him  I  again  became 
his  owner,  and  now  he  will  never  leave  me 
until  he  is  called  to  the  '  happy  hunting 
grounds '  that  I  hope,  and  think,  must  be 
prepared  for  all  faithful  creatures  somewhere 
'  beyond  the  veil.'  " 

In  America  the  classification  given  for  these 
cats  at  the  Beresford  Cat  Club  show  is  "  Blue 
or  Maltese,"  but  I  have  not  heard  of  any  ardent 
fanciers  of  this  breed  over  the  water.  More 
will  be  written  on  the  so-called  Maltese  cat  by 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


281 


one   well   qualified   to  give   information  later 
on  in  this  work. 

I  have  always  been  told  what  delightful  pets 
these  blues  become,  being  extremely  intelli- 
gent and  affectionate.  Mrs.  Bagster,  the  Cat 
Club's  hon.  secretary,  owns  a  splendid  fellow 
—  one  of  Mrs.  Carew  Cox's  well-known  strain. 
At  the  time  of  writing  there  is  no  specialist 
club  for  short-haired  blues,  but  they  are 
included  in  the  list  of  the  British  Cat  Club, 
founded  by  those  ardent  supporters  of  the 
short-haired  breeds,  Sir  Claud  and  Lady  Alex- 
ander. No  standard  of  points  has  been  drawn 
up  for  these  cats,  but  the  following  definitions 
are  descriptive  of  the  two  types  exhibited  at 
our  shows  : — 


BRITISH    BLUE    (SHORT-HAIR). 

Head. — Round  and  flat,  with  good  space  between 
the  ears,  which  are  small  and  well  set  on. 

Shape. — Cobby  in  build,  round  quarters,  and  good 
in  bone  substance. 

Coat. — Short  and  close,  of  sound  blue  colour 
throughout.  Legs  and  feet  shade  lighter  in  colour, 
with  no  bars  or  markings. 

Eyes. — Deep  orange  in  colour. 

RUSSIAN    BLUE. 

Head  longer  in  formation,  has  space  between  the 
ears,  more  prominent  in  ears,  and  well-tapered  face  ; 
fairly  round  under  the  cheek  bone,  thin,  falls  away 
under  the  eye. 

Comes  out  rather  longer  in  back.  Less  bone  sub- 
stance. 

Colour  same  as  the  British  short-hair,  with  no  bars 
or  markings. 

Eyes  deep  orange  colour. 


BALLOCHMYLE   CHAMPION    BROTHER    BUMP." 


282 


_  -  -• 


SHORT-HAIKED   TABBY    KITTENS. 
(Photo:   C.  Reid,   Wishaw.) 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


SHORT-HAIRED     CATS. 


\  ND  now  I  will  take  a  general  glance  over 
j~\  the  other  short-haired  breeds  commonly 
called  English  or  British  cats. 

As  regards  points,  these  are  the  same  as  in 
the  long-haired  varieties.  I  give  a  list  as 
drawn  up  by  a  sub-committee  of  the  Cat  Club 
for  the  use  of  fanciers  and  judges  :— 

SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 

White. — Colour,   pure   white.     Eyes,   blue. 

Black. — Colour,  pure  and  rich  black  ;  no  white: 
Eyes,  orange. 

Torioiseshell. — Colour,  patched  yellow,  orange  and 
black  ;  no  stripes  ;  no  white.  Eyes,  orange. 

Torioiseshell  and  White. — Colour,  white,  patched 
with  yellow,  orange  and  black  ;  no  stripes.  Eyes, 
orange. 

Silver  Tabby. — Colour,  silver  grey,  marked  with 
rich  black  stripes  or  bars;  no  pure  white.  Eyes, 
green  or  orange. 

Spotted  Tabby. — Colour,  any  shade  of  light  colour, 
evenly  marked  with  spots  of  a  darker  shade  or  black  ; 
no  stripes  ;  no  pure  white.  Eyes,  orange,  yellow  or 
green. 

Brown  Tabby. —Colour,  golden  brown,  marked  with 


rich  black  stripes  or  bars  ;    no  white.     Eyes,  orange 
or  green. 

Orange  or  Red  Tabby. — Colour,  light  orange  or  red, 
with  darker  stripes  or  bars  ;  no  white.  Eyes,  hazel, 
or  golden  brown. 

Tabby  and  White. — Colour,  any  shade  of  tabby  with 
white.  Eyes,  orange  or  green. 

N.B. — Where  more  than  one  colour  is  given  for  the 
eyes,  the  first  one  is  to  be  preferred  to  the  second  or 
third. 

The  Sub-Committee,  FRANCES  SIMPSON. 

GAMBIER  BOLTON. 

It  will  therefore  be  seen  that  texture  and 
length  of  coat  are  really  the  distinguishing 
points  between  the  two  varieties.  It  is  just 
as  grave  a  mistake  for  a  Persian  cat  to  have 
a  short,  close  coat  as  it  is  for  one  of  British 
type  to  possess  any  of  that  woolliness  or  length 
of  fur  which  denotes  a  mesalliance.  The  com- 
monest species  of  all  short-haired  cats  may  be 
said  to  be  represented  by  broken-coloured 
specimens — that  is,  orange-and-white,  tabby- 
and-white,  and  black-and-white.  These  sorts 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


283 


of  cats  we  most  frequently  see  about  our 
public  streets  and  in  the  homes  of  country 
cottagers.  At  our  shows  this  type  of  cat 
— which  would  be  classed  as  "  any  other 
colour  " — is  fast  disappearing  from  our  midst. 
In  America  I  observe  that  a  class  is  still 
specially  reserved  for  orange-and-white  cats, 
and  it  would  seem  that  this  is  rather  a  favourite 
breed  with  our  cousins  over  the  water. 

A  good  black,  with  rich  glossy  coat  and  deep 
amber  eyes,  is,  to  my  mind,  one  of  the  choicest 
of  our  short-haired  breeds.  These  cats  are 
often  marred  by  the  white  spot  at  the  throat, 
and,  of  course,  green  eyes  predominate  to  a 
very  great  extent.  As  in  the  long-haired  cats, 
blue-eyed  whites  are  coming  much  more  to  the 
fore,  and  on  the  show  bench,  at  least,  we  do 
not  see  many  other  specimens  with  yellow  or 
green  eyes. 

Our    British    tabbies — orange,    brown,    and 


silver — are  always  well  represented  at  the 
principal  shows,  and  of  late  years  competition 
has  been  much  keener  in  these  classes.  It  is 
when  we  come  to  markings  that  the  long- 
haired breeds  must  take  a  back  seat,  so  to 
speak  ;  and  the  British  puss  has  an  easy  walk- 
over. In  the  short,  close  coat,  the  broad  or 
narrow  bands  of  the  darker  colour  show  up  in 
grand  relief  on  the  ground-work  of  a  rich, 
though  paler,  shade.  The  rings  round  the 
neck  and_tail,  and  the  bars  on  the  legs  are  seen 
to  great  perfection.  It  will  be  easily  under- 
stood, therefore,  that  markings  in  short- 
haired  tabbies  claim  the  first  and  greatest 
consideration,  and  that  these  should  be  sharp 
and  distinct,  great  care  is  needed  in  mating  and 
breeding. 

A  serious  and  rather  common  defect  amongst 
silver  tabbies  is  a  tinge  of  brown  about  the 
face — generally  on  the  nose.  Orange-tabby 


ANOTHER  VIEW   OF   LADY   DECIES'    CATTERY. 

(Pfcoto:  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


284 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


females  are  rarer  than  males.  The  peculiar 
species  known  as  spotted  tabbies  is  becoming 
very  rare,  and  whereas  formerly  some  of  this 
breed  were  generally  exhibited  at  large  shows, 
we  now  seldom  see  them.  Spotted  tabbies  are 
usually  brown  or  silver.  I  do  not  recollect 
having  heard  of  an  orange-spotted  tabby.  The 
spots  should  be  spread  uniformly  over  the 
body,  feet,  and  tail,  and  if  on  the  face  so  much 
the  better.  A  perfect  specimen  should  not 


(Photo:   E.  Landor,  Baling.) 

have  a  suspicion  of  a  stripe  or  bar  anywhere. 
Harrison  Weir  considers  that 'the  spotted  tabby 
is  a  much  nearer  approach  to  the  wild  English 
cat  and  some  other  wild  cats  in  the  way  of 
colour  than  the  ordinary  broad-banded  tabby. 

Amongst  writers  on  cats: — such  as  Harrison 
Weir  and  Mr.  Jennings— priority  of  place  is 
given  to  the  tortoiseshell  cat,  and  this  breed 
heads  their  list  of  short-haired  breeds.  So  also 
formerly  in  the  Crystal  Palace  catalogue,  to 
which  I  have  before  alluded,  tortoiseshells  lead 
the  way.  Here,  again,  the  patchy  nature  of 
the  three  colours-is — or,  at  least,  ought  to  be — 
the  distinguishing  feature,  and  the  long-haired 
cat  of  the  same  variety  loses  some  of  its  indi- 
viduality by  reason  of  the  length  of  fur,  causing 
a  mingling  or  blurring  of  the  colours. 

It  is  a  strange  fact  in  natural  history,  which 
no  one  has  attempted  to  explain,  that  the 


tortoiseshell  torn  is  a  most  rare  and  uncommon 
animal.     A    number    of    clever    fanciers    and 
breeders  have  used  their  best  endeavours  and 
patiently  persevered  in  the  fruitless  attempt 
to  breed  tortoiseshell  male  cats.     In  my  long 
experience  I  have  never  known  of  anyone  who 
has  succeeded,  and  those  specimens  that  have 
been  exhibited  from  time  to  time  have  been 
picked  up  quite  by  chance.     I  recollect,  many 
years  ago,  at  the  Crystal  Palace  show,  seeing 
the  pen  of  a  short-haired  cat 
smothered  with  prize  cards, 
and  the  owner  of  the  puss 
^^^   ^  standing    proudly     by,     in- 

forming inquirers  that  it  was 
a  tortoiseshell  torn  that  lay 
hidden  behind  his  awards. 
This  man  had  been  paid  a 
shilling  by  a  London  cook 
to  take  away  the  trouble- 
some beast  out  of  her  area ! 
He  had  taken  it  away  to 
some  purpose,  and  his  sur- 
prise at  finding  himself  and 
his  cat  famous  was  amusing 
to  behold. 

„  A  very  beautiful  cat  is  the 

English  tortoiseshell  -  and  - 
white  when  the  colours  are 
well  distributed,  the  red  and  black  showing  up 
so  splendidly  on  the  snowy  ground-work.  I 
must  sav  I  far  prefer  those  cats  to  the  tortoise- 
shells,  which  are  often  so  dingy  in  appearance. 
In  this  breed  the  male  sex  is  conspicuous  by 
its  absence.  The  two  breeds  that  have  made 
great  strides  of  late  years  amongst  long-haired 
cats — namely,  creams  and  smokes — are  very 
rarely  met  with  in  the  short-haired  varieties. 
I  know,  however,  of  a  silver  tabby  that,  when 
mated  to  a  black,  throws  smoke  kittens.  These 
are  quaint  and  pretty,  with  bright  green  eyes. 
The  under-coat  is  snowy  white,  and  gleams 
through  the  dark  outer  fur,  giving  a  very 
distinguished  appearance.  It  is  a  pity  some 
fanciers  do  not  seriously  take  up  the  breeding 
of  cream  short-haired  cats,  as  I  think  they 
would  repay  any  trouble  spent  over  them. 
They  should,  of  course,  be  as  pale  and  even 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


285 


in  colour  as  possible,  without  any  markings,  and 
with  deep  amber  eyes.  I  can  only  recall  one 
or  two,  and  these  not  at  all  perfect  specimens. 

Amongst  our  present-day  fanciers  of  short- 
haired  cats  I  may  mention  Sir  Claude  and  Lady 
Alexander,  who  have  splendid  specimens  cf 
many  of  the  breeds.  Mrs.  Collingwood  has 
recently  almost  discarded  Persians  for  the 
British  beauties,  being  specially  partial  to  silver 
and  orange  tabbies.  Lady  Decies  for  many 
years  owned  the  invincible  "  Champion  Xeno- 
phon  " — a  brown  tabby  of  extreme  beauty — 
who  died  in  1902.  There  are  several  fine  short- 
hairs  at  the  spacious  catteries  at  Birchington. 

Mrs.  Herring's  name  has  always  been  associ- 
ated with  "  Champion  Jimmy,"  the  noted  silver 
tabby,  and  she  is  also  the  owner  of  "  King- 
Saul,"  one  of  the  few  tortoiseshell  toms  that 
appear  at  our  shows.  Many  other  specimens 
have  been  bred  by  this  well-known  fancier. 
Mr.  Harold  Blackett  has  a  trio  of  famous 
prize-winning  silver  tabbies,  and  Mrs.  Bonny 
is  a  noted  breeder  of  browns  and  silvers. 
This  enthusiastic  fancier  writes  : — "  For  many 
years  past  I  have  devoted  myself  to  the  cult 
of  the  British  tabby  cat  ;  it  has  been  my  one 
hobby.  Really  good  specimens  of  browns  and 
silvers  are  scarce.  Certainly  silvers  have  in- 
creased in  numbers  during  the  last  few  years, 
and  the  quality  has  improved.  They  are 
difficult  to  rear,  more  especially  the  males." 
Mrs.  Bonny's  celebrated  brown  female  tabby, 
"  Heather  Belle,"  died  in  1903.  A  silver  tabby, 
"  Dame  Fortune  "  —her  daughter  by  .  Mrs. 
Collingwood's  "  Champion  James  II."— created 
quite  a  sensation  at  the  Westminster  and  other 
shows.  Miss  Derby  Hyde  has  always  been 
faithful  to  short-haired,  blue-eyed  whites.  Mr. 
Kuhnel  is  noted  for  his  gorgeous-coloured  and 
finely  marked  orange  tabbies.  Many  breeders 
of  Persians  keep  one  or  two  short-haired 
specimens,  and  I  cannot  help  believing  that, 
as  time  goes  on,  we  shall  have  a  larger  number 
of  fanciers  taking  up  British  cats. 

Harrison  Weir,  in  comparing  the  two  varie- 
ties, writes  :— "  I  am  disappointed  at  the 
neglect  of  the  short-haired  English  cat,  by  the 
ascendancy  of  the  foreign  long-hair.  Both  are 


truly  beautiful,  but  the  first,  in  my  opinion,  is 
far  in  advance  of  the  latter  in  intelligence. 
In  point  of  fact,  in  animal  life,  in-that  way  it 
has  no  peer;  and,  again,  the  rich  colourings 
are,  I  think,  more  than  equal  to  the  softened 
beauty  of  the  longer-coated.  I  do  not  think 
that  the  breeding  of  short-hairs  is  yet  properly 
understood." 

A  correspondent  writing  to  Our  Cats,  com- 
plaining of  the  classification  for  short-hairs  at 
shows,  say_sj— "  All  fanciers  of  that  beautiful 
animal  the  British  cat  feel  how  they  are  handi- 
capped when  they  receive  schedules  of  the 
various  shows  and  compare  the  classification 
of  short-  and  long-haired  cats.  Far  better  it 
would  be  honestly  to  announce  a  '  foreign  cat 
show,'  with  a  rider  that  a  few  English  may 
compete  if  they  choose.  'Tis  a  pity,  in  many 
ways ;  for,  given  a  little  encouragement,  the 
standard  of  the  poor,  everyday,  homely  pussy 
would  be  raised,  and  we  would  not  see  so  much 
wanton  cruelty  and  neglect  attached  thereto." 


AN   AMERICAN    BEGGING   CAT. 
(Photo:  A.  C.  Hopkins.) 


286 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


"  EBONY    OF    WIGAN. 
OWNED    uy    Miss   JOAN    WOODCOCK. 
(Photo  :  S.  Richardson,  Stcmdish.) 

In  America  short-hairs  have  not  "  taken 
on,"  and  at  the  various  shows  the  specials 
offered  are  as  small  in  number  as  the  entries 
made.  I  never  hear  of. any  exportations  of 
British  cats  to  American  fanciers  ;  but  perhaps 
some  enthusiast  of  the  breed  will  start  a  short- 
haired  cattery.  There  is  certainly  room  for 
such  an  enterprise,  and  the  sturdier  Britisher 
would  more  easily  resist  the  trials  of  an  Atlantic 
trip  and  the  terrors  of  a  three  days'  show. 

I  have  been  fortunate  in  obtaining -the  kind 
assistance  of  two  of  our  best  authorities  on 
short-haired  cats — namely,  Mr.  H.  E.  Jung 
and  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason.  Some  notes  by  these 
competent  judges  will  be  read  with  interest. 

Mr.  H.  E.  Jung  says  :— 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  this  variety  at 
shows  is  not  so  fully  represented  as  it  should 
be,  taking  into  consideration  the  large  number 
of  cat  exhibitors.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
prettier  long-haired  variety  secures  greater 
support  from  the  lady  exhibitors. 

"  In  addition  to  the  characteristic  of  being 
a  native  production  of  the  British  Isles,  they 
have  certainly  a  great  advantage  in  their  racy, 
workmanlike  appearance,  which  is  lacking  in 
the  long-haired  variety.  What  is  handsomer 
than  a  sleek-coated  black,  with  its  grand, 


golden-amber  eyes ;  the  workmanlike  spotless 
white,  with  its  clear  blue  eye  ;  the  aristocratic 
silver,  with  its  rich  tabby  markings,  its  soft 
emerald  or  orange  eye  ;  or  the  pale,  lavender- 
hued  blue,  with  its  coat  of  velvet-like  texture  ? 

''  Thanks  to  such  enthusiastic  breeders  as 
Lady  Alexander,  Mrs.  Herring,  Lady  Decies, 
Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss,  Mr.  R.  P.  Hughes,  Mr. 
Kuhnel,  Mr.  Louis  Wain,  and  several 
others,  we  are  not  likely  to  allow  the  English 
short-haired  variety  to  deteriorate.  I  myself 
think  there  has  been  a  great  improvement  in 
the  specimens  penned  the  last  few  years.  The 
fault  we  must  guard  against  is  the  loss  of  size 
and  stamina,  which  can  only  be  averted  by 
judicious  mating.  The  increasing  number  of 
shows  in  America,  the  Colonies,  and  even  on 
the  Continent,  should  stimulate  breeders  of  the 
short-haired  variety  to  extend  their  catteries, 
for  no  doubt  in  a  few  years  there  will  be  a 
strong  demand  for  the  English-bred,  short- 
haired  cat.  Up  to  the  present  only  in  England 
has  anything  like  a  systematic  rule  been  fol- 
lowed out,  which  is  most  essential  :  in  fact, 
the  only  course  possible  to  obtain  good  speci- 
mens is  to  follow  out  a  system  of  breeding  as 
near  perfect  as  possible — for,  as  in  everything 
else  where  breeding  is  concerned,  the  old 
maxim  of  '  blood  will  tell '  holds  good. 

"  The  stud  books  should  be  kept  up  to  date, 
and  stud  registrations  should  be  followed  out, 
just  as  in  the  dog  world.  I  can  imagine 
many  of  my  readers  who  do  not  take  up  cats 
as  a  hobby  saying,  '  The  ordinary  common 
garden  cat  suits  my  purpose  ;  he  is  affectionate, 
he  catches  mice,  and  that  is  all  I  require.' 
But  how  much  more  satisfactory  it  is  to  be 
able  to  say,  '  My  cat  is  blue-blooded,  has  an 
aristocratic  pedigree,  is  handsome  ;  he  goes  to 
shows,  perhaps  wins,  and  he  is  still  affectionate  ; 
he  also  catches  the  mice  as  well  as  his  brother 
of  lower  birth  and  less  striking  appearance.' 
You  must  also  bear  in  mind  he  does  not  require 
any  daintier  feeding.  I  consider  it  is  always 
pleasanter  in  cat,  dog,  or  horse  to  own  a  dis- 
tinguished-looking animal  than  an  ill-bred, 
ungainly  one  that  neither  pleases  nor  satisfies 
the  eye. 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


287 


"  I  would  here  remark  upon  the  absence  of     white  I  have  ever  seen  penned,  winner  of  nine 


men  who  take  up  breeding  cats  as  a  hobby, 
and  yet  the  short-haired  variety  is  essentially 
a  man's  breed.  They  require  very  little 


first  prizes  and  championships,  the  property 
of  Lady  Alexander.  This  cat  has  held  her 
own  in  her  class  for  the  last  seven  years  —  a 


grooming  and  attention  compared  to  the  long-     most  remarkable  feat. 


haired  varieties. 


Silver    tabbies     I     must     certainly    class 


"  Several  of  the  most  prominent  judges  of     among  the  most   aristocratic    of   the    breeds. 


cats  are  also  recognised  authorities  in  the  dog 
world.  I  may  mention  the  late  Mr.  Enoch 
\Ydburn ;  Mr.  F.  Gresham,  the  keen,  '  all- 
round  '  judge ;  Mr.  L.  P.  C.  Astley,  also  at 


Fanciers  will  tell  you  how  difficult  it  is  to 
obtain  a  good  one.  Either  the  tabby  mark- 
ings are  not  clear,  nor  sufficiently  defined, 
the  black  is  jjot  dense  enough,  the  butterfly 


home   both   in   one   or   the   other  ;     Mr.    Sam     markings  are  not  distinct,  or  the  eyes  are  not 


of  the  correct  colour.  To  get  anything  like  a 
perfect  type  in  silvers  is  a  great  feat,  and  only 
the  outcome  of  judicious  mating.  One  of  the 
great  faults  of  many  silvers  on  the  bench  to- 
day is  that  they  are  deficient  in  size,  and  unless 


Woodiwiss,  the  well-known  fancier  and  expert ; 
Mr.  Lane,  who  also  adjudicates  on  both  breeds  ; 
and  Mr.  Louis  Wain,  to  whom  we  are  indebted 
for  those  delightful  pictures  depicting  cat  life. 
"  Tortoiseshells  are  most  difficult  cats  to 
breed.  Either  they  come  too  dark  or  too 
light,  or  the  colours  are  not  sufficiently  well 
blended.  One  of  the  singularities  of  the 
breed  is  the  nearly  entire  absence  of  males 
in  every  litter ;  in  fact,  I  remember  the 
saying  was  that  a  tortoiseshell  torn  was  as 
scarce  as  the  dodo.  At  the 
present  time,  however,  we 
have  two  good  toms — viz. 
'Champion  Ballochmyle 
Samson,'  winner  of  no  fewer 
than  twelve  first  prizes  and 
championships,  the  property 
of  Lady  Alexander,  and 
'  Champion  King  Saul,' 
winner  of  numerous  cham- 
pionships and  first  prizes, 
owned  by  Mrs.  Herring. 
Both  these  males  are  very 
good,  and  whenever  they 
have  been  penned  together 
it  has  always  been  a  difficult  matter  for  me  to  we  attend  to  this  I  am  afraid  that  shortly  we 
decide  the  winner.  In  females,  '  Ballochmyle  are  likely  to  produce  a  diminutive  type  which, 
Bountiful  Bertie  '  (sire,  '  Champion  Balloch-  of  course,  is  greatly  to  be  avoided.  I  hardly 
myle  Samson '),  also  the  property  of  Lady  think  this  breed  is  sufficiently  supported, 
Alexander,  winner  of  several  firsts  and  cham-  taking  into  consideration  the  richness  in  colour 
pionships ;  '  Fulmer  May,'  the  property  of  and  markings  of  the  silver  tabby. 
Lady  Decies,  winner  of  many  firsts — they  are  "  Among  the  many  winning  males,  '  Cham- 
both  grand  females,  of  the  right  colour  and  pion  Jimmy  '  stands  out  very  prominently, 
type ;  the  tortoiseshell-and-white  '  Champion  having  won  numerous  championships  and 
Ballochmyle  Otter,'  the  best  tortoiseshell-and-  first  prizes ;  he  was  the  property  of  Mrs.  Herring. 


SLEEPING   AND    WAKING   TABBIES. 

(Photo  :    T.  Fall,  Baker  Street,  W.) 


•288 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


Others  of  note  were  '  James  II.,'  the  property 
of  Mrs.  Collingwood  ;  '  Sedgemere  Silver  King,' 
owned  by,  Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss.  Prominent  in 
the  female  classes  were  the  noted  queen, 
'  Champion  Shelly,'  owned  by  Mr.  H.  W. 
Bullock,  shown  some  years  ago  ;  by  that 
noted  sire,  '  King  of  the  Fancy,'  owned  by 
Mr,  Sugden.  It  is  notable  he  sired  both 
'  Champion  Jimmy  '  and  '  Champion  Shelly.' 
'Silver  Queen,'  winner  of  many  firsts  and 
specials,  the  property  of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaren 
Morrison  ;  '  Sedgemere  Silver  Queen.'  owned 
by  Mr.  Sam  Woodi- 
wiss; 'Silver  Queen,' 
the  property  of  Mr. 
Harold  Blackett  ; 
and  that  grand  fe- 
male, '  Sweet  Phillis,' 
the  property  of  Mrs. 
Herring. 

"  Very  few  good 
brown  tabbies  are 
benched,,  and  breed- 
ers, I  am  afraid,  get 
very  disheartened  at 
the  :  result .  of  their 
efforts.  I  despair  to 
think  of  the  litters  I 
have  seen,  and  not 
a  good  one  amongst 
them.  The  rich 
bro\vn  sable  colour 
is .  very  seldom  met 
with,  and  now  that  the  world-renowned  cham- 
pion of  champions,  '  Xenophon,'  is  no  more, 
we  have  only  '  Flying  Fox '  and  '  King  of  Lee ' 
anything  like  the  type  you  expect  in  this  hand- 
some breed.  Of  '  Champion  Xenophon  '  I  am 
afraid  we  can  truly  say,  '  We  shall  ne'er  look  on 
his  like  again.'  His  wonderful  colour,  mark- 
ings, and  size  approached  the  ideal  short-haired 
cat.  I  believe  he  was  either  bred  by  Mr. 
Heslop,  or  came  under  his  keen  eye,  and,  like 
a  good  many  others,  was  brought  down  south 
by  that  fancier  to  make  a  name. 

"He  was  claimed  by  Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss, 
who  showed  him  for  some  years,  and  he 
secured  for  his  owner  numerous  champion- 


A    BLACK-AND-WHITE    BKITISHKR. 
(Photo:   A.  IVarschcan'ski,  St.  Leonards-on-Sea.) 


ships,  first  prizes,  and  specials,  afterwards 
changing  hands  and  becoming  the  property  of 
Lady  Decies.  still  following  up  his  winning 
career  after  an  unbroken  record  of  '  second  to 
none.'  I  think  I  am  correct  in  saying  this 
cat  has  won  more  money  and  specials  than 
any  short-haired  cat  ever  exhibited. 

"  Red  tabbies,  again,  are  one  of  the  difficult 

varieties  to  obtain.     The  dense,  dark  red  tabby 

markings  against  the  light  red  ground  is  only 

the  result  of  judicious  mating  and  breeding. 

"  Among   the   many   notable    males,    '  Bal- 

lochmyle  Perfection,' 
the  property  of  Lady 
Alexander,  winner  of 
some  100  first  prizes, 
championships,  and 
specials,  the  sire  of 
'  Champion  Balloch- 
myle Goldfinder'  and 
'  Ballochmyle  No 
Fool '  (the  mother  of 
'Ballochmyle  Red 
Prince  '),  stands  out 
very  p  r  o  m  i  n  e  n  t  ly. 
'  Champion  Perfec- 
tion,' despite  his  ten 
years,  has  still  the 
grand  dense  mark- 
ings and  colour  as  of 
old.  In '  Ballochmyle 
Perfection'  we  have 
a  chip  of  the  old 
block.  Then  a  later  red  tabby,  Mrs.  Colling- 
wood's  'Clem,'  is  a  good-coloured  red.  Mr. 
Kuhnel,  of  Bradford,  for  many  years  held 
his  own  in  this  handsome  breed — in  fact,  most 
of  the  present-day  winners  can  be  traced,  from 
that  fancier's  cattery. 

"  Blues  (self-coloured).  There  seems  to 
be  a  great  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
shape  and  make  of  head  of  these  cats.  Some 
judges  look  for  a  round,  full  head  of  the 
English-bred  cat;  others,  the  long  head  of 
the  Eastern  variety.  I  think  that  difference 
arises  to  a  great  extent  according  to  where 
these  cats  originally  came  from.  I  have 
heard  the  opinions  of  some  who  give  Arch- 


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SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


289 


angel  as  the  port  of  origin  ;  others,  Malta. 
If  the  cat  originated  from  Archangel,  one 
would  naturally  expect  a  long  head  of  Eastern 
type.  The  specimens,  however,,  from  Malta 
have  certainly  the  round  head  and  more  of 
the  English-bred  type.  The  chief  points,  in 
my  opinion,  apart  from  the  shape  of  head,  is 
body  colour,  shape,  colour  of  eye,  and  closeness 
of  coat.  They  are  no  doubt  a  very  handsome 
breed.  In  colour  they  are  a  light  blue,  with  a 
delicate  lavender  bloom  pervading  the  whole 
coat. 

"  Of    the    many  good    ones    that    come    to 
my  memory,   '  Moscow '  (Russian-bred),  a  big 


difficult  fault  to  breed  out.  It  is  noticeable 
that  the  females  in  this  breed  are  so  very 
small,  and  in  marked  contrast  to  the  toms. 

"  The  chief  points  one  desires  in  this  breed 
are  closeness  of  coat,  size,  and  a  distinct  light 
blue  eye  (not  washy).  Among  the  numerous 
winners  are  '  Ballochmyle  Snow  King,'  formerly 
owned  by  Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss,  and  now  the 
property  of  Lady  Alexander  ;  '  Ballochmyle 
Billie  Blue  Eyes '  and  '  Biddy  Blue  Eyes,'  the 
property  of  Mrs.  Herring. 

"  BJackiy  ~I  am  sorry  to  say,  are  some- 
what neglected,  considering  how  striking  they 
are.  The  dense  black  coat,  the  contrast- 


"  CHAMPION    BALLOCHMVLK    OTTEK,"    TORTOISKSHKLL-AND-WH1TE. 

OWNED  BY  LADY  ALEXANDER. 


winner,  owned  by  Mrs.  Carew-Cox  ;  '  Champion 
Ballochmyle  Blue  King,'  winner  of  seven 
championships  and  first  prizes,  owned  by  Lady 
Alexander;  '  Champion  Brookside  Iris,'  late 
owner  Mrs.  Pownall ;  '  Blue  Boy,'  owned  by 
Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss  ;  '  Ballochmyle  Brother 
Bump  '  and  '  Ballochmyle  Sister  Goose,'  the 
property  of  Lady  Alexander — a  big  winner. 

"  White  English  cats  appear  to  have  lost 
less  in  size  than  many  others,  as  two  of  the 
largest  winners  of  to-day — viz.  '  Ballochmyle 
Snow  King '  and  '  Ballochmyle  Billie  Blue 
Eyes ' — will  testify.  The  white  retains  the 
racy,  workmanlike  character  of  the  true 
English-bred  cat.  One  fault  is  very  prevalent : 
they  lean  very  much  towards  a  broken  coat 
(a  good  many  of  the  white  cats  penned  to-day 
have  this  failing)  ;  it  is,  no  doubt,  a  very 
19 


ing  grand  amber  eye,  should  always  find  a 
weak  spot  in  the  heart  of  every  exhibitor  of 
the  short-haired  varieties.  The  points  we 
look  for  are  chiefly  closeness  of  coat,  the  black 
of  great  density,  pure  amber  eyes  set  in  a 
good  round  head  topped  with  small  ears.  I  can 
well  imagine  my  readers  will  say,  '  A  pure 
amber  eye — how  is  it  to  be  got  ?  It  is  such  a 
rarity.'  I  know,  however,  that  by  careful 
mating  it  is  not  only  possible,  but  most 
distinctly  certain,  as  Mr.  R.  J.  Hughes, 
the  late  owner  of  that  lovely  female  '  Amber 
Queen,'  one  of  the  best-eyed  cats  I  have  seen, 
can  testify.  He,  in  fact,  has  bred  many  of 
the  best-eyed  winners  of  late  years  :  '  Amber 
Queen,'  winner  of  numerous  firsts  and  cham- 
pionships, the  property  of  Miss  Una  Fox  ; 
'  Ballochmyle  Black  Bump,'  owned  by  Lady 


290 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


Alexander,  and  formerly  the  property  of  Mr. 
Hughes  ;  '  Sedgemere  Black  King,'  winner  of 
several  championships  and  first  prizes,  origin- 
ally owned  by  Mr.  Sam  Woodiwiss. 

"  An  explanation  may  be  deemed  due  to 
my  readers  for  having  included  blues  amongst 
the  English  types,  but  as  the  clubs  have 
recognised  this  breed,  and  sanctioned  their 
being  catalogued  amongst  the  English  exhibits, 
I  felt  justified  in  adopting  this  course  ;  more 


"  CHAMPION    BALLOCHMVLE    PERFECTION. 
OWNED  BY  LADY  ALEXANDER. 

particularly  as  the  country  of  origin  still 
remains  a  matter  of  speculation." 

Mr.  T.  B.  Mason's  name  is  a  household 
one  in  the  cat  fancy,  and  'this  most  popular 
judge  has  been  kind  enough  to  set  down 
some  of  his  many  experiences,  and  a  little 
of  his  universal  knowledge,  for  the  benefit  of 
my  readers. 

"  For  more  than  twenty-five  years  I  have 
taken  a  very  great  interest  in  all  our  minor 
pets,  so  the  breeding  and  exhibiting  of  cats 
has  had  a  large  share  of  my  attention.  I  look 
at  the  past,  and  compare  it  with  the  present, 
and  I  am  more  than  satisfied  with  the  progress 
made  and  the  high-water  mark  of  excellence 
attained.  In  the  'eighties,  when  that  noted 
North  Country  breeder  the  late  Mr.  Young,  of 
Harrogate,  was  hard  at  work  laying  the 
foundations  of  markings  and  colour  in  the 
silver  tabby,  orange  tabby,  and  the  tortoise- 
shells,  which  has  resulted  in  making  the  strains 


of  the  North  Country  short-hairs  so  far  ahead 
of  all  others,  he  had  little  or  no  idea  that  in  so 
brief  a  time  the  cat  fancy  would  develop  into 
such  an  important  one  as  it  is  at  the  present 
time.  In  recent  years  we  have  seen  the 
National  Cat  Club,  the  Cat  Club,  and  a  great 
many  specialist  clubs  formed  for  the  special 
object  of  breeding  cats  to  perfection  in  colour 
and  markings.  Standards  have  been  made  and 
issued  by  noted  breeders,  who  have  met 
together  and  have  exchanged 
ideas,  so  that  at  the  present 
1  time  we  have  standards  that 
are  ideals  of  perfection. 
Shape,  colour,  markings,  coat, 
and  colour  of  eyes  for  each 
separate  variety  are  all  plainly 
stated.  All  this  interest,  to- 
gether with  the  holding  of 
many  big  shows  in  different 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  have 
brought  into  prominence  a 
great  host  of  fanciers,  includ- 
ing many  ladies  holding  high 
1  positions  in  the  best  class  of 

society.  No  wonder,  then, 
that  there  should  be  a  call  for 
a  standard  work  dealing  with  all  varieties  of 
cats.  In  the  few  remarks  I  have  to  make 
on  short-haired  cats  I  shall  take  the  self 
colours  first.  They  are,  I  believe,  our  oldest 
variety ;  the  black  or  the  white  cat  is  to  be 
found  in  many  a  household.  In  some  parts 
of  the  North  when  I  was  a  boy  it  was  said 
to  be  a  sign  of  good  luck  to  have  a  sound- 
coloured  black  cat,  with  a  coat  like  a  raven's 
wing,  with  not  a  white  hair  to  be  found 
in  it.  If  you  have  one  like  this  in  your 
home,  with  a  good  round  head,  neat  ears,  and 
rich  orange  eyes,  let  me  ask  you  to  take  great 
care  of  it.  If  you  reside  in  a  district  where 
shows  are  held — either  in  connection  with  the 
local  agricultural  society  or  in  the  winter 
time  in  the  town  hall  in  connection  with  the 
local  fanciers'  society — by  all  means  enter  it, 
and  you  will  find  you  have  an  exhibit  of 
real  value.  We  possess  grand  examples  of 
first-class  blacks  in  Lady  Alexander's  '  Black 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


291 


Bump,'  Lady  Decies'  '  Charcoal '  and  '  Sham- 
rock,' Mrs.  Nott's  '  King  of  Blacks,'  and  many 
other  present-day  winners.  In  self  whites 
Lady  Alexander's  '  Snow  King,'  '  Billie  Blue 
Eyes,'  and  '  Snow  Bump '  ;  Mrs.  Western's 
'  Prickly  Pearl ' ;  and  the  Hon.  A.  Wodehouse's 
'  White  Devil '  are  about  the  best  living,  and 
in  condition  and  coat  hard  to  find  fault  with. 
The  eyes  of  the  self  white  must  be  a  rich- 
coloured  blue.  The  shorter  and  fuller  you 
can  get  both  the  self  black  and  the  self  white 
the  better  will  be  the  chances  of  their  winning 
prizes ;  a  long,  coarse  coat,  big  or  badly  set- 
on  ears,  and  long,  thin,  snipy  faces  are  little 
or  no  good  in  the  show  pen.  In  your  breed- 
ing arrangements  you  do  not  need  at  this  time 
of  the  day  to  make  many  experiments.  In 
breeding  self  whites  the  great  aim  is  to  obtain 
shape  and  colour  of  eyes.  So  many  good  sires 
are  to  be  obtained  that  if  you  are  deficient  in 
bone,  shape,  or  colour  of  eyes,  you  can  with 
careful  mating  obtain  these — in  some  cases 
with  the  first  cross.  My  opinion  is  that  in 
breeding  whites  no  other  colour  should  be 
mixed  with  them.  In  the  breeding  of  blacks 
you  are  altogether  on  another  matter.  It  is  a 
well-known  fact  that  the  cross  with  the  self 
blue  is  a  most  distinct  advantage.  It  not  only 
gives  tone  and  soundness  to  both  the  blue  and 
the  black,  but  it  also  adds  lustre. 

"  For  a  long  time  we  have  called  the 
self  blues  Russians.  No  doubt  they,  in 
the  first  instance,  came  from  the  East  ;  but 
since  they  were  imported  into  this  country 
they  have  been  mixed  in  a  great  measure  with 
self  blacks,  and  in  some  cases  with  long-haired 
blues,  to  get  strong,  short,  round  heads,  so 
that  at  the  present  time  we  have  very  few 
pure-bred  Russians  in  this  country. 

'  My  advice  to  those  who  are  breeding  self 
blues  or  self  blacks  is,  by  all  means  put  one 
cross  of  blacks  in  the  blues,  especially  if  the 
black  has  orange  eyes.  It  is  in  eyes  that  most 
of  our  self  blues  fail.  Let  me,  however,  give 
here  a  word  of  warning.  Do  not  mix  the 
colours  too  often,  or  you  will  get  the  blues  too 
dark  or  nearly  like  black.  If  yon  get  one 
cross  of  the  black  and  blue,  use  it  as  it  should 


be  used,  by  mixing  the  offspring  well  to- 
gether. I  know  a  great  many  breeders  are 
not  in  favour  of  this  in-breeding.  This  is, 
without  doubt,  their  loss.  In  all  branches 
in-breeding  is  the  sure  road  to  success. 

"  To  go  outside  at  every  cross,  or  too 
often,  brings  with  it  a  lot  of  trouble  and 
disappointment.  To  all  my  advice  is,  having 
got  the  strains  of  noted  sires  in  your  youngsters, 
so  mix  them  that  all  the  good  and  little  of  the 
bad  points  will  come  out  as  the  result  of  your 
breeding.—  That  you  will  not  get  all  winners 
is  a  sure  conclusion,  but  my  experience  is — 
and  it  is  formed  after  thirty  years'  breeding  of 
fancy  pet  stock — that  in  this  way  you  are 
more  likely  than  in  any  other  to  breed  winners. 
Anyone  who  has  seen  Lady  Alexander's 
'  Brother  Bump,'  Mrs.  Hughes'  '  Alexis,'  Miss 
Butler  Ayton's  '  Blue  Bell '  and  '  Blue  Stock- 
ings,' Mrs.  Carew-Cox's  '  Fashoda,'  and  Mrs. 
Dewar's  '  Firkens  '  cannot  but  fall  in  love  with 
this  colour.  All  that  is  needed  to  make  this 
one  of  our  most  popular  varieties  is  uni- 
formity in  shape.  In  my  opinion  these  cats 
should  be  judged  on  the  same  lines  as  our  self 
blacks  and  self  whites. 

"  I  now  come  to  the  tabbies — silver,  orange, 
and  brown.     What  a 
lovely    variety    they 
are,  and  what  a  fine 
picture    any    of    the 


MRS.  BAKKKK'S  "  TYXESIDE  LILY." 

(Photo :  E    C.  Fanner,  Bedford.) 


MISS  HARPER'S  CATTERY,  BRIARLEA,  HAYWARD'S  HEATH. 


ANOTHER   VIEW   OF    BRIARLEA   CATTERIES. 
(Photo:   E.  Harper.') 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


293 


three  colours  makes  if  they  are  seen  in  full  coat 
and  .clear  markings  !  In  silvers  the  old-time 
champion  '  The  Silver  King '  was  without  a 
doubt  the  foundation  of  most  of  our  present-day 
winners.  Mrs.  Herring's  '  Jimmy,'  the  noted 
female  'Shelly,'  and  a  host  of  others  that  at 
the  moment  I  cannot  remember  are  worthy  of 


'  Belle  of  Bradford,'  Mr.  Thompson's  '  Red 
Rufus,'  and  Mr.  Kuhnel's  '  Coronation  King,' 
all  of  them  getting  close  on  the  standard  both 
in  colour  and  markings. 

"  In  browns  the  old  champion  '  Xeno- 
phon  '  is,  to  my  mind,  the  best  tabby  of 
any  colour  ever  seen  in  the  show  pen ;  his 


- 


A   CORNER    OF    THE    BOSSINGTON    CATTERIES. 
(Photo:  A.  J.  Anderson  &  Co.,  Litton.) 


the  great  deeds  of  the  past.  In  the  present  day 
champions  are  to  be  found — Mrs.  Collingwood's 
'  James  II.,'  Mrs.  Herring's  '  Sweet  Phyllis,' 
Mrs.  Bonny's  '  Heather  Belle  '  and  '  Dame 
Fortune,'  Mrs.  Turner's  '  Masterpiece,'  Mrs. 
Western's  '  Princess,'  and  last,  but  not  least, 
Mr.  Blackett's  noted  team,  including  '  Silver  ' 
and  '  Silver  Star.'  In  the  orange  we  have  a 
strong  lot,  including  Lady  Alexander's  capital 
team — '  Perfection,'  '  Red  Prince,'  '  Miss  Per- 
fection,' and  '  Mother  Pop  '  —  Mrs.  Temple's 
'  Dr.  Jim,'  Mrs.  Collingwood's  '  Clem '  and 
19* 


picture  is  before  me  as  I  pen  these  lines.  I 
well  remember  giving  him  the  first  and 
special  for  best  cat  in  the  show ;  since  that 
time  how  many  times  he  has  won  the  cham- 
pionship I  cannot  say.  His  loss  will  be 
great,  both  to  the  fancy  and  also  to  Lady 
Decies.  '  Flying  Fox  '  (the  property  of  Messrs. 
Ainsley  and  Graham),  Mrs.  Pratt's  '  Tommy 
Jacks,'  and  Mrs.  Oliver's  '  Danefield  Vera  '  are 
all  good  ones  ;  but  in  this  colour  of  tabbies 
the  competition  is  not  half  so  keen  as  it  is  in 
silver  and  orange. 


294 


THE    BOOK     OF     THE    CAT. 


'•  One  standard  governs  all  the  three  colours. 
The  ground  or  body  colour  must  be  pure, 
and  clear  from  any  other  colour.  In  a  great 
many  well-marked  ones  I  meet  in  the  show 
pen  the  rusty  brown  tinge  on  nose,  ears, 
and  brindled  in  the  body  markings  puts 
them  out  of  the  prize  list.  It  is  a  great  mis- 
take to  cross  the  silver  tabby  with  the  brown 
tabby  or  with  one  that  has  in  its  pedigree  the 
brown  tabby  blood.  If  the  black  markings 
need  a  darker  shade,  my  advice  is  use  for  once 
the  self  black.  If  you 
do  not  get  the  desired 
effect  the  first  cross, 
the  youngsters  mated 
together  have  been 
known  to  breed  some 
really  good  ones.  By 
all  means,  if  possible, 
get  into  your  silvers 
green  eyes.  I  am 
aware  that  the  stand- 
ard says  green  or 
orange  eyes ;  but  in  all 
cases  where  the  com- 
petition is  very  keen 
the  orange  eyes  are  a 
distinct  disadvantage. 

"  In  the  breeding  of 
the  orange  tabby  you 
need  to  be  very  care- 
ful. The  use  of  the 
tortoiseshell  has  been 

found  to  be  very  advantageous  ;  in  fact,  some 
of  our  best  orange  tabbies  have  been  bred 
from  the  tortoiseshells.  The  mixing  of  these 
two  varieties,  if  done  carefully,  will  bring 
success  on  both  sides  ;  but  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  bring  too  much  of  the  tortoise- 
shell  into  the  orange,  or,  on  the  other  hand, 
carry  too  much  orange  into  the  tortoiseshell. 
The  pale  yellow  eye  in  an  orange  is  a  great 
point  against  it  winning  in  the  keen  competi- 
tion which  we  have  at  the  present  time. 

"  The  eyes  must  be  a  very  rich  orange, 
to  match  the  body  colour,  which  should 
be  two  or  three  shades  lighter  than  the 
markings. 


OWNED  BY  LADY  ALEXANDER. 
(Photo :  Russell  &  Sons,  Crystal  Palace.) 


"  In  the  browns  we  have  two  distinct 
colours — the  sable  colour  and  the  old  brown 
colour.  The  old  cat  that  I  have  referred  to 
of  Lady  Decies'  was  a  sable  tabby.  No  doubt 
this  colour  is  the  more  taking  of  the  two,  but 
both  are  useful,  and  the  old  brown  coloui 
must  not  by  any  means  be  overlooked  in  our 
liking  for  the  sable  colour.  In  all  the  colours  of 
tabbies  we  find  that  the  chief  bad  points  are 
the  white  lips  in  the  sables  mostly,  the  white 
spots  in  the  chest  in  our  orange,  and  the  rusty 

mousy  colour  in  our 
silvers.  The  colour  of 
eyes,  too,  in  our 
browns  and  sables  is 
far  from  what  it  ought 
to  be.  Some  eyes  are 
a  pale  green,  some  a 
pale  yellow.  All  this 
p  roves  that  the 
breeders  at  times  go 
too  far  in  the  out- 
crossing,  and  bring  in 
with  it  faults  that 
crop  up  when  those 
crossings  are  nearly 
forgotten. 

"  In  the  breeding  of 
browns  nothing  more 
is  needed  than  what 
we  have  —  namely, 
the  sable  colour  ones 
and  the  old  coloured 

browns.  The  blending  together  of  these 
two  colours  will  put  any  breeder  on  the  high- 
way to  success.  I  am  more  than  surprised 
that  this  variety  is  not  stronger  than  it  is 
at  the  present  time.  I  am  sure,  of  all  the 
race  and  colours  of  tabbies  they  are  the  easiest 
to  breed,  and  yet  we  find  they  are  the  fewest 
in  number  at  our  big  shows.  In  looking  for 
a  real  good  tabby,  do  not  miss  the  chest,  feet, 
and  tail.  We  have  a  great  lot  of  good  cats  if 
body  markings  and  colour  were  all  that  was 
needed,  but  when  it  comes  to  the  ringed  tail, 
the  rings  around  the  chest,  and  the  markings 
right  down  to  the  toe  ends,  then  they  '  come  a 
cropper,'  as  we  say  in  the  North. 


w 

CO 

u 
2 

< 
i— » 
<a 


X 
z 

< 
s 


•J 

n 


-4 


Q     "S 

I  « 


SHORT-HAIRED    CATS. 


29: 


';  One  more  important  point  before  I  finish.      '  Champion    King    Saul.'      Females    are    very 
What  a  painful  task  it  is  to  the  judge  to  find     strong,  and  well  represented  in    Mrs.   Pratt's 


very  good  all-round  ex- 
hibits that  have  plain 
head  markings.  The  face 
and  cheeks  are  right  in 
ground  colour  ;  and  the 
pencil  markings  on  the 
fore-face,  running  into 
the  markings  behind  the 
ears,  and  those  on  the 
cheeks  are  of  the  faintest 
colour,  and  in  many  cases 
broken.  Such  head 
markings  and  colour  spoil 
many  otherwise  really 
good  cats. 

"  I  now  come  to  the 
tortoiseshells  —  a  mixture 
of  orange  and  black.  I 
have  dealt  with  mixing  of 
colours  in  my  remarks  on 
the  orange  tabbies.  All 


MRS.  A.  M.  STEAD'S  BROWN  TABBY. 

(Photo:  E.  N.  Collins,  South  Norwood.) 


'  Tib  of  Rochdale  '  and 
Messrs.  Graham  and 
Ainsley's  '  Sunine.' 

"  The  tortoiseshell-and- 
white  is  a  most  lovely 
and  taking  variety,  com- 
monly called  the  'chintz- 
and-white  '  in  our  home- 
steads. Very  few  and 
far  between  are  good 
specimens  to  be  found, 
and  yet  in  the  show  pens 
these  tri-colour  cats  have 
a  great  advantage  over 
their  fellow-felines.  Lady 
Alexander  has  exhibited 
some  splendid  tortoise- 
shell  -  and  -  whites,  '  Bal- 
lochmyle  Otter '  being 
one  of  the  best  (see  illus- 
tration, page  289).  A  very 


I  need  say  here  is,  mind  that  in  your  tortoise-  common  drawback  in  this  variety  is  the  mix- 
shells  you  do  not  get  the  orange  markings,  ture  of  tabby  with  the  orange  and  white, 
The  most  successful  breeder  in  the  North  of  instead  of  the  patches  of  black.  I  feel  sure 


this  variety — the 
late  Mr.  Young,  of 
Harrogate  — made 
tabby  markings  in 
a  tortoiseshell  a  dis- 
qualification in  the 
show  pen.  The  pre- 
sence of  any  white  is 
also  a  very  great 
drawback,  and  this 
is  often  found  in 
small  patches  on  the 
chest  or  on  the  belly. 
You  can  have  both 
too  light  and  too 


-MRS.    COLLINGWOOD  S    ''  JAMKS    II. 
(Photo  :  Russell  &  Sons,  Crystal  Palace.) 


if  this  variety  were 
only  taken  up  more 
we  should  see  a 
remarkable  advance- 
ment both  in  mark- 
ings and  in  colour. 
The  patches — white, 
orange,  and  black — 
in  an  ideal  specimen 
should  be,  if  possi- 
ble, about  equal  in 
number,  and  well 
placed  on  the  body, 
head,  and  feet  ;  they 
look  very  charming 
when  you  see  a 
really  good  one.  I 


much  orange  colour, 

or   you   can   have 

them   too   dark    or   too   much   black.     Equal  hope    a    few    more    fanciers    and    breeders    of 

colours    and   well   mixed   is    about    the   right  short-haired  cats  will  be  coming  forward,  so 

thing,  with  good  orange  eyes.     At  the  present  that  the  number  exhibited  at  our  shows  may 

time    we    have    Lady   Alexander's    and    Mrs.  steadily  increase." 

Hei  ring's    males  —  '  Champion    Samson'    and  In  this  hope   I   do  most  heartily  join,   for 


2Cj6 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


although  my  name  is  mostly  connected  with 
the  long-haired  breeds,  I  am  such  a  lover  of 
all  cats  that  I  feel  as  anxious  for  one  variety 
as  another  to  obtain  friends  and  favour.  It 
is  specially  in  the  South  of  England  that  the 
interest  in  our  short-haired  breeds  is  on  the 
wane,  and  it  behoves  all  fanciers  to  strive  to 
assist  in  keeping  alive  the  love  of  the  British 
cat  in  our  midst. 

In  1902  Sir  Claud  and  Lady  Alexander 
most  generously  guaranteed  the  whole  of 
these  classes,  and  although  they  themselves 
made  a  very  numerous  entry,  yet  there  was  a 


deficit  to  pay  of  several  pounds,  a  thing  which 
ought  not  to  be. 

I  find  that  the  Manx,  Siamese,  and  blues 
are  generally  able  to  take  care  of  themselves 
at  shows,  or  they  have  clubs  and  secretaries 
who  look  after  their  interests;  but  the  "  common 
or  garden  "  puss  needs  a  kindly  hand  to  assist 
•in  drawing  him  to  the  front,  for,  as  that  well- 
known  lover  of  "  the  domestic  cat,"  Harrison 
Weir,  writes,  "  Why  should  not  the  cat  that 
sits  purring  in  front  of  us  before  the  fire  be 
an  object  of  interest,  and  be  selected  for  its 
colour,  markings,  and  form  ?  " 


"  BEN-MY-CHREE." 

OWNED  BY  Miss  G.  E.  SILLAR. 

(Photo:  J.   W.  Thomas,  Colwyn  Bay.) 


297 


BURMESE    CAT. 
(Photo:  E.  Latuior,  Baling) 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


SOME      FOREIGN     CATS. 


IT  is  not  intended  in  the  following  notes  to 
enter  into   a  description   of    the  various 
beautiful  and  interesting  wild  felines,  for 
although  some  of  these — such  as  the  Ocelot, 
the  Geoffrey's  Cat,  and  the  Wild  Cat — are  not 
infrequently  seen  in  the  pens  at  our  leading 
shows,  such  matter  really  comes  more  within 
the  province  of  a  natural  history  than  of  the 
present  work. 

Two  varieties  alone  may  justly  claim  some 
slight  attention  here,  these  being  the  Egyptian 
cat  (Felis  maniculata]  and  the  European  wild 
cat  (F.  catus).  It  might  reasonably  be 
imagined  that  our  common  cat  was  derived 
from  the  last-named,  considering  that  at  one 
time  it  was  a  common  animal  all  over  England, 
as  well  as  on  the  Continent.  The  untamable 
ferocity  of  this  variety — which  is  probably  the 
least  amenable  of  all  living  creatures — has 
doubtless  prevented  its  ever  having  been 
domesticated,  and  the  high  value  which,  as 
we  learn  from  old  writings,  was  placed  upon 
the  domestic  puss  at  a  time  when  the  wild  cat 


was  a  common  animal  in  England,  plainly 
show  that  F.  catus  was  not  the  ancestor  of 
jF.  domestica,  although  the  two  will  freely  inter- 
breed. Many  years  ago,  for  instance,  the  old 
Spanish  wild  cat  which  used  to  be  kept  at  the 
Zoological  Gardens  in  the  so-called  aviaries, 
now  occupied  by  the  civets,  mated  with  his 
cage  mate — a  tortoiseshell-and-white  queen — - 
and  of  these  cross-bred  kittens  both  Sir  Claud 
Alexander  and  the  writer  of  these  lines  pos- 
sessed specimens. 

It  is  usually  assumed  that  the  Egyptian  or 
Caff  re  cat  is  the  progenitor  of  the  majority  of 
the  domestic  cats.  This  is  the  variety  which 
was  domesticated,  revered,  and  embalmed  by 
the  ancient  Egyptians.  It  is  found  over  the 
whole  of  Africa,  and  it  is  quite  easy  to  under- 
stand how,  with  its  eminently  tamable  dis- 
position, it  gradually  spread  over  Europe.  Our 
so-called  Abyssinian  cats,  to  which  reference 
will  be  made  later  on,  bear  a  very  striking 
resemblance  to  this  handsome  variety  of  cat. 

The   domestic   cats   of   other   parts   of   the 


298 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


world,  however,  are  undoubtedly  derived  from 
the  smaller  wild  cats  of  the- countries  in  ques- 
tion. Thus  it  is  probable  that  several  varieties 
have  a  share  in  the  creation  of  the  Indian 
domestic  cats,  of  which  Blyth  distinguished 
two  varieties.  The  fulvous  variety  he  con- 
sidered to  be  derived  from  the  Indian  jungle 
cat  (F.  chaus),  a  fulvous  cat  which  in  its  high 
legs,  shorter  tail,  and  slightly  tufted  ears— 
and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  some  of  the  best 
Abyssinians  have  large  and  slightly  tufted  ears 
—marks  the  approach  to  the  lyncine  group. 
The  spotted  kinds  he  traces  to  the  leopard  cat, 
the  desert  cat,  and  the  rusty-spotted  cat. 

A  most  extraordinary  variety,  of  which  next 
to  nothing  appears  to  be  known,  is  the  hairless 
cat,  and  we  cannot  do  better  than  quote  in 
extenso  the  description  given  by  the  owner  of 
what,  if  his  surmise  should  unhappily  prove 
to  be  correct,  was  the  last  pair  of  these  peculiar 
animals,  a  portrait  of  which  we  give. 

Albuquerque,  New  Mexico, 

February  ^rd,  1902. 
MR.  H.  C.  BROOKE. 

Dear  Sir, — Yours  of  January  aoth  is  at  hand.  In 
answer  would  say  my  hairless  cats  are  brother  and 
sister.  I  got  them  from  the  Indians  a  few  miles  from 
this  place.  The  old  Jesuit  Fathers  tell  me  they  are 
the  last  of  the  Aztec  breed  known  only  in  New  Mexico. 
I  have  found  them  the  most  intelligent  and  affection- 
ate family  pets  I  have  ever  met  in  the  cat  line  ;  they 
are  the  quickest  inaction  and  smartest  cats  I  have  ever 
seen.  They  are  fond  of  a  warm  bath,  and  love  to 
sleep  under  the  clothes  at  night  with  our  little  girl. 
They  seem  to  understand  nearly  everything  that  is 
said  to  them  ;  but  I  have  never  had  time  to  train 
them.  They  are  marked  exactly  alike — with  mouse- 
coloured  backs  ;  with  neck,  stomach,  and  legs  a, 
delicate  flesh  tint.  Their  bodies  are  always  warm 
and  soft  as  a  child's.  They  love  to  be  fondled  and 
caressed,  and  are  very  playful  ;  will  run  up  and  down 
your  body  and  around  your  waist  like  a  flash. 
"  Nellie  "  weighs  about  eight  pounds,  and  "  Dick  "• 
weighed  ten  pounds  ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  we  have 
lost  "  Dick."  We  have  never  allowed  them  to  go 
out  of  the  house,  as  the  dogs  would  be  after  them. 
They  were  very  fond  of  our  water  spaniel,  and  would 
sleep  with  her,  "  Dick  "~was  a  sly  rascal,  and  would 
steal  out.  One  night  last  year  he  stole  out,  and  the 
dogs  finished  him.  His  loss  was  very  great,  as  I  may 
never  replace  him.  The  Chicago  Cat  Club  valued 
them  at  1,000  dollars  each.  They  were  very  anxious 


for  me  to  come  on  with  them  for  their  cat  shows,  but 
I  could  not  go.  They  were  never  on  exhibition  ;  as 
this  is  a  small  city,  I  feared  they  would  be  stolen.  I 
have  made  every  endeavour  to  get  another  mate  for 
"  Nellie,"  but  have  not  been  successful.  I  never 
allowed  them  to  mate,  as  they  were  brother  and 
sister,  and  I  thought  it  might  alter  "  Nellie's  "  beau- 
tiful form,  which  is  round  and  handsome,  with  body 
rather  long.  In  winter  they  have  a  light  fur  on  back 
and  ridge  of  tail,  which  falls  off  in  warm  weather. 
They  stand  the  cold  weather  same  as  other  cats.  They 
are  not  like  the  hairless  dogs,  whose  hide  is  solid  and 
tough  ;  they  are  soft  and  delicate,  with  very  loose  skin. 
"  Nellie  "  has  a  very  small  head,  large  amber  eyes, 
extra  long  moustache  and  eyebrows  ;  her  voice  now 
is  a  good  baritone,  when  young  it  sounded  exactly 
like  a  child's.  They  have  great  appetites,  and  are 
quite  dainty  eaters — fried  chicken  and  good  steak  is 
their  choice.  Have  never  been  sick  an  hour.  The 
enclosed  faded  picture  is  the  only  one  I  have  at 
present  ;  it  is  very  lifelike,  as  it  shows  the  wrinkles 
in  its  fine,  soft  skin.  "  Dick  "  was  a  very  powerful 
cat  ;  could  whip  any  dog  alone  ;  his  courage,  no 
doubt,  was  the  cause  of  his  death.  He  always  was 
the  boss  over  our  dogs;  I  have  priced  "  Nellie  "  at 
300  dollars.  She  is  too  valuable  a  pet  for  me  to  keep 
in  a  small  town.  Many  wealthy  ladies  would  value 
her  at  her  weight  in  gold  if  they  knew  what  a  very 
rare  pet  she  is.  I  think  in  your  position  she  would 
be  a  very  good  investment  to  exhibit  at  cat  shows 
and  other  select  events,  as  she  doubtless  is  the  only 
hairless  cat  now  known.  I  have  written  to  Old 
Mexico  and  all  over  this  country  without  finding 
another.  I  would  like  to  have  her  in  some  large 
museum,  where  she  would  interest  and  be  appreciated 
by  thousands  of  people. — Trusting  this  will  reach  you 
in  safety,  I  am,  very  truly  yours,  F.  J.  SHINICK. 

We  can  only  add,  whilst  deeply  regretting 
that  Mr.  Shinick  did  not  mate  his  cats,  the 
earnest  hope  that  we  may  hear  that  he  has 
discovered  the  existence  of  other  specimens. 
Should  it  prove  that  a  parcel  of  street  curs 
are  responsible  for  this  curious  variety  becom- 
ing extinct,  even  such  confirmed  dog  lovers  as 
ourselves  are  almost  tempted  to  acquiesce  in 
a  universal  and  everlasting  muzzling  order  ! 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  information  is  given 
as  to  whether  the  dentition  of  these  cats  was 
abnormal  and  imperfect,  as  is  the  case  with 
the  Mexican  hairless  dogs. 

Very  curious  and  handsome  is  the  Indian 
cat  "  Indischer  Fiirst,"  exhibited  by  Mrs.  H. 
C.  Brooke.  His  most  striking  peculiarities 


3 


< 

u 

X 

a 


300 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


are  the  length  and  slenderness  of  his  limbs, 
the  extreme  shortness  of  his  coat,  and  his 
thin  and  tapering  tail,  which  reminds  the 
observer  of  that  of  a  pointer.  His  ears  are 
small,  but  as  a  kitten  they  were  of  enormous 
size,  and  with  his  long  and  pointed  head  gave 
him  a  most  weird  appearance.  The  voice  of 
this  cat  is  very  variable,  and  far  more  resembles 
the  raucous  call  of  the  Siamese  than  the  voice 
of  any  European  cat. 

This  cat  has  had  a  very  adventurous  exist- 
ence. He,  with  his  litter  sister,  was  originally 
stolen  from  a  hotel  in  Bombay  by  an  English 
sailor.  On  the  way  home  he  twice  fell  over- 
board, but,  more  fortunate  than  his  com- 
panion, was  safely  rescued.  He  also  suffered 
shipwreck  in  the  Sobraon  on  Yung  Yung 
Island.  On  arriving  nearer  home  he  dis- 
appeared, and  was  only  after  several  days' 
absence  discovered  in  the  bowels  of  the  ship, 
as  black  as  the  coal  amongst  which  he  had 
been  sojourning.  His  last  exploit  was  to  fall 
in  the  docks,  after  which  the  sailor  handed  him 
over  to  a  shoemaker  at  Leytonstone,  where  he 
was  discovered  by  his  present  owner.  After 
he  had  twice  escaped  from  bondage  and  aston- 
ished the  natives  of  that  place  by  perambulat- 
ing the  housetops,  lamenting  in  the  tones  of 


AFRICAN    CAT. 
(Photo:  E.  Landor,  Ealing.) 


a  lost  soul,  his  owner  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  he  had  no  convenience  for  restraining 
him,  and  at  last  yielded  to  persuasion,  and 
handed  him  over  to  his  present  proprietors 
for  consideration  of  sundry  gold  coins  of  the 
realm  and  a  kitten  with  seven  toes  on  each 
foot. 

It  is  a  very  remarkable  thing  that  the  Asiatic 
cats  are  so  subject  to  abnormal  formations  of 
the  tail.  The  Siamese  cats,  as  is  well  known, 
very  frequently  possess  kinked  tails.  In 
Burma  also  cats  are  found — some  tail-less, 
some  with  crooked  or  twisted  stumps.  These 
cats,  when  spotted,  are  very  striking  ;  when 
of  an  ordinary  colour  they  simply  recall  an 
indifferent  Manx. 

Japan  also  possesses  tail-less  cats  ;  but 
those  with  ordinary  caudal  appendages  also 
occur,  and  are  probably  the  most  numerous. 
There  is  said  to  be  a  variety  of  Chinese  cat 
which  is  remarkable  for  its  pendent  ears.  We 
have  never  been  able  to  ascertain  anything 
definite  with  regard  to  this  variety.  Some 
years  back  a  class  was  provided  for  them  at  a 
certain  Continental  cat  show,  and  we  went 
across  in  the  hope  of  seeing  and,  if  possible, 
acquiring  some  specimens  ;  but,  alas,  the  class 
was  empty  !  We  have  seen  a  stuffed  specimen 
in  a  Continental  museum,  which  was  a  half- 
long-haired  cat,  the  ears  being  pendent  down 
the  sides  of  the  head  instead  of  erect ;  but  do 
not  attach  much  value  to  this. 

We  have  seen  specimens  of  a  very  tiny 
domestic  cat,  full-grown  individuals  of  which 
weigh  only  about  three  pounds.  Those  we 
saw  came  from  South  America. 

A  cat  called  the  Mombassa  cat,  from  the 
East  of  Africa,  is  said  to  have  a  short  coat  of  a 
wiry  texture.  There  are,  of  course,  no  cats 
indigenous  to  Australia.  An  American  writer 
gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  a  certain  strain  of 
Australian  cats  is  derived  from  imported 
Siamese  cats.  A  specimen  we  possessed  last 
year,  which  was  born  on  a  ship  during  the 
passage  from  Australia,  and  which  exactly 
resembled  its  dam,  certainly  had  every  appear- 
ance of  being  of  Eastern  origin.  It  had  the 
marten-shaped  head,  and  a  triple  kink  in  the 


CO 

H 

O     -> 
2     •> 

H      "a 

5 

Q     .§• 

2      ^o 


<  i 

M  « 

Z  5 

3  | 

s  - 


SOME   FOREIGN   CATS. 


301 


tail  ;  its  voice  also  resem- 
bled that  of  the  Siamese. 
In  colour  it  was  grey, 
with  darker  spots. 

A  very  taking  variety 
is  the  Abyssinian.  A 
good  specimen  should 
very  strongly  resemble 
what  one  might  well  ex- 
pect the  Egyptian  cat  to 
become  after  generations 
of  domestication.  Since 
the  death  of  "  Sedgemere 
Bottle  "  and  "  Sedgemere 
Peaty  "  there  have  been 
no  cats  penned  of  such 
superlative  merit  as  were 
these  two  specimens.  The 
photograph  of "  Sedgemere 
Peaty "  which  we  give 
hardly  does  justice  to  the 
cat.  The  colour  of  an 

Abyssinian  should  be  a  sort  of  reddish-fawn, 
each  individual  hair  being  "  ticked  "  like  that 
of  a  wild  rabbit — hence  the  popular  name  of 
"  bunny  cat."  The  great  difficulty  in  breed- 
ing these  cats  is  their  tendency  to  come  too 
dark  and  too  heavily  striped  on  the  limbs  ; 
the  face  should  be  rather  long,  the  tail  short 
and  thick,  and  the  ears  large.  These  points 
are  well  shown  by  "  Little  Bunny  Teedle  Tit," 
first  in  the  Abyssinian  class  at  the  1902 
Crystal  Palace  cat  show,  though  in  colour  she 
was  not  the  best  penned.  The  Abyssinian 
should  not  be  a  large,  coarse  cat.  A  small 
cat  of  delicate  colouring  and  with  the  above- 
mentioned  body  properties  is  by  far  to  be  pre- 
ferred to  the  large,  coarse,  dark  specimens  one 
sees  winning  under  some  all-round  judges, 
merely  because  of  their  size. 

More  than  any  other  varieties  have  the 
foreign  cats  suffered  from  the  negligence  of  show 
committees  and  the  awful  judging  of  all-round 
judges,  plus  the  equally  awful  reports  fur- 
nished by  all-round  reporters  !  At  the  best, 
knowledge  of  the  different  varieties  of  foreign 
cats  is  absolutely  in  its  infancy.  It  should  be 
the  aim  of  large  shows  to  provide,  whenever 


MANX   AND    ABYSSINIAN    ("  SEDGEMERE    PEATY "    ON   THE   RIGHT). 

(Photo :  A.  R.  Dresser.) 


possible,  judges  for  these  interesting  strangers 
who  do  really  take  some  interest  in  them.  I  am 
bound  to  say  that  of  late  years  the  National 
Cat  Club  has  done  its  best  to  meet  the  wishes 
of  owners  in  this  respect,  and  with  gratifying 
results,  as  witness  the  good  classes  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  show,  where  there  were  no 
fewer  than  eleven  Abyssinians  penned  —  a 
record  number  ! 

The  Cat  Club,  on  the  other  hand,  has  persist- 
ently neglected  them,  having  on  almost  every 
occasion  handed  them  over  to  some  all-round 
judge  who  knows  little  and  cares  less  about 
them,  with  the  natural  result  that  exhibitors 
are  disgusted.  Take,  for  instance,  the  last 
show,  when  a  very  dark,  almost  sooty  Abys- 
sinian was  placed  above  a  very  fair  specimen 
merely  because  the  latter  had  about  a  dozen 
white  hairs  on  its  throat  !  The  value  of  the 
winner  may  be  gauged  from  the  fact  that  its 
owner,  a  lady  well  known  in  the  cat  world, 
expressed  her  intention  of  having  him  neu- 
tered and  keeping  him  merely  as  a  pet.  The 
same  judge,  in  dividing  the  prizes  amongst  the 
Manx  cats,  appeared  to  think  the  colour  of  the 
throat  of  far  more  importance  than  the  shape 


302 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


of  the  hindquarters  in  this  section.  Again, 
of  what  value  does  the  reporter  flatter  himself 
his  writings  can  be  when  we  read  in  a  so-called 
critique  of  a  spotted  Geoffrey's  cat  and  of  an 
ocelot  that  they  are  "  pretty  tiger-marked 
specimens  "  ?  We  wonder  if  the  gentleman 
ever  saw  a  tiger. 

There  is  much  that  is  fascinating — much,  nay 
almost  all — to  learn,  the  most  beautiful  colours 


and  arrangements  of  markings  to  be  studied, 
by  those  who  will  devote  their  attention  to 
foreign  cats.  To  the  search  for  something 
new  we  owe  the  beautiful  Siamese.  Will  no 
one  pay  some  attention  to  the  other  varieties 
of  the  feline  tribe  from  distant  lands  ?  They 
are  well  worth  it,  and  the  addition  of  more 
foreign  cats  at  our  shows  would  be  interesting 


and  instructive. 


H.  C.  BROOKE. 


GEOKFROY  S    WILD    CAT. 
(Photo  :  Cassell  &•  Company,  Limited.') 


303 


"  THE    STORM    KING." 

OWNED  BY  Miss  C.  WALLACE. 

(Photo :  Lewis  Studio,  East  Brady,  Pa,) 


CHAPTER     XXVII. 


CATS    IN   AMERICA. 


A 


W 


REVIEW  of 

the  cat  fancy 
in  America 
carries  us  over  so 
vast  an  expanse  of 
territory,  that  it  is 
not  easy  at  one 
fell  swoop  really 
to  do  it  justice. 
The  only  way  that 
seems  feasible  is  to 
take  the  fancy  by 
districts  ;  and  as  the 
cat  fancy — exempli- 
fied by  shows — may 
be  said  to  have 

arisen  in  the  east,  this  district  should,  I  think, 
have  the  pride  of  place,  though  it  has  for  a 
time  to  give  way  to  the  reign  of  the  cat  further 
towards  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

On  referring  to  Mrs.  Pierce's  notes,  it  will 
be  seen  that  Maine  had  its  cat  shows  long 
before  we  had — some  of  us — come  to  America. 
The  cat  fancy — as  it  is  now — in  America  may 
have  been  said  to  have  sprung  into  a  steady 
existence  with  the  first  show  held  in  the 


"RADO. 

BLUE,   OWNED    BY    MRS.    KRESS. 
(Photo:  Branch,  Minneapolis.) 


Madison  Square  Garden,  New  York,  on  May 
8th,  1895.  This  show  was  organised  by  Mr. 
James  T.  Hyde,  an  Englishman,  who  has  been 
closely  identified  with  the  horse  shows  at  the 
Garden  for  many  years,  and  the  idea  of  hold- 
ing a  cat  show  came  to  him  suddenly,  from 
having  attended  the  Crystal  Palace  show. 

The  first  cat  show  in  New  York  was  a  great 
success  from  the  time  the  doors  opened  till  its 
close,  though  the  temperature — which  was  for 
part  of  the  time  as  high  as  96  degrees — was 
hard  upon  the  cats,  especially  those  that  had 
just  come  from  England.  When  we  returned 
home  the  morning  after  the  show  there  was  a 
white  frost !  Part  of  the  judging  was  done 
—and  well  done — by  the  late  Dr.  Huide- 
koper,  who  had  picked  up  a  good  deal  of  his 
cat  lore  while  a  medical  student  at  Paris  and 
Edinburgh  and  in  London.  Miss  Hurlburt  and 
Mr.  T.  Farrer  Rackham  were  the  other  judges. 

In  regard  to  this  show — which  marks  the 
beginning  of  the  cat  fever  in  America,  that  spread 
outside  of  the  State  of  Maine — I  think  I  ought 
to  point  out  what  was  chiefly  remarkable,  and 
the  parts  of  the  show  that  were  destined  to  bear 
upon  the  future.  In  the  first  place,  the  prize 


304 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


for  the  best  cat  in  the  show  was  won  by  a 
brown  tabby — a  native,  or,  as  some  people 
designate  them,  Maine  cats.  This  cat  was  in 
every  way  a  good  one  ;  but  he  was  a  gelding, 
and,  of  course,  in  May,  much  ahead  of  the 
breeding  cats  as  to  plumage  ;  but,  still,  there 
was  little  dissatisfaction  at  the  awards.  Of 
English  cats  there  were  not  more  than  about 
eight,  and  several  died  soon  after ;  and  of  all 
those  shown  at  this  our  first  show  the  only  ones 
that  have  really  made  any  mark  or  real  im- 
pression upon  the  cat  fancy  in  America  may 
be  mentioned  "  King  Humbert,"  "  Topaz," 
"Minnie,"  and  "The  Banshee."  The  first- 
named  were  all  brown  or  grey  tabbies,  the  last 
a  white.  Cats  bred  from  these  are  still  win- 
ning, and  their  descendants  keep  their  names 
green  in  the  annals  of  present-day  stud  books. 

White  cats  had  always  been  popular  in 
America,  and  the  first  show  produced  speci- 
mens as  good  as,  or  even  better  than  I  have 
ever  seen  in  this  city  ;  up  to  now,  in  fact, 
we  have  never  had  anything  to  beat  "Ajax," 
who  made  his  first  and  last  bow  to  the  public 
here. 

No  other  shows  occurred  for  some  time  till 
the  autumn,  when  an  exhibition  was  held  at 
Newburgh,  sixty  miles  up  the  Hudson  River,  to 
be  repeated  the  next  year,  with  the  New  York 
show  of  1896  in  between.  At  this  latter  great 
improvement  had  been  made  in  colours  and 
varieties ;  and,  in  fact,  all  concerned  had 
made  considerable  advance  in  the  meantime 
as  to  knowledge  of  different  varieties  of  cats. 

At  the  second  show  in  New  York  a  club  was 
formed,  intended  to  be  the  National,  but  it 
died,  and  affairs  were  in  a  comatose  condition  as 
regards  shows  in  New  York  until  the  consent  of 
Mr.  Crawford,  the  manager  of  the  poultry  show, 
was  obtained  for  the  holding  of  a  cat  show  in 
January,  1902,  in  the  concert  hall  which  opens 
out  of  the  main  hall  at  Madison  Square.  This 
show,  though  a  small  one,  was  well  attended, 
and  though  the  entries  only  numbered  about 
no,  the  quality  of  many  of  the  cats  was  very 
much  ahead  of  the  five  years  before,  and  the 
classes  of  silvers  were  good  enough  for  any 
country.  The  impetus  gained  by  this  show 


and  the  results  obtained  were  not  over- 
estimated by  those  who  promoted  the  show, 
and  the  bringing  together  of  many  staunch 
breeders  who  had  sprung  up  in  the  meantime 
made  it  possible  to  organise  the  Atlantic  Cat 
Club,  which  has  gathered  such  headway  in  the 
year  of  its  existence  that  it  is  becoming  one 
of  the  most  powerful  factors  in  the  American 
cat  fancy.  The  show  held  at  Madison  Square 
in  1903,  with  the  fine  collection  of  challenge 
cups  and  the  many  other  valuable  specials, 
speaks  to  the  gathering  interest  and  the  strength 
of  the  fancy  in  the  district,  and  the  club  is 
being  every  day  still  further  strengthened ; 
and,  if  the  treasury  balance  is  any  indication, 
the  future  of  the  Atlantic  Cat  Club  will  be 
very  marked,  especially  as  many  people  of 
wealth  and  influence  are  being  enrolled  upon 
the  books  and  are  becoming  most  enthusiastic 
upholders  of  the  cat  in  New  York. 

In  discussing  the  eastern  affairs,  we  must 
not  leave  out  the  Boston  shows,  which  have 
been  a  steady  factor  for  some  years,  and  gave 
opportunities  to  the  more  northern  cats  to 
meet  and  compete  together.  These  shows 
have  been  kept  alive  by  Mr.  T.  Farrer  Rack- 
ham,  to  a  great  extent,  and  from  the  opening 
of  the  cat  fancy  up  to  now  he  has  been  a 
steady  promoter  of  the  interests  of  the  cat, 
and  has  steadily  worked  to  keep  up  the  interest. 

In  thinking  of  the  breeders  of  the  eastern 
portion  of  this  continent  we  have  to  range  over 
a  good  deal  of  territory,  and  even  the  State  of 
New  York  alone  takes  us  quite  out  west,  and 
from  Mrs.  Conlisk  (who  lives  at  Gowanda,  and 
who  owns  "  Bitterne  Silver  Chieftain "  and 
a  daughter  of  "  Whychwood,"  besides  "  Silver 
Belle,"  who  came  from  England  lately)  our 
thoughts  drift  down  to  Pittsburg  to  Mrs.  L. 
T.  Hodges,  who  is  making  a  speciality  of 
smokes  and  silvers,  and  has  commenced  well 
by  winning  in  kittens  at  Cleveland  with 
"Wahanita,"  "Southampton,"  and  "The 
Dusky  Pilgrim"— a  capital  smoke,  since  sold 
for  £50.  Mrs.  Mix,  although  in  New  York 
State,  lives  180  miles  to  the  westward  of  New 
York  City  ;  but,  still,  the  effect  the  cats  that 
she  has  imported  from  England  have  had  upon 


CATS    IN  AMERICA. 


305 


the  young  stock  and  the  future  of  our  cats  in 
certain  lines  has  been  very  marked.  As  a 
sire  of  good  ones  no  cat  has  exceeded  "  King 
of  the  Silvers,"  and  his  children  have  been 
picked  on  several  occasions  for  best  in  show, 
and  the  influence  that  these  may  have  in  the 
future  cannot  yet  be  fully  estimated.  The 
winnings  of  this  cattery  have  been  many,  but 


under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Hall,  and  these  at  the 
present  time  are  doing  a  great  deal  of  winning, 
not  so  much  by  cats  purchased  as  by  home 
bred  ones.  For  instance,  I  may  mention 
"  Lord  Lossie,"  who  has  some  of  the  cream 
of  the  English  blood  in  his  veins  ;  and  lately 
has  come  to  this  cattery  "  Sir  Robert,"  the 
black,  a  winner  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  and 


THE   OLD    FORT    CATTERY. 


as  the  home  of  good  breeding  stock  and  as  the 
practical  founder  of  a  strain  for  the  future 
this  cattery  is  destined  to  rank  very  high  in 
our  annals.  At  the  Old  Fort  cattery  reside 
"  King  of  the  Silvers,"  "  Jack  Frost,"  "  Tortie 
Diana  Fawe,"  "  Lady  Lollypop,"  and  many 
other  good  ones,  and  from  this  cattery  to  many 
parts  of  the  country  have  gone  cats  that  for 
type  and  quality  have  not  been  excelled. 

Not    far    from    here — at    Saratoga — is    the 
summer    residence    of    Dr.    Ottolengui's    cats, 
20 


who  repeated  his  triumphs  at  other  shows 
here.  "  Dollie  Button,"  a  black  daughter  of 
"  Persimmon,"  is  largely  aiding  this  cattery 
as  a  mother  and  a  show  cat. 

Dr.  Ottolengui's  advent  into  the  fancy  in 
January,  1902,  as  secretary  of  the  Atlantic 
Club  gave  an  impetus  to  things  in  general  that 
only  future  times  can  show  the  full  effect.  The 
cat  fraternity  needed  an  organiser  and  a 
worker  to  bring  it  together,  and  he  was  found 
just  at  the  right  time. 


306 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


MRS.  COLBURN   AND    HER    WHITE   PERSIAN  "  PARIS." 
(Photo:  F.  Schnabd,  Chicago.) 

Miss  Lincoln,  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
has  done  quite  a  little  work  for  the  good  of 
the  majority  ;  but  has  not  had  the  best  of 
luck  with  her  cats  so  far,  and  Mrs.  A.  G.  Brown, 
of  Melrose,  Massachusetts, -is  a  steady  breeder 
of  whites  and  other  colours,  and  she  has  in  her 
cattery  "  His  Majesty,"  the  white  that  has 
won  many  prizes  and  is  the  sire  of  winners. 

Mrs.  Neel,  at  Urbana,  New  York,  estab- 
lished a  cattery,  and  has  been  a  very  hard 
worker  in  the  cause,  doing  good  from  her 
experience  in  a  medical  way,  by  writing 
for  the  papers,  by  upholding  the  shows — 
often  a  good  distance  from  home — and  by 
the  general  support  she  has  afforded  to  all 
who  made  use  of  the  help  she  was  willing  to 
give. 

Whilst  in  this  direction  I  must  not  forget 
Mr.  C.  H.  Jones,  who  commenced  as  a  breeder 
and  exhibitor,  though  his  business  kept  him 
away  from  home  a  great  deal ;  yet  the  fever 
grew  upon  him  until  he  started  a  newspaper 


called  The  Cat  Journal,  which,  no  doubt, 
is  one  of  the  principal  factors  in  keeping  up 
the  interest  in  the  cat  in  general.  Though  on 
account  of  Mr.  Jones's  other  business  engage- 
ments it  is  not  possible  for  him  to  report  shows, 
he  brings  out  this  paper  monthly  at  great 
personal  cost  to  himself  and  with  little  chance 
of  profit  on  anything  like  a  fitting  scale  at 
present  ;  so  that  we  may  say  that,  consider- 
ing the  work  of  the  paper  is  done  after  busi- 
ness hours  and  is  largely  supported  by  his  own 
purse,  we  cannot  help  but  think  that  it  is 
most  probable  the  cat  family  never  found  a 
more  enthusiastic  and  disinterested  devotee 
in  the  whole  course  of  its  history.  Mr.  Jones 
gave  up  his  exhibition  cats,  and  yet  for  sheer 
love  of  the  race  and  from  motives  of  pure 
humanity  he  still  continues  to  move  heaven 
and  earth  for  their  support,  and  must  always 
be  reckoned  one  of  the  foremost  exponents  of 
the  cat  in  America,  and  one  of  the  staunchest 
friends  the  cat  ever  had. 

Among  fanciers  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
must  be  enumerated  Miss  A.  L.  Pollard,  who 
has  imported  and  bred  a  few  good  cats,  and 
has  made  a  name  for  herself  with  "  Omar," 
by  "  St.  Anthony."  Miss  Pollard's  place  is 
situated  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  New  York,  and  so  is  practically  in 
the  metropolitan  district.  "  Purity,"  the  white 
which  was  so  successful  in  England,  and  the 
tortoiseshell  "  Woodbine,"  are  factors  in  this 
cattery,  which  is  quite  a  large  one,  and  very 
well  arranged.  The  crops  of  kittens  have 
been  most  successfully  reared  and  distributed, 
in  fact  with  more  success  than  many  of  our 
fanciers  have  been  able  to  show. 

Mrs.  W.  S.  Hofstra,  the  president  of  the 
Atlantic  Cat  Club,  lives  on  Long  Island,  the 
other  side  of  New  York,  and  devotes  herself 
to  her  Siamese  and  Persians,  and  has  had  a 
very  decided  influence  in  the  development  of 
the  club  over  which  she  so  ably  presides. 

The  Lindenhurst  Cattery  at  Ridgefield,  New 
Jersey,  is  also  becoming  prominent,  and  in 
Brooklyn  the  Misses  Ward  have  done  very 
good  work  and  have  reared  some  fine  cats  and 
kittens.  The  keynote  of  this  establishment 


CATS    IN  AMERICA. 


3°7 


has  been  "  Robin,"  an  orange  tabby  son  of 
"  Persimmon,"  who  seems  to  breed  back  to 
his  sire,  and  begets  a  good  many  brown  tabbies 
as  well  as  oranges. 

We  must  not  leave  New  York  State  without 
remembering  Mrs.  F.  L.  Norton,  of  Cazenovia, 
who  has  built  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cat- 
teries in  America,  and  has  spared  no  expense 
or  trouble  to  stock  it  with  good  cats ;  and  here 
reside  "  Sussex  Timkins,"  "  Sweetheart,"  and 
many  others  known  to  fame. 

Mrs.  Champion,  now  settled  at  Hart  Park, 
New  Brighton,  Staten  Island,  New  York,  with 
her  two  daughters,  is  doing  a  great  deal  for 
the  cats  of  America,  and  the  two  Misses 
Champion  will  probably  have  to  do  for  some 
time  a  good  deal  of  the  judging  for  us.  Mrs. 
Champion's  cats  did  well  at  the  first  New 
York  show  at  which  they  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  "Lord  Argent,"  "Silver  Flash," 
"  Argent  Puffy,"  "Moonbeam  II., "and  "  Lord 
Silvester "  are  becoming  household  words. 


"  Argent   Moonbeam   II."    was    best    in    the 
show  of  January,  1903. 

Mrs.  Gotwalts,  of  Pottstown,  Pennsylvania, 
must  not  be  omitted  from  the  eastern  con- 
tingent, for  she  has  the  nucleus  of  a  good 
cattery,  and  owns  a  son  of  "  Blue  Boy  II." 
called  "  Amesh,"  and  she  has  some  "  Per- 
simmon "  blood  in  the  cattery,  and  also  some 
of  the  smoke  blood  of  the  "  Backwell  "  strain 
obtained  from  Mrs.  Harold  James.  Mrs. 
Gotwalts  keeps  fine  cats,  and  is  very  fond  of 
breeding  "her  own,  in  which  she  takes  much 
pride. 

Mrs.  Brown,  of  Millerton,  New  York,  has 
bred  and  kept  cats  for  some  time,  but  does  not 
favour  the  shows  much. 

Washington  has  come  to  the  fore  of  late, 
but  has  not  within  her  borders  many  regular 
breeders  outside  of  Mrs. 
Hazen  Bond,  who  exhibited 
with  a  good  deal  of  success 
during  the  season  of  1901- 


BRUSHWOOD      CATTERY. 

(Photo:  F.  Schnabel,  Chicago.) 


308 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT: 


1902,  and  Miss  Eleanor  Burritt,  who  most 
successfully  brought  to  a  termination  a  good 
show  in  Washington  in  December,  1902 ;  arid 
this  will,  no  doubt,  be  followed  by  others  in 
years  to  come. 

Our  travels  in  search  of  cats  do  not  take  us 
very  far  south,  for  in  these  regions  the  fleas 
alone  make  the  rearing  of  cats  in  anything 
like  numbers  an  impossibility.  Mrs.  B.  M. 
Gladding  most  pluckily  tried  it  at  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  but  has  been  obliged  to  give  it  up, 
though  she  was  one  of  our  most  promising 
cat  lovers. 

The  Connecticut  cats  bid  fair  to  be  quite  a 
factor  in  the  American  race  for  prominence  in 
catty  matters,  and  within  the  borders  of  Con- 
necticut we  have  to  record  a  few  breeders. 
In  1903  we  have  a  show  at  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  which  is  an  important  place,  and 
where  the  show  now  begun  might  assume  quite 
extensive  proportions  ;  for  at  Stamford  are 
many  large  country  houses,  and  it  is  a  centre 
that  can  well  afford  to  have  the  best  of  every- 
thing. 

Connecticut  has  within  her  borders  the 
possibilities  of  future  greatness,  and  is  at 
present  emerging  from  comparative  obscurity, 
though  always  having  had  some  good  fanciers. 
Miss  Lucy  Nicholls  was,  for  a  time,  perhaps 
one  of  the  best  known,  but  she  died  in  the 


MISS  L.  c.  JOHNSTON'S  "  PERSIMMON  SQUIRREL." 

(Photo:  Finlcy,  Chicago.) 


spring  of  1902.  Dr.  Frank  Abbott  is  stirring 
up  the  fanciers  of  Connecticut,  and  a  little 
while  from  now  there  would  probably  be  a 
good  deal  more  to  say  about  this  region,  which 
holds  such  breeders  as  Mrs.  Copperberg,  Miss 
Anna  Marks,  Mrs.  Ida  Palmer,  and  others. 

I  leave  the  Maine  and  the  northern  division 
to  Mrs.  Pierce,  who  was  born  there,  and  has 
known  this  region  and  its  history  for  many 
years,  and  who  can  cover  it  so  much  better. 

Mrs.  M.  B.  Thurston  was  much  missed  as 
an  exhibitor,  as  for  a  time  she  was  very  suc- 
cessful, but  more  with  cats  she  bought  than 
with  cats  she  bred. 

Miss  K.  L.  Gage,  of  Brewster's,  New  York, 
is  not  now  so  prominent  as  of  yore,  but 
still  for  a  time  was  energetic  in  disseminating 
good  cats,  and  was  the  owner  of  the  silver 
tabby  "  Whychwood,"  who  bids  fair  to  leave 
a  name  behind  him. 

The  New  York  show  of  1903  revealed  to  us  that 
we  are  making  steady  progress  in  long-haired 
silvers,  and  the  probability  is  that  at  the 
present  time,  if  we  could  make  up  a  team  of 
four  or  five  of  our  best  and  take  them  to 
England,  we  should  give  a  good  account  of 
ourselves. 

At  this  show  the  blacks,  thanks  to  recent 
importations,  were  much  better  than  hereto- 
fore ;  and  Miss  Hurlburt's  "  Eddie  Fawe," 
Dr.  Ottolengui's  "Sir  Robert  "—a  previous 
winner  at  the  Palace — and  Miss  Lincoln's 
"  Jack  Fawe  "  made  a  trio  that  we  may  be 
proud  of. 

The  blues  were  a  decided  improvement  on 
last  year,  and  so  were  the  whites  ;  and  Miss 
Pollard  had  "  Purity "  and  the  blue-eyed 
"  Fairy "  put  down  in  splendid  shape,  and 
won  well. 

Orange  cats  are  always  pretty  popular  in 
America,  and  are,  owing  to  Miss  Ward  and 
Mrs.  Copperberg,  coming  well  up  to  the  front. 

In  the  silvers  Mrs.  Champion's  "  Argent 
Moonbeam  II."  carried  all  before  him  in  males, 
and  Mrs.  Conlisk  took  first  in  queens  with 
"Silver  Belle" — a  big  one  and  a  good  one. 
The  "  Blessed  Damozel  "  is  perhaps  our  best 
queen,  and  there  is  really  nothing  to  beat  her 


CATS    IN  AMERICA. 


309 


in  the  female  division  ;  but 
she  was  not  put  down  for 
competition,  as  her  owner 
does  not  approve  of  a  four 
days'  show.  Mrs.  Mallorie 
had  a  big  strong  silver— 
"Silver  Glen"  —  second  to 
"Argent  Moonbeam  II." 
The  silver  tabbies  are  coming 
along  well,  and  so  are  the 
smokes,  and  one — "TheDusky 
Pilgrim,"  a  son  of  "  The  Pas- 
sionate Pilgrim,"  who  has 
been  altered  — •  was  sold  for 
£50.  "  The  Passionate  Pil- 
grim," a  very  light  and  mas- 
sively built  cat,  promises  to 
be  a  great  loss  to  breeders,  as 
he  is  an  almost  complete  out  A  RECEPTION  ROOM  IN  A  CHICAGO  CATTERY. 

cross,  but  he  has  left  severa  (Photo-,  s. E.  wngu, Chicago.) 

good  kittens.  Mrs.  Mix,  who 
was  judging,  brought  out  some  beautiful  not  placed  second  as  a  matter  of  its  import- 


Jack   Frost  "     ance,   but   simply  comes  in  in   chronological 
order.     The  first  show  to  be  held  there  was 


silvers,    and    her    home-bred 
was  a  notable  cat. 

"  Arlington    Hercules,"    the    brown    tabby,  three  years  after  the  first  in  New  York,  and 

made  his  first  appearance  in  New  York,  and  was  promoted  and  managed  by  Mrs.  Leland 

was  very  much  admired.     Prices  ran  high  for  Norton  ;    and  this  show  was  such  a  decided 

good  cats,   especially  smokes  and  silvers,   as  success   that   a  club  was  formed,   called  the 

these  are  new  to  Americans.     The  blue  colour  Chicago   Cat   Club,   which   held   together   for 

they  are  more   familiar  with   from  the  long  some  years,  but  was  in  the  end  dwarfed  by  its 

acquaintance  with  the  short-haired  blues  or  rival  the  Beresford  Cat  Club.     This  came  into 

Maltese  ;    but   there   is   no   denying  the   fact  being  in  1899,  and  grew  to  such  dimensions 

that  the  blues  are  always  dangerous  when  it  that  the  club  soon  numbered  over  300  members, 

comes  to  judging  for  specials,  for  in  their  all-  and  reached  in  January,  1902,  to  the  highest 

round  quality  they  show  the  care  that  has  place  by  far  of  any  American  cat  club,  having 


been  bestowed  upon  them  in  England. 


at  the  show  in  Chicago  over  250  cats,  which 


Old  "  Tortie  Diana  Fawe  "  is  still  our  best  was  at  least  100  in  excess  of  any  show  ever 

tortoiseshell,   without   much  apparent   chance  held  up  to  that  time  in  America, 

of  being  deposed.  Not  the  least  important  work  done  by  this 

Mr.  H.  T.  Draper — an  old  Londoner,  who  club  was   the  inauguration  of  a  stud  book, 

has  exhibited  short-hairs  steadily  since  1895  which  has  now  three  volumes,  and  contains 

— is    still    with    us,    and     taking    prizes     as  a  record  of  nearly  all  of  the  cats  that  have 

before  ;    he  has  been  a  very  steady  supporter  been  factors  in  the  development  of  the  fancy 


of  the  short-hairs  for  years. 


DISTRICT  NO.  2. 

District  No.  2,  that  we  shall  consider  next, 
is  the  city  and  region  of    Chicago,  which  is     secretary   (Miss   L.   C.   Johnstone),   and  it  is 
20* 


in  America.  No  doubt  a  greater  part  of  the 
success  of  the  Beresford  Club  has  been  brought 
about  by  the  energy  and  management  of  Mrs. 
Clinton  Locke,  aided  by  the  corresponding 


3io 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


impossible  to  compute  the  work  they  have 
done.  The  mass  of  information  collected  in 
the  stud  books  will  always  be  the  basis  for 
the  future,  and  on  this  may  be  built  the  stud 
book  in  use  by  the  whole  of  America. 

The  vicinity  of  Chicago  has  been  the  centre 
of  the  cat  fancy  in  America,  and  in  this  city 
and  its  vicinity  there  have  been  more  steady 
breeders  and  more  people  who  have  selected, 
bred,  and  reared  the  best  cats  they  could 
obtain,  so  that,  of  course,  the  shows  have 
been  the  biggest  and  best  ever  held  in  America. 
The  one  striking  feature  of  the  Chicago  shows 
has  always  been  the  white  long-haired  cats. 

Of  late  another  club  has  started,  called  the 
Orange  and  Cream  Club,  which  may  be  said 
to  have  had  Chicago  for  its  birth-place,  and 
this  club  flourishes  and  prospers. 

We  can  best  gauge  the  Chicago  division  by 
looking  over  the  breeders  and  taking  a  glance 
at  the  shows,  and  as  I  was  judge  there  at 
the  show  of  1901  and  also  in  1902  I  have  had 
the  opportunity  to  make  acquaintance  with 
many  of  the  owners  and  many  of  the  cats. 
If  we  turn  back  to  the  Beresford  Cat  Club 
stud  book  we  find  among  the  officers  of  the 
year  many  of  our  best  known  breeders,  and 
I  commence  with  Mrs.  Clinton  Locke,  the 
president.  It  must  not  be  imagined  that 
this  was  her  first  attempt  at  cat  breeding, 
for  she  had  been  a  breeder  of  long-haired  cats 
for  years,  and  I  must  sav  I  had  heard  of 
Mrs.  Locke  many  years  before  I  ever  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  her,  and  her  cats  were  well 
known  before  the  advent  of  cat  shows.  Mrs. 
Locke  has  made  a  name  with  several  colours 
and  breeds,  and  has  imported  and  bred 
Persians,  Siamese,  Russians,  etc.,  and  the 
last  two  shows  displayed  the  fact  that  she 
held  a  strong  hand  in  most  of  these.  '%  Mel- 
rose  Lassie" — a  blue  sent  over  in  1900  from 
England  by  Miss  Frances  Simpson,  and  who 
developed  into  a  beautiful  quality  cat  with 
lovely  orange  eyes — was  the  best  at  the  Chicago 
show  in  1901.  This  cat  the  next  year  was 
not  shown  for  competition,  and  the  premier 
honours  went  to  her  kennel  mate  "  Lupin," 
and  these  two  when  mated  together  have 


produced  several  winners.  "  Lupin  "  was  bred 
by  Miss  Beal,  and  is  by  "  Romaldkirk  Mid- 
shipmite  "  ex  "  Daisy  Belle,"  by  "  Romaldkirk 
Toga."  "  Lupin  "  was  selected  at  Romald- 
kirk by  myself  when  a  promising  kitten  of 
six  months,  and  to  say  that  he  fulfilled  his 
promise  is  sufficient,  for  he  grew  in  size  and 
stature,  and  retained  his  beautiful  golden 
eyes.  He  is  now  owned  by  Mrs.  White. 

The  winning  kitten  of  the  1901  show  was 
from  the  two  ("Melrose  Lassie  "  and  "  Lupin"), 
and  Dr.  Ottolengui's  two  winning  queens  in 
1902 — "Lady  Lola"  and  "  Isis  " — are  bred 
from  the  same  two.  It  is  curious  to  watch 
how  blood  will  tell,  for  in  the  winning  blue 
male  at  Washington,  December,  1902,  we 
had  some  of  the  same  blood  again  in  "  Lord 
Lossie,"  by  "  Lucullus  "  ex  "  Dollie  Dutton," 
who  was  by  "  Persimmon,"  "  Lucullus  "  being 
a  son  of  "  Lupin  "  ex  "  Lucy  Claire  " — late  the 
property  of  Mrs.  Falconer  Sinclair,  and  known 
in  England  as  "  Baby  Flossie."  Among  other 
celebrities  of  Mrs.  Locke's  cattery  were  "  Lord 
Gwynne  "  — the  white  imported  from  England 
through  the  kind  offices  of  Mr.  A.  A.  Clarke — 
and  this  cat  at  once  made  a  name  for  himself 
as  the  sire  of  "  True  Blue,"  "  Mars,"  "  Prosper 
Le  Gai,"  and  many  other  good  cats.  "  St. 
Tudno  "  and  "  Blackbird  "  were  two  blacks 
that  did  well  for  Mrs.  Locke,  and  "  St.  Tudno  " 
sired  the  winning  black  in  1902,  who  very 
nearly  annexed  the  prize  for  best  in  show. 
The  "  Beadle,"  another  of  Mrs.  Locke's  blues 
that  must  not  be  forgotten,  was  a  cat  bred  by 
Mrs.  Dean,  and  he  did  yeoman  service  in 
his  time,  and  has  left  many  promising  young 
ones.  Mrs.  Locke  has  been  the  owner  of 
good  Siamese,  and  from  "  Siam  "  and  "  Sally 
Ward  "  she  bred  "  Calif  "  and  "  Bangkok," 
who  carried  all  before  them  at  the  Chicago 
show  of  1902,  and  were  the  best  pair  I  have 
seen  this  side  the  water,  and  would  have 
given  a  good  account  of  themselves  anywhere. 

Mrs.  Locke's  Russians — "  Blue  Royal  "  and 
"  Schuyla  " — were  respectively  obtained  from 
Mr.  Towlerton,  of  Wakefield,  and  Mrs.  Carew- 
Cox,  and  have  passed  into  other  hands  after 
winning  many  prizes.  Among  other  Chicago 


CATS    IN   AMERICA. 


ladies  who  have  been  very  prominent  in  cat 
breeding  for  many  years  we  must  not  forget 
Mrs.  Cratty,  who  built  up  a  beautiful  strain  of 
whites  from  a  pair  she  obtained  in  Switzer- 
land twelve  years  ago.  Mrs.  Cratty  has  now 
given  up  breeding,  finding  the  rearing  of 
kittens  too  great  a  tax  upon  her  powers  ;  but 
as  a  consistent  and  steady  breeder,  instead 
of  simply  a  buyer  and 
exhibitor  of  other 
people's  efforts,  she 
will  be  much  missed. 

Mrs.  W.  Eames  Col- 
burn  has  at  the  pre- 
sent time  probably  one 
of  the  largest  and 
most  successful  cat- 
teries in  America.  In 
1901  she  made  a  repu- 
tation with  her  cat 
"  Paris,"  which  was 
bred  by  herself,  and 
which,  besides  winning 
in  the  strongest  of 
company,  has  been  a 
most  successful  and 
prolific  sire  of  white 
kittens,  a  good  many 
of  which  have  taken 
honours  on  the  bench. 
Mrs.  Colburn  also  pos- 
sesses two  very  fine 
blacks— "Blackthorn," 
which  she  imported 
from  Asia,  and  "Black- 
berry Fawe,"  sent  to 
her  from  England  by  Miss  Frances  Simpson. 
Many  people  who  have  visited  the  cattery  of 
late  are  heard  to  speak  enthusiastically  of  the 
quality  of  the  inmates  and  of  the  perfection 
of  the  appointments  and  the  way  the  cattery 
is  fitted  up.  Miss  L.  C.  Johnstone,  the  ever  busy 
secretary  of  the  Beresford  Club,  has  been  a  pro- 
minent exhibitor,  and  has  taken  many  honours 
with  "Blue  Flash,"  "Persimmon  Squirrel," 
and  "  Kew  Laddie."  "  Blue  Flash  "  grew  into 
a  beautiful  cat,  taking  at  the  Chicago  show, 
1902,  the  special  for  best  queen  in  the  show. 


MRS.    E.    N. 

ONE  OF  THE  PIONEERS  OF  T 
(Photo :  J.  Hiibner, 


Mrs.  Jerome  H.  Pratt  has  usually  been  an 
exhibitor  at  the  Chicago  show.  She  won  her 
championship  with  "  Sir  Henry  Irving,"  a 
very  richly  marked  silver  tabby  by  "Whych- 
wood,"  who  was  by  "  Charlbury  Silver  King." 
Mrs.  Tolman  has  always  been  an  energetic 
officer  of  the  Beresford  Club,  and  is  very 
energetic  at  the  shows,  and  in  cats  her  fancy 

runs  to  creams,  of 
which  she  has  brought 
out  several  winners. 
Mrs.  L.  Nicholson  (for- 
merly Mrs.  F.  Fisk 
Green)  has  been  a 
prominent  and  good 
supporter  of  past 
Chicago  shows. 

Mrs.  F.  W.  Story  has 
been  known  as  a  suc- 
cessful breeder  of 
orange  cats  and  some 
whites,  and  in  having 
obtained  possession  of 
the  fine  orange  "Ham- 
ish "  will,  no  doubt, 
find  herself  in  a  few 
years  in  the  position 
of  being  a  prominent 
breeder  of  this  colour. 
"  Bunch,"  the  former 
stud  cat  belonging  to 
this  cattery,  did  good 
service  in  his  .  day, 
and  is  responsible  for 
a  few  winners ;  but 
the  absence  of  any 
details  in  the  American  catalogues  of  the  shows 
makes  it  difficult  to  arrive  at  a  very  accurate 
estimate  of  all  his  performances. 

In  speaking  of  Chicago  we  shall  have  to 
include  Miss  Hazelton,  who  has  turned  out 
several  winners,  all  descended  from  "  Sap- 
phire," that  she  bought  of  Mrs.  Barker  in 
1896.  Mrs.  Fred  E.  Smith  has  been  one 
of  the  shining  lights  among  the  Chicago 
breeders,  and  has  been  a  consistent  winner  at 
Chicago  shows  ;  she  now  holds  a  strong  hand 
in  the  white  division,  and  was  fortunate 


BARKER. 

HE  AMERICAN  CAT  FANCY. 
Rutherford,  N.J.) 


312 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


enough  to  pick  up  on  the  Pacific  coast  a  fine      ones,  but   the   principal  wins   in  the  highest 


male  in  "  Light  of  Asia,"  who  was  imported 
from  Asia.  "  Swampscott,"  another  good  cat, 
makes  his  appearance  every  year,  and  usually 
finds  himself  in  the  prize  list,  and  he  has  the 
most  fascinating  way  of  turning  up  in  splendid 
coat  at  most  of  the  shows.  This  cat  is  a 
pure  Maine  cat,  if  we  may  so  call  him  ;  but  as 
an  example  of  vigour 
and  good  health,  year 
after  year,  he  stands 
pre-eminent.  Mrs. 
Smith  is  now  building 
up  a  strain  of  silvers 
of  her  own  composing, 
which  may  be  very 
valuable  to  the  atten- 
uated strains  of  the 
ordinary  breeder,  who 
is  only  too  glad  to 
welcome  something 
that  will  be  an  out- 
cross  and  will  not 
spoil  the  silver  colour. 
Mrs.  C.  E.  S.  Blinn 
is  another  breeder  who 
is  always  present  at 
the  shows,  and  whose 
cats  usuallv  find  their 


1  SILVER   HAIR  "    AND    "  TIPTOE. 

OWNED  BY  MRS.  PIERCE. 
(Photo :  Howland,  Cincinnati.') 

way  into  the  prize  list. 

Mrs.  Blinn  is  a  consistent '  breeder  who  does 
not  always  make  herself  very  prominent,  but 
she  obtains  the  results  on  the  quiet. 

Mrs.  Blanche  Robinson  has  bred  several  of 
her  own  prize-winners,  and  her  black  "  Othello," 
of  which  we  spoke  previously,  is  more  than  a 
good  one.  The  name  of  Mrs.  McKenzie  will 
always  be  associated  with  "  Prince  of  Orange," 
whose  name  will  designate  his  colour,  and  this 
cat  is  a  hard  one  to  beat  in  any  orange  class, 
for  he  is  very  rich  and  deep  in  tint. 

In  1902  there  were  two  shows  held  in 
Chicago  by  the  Beresford  Cat  Club,  one  in 


of  the  specials  were  made  by  imported  cats. 
The  advent  of  some  nice  new  whites  was 
welcomed,  as  usual,  and  "Toddles"  is  an  addi- 
tion to  our  list  of  white  males,  and  is  a  nice 
cobby  sort,  bred  from  "Light  of  Asia."  "Little 
Miss  Eiger,"  one  of  Mrs.  Cratty's  breeding 
and  own  particular  strain,  won  in  the  blue- 
eyed  white  queens. 
"  Lupin  "  kept  on  his 
winning  career,  and 
took  the  prize  for  the 
best  in  show  once 
more,  and  this,  under 
judges  who  had  never 
seen  him  before,  seems 
to  endorse  the  esti- 
mate made  of  him 
heretofore.  "  Melrose 
Lassie,"  shown  this 
year  again  for  com- 
petition, took  the  first, 
prize  in  blue  queens. 
Blacks,  taking  the 
open  and  novice  to- 
gether, came  out 
strongly,  and  black 
seems  to  be  one  of  our 
strongest  colours. 
"  Prince  of  Orange  " 


is  still  invincible  at  this  show  in  orange 
males,  and  the  orange  queens  are  coming 
along  nicely.  Mrs.  Sarmiento's  "  John  Bull," 
in  much  better  form  than  last  year,  again 
sweeps  the  deck  in  the  silver  class.  The 
silver  tabbies  still  continue  to  prosper.  "Arling- 
ton Hercules  "  went  down,  for  the  first  time, 
at  this  show,  largely  on  a  question  of  eye 
colour. 

Smokes  in  the  year  gone  by  have  not  made 
much  advance  in  the  West,  and  this  year  the 
cream  females  outnumber  the  males,  and  a 
descendant  of  "  Kew  Laddie  "  takes  the  eye 


December,  1902,  or  just  a  month  earlier  than     of   the   public  with  colour,  coat,  and   points. 


usual,  really  representing   what    would   have 
been,  in  the  natural  course,  the   1903  show. 


Mrs.  C.  A.  White,  who  in  the  spring  bought 
Lupin "   and   "  Melrose   Lassie,"   was   most 


This   show   did  not  reveal    to   us    any   very     successful  at  this  show,  and  is  probably  des- 
great  changes ;  there  are  a  few  new  home-bred     tined   to   be  one   of  our  successful  breeders, 


CATS    IN   AMERICA. 


313 


and  with  the  co-operation  of  her  husband  (Dr.  as  regards  getting  to  several  shows  a  year,  for 
White),  who  is  very  clever  with  animals,  the  Detroit  is  accessible  to  Cleveland,  Rochester, 
assistance  she  will  receive  will  very  largely  Cincinnati,  and  Chicago,  all  of  which  are 


help  to  bring  her  to  the  front. 


good  shows  ;   so  this  gives  the  Detroit  fanciers 


Mrs.  White  is  the  lady  who    is   organising     the   chance   to    come    out    at   several   shows 
a    home    for    deserted   dogs  and    cats,  with     besides  their  own  in  the  course  of  the  winter. 


At  Detroit  reside  several  of  our  most  enter- 
prising and  successful  breeders  and  exhibitors  ; 
for  the  Detroit  fancier  is  not  content  simply  to 


a  hospital  attached,  and  on  a  scale  and 
with  a  foresight  that  is  certainly  remark- 
able. Considering  that  Dr.  White  is  the 
head  of  the  Veterinary  College  in  Chicago,  stay  at  home  and  only  take  part  in  the  one 
the  benefit  that  may  accrue  to  the  dogs  and  local  show  of  the  year,  but  is  to  be  found 
cats  in  the  future  from  the  opportunity  of  at  a  good  many,  even  so  far  away  as  New 
humane  study  that  this  will  give  will  be  York.  In  the  list  of  these  we  place  Mrs.  F.  J. 
incalculable.  This,  when  put  alongside  of  the  Sarmiento  and  Mrs.  Dwight  Cutler,  who  own 


horrible  revelations  that  we  are  treated  to 
anent  vivisection,  may,  I  hope,  have  the 
effect  of  swinging  the  balance  the  other  way, 


the  well-known  cats  "  Arlington  Hercules," 
*'  Bar  Abdul,"  "  Marriame,"  "  Dingley  Belle," 
"  Champion  Floriana,"  "  Brownie  Pink,"  etc. 


and  help  to  show  the  rash  experimenters  that  The  history  of  these  and  their  wins  is  written 

there  are  people  in  this  world  who  recognise  on  the  sands  of  time  and  will  not  be  lost  for 

the  individuality  of  the  animal  creation,  and  many  years,  and  they  represent  the  enterprise 

that  we  who  use  them  for  our  own  ends  and  of    buying    and    importing    the    best    English 

have    crowded    them    out    of    their    place    in  strains  and  taking  care  of  them. 
Nature  to  a  certain  extent  should  at  the  same         Mrs.  Owen,  at  the  Owena  Cattery,  has  been 

time  look  at  the  other  side  of  the  picture,  and  an  important  factor  at  many  shows  for  the 

should    consider   the   debt    we   owe    to    them  last  two  years.     Mrs.  W.  M.  Chapman  is  well 

during    their     short    lives — that     humanity,  known    to  show-goers,  and  has  won  a   good 


practised  towards 
the  dumb  animals, 
is  nothing  more  than 
their  just  due. 

A  great  many  of 
the  same  cats  won 
at  Chicago  at  this 
last  show,  "  Lupin  " 
being  again  best  cat 
in  show,  and  among 
the  younger  brigade 
the  most  remarkable 
was  a  lovely  cream 


MISS    R.    WARD  S    "  ROBIN. 
(Photo  :   Gardner  &  Co.,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.) 


many  honours,  and 
rather  in  a  way  not 
too  common  here — 
that  is,  by  breeding 
her  own  cats.  This 
has  been  done  with 
skill  and  patience  ; 
for  Mrs.  Chapman 
has  selected  the 
parents  with  fore- 
thought, and  has  not 
been  one  of  those 
who  has  paid  large 


kitten    owned    by   Mrs.    Locke,    which   is  by     sums  for  breeding  stock.     The  keynote,  more 


Kew  Laddie."     "  Toodles,"  a  white  son  of 
Light  of  Asia,"  was  the  best  white. 

DISTRICT  NO.  3. 


or  less,  of  this  strain  has  been  a  fine  brown 
tabby  obtained  from  Canada  some  years  ago 
— viz.  "Prince  Rupert,"  who  goes  back  in  his 
pedigree  to  cats  owned  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Clarke, 


District  No.  3,  which  we  shall  assign  to  the  and  also  to  some  imported  by  Mrs.  Cumber- 
Detroit   contingent,    is   certainly   one    of   our  land,  of  Port  Hope,  Ontario, 
most    important.     The    Detroit    fanciers    are  Mrs.    W.    J.    Stanton   deserves    mention   in 
situated  more  in  a  central  position — that  is,  the  Detroit  list  as  a  breeder  of  short-haired 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


orange-and-tortoiseshells,  with  and  without 
white,  and  I  must  say  I  watch  this  lady's 
career  with  interest,  for  she  has  brought  out 
several  winners  in  her  specialities,  and  is 
probably  destined  to  make  things  interesting 
in  the  short-haired  division. 

Mrs.  N.  C.  Ellis  is  another  of  the  Detroit 
breeders  likely  to  be  heard  of  at  show  times, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franklin  have  both  made  a 
name  for  themselves  with  cats  of  their  own 
breeding.  We  must  not.  forget  Mrs.  Hemen- 
way,  who  was  the  owner  of  "  Royal  Bengal," 


"  Queenie  "  was  the  sensation  of  the  Cleveland 
show  in  1902,  and  is  destined  to  win  a  great 
deal  more  in  the  future. 

Mrs.  Ferris  has  developed  a  faculty  for 
bringing  out  good  orange  and  brown  tabby 
cats.  Mrs.  C.  F.  Russell,  Mount  Pleasant, 
Michigan,  is  also  well  known.  Mr.  G.  G. 
Brown,  of  East  Cleveland,  Ohio,  deserves  more 
than  a  passing  mention,  for  though  not  a 
cat  breeder,  he  has  made  it  his  business  for 
two  years  to  organise  and  carry  through  two 
of  the  best  shows  in  the  country  at  Cleveland, 


THREE   LITTLE   GRANDCHILDREN    OK    ' 
OWNED  BY  MRS.  HOFSTRA. 
(Photo:  Maiceau,  New  York.) 


PERSIMMON. 


a  fine  brown  tabby,  and  several  good  orange 
cats  bred  by  herself. 

Cincinnati  is  our  next  point  of  interest, 
though  I  have  not  had  the  opportunity  of 
meeting  so  many  of  the  Ohio  breeders  as  I 
should  like,  but  this  is  destined,  I  feel  sure, 
to  be  one  of  the  prominent  fancier  sections  in 
the  future.  In  passing  through  Ohio  we  must 
never  forget  that  Ohio  has  the  two  important 
shows  of  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati,  and  holds 
within  her  gates  Mrs.  E.  R.  Pierce,  whose 
tastes  run  to  orange  and  creams  ;  Mrs.  Chas. 
McCloud,  of  Marysville,  Ohio  ;  and  Mrs.  Wag- 
ner, of  Sandusky,  who  brought  a  very  fine  lot 
of  long-haired  cats  to  Cleveland  this  year. 
Mrs.  Wagner  is  well  known,  and  has  been  for 
some  time  a  breeder  of  blacks  ;  her  silver  tabby 


which  have  been  of  material  help  to  the 
fancy,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  good.  What 
cats  are  kept  at  the  Brown  homestead  are 
short-hairs  and  some  nice  Manx,  but  in  other 
lines,  such  as  poultry  and  dogs,  Mr.  Brown  is 
hard  to  beat. 

Mrs.  D.  E.  Peters,  of  North  Baltimore, 
Ohio,  has  owned  quite  a  few  good  cats,  in- 
cluding some  that  came  from  Romaldkirk, 
but  of  late  she  has  signified  her  intention  of 
selling  out. 

Indianapolis,  though  rather  south-westerly, 
is  more  in  this  division,  and  contains  a  good 
many  cats  and  some  breeders,  though  they 
have  not  been  able  up  to  now  to  come  to  shows 
and  meet  the  more  northern  and  eastern  cats. 
Miss  N.  H.  Wilson,  whose  prefix  is  "  Spokane," 


CATS   IN   AMERICA. 


315 


is  well  known ;  and  so  is  the  cattery  of 
Mrs.  Ida  M.  Shirk,  who  has  carried  on 
the  business  under  the  name  of  the  Linden 
Cattery. 

DISTRICT   NO.   4. — CANADIAN   CATS. 

The  two  pioneers  of  the  cat  in  Canada — i.e. 
the  two  who  were  most  prominent  as  breeders 
when  I  went  to  the  first  Canadian  shows — 
were  Mrs.  Cumberland,  of  Port  Hope,  Ontario, 
whose  prefix  or  affix  of  "  Demain  "  bespeaks  her 
early  efforts.  Even  earlier  than  Mrs.  Cum- 
berland, the  cats  belonging  to  Mr.  A.  Burland, 
an  Englishman,  attained  prominence,  and  the 
blood  that  he  brought  from  England — mostly 
from  Mr.  A.  A.  Clarke — is  now  diffused  into 
or  among  many  of  our  best-known  catteries. 

We  had  a  dim  suspicion — in  fact,  more 
than  a  dim  suspicion — that  there  was  tucked 
away  in  Canada  more  than  one  good  cat  ;  and 
so,  being  in  Toronto,  we  made  an  exploration, 
thanks  to  the  help  of  Mrs.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Boyd. 

Our  first  visit  was  to  the  Pioneer  Cattery, 
where  we  found  the  ravages  of  gastritis  had 
been  severely  felt  only  the  week  before,  and,  of 
course,  some  of  the  very  best,  including  some 
we  had  portrayed  lately,  had  succumbed.  The 
most  noted  inmate  was  "  Marie,"  a  cat  of 
good  type,  very  sound  and  in  good  condition, 
with  capital  eyes  of  a  good,  rich  orange — she 
should  breed  something  good  ;  and — we  hope 
we  can  say  it  without  offending  anyone — 
this  cat,  old  as  she  is,  is  the  peer  of  any 
brown  tabby  put  down  in  America  last  year, 
and  we  only  hope  she  will  live  to  breed  one 
more  good  litter,  which  should  be  retained 
to  perpetuate  the  race. 

It  was  only  a  short  walk  to  Mrs.  Mallock's, 
who  is  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  a  very  cute 
young  black  male,  capital  in  style,  with  a 
lovely  coat  and  colour,  named  "  Furzo,"  bred 
by  Mr.  Empey,  of  Montreal. 

After  lunch  we  drove  to  see  Miss  Cox,  who 
has  the  same  nice  white  male  we  saw  there 
six  j'ears  ago,  and  he  has  done  yeoman  service 
in  the  meantime.  "  Cadi,"  a  young  brown 
tabby  male,  is  a  year  old,  and  a  credit  to  any 
cattery.  Miss  Cox  is  also  the  possessor  of  a 


nice  white  queen  by  "  Fluff,"  who  is  respon- 
sible for  some  of  the  good  kittens. 

We  next  journeyed  to  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Bell,  who  has  one  queen  and  two  very  strong 
kittens.  Mrs.  Bell,  however,  intends  to 
strengthen  her  cattery  soon  by  the  acquisition 
of  some  good  queens. 

Leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell,  we  journeyed  to 
the  ferry  and  went  over  to  the  Island,  getting 
a  glimpse  of  the  beauties  of  Toronto  and 
a  fine  view  of  the  water  front  and  the  sub- 
urban attractions.  We  landed  at  the  house 
of  Mrs.  McAdley,  and  were  introduced  to 
the  grandest  lot  of  brown  tabbies  we  ever 
remember  to  have  seen,  outside,  perhaps, 
Mrs.  Cutler's,  which  we  should  not  like  to 
compare,  not  having  seen  them.  We  may 
safely  say  that  nothing  so  good  was  shown 
last  year  as  Mrs.  McAdley's.  At  the  head 
of  the  list  is  "  Prince,"  a  grand  old  cat, 
imported  from  Ireland  seven  years  ago,  and 
there  are  few  cats  extant  to-day,  or  ever 
were,  that  can  take  his  measure.  His  head 
is  magnificent,  and  he  is  short  on  the  leg, 
has  plenty  of  bone,  grand  colour,  no  weak 
colouring  around  the  lips  or  chin,  and,  what 
is  more,  he  sires  the  right  sort.  "  Paddy," 
his  daughter,  is  the  peer  of  any  brown  tabby 
queen  we  have  seen  in  the  ring  for  a  long  time, 
and  we  saw  nothing  to  beat  her  in  England 
two  years  ago. 

Mrs.  Ellis  has  adopted  the  kittens,  and 
these  will  not  pass  out  of  Canada  under 
pretty  stiff  figures,  and  wherever  they  appear 
in  the  show  room  they  will  have  to  be  reckoned 
with  by  the  very  best. 

We  got  back  to  our  hotel  at  n  p.m.,  after 
a  most  enjoyable  day  among  enthusiastic  and 
painstaking  fanciers,  and  we  had  unfortunately 
to  leave  out  one  house  for  lack  of  time.  Another 
cat  enthusiast  who  has  some  good  Romaldkirk 
stock  to  sell  —  viz.  Miss  Cottle  —  journeyed 
over  from  Kingston  on  purpose  to  have  a 
catty  talk  at  the  dog  show.  We  feel  sure 
that  the  Canadian  contingent  will  have  to  be 
reckoned  with  in  the  future  as  breeders,  and 
in  brown  tabbies  are  a  hard  proposition.  As 
soon  as  they  get  hold  of  some  better  cats  of 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


the  other  colours  they  will  be  up  with  us, 
though  we  do  not  see  some  of  the  best  of  the 
other  colours,  notably  Miss  Cottle's  and  the 
Montreal  blacks. 

DISTRICT  NO.  5. 

California  is  a  district  by  itself,  which  can 
never  be  in  active  touch  with  the  east,  and  the 
future  cat  of  California  may  probably  be  the 
Siamese,  for  the  demand  for  them  is  growing 
everyday,  and  the  climate  favours  them.  Cali- 
fornia is  too  warm  to  coat  the  long-hairs,  and 
the  vermin  are  too  promiscuous  in  most  parts  to 
make  the  rearing  or  caring  for  the  long-hairs  a 
pleasant  occupation.  Mrs.  C.  H.  Hoag  and 
Mrs.  C.  E.  Martling  have  been  two  of  the  most 
energetic  in  promoting  the  cat  as  a  fancy  in 
California,  and  several  shows  have  been  held, 
but  at  present — in  the  language  of  the  slang — 
"  there  is  not  much  doing,"  except  in  Siamese  ; 
so  that  in  taking  a  look  over  the  past  from  a 
high  point  and  looking  down,  we  cannot  say 
that  up  to  now  we  can  point  to  many  families 
or  strains  that  have  yet  made  their  mark  in 
America ;  that  is,  a  mark  that  is  very  con- 
spicuous, for  there  has  not  been  time. 
But  still  there  are  signs  of  strains  that  will 
be  matters  of  history,  and  there  are  families 
that  may  be  called  distinctive,  because  the 
descendants  win  under  different  judges  with 
sufficient  regularity  to  make  this  noticeable. 

Some  of  these  I  have  sketched  in  my  other 
notes ;  but  probably  the  most  far-reaching 
of  the  families  that  win  in  all  colours  is  the 
"  Humbert "  strain,  which  emanates  from 
Mrs.  Barker's  "  King  Humbert,"  imported 
in  1895.  Not  only  did  this  cat  sire  a  lot 
of  winners  himself,  but  cats  with  the  "  Hum- 
bert "  blood  to  the  third  and  fourth  gen- 
eration, such  as  "  Prince  of  Orange,"  etc., 
are  still  winning  all  over  the  country.  Judg- 
ing by  present  appearances,  the  "  King  of 
the  Silvers  "  family,  coupled  with  his  sire 
"  Bitterne  Silver  Chieftain,"  is  forging  to  the 
front,  and  is  marking  out  a  path  of  its  own 
as  regards  winnings  in  public.  One  cat — 
"  The  Blessed  Damozel,"  bred  by  Mrs.  Barker 
in  England,  and  by  "  Champion  Lord  South- 


ampton "  ex  "  Peggy,"  by  "  Champion  Silver 
Mist,"  is  making  a  big  reputation  through 
her  children,  and  the  second  generation  is 
now  beginning  to  win  as  did  the  first.  This 
blood  is  very  successful  wherever  found,  and 
this  is,  no  doubt,  largely  owing  to  the  kittens 
by  "  King  of  the  Silvers,"  though  "  The  Pas- 
sionate Pilgrim,"  who  goes  back  through  his 
sire  to  "  Whychwood,"  is  as  good  as  anything 
Mrs.  Barker  has  yet  produced ;  and  this  is 
saying  a  good  deal,  for  she  has  bred  a  great 
many  winners  in  many  colours,  and  the  effect 
of  cats  imported  or  bred  by  her  is  seen  at 
every  show  we  go  to,  and  the  ramifications 
of  blood  lines  spread  over  America  would 
make  a  book  in  itself. 

The  very  best  cats  from  England  will  win 
here  every  time  they  are  shown  in  good  trim, 
and  in  picking  cats  for  best  in  show  the  greater 
part  of  the  prizes  go  to  English  cats,  or  to 
cats  bred  from  English  parents.  The  crossing 
of  the  natives  with  the  English  is  very  suc- 
cessful in  some  cases,  and,  no  doubt,  the 
changes  of  blood  will  in  the  future  work  to 
the  good  of  the  majority,  for  in  size,  shape, 
and  coat  many  of  the  American  cats  are  very 
good,  but  fail  in  type  and  quality. 

The  cat  fever  in  its  present  form  may  be  said 
to  be  so  comparatively  new  as  an  industry 
that  it  has  not  been  easy  to  give  a  comprehen- 
sive view  of  the  whole.  Some  exhibitors  have 
come  up  suddenly,  and  after  seeming  to  have 
carried  all  before  them  have  disappeared  as 
suddenly  as  they  came,  while  others  have  kept 
on  right  through,  though  these  are  few  by 
comparison  with  the  great  possibilities.  We  are 
now  passing  through  the  early  days  of  organisa- 
tion, and  the  future  is  not  always  too  clear  ; 
but,  still,  I  have  tried  to  give  the  most  pro- 
minence to  those  who  have  braved  the  light 
of  day  and  have  supported  the  shows,  and 
this,  really,  is  the  only  practical  test  of  where 
we  any  of  us  stand.  If  I  were  to  enumerate 
all  I  have  heard  of,  and  the  many  people  who 
are  interested  in,  the  cat  in  America,  there 
is  no  doubt  but  that  a  good  deal  more  space 
than  I  have  at  my  command  would  be  used 
two  or  three  times  over ;  and  such  is  the  size 


CATS    IN   AMERICA. 


317 


of  the  country  that  it  is  only  possible  to  give  would  not  make  many  mistakes  if  the  classes 

a  light  sketch  of  the  whole  ;    and  I  do  not  were  not  too  big  for  them.     Of  course,   the 

expect    that    I    shall,    or    anyone    else    could,  fact   must   be   recognised  here,   as   elsewhere, 

begin  to  do  justice  to,  or  could  in  any  way  that  a  judge  improves  with  experience,  and 

really  gauge,  the  number  of  people  interested  I  hazard  the  opinion  that  the  fewer  cats   he 

in    cats    in   America.     In    ten    years'   time    I  owns  the  better  he  may  judge,  though  I  per- 

expect  to  see  cities  that  now  bring  together  sonally  prefer  for  my  own  stock  a  judge  who 


perhaps  100  cats,  then 
having  shows  contain- 
ing hundreds  ;  for  in 
most  places,  even 
where  shows  have  been 
held,  we  have  hardly 
scratched  the  surface, 
and  in  perhaps  only 
one  out  of  100  import- 
ant and  possible  towns 
have  we  ever  had  a 
show.  The  extent  of 
the  possibility  of  the 
future  can  only  be 
slightly  grasped  by 
those  who  have 
touched  the  fancy, 
but  those  of  us  who 
have  worked  for  many 
years  at  it  see  signs  of 
growth  now  that  may 
increase  the  fancy  as 
a  snowball  will  grow 
—the  further  you  roll 
it  the  faster  it  grows 
in  proportion.  We 
are  only  just  waking. 
The  future  alone  can  say  whether  we  shall 
succeed ;  but  we  must  face  the  fact  that  in 
America  the  cat  fancy,  as  a  whole,  is  an  im- 
possibility, and  that  cats  as  exhibition  cats 
can  only,  as  a  rule — unless  belonging  to  rich 
people — meet  each  other  in  competition  if 
within  reasonable  distance  of  each  other. 

JUDGING    IN    AMERICA. 

In  1900,  I  arn  not  afraid  to  say,  we  had 
not  more  than  two  judges  capable  of  judg- 
ing a  small  show  correctly  all  the  way 
through.  To-day  we  have  a  great  many 


AN   AMERICAN    BEAUTY. 
(Photo:  A.  Lloyd,  Amsterdam,  New  York.) 


has  at  some  time  bred 
the  variety.  I  cannot 
say  that  I  have  found 
the  judging  of  cats  in 
America  a  very  diffi- 
cult matter,  up  to 
now,  for  classes  have 
been,  as  a  rule,  small, 
and  in  most  cases 
the  winners  stood  out 
well ;  and  though,  no 
doubt,  there  have 
been  differences  of 
opinion  upon  what  I 
have  done,  I  have  not 
had  many  qualms  of 
conscience  over  past 
doings.  The  weakest 
spot  in  the  American 
cat  shows  has  been 
the  tendency  of  own- 
ers to  over-estimate  the 
value  of  their  cats  in 
many  cases,  and  the 
disappointment  of  de- 
feat comes  sometimes 
severely  upon  very 
enthusiastic  people ;  but  there  is  no  hope  for 
a  fancier  who  cannot  surfer  defeat  and  come 
again  for  some  more,  so  I  think  we  need  not 
waste  our  tears  upon  these,  for  they  were 
never  destined  to  succeed.  Want  of  quality 
is  another  weak  spot  we  have  to  contend 
with,  and  this  often  comes  from  the  eye  not 
having  been  trained  to  the  best.  Size  as  a 
factor  of  beauty  is  another  fetish  we  have  to 
destroy  with  a  rude  hand,  but  our  people  are 
apt  pupils,  and  those  who  stay  in  the  game  are 
very  anxious  to  be  on  the  right  track,  though 
it  will  take  some  a  few  years  longer  to  learn 


breeders  who  could  do  very  fair  work,   and     the   give    and   take,    to   withdraw   gracefully, 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE     CAT. 


and  to  admit  that  there  may  be  another  side 
to  a  question.  My  own  position  to-day  is  that 
I  am  as  much  interested  in  the  fancy  as  ever, 
but  I  do  not  find  the  necessity  for  doing  the 
work  in  so  severe  a  manner  now,  for  there  are 
so  many  capable  of  carrying  on  what  has 
been  done,  and  the  future  is  pretty  well  assured  ; 
so  that  for  the  health  of  the  fancy  at  large 
it  is  better  that  too  much  should  not  be 


called  a   "  beast,"   I  hope  posterity  will  say 
I  was  a  "  just  beast." 

It  might  be  as  well  to  refer  to  the  score 
card  to  show  where  in  cases  such  as  we  have 
had  to  contend  with  it  has  done  a  great  deal 
of  good.  One  hundred  points  make  perfec- 
tion, and  the  question  arose  in  one's  mind 
before  using  the  score  card  as  to  whether  the 
budding  exhibitor  would  be  for  ever  crushed 


"CHAMPION    MISS    DETROI T." 

OWNED  BY  MRS.  GROSE  AND  MRS.  OWEN. 
(Photo:  D.  D.  Spellman,  Detroit.) 


monopolised  by  two  or  three  pairs  of  hands,  and 
some  of  us  old-timers  who-  began  in  1893  and 
1894,  and  before  that,  are  allowing  the  younger 
blood  to  take  its  share  of  the  tasks. 

In  judging  cats,  as  in  other  stock,  it  seems 
to  me  that  one  of  the  greatest  criterions  as 
to  the  success  of  our  efforts  as  judges  is  the 
success  in  many  cases  of  cats  or  kittens  bred 
from  those  we  have  put  in  the  front  rank. 
And  only  time  can  tell  the  force  of  what  we 
have  done.  If  in  the  future  I  see  cats  doing 
as  well  as  they  are  this  season,  bred  from 
those  I  have  put  in  the  prize  list,  and  judged 
by  other  judges,  then  shall  I  feel  repaid  for 
work  done  in  the  past,  and  not  until  then  can 
I  be  sure  I  have  been  right.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  go  back  through  the  last  eight 
years  and  their  troubles  and  experiences,  and 
though  in  many  cases  I  know  I  may  have  been 


by  finding  that  the  cherished  one  came  out 
of  the  score  card  ordeal  with  about  75  points 
instead  of  the  possible  100  ;  so  that  when  it 
has  been  selected  by  a  club  for  a  show  I  have 
warned  the  owners  of  the  danger ;  but  to  the 
everlasting  credit  of  our  fanciers  I  may  say 
that  I  have  not  had  to  register  a  kick  because 
of  a  low  score,  and  many — even  novices — 
were  more  than  pleased  with  a  score  of  eighty. 
If  I  may  point  out  a  failing  in  English  judging 
— and  we  see  the  same  thing  here  in  the  dog 
fancy — the  criticism  is  left  to  the  reporter, 
who  has  not  the  time  or  the  opportunity  for 
finding  the  real  faults  nor  the  space  at  com- 
mand to  do  justice  to  the  exhibits. 

The  task  of  explaining  to  exhibitors  why 
their  animals  have  lost  is  not  an  agreeable 
one  ;  but  in  a  land  like  this,  where  nearly 
all  have  been  beginners,  this  has  been  an 


CATS    IN  AMERICA. 


319 


absolute  necessity,  and  the  dose  must  be 
swallowed  or  no  progress  is  made,  and,  as  in 
the  case  of  the  score  card,  no  doubt  the  having 
to  give  a  reason  is  likely  to  keep  us  from 
giving  prizes  to  one  point  at  the  expense  of 
all  the  rest.  Two  great  factors  we  have  had 
to  consider  here  are  type  and  quality,  the  two 
weakest  points  in  our  cats  ;  and  if  we  had 
run  to  extremes  in  eye  colour  we  should  have 
made  no  progress  in  type  or  perhaps  quality. 
Great  stress  has  been  laid  upon  markings  in 
tabby  cats,  with  very  good  results,  and  we 
are  rapidly  accumulating  a  good  lot  of  tabbies 
— especially  in  the  Detroit  district,  where 
tabbies  are  popular,  which  is  a  thing  to  be 
grateful  for.  We  have  never  thought  it  well 
here  to  discourage  the  orange  tabbies  for  the 
sake  of  unmarked  orange,  and  we  have  some 
very  good  orange  tabbies  whose  number  is  on 
the  increase ;  and  if  the  plain  orange  can  range 


as  is  the  case  with  Madame  Ronner  and  the 
Continental  fanciers  ;  and,  if  so,  there  seems 
to  be  no  reason  for  discouraging  them,  and 
we  may  as  well  first  make  up  our  minds  to 
the  fact  that,  in  trying  to  force  English  ideas 
down  the  throats  of  the  people  of  another 
country  with  too  violent  a  hand,  we  may  do 
a  lasting  injury  to  the  fancy  at  large. 

Another  thing  I  might  refer  to,  and  that  is 
that  the  average  American  exhibitor  does  not 
favour  giving  prizes  to  long-haired  cats  when 
out  of  coat,  and  the  strength  of  the  fancy  and 
its  future  popularity  lies  in  presenting  to  the 
public  the  cats  in  their  best  dress,  and  this 
mostly  is  the  only  logical  way  we  can  give  out 
the  principal  prizes  and  appeal  to  the  good 
sense  of  those  who  come  to  see  them  ;  for  the 
general  public,  when  not  experts,  can  only 
judge  from  appearance.  The  strength  in 
England  lies  in  the  fanciers  themselves,  who 


'THE     COMMISSIONER. 
(Photo:  Arthur,  Detroit.) 


up  beside  the  orange  tabbies,  all  well  and 
good.  But  I  shall  be  an  advocate,  if  there  is 
a  danger  of  one  hurting  the  other,  of  making 
separate  classes,  for  we  do  not  want  to  drive 
out  the  good  orange  tabbies,  which  are  very 
popular,  and  the  average  American  who  loves 
an  orange  cat  at  the  present  moment  does  not 
care  whether  it  is  marked  or  unmarked. 
Cats  with  white  hair  are  much  in  favour, 


have  the  opportunity  of  seeing  so  much  more 
and  of  learning.  Our  future  here  lies  in  being 
able  to  gather  recruits  by  presenting  the  cats 
to  them  in  as  perfect  a  form  as  possible,  and 
therefore  we  have  to  depend  upon  the  public. 
Our  shows  have  to  be  in  the  winter,  when  the 
cats  are  in  coat,  and  the  dangers  of  exposure  to 
the  weather  are  very  great,  all  of  which  is  a 
good  deal  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  fancier. 


320 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


MALTESE   CATS. 

A  great  deal  of  interest  has  been  taken  in 
England  in  the  subject  of  blue  cats  in  America, 
which  are  often  called  Maltese,  and  really  among 
the  rank  and  rile  of  the  public  this  is  the  name 
they  go  by.  So  celebrated  had  some  strains 
become  that  off-coloured  cats  bred  from  these 
cats  are  sometimes  called  Maltese,  and  the 
idea  seemed  to  have  gained  considerable 
ground  that  this  was  a  separate  breed  ;  but 
evidence  of  this  fact  is  very  much  lacking  in 
most  parts,  and  in  travelling  over  a  good  deal 
of  the  country  and  finding  them  thousands  oi 
miles  apart,  I  must  confess  that  I  have  never 
been  able  to  trace  the  origin  of  these  cats  nor 
to  find  out  any  reason  for  their  numbers. 

I  have  been  led  to  think  that  they  are 
the  same,  or  were  the  same,  in  the  beginning 
as  the  blue  Russian  or  Archangel  cat,  and 
that  they  were  brought  to  this  country  many 
years  ago,  and  that  the  name  was  given  them 
by  sailors  or  others.  The  tradition  possibly 
has  been  handed  down  in  the  same  way  as  the 
name  of  Angora  has  remained  fastened  to  the 
long-hairs  with  the  average  public  here,  and 
will  be  many  more  years  in  dying,  for  the  band 
of  fanciers  who  know  better  is  but  a  drop  in 
the  bucket  in  this  great  land.  No  doubt  the 
name  of  Maltese  moved  with  the  cat  to  the 
west  as  families  moved,  for  in  the  case  of 
native-born  Americans  the  migration  west 
has  been  often  gradual  :  thus  some  moved, 
we  will  say,  as  far  as  Ohio,  their  sons  and 
daughters  moved  to  Illinois,  and  the  next 
generation  went  still  further,  and  the  much- 
prized  Maltese  cat  drifted  on  with  his 
name. 

Probably  a  good  many  of  the  so-called 
Maltese  are  just  blue  specimens  of  the  ordin- 
ary short-haired  cat  ;  and,  in  fact,  there  has 
never  been  anyone  of  my  acquaintance  who 
had  any  ideas  as  to  points  or  type  ;  but  the 
colour  was  the  feature  to  be  looked  at.  We 
find  Maltese  cats  of  the  short  and  cobby 
type  besides  the  long  and  more  extended 
species,  but  the  latter  predominate,  and  I 
am  inclined  to  agree  with  some  English  judges 
that  the  fairly  long  cats  with  a  cleaner  cut 


head  are  the  purer  type  of  blue  cat.  On  some, 
when  judging,  I  find  very  good  heads  with 
clean-cut  features,  round,  well-developed  cheeks, 
with  fairly  long  bodies,  very  even  in  colour. 
No  doubt  the  preponderance  of  blue  cats 
before  the  advent  of  the  cat  shows  was  largely 
owing  to  the  selection  of  blue  kittens  in  the 
litters,  which  left  a  great  many  blue  sires  to 
roam  the  streets  by  night  and  sire  blue  kittens. 

In  many  cases  I  have  found  families  who 
had  never  heard  of  cat  shows  that  had  strains 
of  blue  or  Maltese  cats,  and  took  pride  in  keep- 
ing the  strain  as  pure  as  possible.  And  one 
great  factor  is  that  the  blues  have  always  had 
the  name  of  being  excellent  mousers,  and  were 
valued  as  such.  Besides  this  supposed  strong 
point  in  their  composition,  they  have  always 
had  a  reputation  for  great  intelligence  and 
of  being  good-tempered  and  reliable  about 
the  house  with  children  and  young  folk. 

Like  the  Plymouth  Rock  fowl,  the  Maltese 
cat  has  been  one  of  the  institutions  of  the 
American  continent,  and  there  seems  to  be 
some  ground  for  believing  the  original  tradi- 
tion connected  with  the  name  Maltese — 
that  the  Maltese  cat  came  from  the  East 
and  was  treasured  as  something  out  of  the 
common,  and  fell  among  friends.  Some  are 
light  and  some  are  dark,  and  some  have 
the  white  spot  on  the  chest,  but  on  most 
there  is  not  much  evidence  of  tabby  mark- 
ings ;  neither  do  you  see  this  in  the  young 
kittens  in  the  same  way  as  the  Russians 
are  said  to  be  at  an  early  age.  I  have  seen 
five  and  six  pure  light  blue  kittens  in  a  litter, 
and  the  father  and  mother  were  both  of  the 
same  colour. 

In  quite  out-of-the-way  places  you  will, 
upon  going  to  judge  the  short-hairs,  find  some 
blues,  and  often  with  deep  brown  eyes  ;  and 
if  I  were  to  make  a  comparison  between  the 
average  American  blue  and  what  I  saw  in 
England  as  Russians,  I  should  say  the  American 
cats  are  mostly  lighter  in  colour,  and  do  not 
have  quite  so  glossy  coats.  Perhaps  if  taken 
up  and  selected  for  a  few  generations,  these 
features  would  come  out  more  strongly. 

One  of  the  worst  features  of  the  popularity 


CATS    IN    AMERICA. 


32! 


of  the  Maltese,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the 
breeder  of  long-hairs,  has  been  that  the  blue 
colour  has  been  so  common  that  when  the 
blue  Persian  was  introduced  he  was  not,  in 
this  country,  considered  peculiar.  Among 
the  Maine  cats,  so  called,  the  blue  or  Maltese 
colour  was  not  at  all  uncommon,  and  plenty 
of  this  colour  are  to  be  found.  Some  people 
who  bred  them  obtained  their  stock  from  Paris, 


them  ;  but,  still,  the  fact  is  pretty  evident 
that  short-haired  blues  have  been  a  popular 
colour  for  a  long  time,  and  there  are  so  many 
that  everyone,  whether  cat  fancier  or  not,  is 
quite  used  to  the  colour.  The  native-born 
American,  as  a  rule,  calls  this  cat  the  Maltese, 
and  the  name,  as  I  said  before,  will  cling  for 
many  a  day  to  come.  In  judging  these  cats, 
I  must  say  that  the  proportion  of  small  or 


"AJAX,"      BLUE-EYED      WHITE. 

OWNED  HY  MR.  W.  J.  STEVENS. 
(Photo:     Coleman,    Westfield,    Mass.) 


and  no  doubt  the  Chartreuse  blue  of  olden 
times  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  many  of  these. 

The  oldest  blue  cat  I  ever  saw  was  one 
reared  on  a  farm ;  he  had  always  lived  out  of 
doors,  more  or  less,  and  was  the  farm  cat. 
His  age  was  twenty-four  years,  and  as  he  was 
born  at  the  same  time  as  the  oldest  son,  who 
was  also  twenty-four  years  old,  the  evidence 
was  pretty  good  that  the  age  was  correct. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  from  this  that  blue 
cats  are  so  numerous  as  to  overshadow  other 
colours  in  North  America,  for  we  have  short- 
hairs  in  all  the  common  colours,  and  lots  of 
21 


short,  round-headed  cats  is  small,  and  that 
these — in  America,  at  least — are  not  the  most 
common  type  of  blue  cat  ;  and  I,  personally, 
in  judging  have  usually  inclined  to  the  more 
lengthy  cat  with  longer  face  and  bigger  ears, 
though  I  think  it  is  possible  to  find  plenty 
without  absolutely  mean-looking  heads.  We 
do  not  want  a  ferret's  head  on  a  cat,  for  there 
is  a  happy  medium. 

WILD  SPECIES. 

We  cannot  leave  the  American  exhibition  cats 
without  saying  a  word  upon  the  wild  species, 


322 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE     CAT. 


some  of  which  find  their  way  into  the  show- 
rooms on  more  than  one  or  two  occasions. 
Of  course,  the  cougar  or  mountain  lion — our 
biggest  species— is  out  of  court  on  account  of 
his  size  ;  but  still,  if  history  is  to  be  believed, 
this  fine  animal  was  never  injurious  to  man, 
and  has  not  been  known  in  recent  times  to 
attack  man,  though  he  is  fitted  by  size  and 
strength  to  do  a  great  deal  of  damage.  The 
next  in  order  is  the  lynx,  and  though  this 
animal  is  pictured  as  very  fierce,  there  is  as 
much  evidence  to  show,  in  other  ways,  that 
if  taken  young  and  domesticated,  the  lynx 
is  amenable  to  reason  and  is  very  intelligent, 
full  of  humour,  and  not  afflicted  with  excessive 
nervousness.  I  have  seen  specimens  exhibited, 
and  one  in  particular  that  was  the  constant 
playmate  of  a  little  child  ;  and  this  cat  spent 
four  days  in  a  show  playing  most  of  the  time 
with  all  the  children  that  came  along,  and 
was  the  coolest  and  most  unconcerned  cat 
in  the  hall.  Evidently  the  lynx  shares  the 
great  brain  power  of  the  cat  family  which 
those  who  are  well  acquainted  with  cats 
are  willing  to  concede  to  them,  added  to  a 
calmness  of  temperament  foreign  to  some  of 
our  so-called  domesticated  breeds  that  ought 


to  have  inherited  by  how,  perhaps,  more 
savoir  faire  under  show  conditions. 

When  on  a  ranch  in  the  wilds  with  a  few 
cats  and  dogs,  where  quarters  were  limited, 
I  could  never  see  that  there  was  a  natural 
antipathy  between  cats  and  dogs,  for  the 
bitches  would  rear  kittens  and  vice  versA,  and 
the  friendship  was  great  between  them — so 
much  so  that  they  would  play  together  for 
hours,  and  there  was  no  danger  in  leaving 
dogs  and  cats  together,  shut  up  in  the  house, 
when  we  were  absent.  In  later  times  I  have 
had  twenty  cats  or  more  running  around  with 
as  many  dogs,  and  never  had  a  cat  killed,  and 
only  two  or  three  occasions  when  any  trouble 
started.  The  supposed  antipathy  between 
cat  and  dog  seems  to  be  an  acquired  taste  in 
a  certain  measure,  and  personally  I  do  not 
believe  in  the  antipathy  being  natural  or  a 
fact,  for  the  two  will  live  together  in  peace 
if  not  set  upon  each  other  by  man. 

From  a  few  observations  I  believe  the  lynx 
is  capable  of  domestication  ;  of  course,  his 
size  precludes  his  being  numerous,  but  in  this 
variety  there  are  possibilities  as  yet  not  suffi- 
ciently tried  out. 

Of  other  cats,  in  contradistinction  to  this, 
we  may  mention  that  beautiful  cat  the  ocelot. 
This  cat  is  fairly  plentiful,  and  is  not  very 


MRS.  CLARENCE  HOUCK  S  CATTERY, 
"ORCHARD  RIDGE,"  NEW  SCOTLAND,  N.Y. 


CATS    IN   AMERICA. 


323 


difficult  to  obtain  when  young ;  and  though 
they  are  so  handsome  and  can  be  reared  and 
left  to  run  about  the  house  till  a  year  old,  as 
they  arrive  at  ma- 
turity they  become 
what  the  ladies  call 
"  impossible."  The 
ocelot  with  increas- 
ing age  grows  hope- 
lessly savage,  and 
will  kill  anything  put 
in  his  cage  that  he 
is  capable  of  hand- 
ling, and  even  to  his 
keeper 'he  is  a  prob- 
lem. This  evidence 
is  not  hearsay,  but 
is  from  one  who  tried 
for  a  long  time  to  do 
something  with  these 
beautiful  animals. 
They  are,  when  in 
condition,  one  of  our 
handsomest  speci- 
mens of  the  cat 
tribe. 

One  of  the  most 
fascinating  little  cats 
I  ever  judged  was  a 
little  Marguay  cat 
from  Brazil,  exhib- 
ited by  the  Zoological 
Society  of  Chicago, 
and  though  quite  small  and  delicate-looking, 
it  seemed  perfectly  healthy,  and,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  lynx,  was  as  tame  and  affec- 
tionate as  possible,  and  seemed  delighted  to 
be  noticed  and  handled.  I  cannot  help  think- 
ing that  if  obtainable  and  kept  pure  this  would 
make  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  exhibition 
cats.  Small,  of  a  reddish-brown  colour,  and 
clearly  spotted  all  over,  with  beautifully 
shaped  and  small  ears,  which  are  black-and- 
white,  this  cat  is  gentle,  sweet,  sizeable, 
and  possible  as  a  pet.  I  have  never  seen  it 
excelled  by  anything  among  the  cat  tribe  ; 
and  having  handled  this  cat  a  good  many 
times  during  the  show,  I  may  say  it  was  one  of 


the  tamest  and  best-natured  cats  I  ever  came 
across  in  the  show-room,  and  certainly  the  most 
beautiful  short-haired  cat  possible  to  imagine. 

On  one  or  two 
occasions  we  have 
had  Australian  cats 
exhibited,  and  they 
were  funny  little 
beasts,  sitting  up 
like  a.  squirrel,  and 
with  much  the  same 
shape  of  head.  When 
genuine  they  are 
most  quaint,  but  do 
not  seem  to  live  long 
here.  A  very  clever 
fake  was  carried  out 
with  these  cats  at 
some  of  the  early 
shows — or,  rather,  I 
should  not  say  with 
these  cats,  but  an 
imitation  of  these 
cats.  When  the  sup- 
ply became  limited, 
someone  became 
clever  enough  to  aug- 
ment the  number  by 
shaving  the  long  and 
ragged  native  short- 
hairs,  and  so  well  was 
it  done  that  they  not 
only  won  prizes,  but 
on  one  occasion  one  was  bought  by  a  judge 
after  winning,  when  to  his  purchaser's  disgust 
a  month  or  two  later  he  turned  out  to  be  an 
ordinary  yellow  torn  with  his  coat  on ! 

The  Australian  cat  fell  into  disfavour  after 
a  few  of  these  experiences,  and  it  has  not 
been  possible  to  resuscitate  him. 

We  often  hear  of  the  Pampas  cat  of  South 
America  being  in  certain  catteries,  but  so  far 
at  the  shows  none  have  been  produced,  and 
I  am  inclined  to  think  these  also  are  of  the 
impossible  brigade  on  account  of  their  savage 
disposition.  It  is  a  pity  that  some  enter- 
prising fancier  does  not  try  to  tame  these 
wild  species. 


MRS.    CHARLES    A.    WHITE. 

AN  AMERICAN  CAT  FANCIER. 

(Photo :   Bolls,  Chicago). 


3-24 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


SOME    OF    THE    DIFFICULTIES    IN    AMERICA. 

Our  English  readers  will,  no  doubt,  wonder 
at  a  good  man}'  things  wo  do  in  America  ; 
but,  never  having*had  the  experience  of  our 
conditions,  they  would  not  be  able  to  appre- 
ciate what  it  is  that  keeps  the  fancy  back.  In 
the  first  place,  on  this  continent  anything 
except  poultry  shows  and  dog  shows  is  an 
unknown  quantity,  and  many  of  those  who 
take  up  the  cat  fancy  with  enthusiasm  are 
perfectly  innocent  of  any  show  experiences, 
and  have  few  to  teach  them ;  so  that  until  a 
show  or  two  has  been  held  in  a  certain  neigh- 
bourhood our  affairs  are  apt  to  be  a  little 
mixed.  For  instance,  the  common  idea  of  a 
tortoiseshell  cat  is  as  often  as  not  a  heavily 
marked  tabby  of  the  brown  tabby  persuasion, 
or  it  may  be  an  orange  tabby,  or  it  may  be  a 
mixture  of  many  colours.  Until  a  show  has 
been  held  in  a  town,  very  few  of  the  inhabitants 
know  whether  they  have  good  cats  or  not,  and 
they  are  as  likely  to  bring  the  bad  as  the  good. 
The  idea  has  prevailed  to  a  large  extent  that 
it  is  very  expensive  to  get  up  shows,  and  so 
the  only  opportunity  made  use  of  has  been 
when  a  poultry  show  is  being  held  and  the 
promoters  of  this  are  asked  for  a  little  space, 
which  they  may  grant,  as  the  cats  are  found 


to  be  very  conducive  to  a  gate ;  but  the  draw- 
back of  this  arrangement  is  that  in  most  cases 
the  poultry  people  want  to  make  as  much 
money  as  possible,  and  so  keep  the  cats  penned 
for  four  or  five  days,  which  in  many  cases 
means  death  to  the  cats. 

The  cost  of  the  hall  being  so  great,  and  the 
prize  money  being  consequently  kept  down 
to  try  to  balance  things,  with  the  entry  fees 
also  put  away  up,  which,  all  added  to  the 
travelling  long  distances  and  the  added  ex- 
pense of  hotel  bills,  makes  the  lot  of  the 
American  cat  exhibitor  not  too  rosy,  and  it  is 
something  to  wonder  at  that  the  fancy  has 
ever  developed  at  all. 

Distance  from  place  to  place  is  another 
factor,  and  when  you  read  in  England  of  the 
New  York  and  then  the  Chicago  show  the 
week  after,  yon  hardly  realise  that  they  are 
1,000  miles  apart,  and  that  if  living  in  New 
York  and  you  want  to  show  in  Chicago  it  may 
cost  you  £20  in  travelling  expenses  alone. 

Another  thing  show  committees  have  to 
face  is  the  expense  of  the  judge,  and  the 
difficulty  of  finding  suitable  sires  within 
reasonable  distance  is  one  of  the  many  draw- 
backs with  which  American  fanciers  have  to 
contend. 


"  THE    BLESSED    DAMO/.EI.. 
OWNED  AND  BRED  BY  MRS.  E.  N.  BARKER. 
(Photo:  Jo:.  Hubner,  Rutherford,  NJ.) 


325 


"  TOBEY,"    A    MAINE   TRICK   CAT. 
OWNED  BY  Miss  CHAPLE. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 


MAINE   CATS. 


FROM  my  earliest  recollection  I  have  had 
from  one  to  several  long-haired  cats  of 
that  variety  often  called  Maine  cats.  As 
to  how  and  when  they  came,  I  would  say,  like 
Topsy,  they  just  "  growed,"  for  their  advent 
reaches  far  back  beyond  the  memory  of  the 
oldest  inhabitant. 

Our  own  family  circle  was  never  complete 
without  one  or  more  cats — not  always  long- 
haired, but  that  variety  always  held  the  place 
of  honour. 

As  early  as  1861  my  younger  brother  and 
myself  owned  jointly  a  beautiful  long-haired 
black,  pointed  with  white  ;  he  bore  up  for 
several  years  under  the  remarkable  name  of 
"  Captain  Jenks  of  the  Horse  Marines."  I 
have  no  recollection  of  his  earlier  history  or 
advent.  I  fancy,  however,  that  these  cats 
came  into  Maine  much  in  the  same  way  and 
about  the  same  time  that  they  did  in  England. 

The  Maine  people  having  had  them  so  long, 
it  is  difficult  to  arouse  any  great  enthusiasm 
21* 


about  them  there.  They  are  much  like  other 
people — they  go  into  heroics  over  things  they 
know  less  about. 

Not  until  the  craze  for  long-haired  cats 
struck  the  West  did  they  think  much  about 
selling  cats  ;  their  very  best  would  be  given 
to  their  dearest  friends.  When  I  think  of 
the  number  of  beauties  that  I  have  had  given 
me  on  my  return  visits  because  I  would  be 
good  to  them,  it  makes  me  wish  for  the  good 
old  times  when  the  little  dears  were  beyond 
price  in  "  filthy  lucre." 

I  think  the  first  really  important  develop- 
ment of  the  cat  fancy  that  took  deep  and 
lasting  root  in  me  occurred  in  1869,  when  I 
saw  for  the  first  time  a  pair  of  blue-eyed  white 
Persian  kittens  that  landed,  to  say  the  least, 
free  of  duty,  in  a  sailmaker's  pocket,  from  a 
foreign  vessel,  which  put  into  a  seaport  town 
for  repairs  after  a  severe  storm. 

This  Mr.  P ,  being  a  great  lover  of 

cats,  while  on  board  the  vessel  making  repairs, 


326 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


admired  a  beautiful  white  Persian  cat  with 
a  family  of  kittens,  belonging  to  the  cook, 
who  gave  him  a  pair  of  them.  They  grew  and 
were  nursed  with  tenderest  care,  the  female 
developing  much  the  better  quality  in  hair  ; 
but  females  were  not  highly  prized  at  that 
time. 

They  were  both  kept  two  or  three  years  to 
get  a  good  male  for  a  gelding.  I  was  told 
that  they  destroyed  all  the  female  kittens  ; 
but  at  last  they  were  rewarded,  and  then  the 
original  pair  were  sent  to  a  relative  in  the 
country. 

From  that  time  on  long-haired  blue-eyed 
white  kittens  sprang  up  in  most  unexpected 
places.  At  intervals  they  have  appeared 
and  almost  disappeared  several  times  for 
want  of  care  in  "breeding,  but  with  this  draw- 
back they  will  still  frequently  come  forth  in 
the  same  fine  type. 

I  owned  a  very  fine  specimen  called  "  Dot," 
who  became  a  noted  winner,  and  who  came 
from  this  strain  about  eleven  years  after  the 


"  HKNNESSY. " 
OWNED  BY  MRS.  HALL,  BELFAST,  MAINE. 


kittens  landed.  I  think  he  was  quite  as  good 
a  specimen  of  Persian  as  the  one  that  came 
from  the  original  kittens.  They  were  both 
cat  show  winners  at  the  same  time,  although 
"  Baba  "  (or  "  Babie  ")  was  in  his  dotage 
when  "  Dot  "  was  in  his  prime.  We  were 
not  thinking  of  pedigrees  then,  but  merely 
who  had  the  best  cat. 

"Baba"  at  that  time  belonged  to  Mrs. 
Mason  (formerly  Mrs.  Philbrook),  and  won  the 
cup  over  everything  in  the  Boston  show. 
"  Dot  "  was  not  at  the  Boston  show,  but  won 
first  in  his  class  at  Bangor,  Maine,  which  was 
held  at  about  the  same  time. 

"  Dot  "  was  sent  to  the  Bangor  show  to 
please  Mr.  Robinson,  owner  of  "  Richelieu," 
who  had  the  management  of  it,  and  without 
the  slightest  thought  of  winning.  He  brought 
home  a  gorgeous  silver  butter-dish,  elaborately 
inscribed,  which  sat  about  at  least  ten  years 
before  being  given  to  the  cook.  Oh,  that 
I  had  it  now,  that  its  picture  might  grace 
these  pages ! 

For  intelligence  and  affection  "  Dot  "  was 
by  far  the  superior  cat.  I  have  never  seen  his 
equal.  Although  deaf,  his  other  senses  were 
so  keen  that  we  hardly  realised  he  did  not 
hear.  He  would  answer  to  the  slightest 
beckon,  and  was  always  watching  for  a  call. 
He  was  quite  proud  of  his  beauty,  and  never 
failed  at  his  mistress's  receptions  to  speak  to 
each  person  present  before  taking  his  seat  in 
the  window. 

At  one  time  some  office  girls  who  passed 
our  house  every  day  on  the  way  to  their  work 
told  me  he  was  usually  on  the  gate-post  at 
seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  salute  them 
and  wave  his  plume  to  them.  Each  one 
stroked  his  head,  said  "  Pretty  kitty  !  "  and 
passed  on.  He  then  took  his  morning  roll  on 
the  lawn,  and  was  ready  for  his  breakfast. 

His  benevolence  and  tender  feeling  for  cats 
of  low  degree  was  displayed  by  his  keeping  a 
cat  two  winters  ;  his  protege  was  an  example 
of  the  sad-eyed  forlorn  cat  (one  sad  eye,  the 
other  closed  beyond  repair) ;  spirit  completely 
broken  by  neglect.  As  soon  as  the  weather 
became  cool,  "  Dot "  would  usher  his  sad 


MAINE    CATS. 


327 


friend  into  the  kitchen  every  morning  and  ask 
for  breakfast  for  him,  then  sit  back  on  the  rug 
the  while,  and  with  utmost  satisfaction — 
expressed  in  song — watch  the  tramp  cat  eat 
it.  Where  he  kept  his  friend  when  he  was  not 
eating  we  knew  not  ;  he  was  invisible. 

He  also  excelled  as  a  traveller,  making 
several  short  journeys.  When  with  me  he 
scorned  a  basket,  much  preferring  to  sit  on 
the  seat  and  look  out  of  the  window  and  inci- 
dentally entertain  the  other  passengers  by  his 
unusual  privileges  in  cat  travelling. 

He  developed  an  unusual  taste  for  moisture, 
often  sitting  on  a  garden  bench  through  a  heavy 
shower,  while  his  frolics  in  a  light  snowfall 
were  most  entertaining. 

Taking  him  all  in  all,  I  have  not  yet  seen 
a  finer  pet  cat.  We  sent  him  to  rest  in  the 
happy  hunting  grounds  at  the  age  of  ten 
years. 

I  would  like  to  say  a  few  words  here  in 
regard  to  American  cat  shows.  We  are  con- 
tinually hearing  it  stated,  or  seeing  it  written 
by  the  clubs  and  those  who  are  new  to  the 
fancy,  "  The  first  cat  show  ever  held  in  this 
country,"  and  so  forth,  was,  we  will  say, 
according  to  their  light,  some  three  years  ago. 
That  is  true  so  far  as  clubs  go,  but  large  cat 
shows  were  held  spasmodically  in  all  the 
large  and  some  small  eastern  cities  as  far  back 
as  the  'seventies. 

I  have  a  photograph  of  "  Richelieu," 
owned  by  Mr.  Robinson,  of  Bangor,  Maine, 
who  had  won  first  in  his  class  at  Boston, 
New  York,  and  Philadelphia  previous  to 
1884,  when  he  was  shown  at  Bangor,  Maine, 
in  a  limited  show  of  the  one  hundred  best  cats. 
He  was  a  silver  or  bluish  tabby,  very  lightly 
marked  ;  about  seven  years  old  at  the  time  ; 
weight  about  twenty  pounds  ;  he  was,  as  his 
picture  shows,  rather  a  coarse-grained  variety  ; 
a  drug  store  cat. 

I  know  nothing  of  his  early  history  ;  but 
his  owner  had  the  cat  fad — a  well-developed 
case — and  travelled  from  city  to  city  to  show 
his  cat,  much  as  we  are  all  doing  now  twenty 
years  later. 

At  that  time   Maine,   near  the  coast,   was 


.     •  ''  IH.UK    DANUBE." 

BRED  BY  MRS.  E.  R.  PIERCE. 

rich  in  fine  specimens  of  the  long-haired  cats. 
That  was  before  they  began  to  sell.  I  have  in 
mind  their  brown  tabbies. 

We  often  hear  it  said  by  people  who  know 
them  not  that  the  Maine  cats  are  unhealthy, 
that  they  have  worms  ;  and  I  have  to  admit 
it,  and  that  they  sometimes  die  like  other  cats  ; 
but  here  is  one  that  didn't  until  he  had 
rounded  out  his  full  seventeen  years. 

On  page  329  is  a  picture  of  "  Leo,"  brown 
tabby,  born  1884,  died  1901 ;  presented  to  Mrs. 
Persis  Bodwell  Martin,  of  Augusta,  Maine,  by 
Mrs.  E.  R.  Pierce,  when  he  was  six  months  old. 

He  lived  a  life  of  luxury  and  ease,  having 
his  meals  served  by  his  mistress's  own  hand  in 
the  upper  hall,  where  he  chose  to  spend  his 
time  for  the  later  years  of  his  life. 

If  I  may  be  permitted,  I  would  ask  com- 
parison between  the  picture  of  "  Leo  "  and 
any  thoroughbred  brown  tabby — first,  colour 
of  muzzle,  length  of  nose,  size  and  shape  of 
eyes,  breadth  of  forehead,'  size  of  ears,  length 
of  hair  in  the  ears,  and  on  the  head.  In  body 
markings  "  Leo  "  would  fall  off,  as  his  hair 


328 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


was  so  extremely  long  that  the  markings 
became  somewhat  confused. 

They  have  had  some  extremely  fine  brown 
tabbies  in  Maine.  In  the  summer  of  1900 
I  bought  "  Maxine  "  there — the  mother  of 
"  Young  Hamlet,"  who  won  over  his  sire 
"  Prince  Rupert  "  the  first  year  he  was  shown. 
She  was,  or  is,  very  much  the  type  of  the 
"  King  Humbert  "  stock,  though  she  has  no 
pedigree  whatever. 

It  is  one  of  Nature's  own  secrets  how  they 
keep  bringing  forth  —  now  and  then,  not 
always — these  fine  types. 

I  have  before  me  a  most  interesting  letter 
from  a  Maine  lady,  one  of  my  contemporaries. 

I  will  first  explain  that  Maine  at  that  time 
was  one  of  the  largest  ship-building  States  in 
the  Union,  residents  of  the  seaport  towns  and 
cities  being  often  masters  of  their  own  float- 
ing palaces,  taking  their  families  with  them  to 
foreign  countries,  and  having  in  many  towns 
quite  social  sets,  like  the  army  set  or  official 
set  in  other  sections. 

Mrs.  Thomas,  to  whose  letter  I  refer,  was 
the  daughter  of  the  late  Captain  Stackpole, 
who  commanded  his  own  ship  for  many  years, 
taking  his  wife  and  little  daughter  with  him. 
That  was  before  our  Civil  War.  She  says  : — 

"  I  was  always  very  fond  of  cats  before  they 
had  to  have  a  pedigree.  •  In  my  younger 
days,  en  route  for  California,  we  stopped  at 
Juan  Fernandez,  and  I  got  a  little  wild  cat. 

"  Later  on,  when  in  Europe,  I  got  a  Manx 
cat  from  the  Isle  of  Man  ;  it  was  a  great 
curiosity,  and  not  considered  very  handsome, 
with  its  bob-tail,  and  hind  legs  so  much  longer 
than  the  front  ones.  It  came  to  an  untimely 
end  by  running  up  a  flue,  and  was  smothered 
to  death. 

"  The  wild  cat  did  not  flourish  on  condensed 
milk,  and  lived  but  a  short  time.  Bad  luck 
has  followed  me  right  along,  but  I  keep  right 
on  like  an  old  toper,  and  don't  know  enough 
to  stop." 

In  writing  of  her  own  cat,  the  mother  of 
"  Swampscott,"  she  says  : — 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  much  about  my  cat's 
pedigree — only  that  her  great-grandfather  was 


brought  to  Rockport,  Maine,  from  France  ;  he 
was  a  blue-eyed  white." 

This  line  of  whites,  while  in  the  same 
locality,  are  quite  distinct  and  unrelated  to 
the  first  whites  mentioned,  of  which  "  Dot  " 
was  given  as  a  type. 

But  her  reference  to  her  early  exploits  with 
Manx  cats  clears  the  air  as  to  how  these  dif- 
ferent varieties  first  got  root  in  Maine.  This 
instance  is  only  one  in  many  where  pets  of 
every  variety  were  bought  in  foreign  ports  to 
amuse  the  children  on  shipboard  ;  otherwise, 
as  in  one  case  I  can  call  to  mind,  the  children 
would  make  pets  of  the  live  stock  carried  to 
supply  the  captain's  table  with  fresh  meals — 
chickens,  lambs,  etc. — until  it  would  be 
impossible  to  eat  the  little  dears  after  they 
were  served  by  the  cruel  cook. 

Therefore  birds  of  plumage  and  singers, 
cats,  dogs,  and  even  monkeys,  found  their  way 
to  nearly  all  the  coast  towns — many  more  in 
the  past  than  at  this  time,  when  sailing  vessels 
have  passed  their  usefulness  as  money-making 
institutions,  and  those  that  do  go  out  are 
not  commanded  by  their  owners  ;  paid  cap- 
tains, as  a  rule,  cannot  take  their  families 
with  them,  and  the  supply  of  cats  from  that 
source  has  been  cut  off  for  many  years,  so 
those  we  find  there  now  can  safely  be  called 
natives. 

Up  to  this  point  I  have  been  writing  of  the 
cats  of  the  long,  long  ago,  and  perhaps  only 
interesting  to  myself,  being  as  full  of  plain 
facts  as  Gradgrind. 

Before  coming  down  to  some  of  the  fine  cats 
of  the  present  day,  I  will  say  that  I  am  told 
by  an  eye-witness  that  on  a  little  island  quite 
well  off  the  coast  which  is  inhabited  by  only 
three  families,  and  where  a  few  gentlemen 
have  a  quiet  nook  to  fish  in  summer, 
they  found  pure  white  Persian  cats  with 
the  most  heavenly-blue  eyes.  So  far  as 
is  known,  no  other  cats  are  on  the  island.  I 
had  the  promise  of  a  pair  last  year,  but  cruel 
fate  had  visited  them  in  their  sheltered  nook, 
and  the  kittens  that  year  died.  The  promise 
still  holds  good,  and  I  do  not  want  to  believe 
it  a  "  fish  story."  Time  alone  can  finish  it. 


MAINE    CATS. 


329 


I  really  know  nothing  of  the  cats  that  are 
said  to  be  found  on  the  islands  ;  but  no  doubt 
they  are  much  the  same  as  those  found  all 
along  the  New  England  coast. 

For  a  long  time  the  long-haired  cats  seemed 
to  be  confined  mostly  to  the  coast  towns  and 
cities  ;  but  the  giving  their  best  to  "  their 
sisters  and  their  cousins  and  their  aunts " 
have  spread  them  inland,  as  well  as  scattered 
them  over  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union. 
They  thrive  as  well  as  any  other  long-haired 
cat.  No  doubt  they  do  still  better  in  Maine, 


very  like  it  while  at  their  summer  home  on 
the  coast  of  Maine.  The  fad  is  contagious, 
and  if  they  have  the  fever  running  very  high 
they  send  back  east  to  their  "handy-man" 
to  get  them  a  long-haired  cat,  and  these  cats 
become  popular.  Clubs  are  formed  to  discuss 
points  and  exchange  knowledge,  shows  become 
a  necessity,  large  premiums  are  offered,  numer- 
ous valuable  specials  become  a  feature,  cats 
must  be  found  to  fit  them,  the  home  market 
at  a  low  figure  is  looked  over,  many  Attic 
treasures  are  brought  out,  and  have  often 


"  LEO."    BKOWX    TAIiBY. 

OWNED    BY    MRS.    P.    MARTIN. 

(Photo :   Bunion,  Hallowell.) 


but  the  difference  comes  from  the  fact  that 
they  have  the  freedom  of  living  a  natural 
life,  without  dopes  or  over-coddling.  Their 
offspring  are  beautiful,  because  they  are  from 
their  own  choosing,  and  not  from  compulsory 
mating — often  distasteful,  no  doubt. 

About  1895  or  1896  the  cat  fad  struck  the 
Middle  West.  The  time  was  ripe  for  its 
development.  The  high,  the  low,  the  rich, 
the  poor  have  all  felt  its  force,  as  the  real  love 
of  animal  pets  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  and 
this  fancy  has  made  the  whole  world  kin. 

A  few  people  who  had  never  seen  a  cat  show 
in  their  native  land  "  go  across,"  attend  a 
cat  show,  or  pick  up  a  cat  at  a  bargain  on  the 
streets  of  London  ;  they  "  fetch  "  it  home, 
and,  lo  !  their  neighbour  has  seen  something 


tipped  the  scales  in  favour  of  the  Yankee  cat. 
We  all  turn  green  with  envy.  Before  another 
show  we  must  import  a  ready-made  winner 
at  any  cost  !  In  the  meantime,  the  demand 
for  the  home-grown  article  is  increasing,  and 
prices  are  getting  much  inflated,  the  dealers  in 
large  cities  keeping  their  buyers  busy  in  the 
New  England  field  during  the  fall  and  winter 
months.  But  the  stock  of  kittens  has  been 
looked  over  by  the  summer  residents  or 
visitors  ;  the  real  cream  disappeared  with 
the  first  frost  to  some  winter  homes  in  the 
big  cities  ;  the  dealers  get  what  is  left  at 
almost  any  price  they  please  to  pay,  many  of 
the  specimens  being  indifferent,  and  some, 
no  doubt,  mongrels. 

In  the  last  few  years  I  have  known  less  of 


330 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


the  Maine  cats,  except  through  the  shows  and 
a  few  that  I  have  owned  myself,  which  have 
not  been  shown  much  or  proved  remarkable 
in  any  way  ;  but  among  the  gems  that  have 
shown  out  with  more  or  less  brilliancy  when 
on  the  bench  we  find  "  Cosie,"  a  brown  tabby, 
taking  first  and  special  for  best  cat  in  show 
in  New  York,  1895.  Mrs.  Lambert  brings 


now  somewhat  scattered,  but  all  showing 
great,  strength,  form,  bone,  and  sinew. 

Mrs.  Chapman's  ';  Cusie  Maxine  " — a  fine 
type  of  brown  tabby,  dam  of  "  Young  Ham- 
let," who  won  over  his  sire  "  Prince  Rupert  " 
— was  also  a  Maine  cat. 

Mr.  Jones,  of  The  Cat  Journal,  has  from 
time  to  time  had  some  fine  brown  tabbies  of 


"YELLOW  H.  14™  BEAUTY." 

OWNED  BY  MRS.  STAPLES. 


out  "  Patrique  "  in  New  York  in  1896 — blue, 
and  a  nice  one. 

"King  Max"— first  brought  out  by  Mrs. 
Taylor — won  in  Boston  first  in  1897-98-99,  only 
to  be  beaten  by  his  sire  "  Donald "  in  1900. 

Mrs.  Mix  has  shown  a  fine  Persian  type 
from  Maine  called  the  "  Dairy  Maid."  I 
believe  she  has  also  "  Imogene,"  from  the 
same  place — a  tortoiseshell. 

Mrs.  Julius  Copperberg's  "  Petronius,"  of 
whom  we  all  expected  great  things,  was  from 
a  line  of  creams  coming  well  down  from  a 
fine  cream  brought  from  some  Mediterranean 
port  by  one  Captain  Condon  about  fifteen 
years  ago.  I  have  secured  for  friends  several 
kittens  from  his  cat's  descendants,  which  are 


the  Maine  stock,  winners  at  some  of  the 
larger  shows. 

A  fair  representative  of  the  whites,  who  has 
acquitted  himself  well  at  the  various  shows 
in  competition  with  large  classes,  is  "  Swamp- 
scott,"  owned  by  Mrs.  F.  E.  Smith,  of  Chicago. 
He  comes  from  Mrs.  Georgia  Thomas's  white 
cats  at  Camden,  Maine,  his  maternal  great- 
grandsire  coining  from  France. 

"  Midnight  " — a  younger  black  cat,  winning 
second  at  Cincinnati  to  a  cat  from  New  Hamp- 
shire in  better  coat,  and  second  in  Chicago 
in  1901  in  large  classes — has  since  become  a 
gelding  and  pet  of  Mrs.  J.  J.  Hooker,  of  Cin- 
cinnati. He  comes  from  a  line  of  blacks 
owned  by  a  retired  sea-captain  named  Ryan, 


MAINE    CATS. 


331 


who  had  at  one  time  four  generations  of  black 
cats.  They  loved  their  cats  like  babies,  and 
for  years  looked  for  people  suitable  to  give 
their  kittens  to.  I  have  been  the  flattered 
recipient  three  times  in  the  last  dozen  years 
of  these  beautiful  black  diamonds. 

"  Antonio,"  a  gelding,  now  owned  by  Mrs. 
A.  B.  Thrasher,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  is  also  a  fine 
representative  of  this  stock.  See  photograph. 

In  the  last  few  years,  since  cats  there  are 
at  such  a  premium  and  old  age  getting  nearer 
every  day,  these  good  people  have  hardened 
their  hearts,  and  now  sell  like  others  to  the 
highest  bidder. 

I  can  also  think  of  "  Peter  the  Great,"  a 
neuter  cream  and  white,  owned  by  Mrs.  Carl 
Schmidt,  shown  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  1901. 
Also  "Black  Patti  " — originally  owned  by 
Miss  Ives — and  "  Rufus,"  both  Maine  cats, 
now  owned  in  Detroit,  and  winners  in  some  of 
the  Middle  West  shows  ;  and  many,  many 
other  winners  whose  place  of  nativity  is  a 
sacred  secret  with  their  owners,  which  we  will 
not  wilfully  expose  to  public  gaze  until  our 
native  cats  have  been  accorded  the  place  that 
is  due  to  them. 

I  would  like  to  tell  you  of  some  of  the  hand- 
some geldings  in  Maine.  No  cat  is  too  good 
for  a  pet  with  them.  They  may  be  seen  on 
nearly  every  lawn  or  stoop  ;  but  as  that  is  a 
little  out  of  the  province  of  this  story  I  will 
only  describe  one — a  beautiful  smoke  owned 
by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  E.  A.  Wilson  at  their  beau- 
tiful home  in  Belfast,  Maine.  He  is  now  ten 
years  old  ;  his  mask  and  feet  are  black,  or 


nearly  so  ;  his  hair  is  very  dark,  rather  brown- 
ish at  the  tip,  but  as  white  as  snow  at  the  skin. 
I  have  begged  them  to  show  him  at  Boston 
or  New  York.  The  answer  is  always  the 
same  :  "  Not  for  any  amount  of  money  or 
prizes.  '  Tags  '  wouldn't  like  it  ;  he  would 
be  unhappy.  Wouldn't  you,  '  Tagsie  '  ?  " 

The  smokes  have  not  been  well  developed 
there  yet.  In  a  letter  lately  received  in 
regard  to  that  variety,  I  am  told  that  one  of 
the  regular  agents  said  he  found  only  about 
one  in  200.  The  silvers  and  chinchillas  are 
not  common.  The  strong  colours  predomi- 
nate, whites,  blacks,  blues,  orange,  and  creams, 
tabbies  also  being  well  divided  and  distributed 
along  the  coast,  and  for  quite  a  distance  back, 
perhaps  sixty  miles  or  more  ;  but  I  have  not 
known  of -their  appearing  to  any  extent  in  the 
northern  portion  of  the  State,  which  is  less 
thickly  settled. 

Having  had  this  fancy  from  my  infancy 
and  before  it  became  a  fashion,  I  took  kindly 
to  all  the  new  developments.  I  have  since 
had  some  experience  with  imported  and  kennel- 
bred  cats,  and  from  time  to  time  had  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  the  best  we  have  in  our 
shows,  and  I  fully  believe  that  cats  that  have 
their  freedom,  as  most  of  the  Maine  cats  have 
for  the  greater  part  of  their  lives,  are  healthier 
than  kennel  cats  can  be.  The  cool  climate  and 
long  winters,  with  clean  air  full  of  ozone,  is 
what  is  needed  to  develop  their  best  qualities, 
and,  with  a  few  years  of  careful  breeding  for 
types,  they  would  be  able  to  compete  quite 
successfully  in  an  international  cat  show. 

F.  R.  PIERCE. 


MRS.    BAGSTER'S    (i  DEMIDOFF." 

(Photo  :    Cassell  &  Company,  Limited.) 


332 


A    SNAPSHOT. 

(Photo  :  E.  Landor,  Baling.) 


CHAPTER     XXIX. 


CAT   PHOTOGRAPHY   FOR   AMATEURS. 


\  LL  lovers  of  the  cat  who  are  also  amateur 
_£~A_  photographers  must  have  seen  with 
envious  admiration  the  lovely  cat  pic- 
tures by  Madame  Ronner,  the  more  racy  and 
amusing  sketches  by  Louis  Wain,  and  the 
many  beautiful  photographs  which  so  greatly 
enhance  the  instructive  and  pictorial  value  of 
this  "  Book  of  the  Cat." 

To  the  amateur  wishing  to  take  up  this 
fascinating,  though  somewhat  difficult,  branch 
of  photographic  art,  I  venture  to  offer  a  few 
suggestions. 

The  subject  naturally  divides  itself  into  two 
distinct  branches — the  commercial  and  the 
artistic.  By  the  "  commercial  "  I  mean  all 
photographs  taken  with  the  special  aim  of 
showing  the  shape  and  points  of  the  cat  from 
the  fancier's,  owner's,  or  purchaser's  point  of 
view.  In  the  "  artistic,"  I  include  all  those 
pictures  where  the  cat  is  used  as  a  model  only. 

In  either  kind  of  work  almost  any  sort  of 
camera  and  lens  will  do,  providing  it  will 
yield  a  fair  definition  and  admit  of  rapid 
exposures.  If  one  possesses  a  portrait  lens 


all  the  better.  At  all  events  use  a  lens  which 
will  give  you  good  definition  at  a  large  aper- 
ture. A  good  make  of  roller-blind  shutter  is 
an  important  accessory,  with  a  sufficient  length 
of  tubing  to  the  pneumatic  release  to  enable 
one  to  move  about  freely  while  holding  the 
ball  and  to  get  close  up  to  the  cats  while 
making  either  time  or  instantaneous  exposures. 
The  camera  stand  should  be  very  firm  and  rigid. 
I  like  best  to  work  in  the  open  air,  my 
studio  being  the  small  open  run  of  my 
cattery.  If  the  light  is  too  direct  or  strong 
I  diffuse  it  by  stretching  light  blue  art 
muslin  curtains  above  the  table  or  stand 
upon  which  the  cats  are  arranged.  These 
curtains  run  with  rings  upon  cords  stretched 
from  the  boundary  walls  on  each  side,  so  that 
they  may  be  moved  in  any  way  the  lighting 
may  require.  For  background  a  dark  plush 
curtain  will  be  found  useful.  Avoid  figured 
backgrounds,  as  they  detract  from  the  value 
and  crispness  of  the  cats  and  accessories.  An 
example  of  what  I  mean  will  be  seen  in  my 
picture  on  page  158  of  the  present  work, 


CAT   PHOTOGRAPHY    FOR    AMATEURS. 


333 


where  the  feathers  in  the  hat,  one  of  the  motives 
of  the  composition,  are  almost  lost  in  the 
scrolls  of  the  curtain  used  for  background. 

Three  things  are  absolutely  necessary  to 
successful  photography  of  cats  for  either  com- 
mercial or  artistic  purposes — time,  patience, 
and  an  unlimited  number  of  good  quick  plates. 
Of  all  animals  the  cat  is  possibly  the  most  un- 
satisfactory sitter  should  we  attempt  by  force 
to  secure  the  pose  we  desire.  By  coaxing  we 
can  generally  get  what  we  wish.  Patience  is 
the  keynote  of  success.  Before  commencing, 
make  up  your  mind  as  to  what  points  you 
wish  to  show  ;  then  pose  your  cat  gently  and 
wait  patiently  until  the  pose  becomes  easy. 
She  may  jump  down  or  take  a  wrong  pose  or 
go  to  sleep  a  dozen  times  or  more,  but  never 
mind,  give  plenty  of  time.  It  is  here  where 
patience  tells.  Wait  and  coax  until  you  see 
just  what  you  desire,  then  release  the  shutter 
and  make  the  exposure.  At  this  point  never 
hesitate  or  think  twice — especially  with  kittens 
— or  the  desired  pose  may  be  gone,  and  will 
possibly  cost  you  hours  of  waiting  again  to 
secure  it. 

Before  photographing  a  cat  for  its  general 
appearance  or  for  any  special  points,  it  is 
essential  to  have  it  thoroughly  groomed  and 
got  up  as  carefully  as  for  show.  Speaking 
generally,  the  coat  of  a  long-haired  cat  should 
never  be  roughened  ;  it  altogether  spoils  the 
shape  of  the  animal,  and  does  not  in  any  way 
improve  the  appearance  of  length,  quality,  or 
texture  of  the  coat.  In  all  cats  where  their 
markings  are  one  of  their  chief  points — such 
as  tabbies  and  tortoiseshells,  etc. — this  rough- 
ening should  be  specially  avoided.  There  is, 
possibly,  one  exception  to  this  advice,  and 
that  is  in  the  case  of  smokes,  where  it  may  be, 
and  sometimes  is,  desirable  to  turn  back  a 
small  patch  of  the  fur  to  show  the  quality 
and  purity  of  the  silver  under-coat.  In  such 
cases  the  turning  back  must  be  done  only  for 
this  purpose,  and  in  such  a  natural  way  as 
not  to  interfere  with  the  general  flow  of  the 
fur  or  the  shape  of  the  cat.  In  posing  a  cat, 
it  is  well  to  remember  its  faults  as  well  as  its 
good  points,  so  that  the  former  may  be  hidden 


as  much  as  possible  and  the  latter  displayed 
to  the  best  advantage.  Let  us  take  this  some- 
what extreme  example  :  A  friend  has  a 
domestic  pet — a  so-called  Persian,  but  with 
weasel  head,  long  back  legs  and  tail,  large 
ears,  small  eyes,  short  coat,  but  some  slight 
pretence  to  a  frill.  What  can  we  do  ?  To  take 
him  in  profile  will  result  in  a  very  sorry  carica- 
ture of  the  noble  Persian  ;  so  we  coax  pussy 
to  bend  her  back  by  sitting  on  her  hind  legs, 
and  so  partly  hiding  them  as  well  as  apparently 
shortening  her  back,  inducing  her  also  to  curl 
her  long  and  scanty  tail  round  her  feet.  We 
brush  out  the  ear  tufts,  if  she  has  any,  and 
press  up  the  fur  at  the  base  of  the  ears,  for 
this  will  tend  to  make  them  look  smaller. 
Having  placed  the  camera  well  in  front  of  and 
nearly  on  a  level  with  the  cat,  so  as  to  fore- 
shorten the  nose  and  head,  while  showing 
what  frill  there  is,  a  sharp  squeaking  sound  will 
make  pussy  open  her  eyes  to  their  full  extent  ; 
we  press  the  ball,  the  exposure  is  made,  and 
we  have  secured  a  fairly  presentable  photo- 
graph of  our  friend's  perchance  charming  pet, 
yet  most  indifferent  Persian  cat. 

A  few  good  examples  of  cats  taken  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  points  should  prove  use- 
ful, especially  to  the  novice,  and  many  such 
examples  are  to  be  found  in  this  present  work 
on  the  cat — for  instance  :  p.  29,  "  Litter  of 
Siamese  Kittens";  p.  100,  "Champion  Jimmy"; 
p.  138,  "Star  Duvals";  p.  139,  "Omar"; 
p.  145,  "A  Perfect  Chinchilla";  and  p.  150, 
"  Dossie."  With  these  examples  and  the  many 
others  that  are  to  be  found  scattered  through 
the  pages  of  "  The  Book  of  the  Cat,"  the 
would-be  photographer  of  the  cat  for  her  show 
points  should  have  little  difficulty  in  setting 
up  a  standard  to  work  to,  and  by  patience 
and  perseverance  succeed  in  attaining  it. 

Turning  now  to  the  more  artistic  side  of 
cat  photography,  we  find  our  real  difficulties 
begin,  for  in  photographing  for  the  showing  of 
points  we  seldom  have  to  deal  with  more  than 
one  cat  at  a  time.  It  is  when  we  attempt 
deliberately  to  pose  two  or  more  cats  or 
kittens,  to  carry  out  a  preconceived  idea,  that 
our  real  troubles  begin,  and  also  that  the 


334 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


patient  skill  of  the  amateur  wins  its  best 
reward.  Looking  through  the  pages  of  "  The 
Book  of  the  Cat,"  we  find  many  good  examples 
of  how  the  cat  should  be  used  in  picture 
making.  The  reproductions  of  Madame 
Ronner's  charming  pictures  show  how  they 
may  be  handled  with  palette  and  brush  ;  but, 
alas  !  here  we  photographers  labour  under  an 
immense  disadvantage.  However  artistic  our 
taste,  however  good  and  pretty  our  intended 
composition  may  be,  we  cannot,  as  the  artist 
with  pencils  and  brushes  can,  make  individual 
sketches  of  pussies  in  the  different  positions 
needed  and  bring  them  together  in  the  finished 
picture.  Whether  we  use  two  or  more  cats, 
they  must  each  be  kind  enough  to  take  the 
pose  we  desire  simultaneously ;  hence  our 


and  so  hope  to  make  a  picture.  Accident  does 
occasionally  present  us  with  something  worth 
having,  but  far  more  often  it  offers  us  results 
only  fit  for  the  waste-paper  basket. 

Before  commencing,  be  sure  you  have  an 
idea  to  work  out  in  your  picture,  and  of  the 
lines  you  hope  to  follow  in  giving  it  expression. 
If  possible,  make  a  rough  sketch — no  matter 
how  rough — of  this  idea,  showing  the  position 
not  only  of  the  cats,  but  also  of  the  accessories 
needed.  Be  careful  to  keep  the  composition 
simple  and  not  to  overcrowd  it.  This  sketch 
will  greatly  assist  you  in  arranging  your  pic- 
ture and  posing  your  cats.  Before  you 
attempt  to  pose  the  cats  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  all  accessories  should  be  fixed  so 
that  they  cannot  be  knocked  over,  or  the  cats 


AMATEUR    PHOTOGRAPHERS. 
(Photo:  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


greater  difficulty.  However,  the  illustrations 
on  pages  i,  37,  49,  88,  128,  199,  and  many 
others  indicate  the  wide  field  open  to  the  photo- 
grapher with  a  little  taste  and  vast  patience. 
In  this  class  of  photography  it  is  of  no  use  to 
go  to  work  in  a  haphazard  fashion,  snap- 
shotting our  cats  in  all  kinds  of  positions,  trust- 
ing to  mere  luck  to  yield  something  worth 
keeping  ;  then  to  give  a  sounding  title  to  it, 


will  get  frightened  arid  be  useless  as  sitters  for 
a  long  time  to  come.  That  cats  are  nervous 
should  never  be  forgotten,  and  any  chance 
of  startling  them  strictly  guarded  against. 
When  your  background,  table,  and  accessories 
are  all  in  their  places,  put  your  camera  in 
position,  arrange  the  picture  on  the  ground- 
glass,  and  see  that  you  get  all  well  within  the 
size  of  the  plate  i  it  is  safer  to  have  the  picture 


CAT  PHOTOGRAPHY  FOR  AMATEURS. 


335 


on  the  ground-glass  a  little  smaller  than  the 
plate  will  allow,  as,  if  one  tries  to  get  it  to  its 
utmost  size,  one  may  find  in  developing  that 
one  of  the  models  has  moved  back  on  the 
table  an  inch  more,  perhaps,  than  calculated 
upon,  and  as  a  result  have  half  a  cat  on  one 


The  rough  sketch  of  the  cat  in  the  basket 
was  first  prepared,  and  the  brush  attached  to 
it  in  such  a  manner  that  it  would  move  freely 
up  and  down  for  about  an  inch  or  so  ;  then 
it  and  the  rest  of  the  accessories  were  firmly 
arranged  upon  the  table.  The  cat.  in  the 


PLAYING     AT     \V  O  K  K . 
(Photo  :    Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


side  instead  of  a  whole  one.  The  background, 
however,  should  be  large  enough  to  fully  cover 
the  ground-glass.  Focus  the  foreground  and 
nearer  accessories,  stop  down  to  F.  8,  set  the 
shutter  to  about  ?V  to  vo  second  (accord- 
ing to  light  and  nature  of  subject),  insert  the 
slide  containing  the  rapid  plate,  draw  the 
flap  under  the  dark  cloth,  and  if  at  all  windy 
tie  this  last  to  the  camera.  Now  you  are  ready 
for  the  cats  and  a  suitable  moment  of  light. 
As  I  have  already  remarked,  I  do  my  photo- 
graphing out  of  doors.  I  therefore  choose  a 
bright  warm  day,  when  there  are  plenty  of 
fleecy  clouds  about  ;  so  that  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  their  position  in  front  of  the  sun,  and 
by  the  help  afforded  by  my  muslin  curtains, 
I  am  able  to  modify  the  harsh  contrasts 
incidental  to  working  in  broad  daylight. 

'  The  Artist  "  (page  128)  was,  perhaps,  one 
of  the  most  difficult  subjects  I  have  attempted. 
Without  apparent  life  and  go  such  a  subject 
would  be  worthless. 


basket  was  then  made  to  take  her  place,  but 
keep  in  she  would  not  ;  as  soon  as  the  brush 
moved  to  attract  the  artist  paw,  out  she  would 
jump  ;  so  for  the  time  she  was  allowed  to  run, 
until  the  artist  was  posed  and  an  endeavour 
made  to  infuse  life  into  him  by  moving  the 
brush.  But  it  was  "no  go  "  ;  sit  down  he  would, 
until  the  introduction  of  a  feather  woke  him 
up.  His  companion  was  then  slipped  into 
the  basket  ;  but,  alas  !  success  was  not  yet. 
For  about  two  hours  we  had  to  begin  over  and 
over  again,  when  at  last  the  pose  of  both 
kittens  was  obtained  simultaneously  and  the 
picture  taken  in  ^V  of  a  second.  Such  a  sub- 
ject with  the  kitten  tamely  sitting  at  the 
handle  of  the  brush  would  not  in  any  way 
have  realised  my  intention. 

I  must  again  point  out  the  great  convenience, 
especially  in  this  class  of  work,  of  the  extra 
length  of  tubing,  which  allows  you,  while  hold- 
ing the  release  in  one  hand,  to  pose  your  models 
with  the  other,  and  then  expose  without  the 


336 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


fatal  loss  of  time  that  would  be  entailed  by 
having  to  step  back  to  the  camera  or  by  giving 
the  word  to  an  assistant. 

A  subject  suggestive  of  a  picture  will  often 
turn  up  when  least  expected  and,  at  the  time, 
impossible  to  take.  I  always  make  a  note  of 
these,  and  they  come  as  a  basis  for  future  use 
and  to  be  worked  out  at  leisure.  "  Thieves  " 
(page  79)  was  suggested  by  noting  the  fond- 
ness of  two  of  my  kittens  for  melon,  "  Amateur 
Photographers  "  by  a  group  of  kittens  playing 
round  some  photo  frames  put  out  to  print, 
and  "  Mischief "  (page  88)  by  a  frolicsome 
kitten  overturning  a  small  bottle  of  ink  and 
playing  with  the  little  black  pool. 

Isochromatic  plates  should  be  used  in  all 
cases  where  there  are  mixed  colours  in  the 
cats'  furs,  as  in  tortoiseshells,  brown  tabbies, 
etc.  ;  mixtures  of  red,  black,  and  yellow  cannot 
be  truly  rendered  with  ordinary  plates.  The 
only  extra  precaution  necessary  in  their  use  is 
absolute  freedom  from  actinic  light  in  the  dark 
room.  Double  ruby  glass  in  the  window,  or, 
if  artificial  light  is  used,  an  extra  thickness  of 
red  tissue  paper  round  the  developing  lamp, 
will  answer  the  purpose  and  make  everything 
safe.  With  this  little  extra  care,  nice  crisp 
negatives  are  obtained,  while  the  relative  value 


of  the  red,  yellow,  and  black  seen  in  our 
furry  friends  are  well  defined  in  the  resulting 
picture. 

Cat?  used  as  models  should,  if  possible,  be 
in  the  pink  of  condition — the  prettier  the 
model  the  more  pleasant  the  picture.  The 
best  time  to  photograph  a  cat  is  about  one 
hour  after  a  light  meal.  Immediately  after  a 
meal  most  cats  want  to  wash  and  sleep.  A 
hungry  cat  or  kitten  makes  the  worst  of  sitters  ; 
its  thoughts  are  too  much  turned  towards  the 
inner  man.  Never  overtax  your  cats,  give  them 
plenty  of  rest  during  a  sitting,  and  never  lose 
your  temper  and  attempt  by  force  to  secure  a 
pose  ;  it  only  frightens  the  cats,  and  can  never 
result  in  satisfactory  work.  Time  and  patience 
should  always  in  the  end  achieve  what  you 
desire. 

Artistic  photography  having  been  for  some 
years  a  pleasant  and  recreative  hobby  with  me, 
I  can  assure  my  friends  who  keep  cats  for 
pleasure,  and  those  who  find  pleasure  in  the 
camera,  that  by  uniting  the  two  hobbies  they 
will  discover  a  field  of  enjoyment  and  artistic 
possibilities  which  neither  pursuit  alone  can 
afford.  To  all  such  the  preceding  notes  are 
offered  as  humble  finger-posts,  indicating  rather 
than  assuring  the  road  to  success. 

LUCY  CLARKE. 


IN   THE    STUDIO. 
(.Photo :  Mrs.  S.  F.  Clarke.) 


357 


TABITHA  S   AFTERNOON   TEA. 
(Photo  :   C.  Reid,  Wishaw,  N.B.) 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


REARING     OF     KITTENS. 


IT  may  truly  be  said  that  the  subject  most 
interesting  to  cat  fanciers  is  the  successful 
rearing  of  kittens,  and  pages  might  be 
written  on  what  to  do  and  what  not  to  do  in 
order  to  bring  up  a  family  of  kits  in  health  and 
strength.  Experience  teaches  us  many  tilings, 
and  certainly  during  the  number  of  years  I 
have  been  breeding  Persian  kittens  I  have  had 
ample  opportunity  of  judging  what  food  suited 
the  little  mites  best,  and  which  was  the  surest 
method  of  bringing  up  a  wholesome  litter  of 
kittens.  I  am  sure  that  in  the  olden  days 
there  was  less  delicacy  amongst  Persian  kittens 
than  at  this  present  time. 

"With  the  advent  of  the  first  family  the 
anxieties  of  the  novice  begin.  Perhaps  a 
goodly  sum  has  been  risked  in  the  purchase  of 
a  pedigree  queen,  or  else  with  much  careful- 
ness and  taking  thought  a  valuable  kitten  has 
been  reared  to  happy  matronhood.  So  far 
well  ;  the  trouble  has  been  slight,  but  the 
account  book  shows  all  on  the  debit  side. 
Now,  as  we  gaze  upon  the  tiny  blind  bobbing 
atoms,  over  which  the  mother  croons  and 
22 


purrs  with  pride,  here  is  the  investment  that 
has  to  swell  our  credit  column.  And  ignor- 
ance here  spells  loss. 

If  a  large  number  yearly  are  successfully 
raised,  a  still  larger  number  sadly  "  pass  out," 
and  might  claim  the  baby's  plaintive  epitaph  : 

"  Since  I  am  so  quickly  done  for — 
I  wonder  what  I  was  begun  for  !  " 

Neither  does  the  comfortable  law  of  the 
"  survival  of  the  fittest  "  seem  to  hold  good 
here.  At  least,  Nature  and  the  exhibitor  arc 
at  variance  in  their  ideas  of  such,  for  always 
it  is  our  choicest,  our  sure  and  certain  cham- 
pion, that  slips  our  too  eager  grasp. 

Here  is  our  experimental  nest  of  champions  ; 
they  are  but  two  days  old,  and  in  this  early 
stage  of  their  existence  the  less  they  are 
handled  and  examined  and  the  mother  inter- 
fered with,  the  better. 

Attend  to  two  things — darkness  and  fresh 
air  ;  and  leave  them  alone  till  they  introduce 
themselves  of  their  own  accord  to  your  notice. 

Shift  on  to  a  clean  nest  the  second  day  after 


338 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT, 


birth.  It  is  safer  not  to  do  so  before,  as  I 
have  known  a  belated  kitten  arrive  twenty- 
four  hours  after  the  rest  of  the  family,  and  in 
the  case  of  an  excitable  or  inexperienced 
mother  she  will  by  then  be  more  composed, 
and  can  be  coaxed  out  to  feed  while  the 
change  of  bed  is  being  made.  Hay,  short  and 
sweet,  is  the  best  bedding — much  better  than 
blankets  or  cushions.  Many  fanciers  use  boxes 
turned  on  their  sides  and  curtained.  These, 
while  giving  the  necessary  darkness,  are  not 
sufficiently  ventilated  ;  the  air  in  them 
cannot  circulate  freely,  and  becomes  stuffy 
and  foul,  vapours  ascend,  and  the  wood 
becomes  unsanitary 
in  a  very  short  time. 

Bad  eyes  follow  as 
a  matter  of  course, 
and  the  anxious, 
worried  novice  won- 
ders "how  they  can 
possibly  have  taken 
cold  when  they  have 
been  so  guarded  " 
from  fresh  air  !  — • 
and  seals  them  up 
still  more!  If,  A  HAPPY 

therefore,  a  box   is 

used,  let  there  be  holes  for  ventilation,  or 
arrange  for  the  covering  to  reach  only  partly 
over  the  top. 

In  an  outside  cattery  or  attic  or  room  guard 
against  too  much  light  and  any  draught,  but 
let  in  the  outside  air  by  keeping  the  window 
open  during  the  day.  If  winter  kittens  are 
to  be  reared,  heat  the  room  to  an  average 
of  55  degrees,  and  have  the  window  open, 
taking  precautions  naturally  against  rain 
or  snow  beating  in. 

When  the  kittens  reach  the  age  of  three 
weeks,  they  will  require  some  food  beyond 
that  provided  by  the  mother,  who,  if  nursing 
a  large  family,  is  perhaps  showing  signs  of 
wear.  It  is  when  the  process  of  weaning 
begins  that  trouble  generally  arises. 

I  am  inclined  to  put  down  the  growing 
delicacy  of  Persian  kittens  to  the  injudicious 
feeding  with  solids  at  too  early  a  period  of 


their  existence.  I  never  used  to  allow  my 
kittens  meat  until  they  were  about  four  or 
five  months  old,  and  during  the  period  of 
weaning  from  their  mothers  it  is  most  essential 
that  all  food  given — such  as  Mellin's,  Ridge's 
and  Benger's — should  be  made  very  thinly  at 
first,  so  as  not  in  any  way  to  try  the  tender 
digestions  of  the  little  creatures. 

I  believe  that  most  of  the  ills  that  kittens' 
flesh  is  heir  to,  proceed  from  indigestion.  The 
tendency  in  fanciers  is  to  overload  the  stomach 
of  the  wee  kittens,  forgetting  that  it  is  not  the 
amount  of  food  eaten  that  nourishes  the  tiny 
creatures,  but  the  quantity  they  are  able  to 

digest,  and  this  must 
necessarily  be  small 
for  some  weeks  after 
they  have  learnt  to 
feed  themselves. 
Another  mistake 
that  is  made  is 
giving  milk  that  is 
too  rich.  In  large 
towns  we  generally 
get  our  milk  watered 
for  us,  but  in  the 
MOTHER.  country  the  milk  is 

richer,     and     needs 

mixing  with  warm  water.  It  is  not  so  im- 
portant in  the  country  as  in  London  and  other 
large  towns  to  have  the  milk  boiled,  but 
it  is  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  a  wise 
precaution.  In  preference  to  risking  the 
town  dairy  milk,  flavoured  with  boracic,  and 
most  deadly  to  the  systems  of  both  kittens 
and  babies,  I  advise  a  good  brand  of  Swiss 
milk — such  as  Nestle's — being  employed,  or, 
better  still,  Plasmon  powder,  made  to  a  jelly 
according  to  directions  on  packet,  and  one 
teaspoonful  of  this  jelly  thinned  out  with  hot 
water  and  sweetened.  Do  not  give  raw  meat 
till  the  teeth  are  fairly  through  and  they  can 
bite  sharply  ;  then  give  it  scraped  with  a  blunt 
knife,  not  cut  ;  and  remember  that  raw  meat 
is  three  times  as  digestible  and  nourishing  as 
cooked  meat — one  tiny  meal  of  meat  a  day,  a 
teaspoonful  per  kitten  to  begin  with.  Do  not 
give  them  fish  while  under  three  months  old. 


REARING    OF   KITTENS. 


339 


MRS.    BONNY'S    "  DAME   FORTUNE. 
(Photo:  L.  R.  Stickclls,Cmnbrook.) 


Rice  is  a  very  indigestible  food  for  kittens,  water  added  to  a  saucer  of  any  liquid  is  very 
especially  cold  ;  but  rice-water,  strained  from  advisable,  as  it  strengthens  the  limbs  and 
rice  boiled  to  a  pulp  and  given  quite  cold,  is  use-  forms  bone.  If  a  kitten  under  a  month  or  six 
ful  in  checking  diarrhoea. 
Melox  is  a  most  useful  food 
for  kittens  of  ten  weeks 
old  and  upwards,  soaked 
for  an  hour  or  two  in  a 
little  good  gravy,  and  given 
crumbly  (not  sloppy),  and 
a  little  scraped  raw  meat 
mixed  with  it.  For  younger 
ones  a  tablespoonful  of  red 
gravy  from  a  cooked  joint, 
poured  over  some  bread- 
crumbs, proves  an  appetis- 
ing meal. 

Small  meals  at  short  in- 
tervals are  infinitely  better 
than   heavy  meals   at   long  intervals,    and  if 
a  young  kitten  is  left  for  many  hours  till  half 
famished,    it   will   in    all   probability   eat    too 
much  and  suffer  in  consequence.      From  four 
to  ten  weeks  six  or  seven 
meals    in    the    twenty-four 
hours  are  none  too  many. 
I    am   presuming   that   till 
that  age  they  will  be  with 
their     mother     at     night, 
which   will   do   away   with 
the  necessity  of  providing 
food  between  9  p.m.  (when 
the    last    meal    should    be 
given)  and  8  a.m.    Give  al- 
ways a  light  and  warm  meal 
for    the    breakfast.     After 
ten    weeks    lessen    to    five 


meals,  after  three  months 
four,  and  give  four  till  six 
months  old,  when  they  may 
be  fed  as  adults,  unless  one 
should  be  delicate  or  has 
been  through  severe  illness. 

The  best  test  of  a  properly  thriving  kitten 
is  its  weight,  and  i  Ib.  for  each  month  of 
age  is  a  fair  average,  occasionally  exceeded 
by  very  big-boned  and  robust  kittens.  For 
young  growing  kittens  a  teaspoonful  of  lime- 


M  R  S.     BO NNY  S     '  DKREB1 K 

(I'lioto  :  L.R.  Slickells,  Cranbrook.) 


weeks  old  is  unfortunate 
enough  to  have  a  severe 
illness,  whether  epidemic 
or  accidental,  my  advice 
is  to  chloroform  it.  At 
so  tender  an  age  the  con- 
stitution rarely  recovers 
from  the  strain. 

Although  this  article  has 
no  intention  of  encroach- 
ing upon  that  treating 
specially  of  diseases,  our 
aim  and  object  being  to 
rear  such  healthy  sturdy 
families  of  kittens  that 
they  shall  never  have  any 
diseases,  yet,  en  passant,  it  might  not  be 
amiss  to  remark  what  a  valuable  medicine  for 
the  first  symptoms  of  distemper  is  Pacita,  a 
herbal  medicine  that  can  be  obtained  in  both 
powder  and  pill  form. 
The  latter  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred, as,  the  smell  being 
very  nasty,  kittens  rebel 
against  it.  Half  of  No.  i 
size  pill  is  sufficient  for  a 
kitten  under  three  months, 
to  be  given  fasting  in  the 
morning  an  hour  before 
food  for  three  mornings. 
It  reduces  fever  and  clears 
the  system  in  a  wonderful 
manner. 

The  question  of  outdoor 
exercise  must  now  be  dis- 
cussed. 1  speak  of  summer 
kittens  only.  Winter  kit- 
tens— viz.  those  born  from 
November  to  February- 
are,  I  think,  a  mistake.  Out 
of  season,  like  forced  green  peas  at  Christmas, 
they  have  not  a  good  start  in  life  ;  the  damp 
and  darkness  of  those  months  is  very  deterrent 
upon  young  life.  Nature's  plan  of  arranging 
for  the  new  lives  to  come  chiefly  in  the  spring 


340 


THE   BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


when  days  are  lengthening  and  sunshine  lias 
power,  is  the  wisest.  They  grow  with  the 
days,  and  have  the  summer  to  romp  through 
and  grow  big  and  strong  before  the  leaves  fall. 
It  is  a  mistaken  policy — that  of  exposing  to 
risks  under  the  intention  of  hardening.  We 
must  remember  that  the  Persian  cat  is  an 
exotic,  and  that  the  present  system  of  breeding 
for  coat  and  show  points  does  not  tend  to 
make  the  race  hardier ;  on  the  contrary, 
probably  the  constitution  is  more  delicate  than 
in  its  native  country,  imported  cats  invariably 
boasting  a  vigour  and  hardihood  that  our 
pedigree  specimens  sadly  lack.  It  is  not  cold 
that  injures  ;  frost  and  snow  can  be  borne  by 
grown-up  Persians  with  impunity,  and  even 
enjoyment.  It  is  the  damp  that  kills,  and 
upon  consideration  we  shall  see  that  this  is 
largely  a  question  of  coat. 

Look  at  your  English  sleekly  groomed  puss 
as  she  comes  leaping  across  some  dewy  field  in 
the  early  morning,  pressing  through  a  thick, 
wet  hedge.  She  gives  herself  a  shake  ;  examine 
her  fur  :  not  a  dewdrop  has  adhered,  hardly 
are  her  pads  damp.  Now  pick  up  your 
Persian  gentleman  who  has  taken  a  slight 
hunting  stroll  through  the  same  ground  :  his 
stomach  fur  is  soaked,  clinging  like  wet  linen 
to  him  ;  his  "  knickerbockers  "  are  disreput- 
able, his  frill  clammy  ;  and  it  will  take  him 
a  good  hour  to  get  himself  clean  and  respect- 
able once  more.  The  soft  woolly  under-coat 
of  the  Persian  holds  water  like  a  sponge,  where 
the  close  short  coat  of  the  British  cat  shakes 
it  off  as  from  duck's  feathers.  This  is  the  true 
secret  of  the  delicacy  of  the  Persian.  So  in 
rearing  kittens,  let  your  first  care  be,  avoid 
damp. 

A  sick  kitten  generally  forgets  its  manners, 
however  carefully  it  has  been  trained  to  the 
use  of  the  dry  earth  or  sawdust  box  ;  it  seems 
to  feel  too  bad  to  care  how  it  behaves,  so  due 
allowance  must  be  made  at  the  time  ;  but  in 
health,  cleanly  behaviour  must  be  insisted  upon 
from  the  time  they  begin  to  trot  about  their 
nursery.  Begin  by  placing  a  very  shallow 
tray  of  nice  dry  fine  earth  in  one  or  two  corners 
that  the  kittens  seem  to  have  a  predilection 


for  ;  it  may  even  be  necessary  to  put  them 
in  all  four  corners  for  a  little  while  to  convince 
some  obstinate  or  dullard  member  of  the 
family. 

A  cat's  confidence  is  harder  to  win  than  a 
dog's,  but  once  you  have  gained  it  the  animal 
will  trust  you  implicitly,  and  will  bear  pain  or 
nasty  dosing  at  your  hands  without  resentment. 
I  think  kittens  should  be  handled  from  early 
days.  I  do  not  advocate  a  valuable  kitten 
being  sent  up  to  a  humar  nursery,  to  be 
hugged  flat  or  carried  head  downwards  by  the 
too-adoring  occupants  ;  but  kittens  should  be 
thoroughly  accustomed  to  human  society  and 
to  being  picked  up,  caressed,  and  handled. 
It  will  make  their  subsequent  show  career  tar 
less  of  a  terror,  and  greatly  augment  their 
chances  of  success ;  and  in  the  case  of  all 
male  cats,  whether  for  stud  or  neuter,  it  is  very 
convenient  to  train  them  to  walk  on  a  lead. 
Begin  by  using  a  light  ribbon,  and  two  kittens 
led  together  on  separate  leads  will  come  more 
willingly  than  one.  The  first  lessons  in  walks 
might  terminate  at  the  feeding  dish,  so  that 
the  kits  would  quickly  associate  this  new 
form  of  exercise  with  something  to  eat. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  young  kittens 
are  too  early  bereft  of  maternal  care  from  some 
cause  or  other.  Mr.  A.  Ward,  of  Manchester, 
has  invented  an  artificial  foster-mother  (see 
page  343).  This  consists  of  a  glass  vessel 
covered  with  flannel,  and  having  indiarubber 
teats.  This  is  filled  with  warm  milk  and 
water,  and  the  kittens  help  themselves ! 

It  is  only  of  comparatively  recent  date 
that  any  serious  attention  has  been  given  to 
the  successful  breeding  of  Persian  kittens. 

A  demand  has  arisen  for  animals  that 
approach  perfection,  according  to  a  recognised 
standard  of  points,  and  it  may  not  be  un- 
profitable to  devote  a  few  pages  to  the  con- 
sideration of  how  these  can  be  best  obtained. 

Formerly  a  long-haired  cat  was  not  much 
thought  of  unless  he  really  deserved  his  name, 
but  nowadays  coat  is  rather  at  a  discount  on 
the  show  bench. 

Points,  points,  points — colour  of  eyes,  colour 
of  coat,  shape,  expression,  and  what  not — 


REARING     OF   KITTENS. 


341 


these  are  all  considered  first,  and  length  and 
beauty  of  coat  are  rather  apt  to  be  overlooked. 
The  amateur  cat  lover  should  provide  him- 
self with  a  female  cat  or  kitten  of  fine  health 
and  luxuriant  coat,  and  treat  it  precisely  like 
any  other  "  well  done  by  "  domestic  pussy. 
Probably  by  the  time  she  is  twelve  months 
old  she  will  have  insisted  on  matrimony.  This 
is  worth  a  little  consideration  and  trouble, 
but  if  the  choice  lies  be- 
tween a  healthy,  hardy  long- 
haired torn  at  large  in  your 
own  neighbourhood 
and  a  pedigreed 


trophies,  and  have  to  be  won  four  times  before 
becoming  the  property  of  the  exhibitor. 

Over  against  the  mistaken  motto  of  "  Hap- 
hazard "  we  must  place  the  password  of 
"Selection"  if  we  would  become  successful 
breeders.  Selection — clever,  thoughtful,  pains- 
taking selection — lies  beneath  all  real  success. 
I  am  not  denying  that  excellent  results  are 
obtained  occasionally  by  accident,  but  these 
happy  flukes  want  follow- 
ing up  if  any  permanent 
good  is  to  be  effected. 

Having    a    queen 
of   a   given    colour, 


A    LITTER    OF    EIGHT,    BELONGING    TO    MISS    SAVEKY. 
d'hoto:   H.   Warschawski,  St.  Leonanls-on-Sea.) 


prisoner  at  a  distance,  I  should  recommend 
the  local  monsieur. 

What  you  want  is  physique  and  a  fine 
appearance,  and  you  are  more  likely  to  get 
them  in  this  way. 

Many  owners  of  Persians  have  been  quite 
content  to  rear  saleable  kittens  of  average 
merit,  and  trust  for  their  show  reputation  to 
fine  animals  bought  from  others. 

To  encourage  breeders  special  prizes  are 
offered  at  shows  to  those  who  win  a  first 
prize  with  a  cat  whose  mother  was  in  the 
exhibitor's  possession  at  the  time  of  the 
kitten's  birth.  They  are  very  handsome 
22* 


you  should,  as  a  rule,  mate  her  only  with  a  cat 
of  the  same  colouring,  and  be  especially  careful 
not  to  cross  self-colours  with  tabbies. 

Now  selection,  as  too  often  understood, 
means  just  this  :  A  male  cat  makes  a  great 
sensation  at  a  show  and  wins  many  prizes. 
He  is  the  right  colour,  therefore  to  him  you 
will  send  your  queen.  What  can  be  simpler  ? 
Why  this  fuss  about  the  difficulty  of  breeding  ? 

But' you  are  a  novice,  and  know  nothing  of 
the  value  of  the  pedigree  owned  by  the  winning 
monsieur.  It  is  not  so  much  he  himself  as 
his  inherited  tendencies  you  have  to  consider, 
for  assuredly  they  will  reappear  in  his  children. 


34-2 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


An  old  hand  will  tell  you,  "  Yes,  a  grand  head, 
but  where  he  got  it  from  is  a  miracle,  with 
such  parents  ";  or,  "Colour?  Yes,  first-rate, 
but  he  was  the  only  one  clear  from  sandy 
in  the  litter."  Well,  what  can  a  bewildered 
novice  do  ?  Remember,  you  have  to  try  to 
cap  each  of  your  queen's  defects  with  a  cor- 
responding virtue  in  her  mate.  If  she  is 
snipey  in  face,  make  head  a  chief  point  ;  if  she 
fails  in  colour,  lay  great  stress  on  colour ; 
and  so  on.  My  advice  is,  do  not  send  her  to 
a  new  star  who  has  but  just  arisen  in  the  sky 
of  the  cat  world  until  you  know  a  little  more 
about  your  business.  Mark  your  catalogue 
at  shows.  Study  the  cats  and  kittens  whose 
points  please  you  and  who  are  filling  the  prize 
lists,  and  then  notice  their  sire's  name.  When 
you  find  the  same  name  repeated  again  and 
again,  and  always  attached  to  animals  of  con- 
sistent merit,  you  will  not  do  far  wrong  to 
choose  the  owner  for  your  queen's  mate. 

But  after  having  exercised  all  possible  care 
in  the  selection  of  a  male  cat,  we  must  not 
expect  the  litter  of  kittens  to  be  perfection. 
All  breeders  know  that  there  is,  as  a  rule,  one 
kitten  in  each  litter  which  far  surpasses  its 
fellows  in  beauty. 

Perhaps  one  will  possess  the  type  of  head 

you  so  covet,  but 
the  colour  is  in- 
ferior. Another 


"  STAR  OF  THE  SPHERES  "  AXD  "  SON  OF  ROY. 

BRED    BY    Miss   E.    A.    CHAMBERLAYNE. 

(Photo  :  Russell  &•  Sons,  Baker  Street.) 


has  colour  or  markings  to  perfection,  whilst 
the  head  is  poor.  Well,  then,  they  must  be 
mated  with  an  eye  to  remedying  these  defects, 
and  a  near  relative  possessing  these  strong 
points  will  be  likely  to  prove  the  most  success- 
ful cross  ;  for  in-breeding — careful,  cautious, 
and  judicious — is  another  secret  of  the  success- 
ful breeder.  But  cne  word  of  caution  to  the 
novice  :  Never  be  persuaded  to  breed  from 
an  unhealthy  animal,  be  his  or  her  points  what 
they  may,  and  never  allow  your  queens  to 
mate  when  thoroughly  debilitated  and  out  of 
health  ;  for  this  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the  diffi- 
culty experienced  in  carrying  out  the  next 
point  we  have  to  consider — i.e.  the  successful 
rearing  of  kittens.  If  cat  fanciers  could  learn 
this  lesson,  we  should  hear  far  less  of  infant 
mortality. 

For  the  ordinary  mode  of  kitten  rearing  it 
is  essential  to  have  proper  out-door  quarters, 
and,  if  possible,  quarters  isolated  from  each 
other.  There  is  nothing  more  suitable  than 
the  portable  houses  so  readily  obtained  ;  but 
these  must  be  on  a  dry  foundation. 

Sunshine,  fresh  air,  and  wholesome  food 
are  the  essentials  of  a  kitten  nursery.  More- 
over, there  must  never  be  many  young  things 
kept  together.  Otherwise,  some  imlucky  day 
you  will  find  a  sad-faced  kitten  looking  down 
its  nose,  and  in  two  or  three  days  more  your 
whole  tribe  will  be  down  with  distemper  and 
your  hopes  for  the  year  shattered. 

I  know  it  sounds  brutal,  but  I  cannot  re- 
frain from  saying  that  sentiment  is 
the  ruin  of  successful  kitten  rearing. 
Some  tiny  morsel  develops  a  skin 
trouble,  has  chronic  diarrhrea,  bad 
eyes  or  snuffles,  and  we  tenderly  nurse 
it  for  many  weary  weeks  and  perhaps 
save  it. 

A  victory  ?  Yes,  if  the  morsel 
were  a  gem  of  great  value,  one  of 
the  "  surprise  babies  "  in  colour  or 
shape  that  now  and  again  visit  every 
cattery,  it  may  have  been  worth  pay- 
ing the  cost.  For  pay  we  shall  have 
to,  make  no  doubt  of  that.  Your 
kitten  nursery  will  never  be  quite  so 


REARING     OF   KITTENS. 


343 


healthy  again,  and  in  spite  of  all  precautions 
you  will  very  probably  carry  sickness  to  your 
other  stock.  I  would  never  breed  from  un- 
healthy animals,  and  I  would  at  once  destroy 
a  very  sick  kitten  of  tender  age. 

Lethal  boxes  rob  the  act  of  inhumanity, 
and  you  will  probably  have  one  little  tomb- 
stone to  erect  instead  of  a  dozen  ! 

One  great  feature  of  success  is  the  boarding- 
out  system.  Any  woman  really  fond  of  cats 
who  will  take  a  kitten  into  the  bosom  of  her 
family  and  rear  it  is  a  perfect  boon.  Of  course, 
she  must  be  well  paid,  but  if  she  is  successful 
you  can  afford  to  be  liberal. 

In  these  cases  it  is  better  only  to  put  out 
your  choice  specimens  that  you  wish  to  attain 
some  age  before  sale  or  to  keep  for  stock.  The 
others  should  be  sold  off  at  about  eight  to  ten 
weeks  old  at  moderate  prices. 


Far  more  of  the  trouble  with  kittens  comes 
from  defective  digestion  than  from  any  other 
cause,  and  I  suspect  we  frequently  overload 
their  little  inte- 
riors. When 
nature  makes 
the  small  cat 
turn  away  from 
its  dinner,  we 
fall  into  a  panic 
and  pour~beef 
essence  down 
its  throat.  Pro- 
bably a  short  fast  was  all  that  was  required, 
and  it  is  a  mistake  to  force  food  until 
some  hours  have  elapsed.  In  fact,  healthy 
surroundings  and  common -sense  treatment 
are  the  main  secrets  of  successful  kitten 
rearing. 


THE     "  FOSTER-MOTHER. 
(Photo :  H.  Glacier,  Longsight.) 


THK    "  FOSTER-MOTHER       IN    ACTION. 
(Photo  :  H    Glacier,  Longsight.) 


344 


(Photo:  E.  Lanitor,  Baling.) 


CHAPTER      XXXI. 


COLOUR    BREEDING. 


/^>OLOUR  breeding  is  a  most  fascinating 
V_^  pursuit  ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  average 
cat  fancier  lacks  the  -patience  to  follow 
it  out  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  by  judicious  cross- 
breeding new  colours  could  be  produced,  and 
I  think  that  they  will  be  produced  in  time. 
I  have  seen  a  chocolate-brown  cat  and  a  yellow 
cat  with  black  stripes,  and  no  doubt  they  will 
appear  again  ;  also  chestnut-brown  cats  and 
white  cats  striped  with  black  may  be  bred. 

The  point  which  I  wish  to  discuss  on  this 
occasion  is  not  so  much  the  experimental  cross 
as  the  cross  which  is  desirable  to  improve 
existing  colours.  I  do  not  consider  that  a 
white  cat  should  be  crossed  with  any  other 
colour.  There  is  no  advantage  to  be  gained 
in  this  case  by  crossing,  as  we  already  have 
white  cats  good  in  bone,  substance,  head, 
shape,  etc.,  and  no  other  colour  of  cat  possesses 
blue  eyes.  I  do  not  for  a  moment  suggest 


that  good  white  cats  have  not  been  bred  from 
coloured  parents,  but  this  is  unnecessary  and 
undesirable,  because  there  is  a  risk  of  intro- 
ducing coloured  patches  and  smudges  and 
yellow  or  green  eyes,  and  there  is  no  correspond- 
ing advantage  to  be  gained.  In  the  same  way 
I  do  not  consider  that  it  is  a  good  thing  to 
breed  from  white  cats  with  yellow  or  odd  eyes. 
Blue-eyed  kittens  have  been  bred  from  two 
yellow-eyed  parents,  and  frequently  when  one 
parent  has  yellow  or  odd  eyes  the  kittens  are 
all  blue-eyed,  but  this  can  in  no  way  be 
depended  upon. 

Black  cats  are  a  little  more  difficult  to 
handle  than  whites,  because  a  white  is  neces- 
sarily white,  while  there  is  sometimes  a  diver- 
sity of  opinion  where  a  black  is  concerned. 
The  most  important  point  to  keep  before  us 
in  black-breeding  is  the  colour  of  eyes. 
Whatever  we  cross  with  we  must  be  careful 
that  we  do  not  lose  the  orange  eyes,  for  they 


COLOUR    BREEDING. 


34! 


are  most  elusive,  and  we  are,  theretore,  some- 
what limited  in  our  selection  of  suitable  crosses. 
A  smoky  or  dirty  black  is  an  abomination, 
and  for  this  reason  I  consider  that  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  black  cat  all  crosses  with 
blues,  smokes,  or  silvers  should  be  avoided  ; 
in  any  case  a  good  silver  would  be  impossible 
because  of  its  green  eyes.  A  rusty  black  is 
undesirable,  but  a  rusty  kitten  usually  makes 
a  better-coloured  cat  than  a  smoky  one,  though 
there  are  notable  exceptions  to  this  rule.  A 
good  orange-eyed  tortoiseshell  or  red  tabby,  or 
an  orange,  are  all  suitable  mates  for  a  black. 
A  curious  thing  I  have  noticed  is  that  the  best 
blacks  are  bred  from  bright  clear-coloured 
cats,  and  that  dull  colours,  such  as  smokes, 
blues,  and  fawns,  do  not,  as  a  rule,  produce 
good  -  coloured  kittens.  For  this  reason  I 


colour  I  do  not  approve,  because  we  have 
many  different  blue  strains,  among  which  can 
be  found  all  the  different  points  which  are 
desired.  Comparisons  are  odious,  but  it  I 
refer  to  the  Bath  show  of  1903  I  can  explain 
what  I  mean.  "  Skellingthorpe  Patrick  "  is 
a  beautiful  cat  in  all  points  except  eyes, 
but  "  Don  Carlos  "  and  several  other  blue 
males  in  the  class  had  glorious  orange  eyes. 
I  have  often  heard  that  crossing  a  blue  with 
a  white  will  produce  very  pale  blue  kit- 
tens ;  I  have  not  found  this  to  be  so,  and 
it  seems  unlikely,  for  mate  a  black  cat  with 
a  white  one  as  often  as  you  like,  and  you  may 
wait  a  lifetime  before  they  breed  a  blue  kitten  ; 
therefore  why  should  a  dark  blue  and  a  white 
produce  a  pale  blue  kitten  ?  Sometimes  cross- 
ing with  a  black  is  recommended  "  to  get  the 


"  PATRICIA,"    HROWN    TABBY. 
BRED    ny    Miss    FANNY   EI.I.IS,   TORONTO. 


should  prefer  blacks  bred  from  an  orange-eyed 
silver  tabby  to  those  bred  from  a  dark  brown 
tabby.  On  the  whole,  a  brightly  coloured 
tortoiseshell  will  be  found  to  throw  the  best 
blacks. 

Of   the   crossing   of   blues   with    any   other 


orange  eyes,"  but  it  must  be  remarked  that 
the  proportion  of  black  cats  with  good  orange 
eyes  is  quite  as  low  as  that  of  blues.  When 
this  cross  is  resorted  to,  let  the  black  parent 
be  the  male,  as  otherwise  the  kittens  may  very 
likely  all  be  black. 


346 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


It  is  the  misfortune  of  the  smoke  cat  that 
it  has  been  indiscriminately  and  unintelligently 
crossed  with  the  black  and  the  silver  tabby, 
and,  worst  of  all,  with  the  blue.  Strangely 


cross  with  whatever  is  least  likely  to  introduce 
stripes — i.e.  a  self-coloured  cat,  or  preferably  a 
shaded  one.  Of  course,  any  tinge  of  red  or 
brown  is  to  be  avoided,  and,  therefore,  the  only 


enough,  there  seems  to  be  some  close  affinity     shaded  cat  left  to  us  is  the  smoke,  and  a  green- 


between    the    smoke    and    the    silver    tabby, 
and  it  should  be  our  object,  as  far  as  possible, 


eyed  smoke  is  certainly  the  safest  cross  we  can 
get,  as  it  is  sufficiently  akin  to  the  chinchilla 


to  keep  them   apart.     To  this  connection  is     to  obviate  the  risk  of  a  violent  out-cross.     The 


attributable  the  prevalence  of  green  eyes  and 
leg  and  face  markings  among  smoke  cats.     In 


black  is,  I  think,  the  next  best  cross,  for  it  is 
just  possible  that  the  colours  may  not  inter- 


crossing smokes  there  are  many  difficulties  to     fere  with  one  another,  and  that  we  shall  get 


contend  with.     We  must  keep  the  light  under- 
coat, but  avoid  markings  ;   we  must  have  the 
black  face   and  legs 
and  retain  the  light 
frill  ;     and  we  must 
have  orange  eyes. 
All  crosses  with  tabby 
must  be  avoided,  or 
we  shall  never  get  rid 
of    face    pencillings  ; 
but  judicious  crosses 
of    black,    blue,     or 
(best  of  all)  chinchilla 
may   be    of    service. 
A  black    cross   is 
better  than  blue  be- 
cause, though  either 
endangers  the  under- 
coat, it  will  intensify  the  black  mask  and  legs. 
The  one  advantage  of  a  blue  cross  is  that  it 
will,  sooner  than  any  other,  help  to  eliminate 
markings  ;    but  the  blue  kittens  from  such  a 


MISS    GODDARI)  S    PAIR    OF    KITTKXS 
(rhoto :   E.  Ltitutor,  Ealinx.) 


pure  black  and  clear  silver  kittens — of  course, 
a  green-eyed  black  must  be  used.  Third  on 

the  list  comes  the 
white  ;  but  this 
cross  makes  for  ab- 
sence of  markings, 
and  therefore  de- 
mands great  caution, 
as  thereby  the  black 
noses  and  e  y e 1 i  d  s 
which  add  so  much 
to  the  charm  of  a 
chinchilla  may  be 
lost  and  the  result  be 
merely  a  dingy,  dirty 
white  cat.  This  ani- 
mal, though  not  par- 
ticularly attractive 

in  itself,  is,  I  need  hardly  say,  invaluable 
for  crossing  again  either  with  a  clear-coloured 
chinchilla,  a  black,  or  even  a  blue. 

A  blue  cross  is,  as  a  rule,  rather  objection- 


cross  must  be  sternly  rejected,  as  their  colour     able,  because  it  seems  to  produce  a  muddy, 


will  never  be  satisfactory.  The  chinchilla  is 
the  best  cross  for  the  smoke  so  far  as  colour 
is  concerned,  and  an  orange-eyed  chinchilla 
should  be  of  service  for  breeding  smokes  with 
light  frills  and  good  under-coats.  A  cross  of 
chinchilla  may  with  advantage  follow  a  black 
cross. 

We  now  get  to  the  subject  of  chinchilla 
breeding  ;  it  is  a  matter  of  common  know- 
ledge that  chinchillas  were  produced  as  the 
result  of  careful  in-breeding,  and,  therefore, 


dull  colour,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it 
may  occasionally  be  resorted  to  with  success. 
I  should  suggest  that  the  blue  parent  (a  green- 
eyed  one,  of  course)  should  be  the  sire,  as 
when  the  reverse  is  the  case  the  kittens  are 
frequently  blue  tabby. 

I  do  not  think  any  colours  besides  those  I 
have  mentioned  should  be  crossed  with  chin- 
chillas, though  I  must  confess  that  chinchilla 
kittens  occasionally  turn  up  most  unexpectedly. 
I  recollect  a  very  pale  one  appearing  in  a  litter 


until  the  breed  is  more  firmly  established,  any  whose  sire  was  a  cream  of  brown  tabby  and 
sudden  outcross  is  likely  to  cause  a  reversion  cream  parentage,  and  whose  dam  was  a  pale 
to  the  barred  ancestors.  The  idea,  then,  is  to  blue  bred  from  a  blue  and  a  blue  tabby.  There 


COLOUR    BREEDING. 


347 


may  have  been  silver  tabby  blood  in  the 
strain,  but  certainly  no  chinchilla.  For  all 
this  I  do  not  recommend  a  cream  or  tortoise- 
shell  cross,  as  the  chances  are  all  against  the 
kittens  being  any  good,  and  it  is  laying  up  a 


understood,   I  have  no  fault  to  find  ;    I  can 
forgive  him  even  his  white  chin,  because  he  is 
such  a  magnificent  animal  ;    but  he  is  not  a 
tabby,  and  should  not  be  shown  as  such. 
In  the  brown  tabby  we   want  dense  black 


store  of  disappointments  in  the  next  genera-     markings   on   a   clear    golden-brown    ground. 


tion.  We  have  all  possessed  cats  which, 
though  beautiful  in  themselves,  never  threw 
a  kitten  worth  keeping. 
I  had  a  little  cat  my- 
self bred  from  two  chin- 
chilla parents.  The 
dam  was  a  well-known 
winner,  and  her  ances- 
try was,  I  knew,  irre- 
proachable, and  the 
sire's  appeared  to  be 
equally  so,  though  I 
was  told  afterwards 
that  he  often  sired 
brown  tabby  kittens. 
But  my  queen  (herself 
a  prize-winner),  no 
matter  how  she  was 
mated,  invariably 
threw  brown  tabby 
kittens. 

We  now  come  to  the 
very  fascinating  subj  ect 
of  tabbies,  and  I  may 
as  well  say  at  once  that 
any  amount  of  crossing 
is  for  the  present  de- 
sirable and  even  neces- 
sary, but  it  must  be 


1 LOLLYPOP 


The  black  is  there  right  enough,  but  it  wants 
breaking  up."  A  cross  of  strongly  marked 
red  tabb}'  is  the  thing ; 
not  a  "  self  -  orange," 
mind  you — that  would 
only  make  things 
worse — but  the  best- 
coloured  red,  with  a 
dark  chin,  that  can  be 
found.  When  the 
markings  want  intensi- 
fying, as  may  be  the 
case  after  the  red  cross, 
we  must  mate  with  a 
black ;  but  I  do  not 
think  this  will  be  neces- 
sary, as  brown  tabbies 
rarely  "wash  out  "  as 
silvers  do.  It  is  curi- 
ous to  note  that  many 
years  ago  I  bred  quan- 
tities of  beautifully 
marked  silver  tabbies 
and  brown  tabbies  from 
a  brown  tabby  sire  and 
a  sandy,  silver  tabby 
dam,  both  of  unknown 
pedigree.  The  silvers 
were  clear  and  pure  in 


ONE  OK  LADY  MARCUS  BERESFORD  S 
SILVERS. 

(Photo:  IL.  Lamior,  Euling.) 


done  systematically  and  under  a  careful  and     colour,  with  capital  black  markings,  and  the 


experienced  eye.     The  novice*  is  likely  to  fail 
because  he  does  not  understand  the  essential 


browns  had  good  rich   colouring.     This   is  a 
cross   I    should    certainly    hesitate  to  recom- 


points  of  a  tabby.     Let  him  keep  before  his     mend,    but    there    are    possibilities    concealed 


mind  the  fact  that  if  two  distinct  black  stripes 
run  the  whole  length  of  the  spine  and  if  the 
chest  markings  are  good  there  is  not  likely  to 
be  much  wrong  with  his  cat's  other  markings. 


therein,  and  it  is  worth  an  occasional  experi- 
ment with  the  sole  object  of  rescuing  the 
degenerate  tabby  markings. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  while  the  tabby  is 


In    the    brown   tabby,   the    markings    have  supposed  to  be  the  common  ancestor  of  all 

become  too  heavy,  they  have  run  together  and  our   cats,  the  tabby  markings  should   be   the 

spread  into  a  heavy  black  saddle  ;    while  the  most   difficult  point  to  retain  in  the  pedigree 

ground  colour  has  lost  warmth  and  white  chins  cat. 

are    prevalent.     With  the  "  sable "  cat,  be  it  A  brown  tabby  cat  with  a    good-coloured 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE     CAT. 


chin  should  always  be  retained  to  breed  from, 
even  if  it  fails  in  some  other  points. 

It  is,  I  know,  the  general  opinion  that  the 
craze  for  chinchillas  has  ruined  the  silver  tabby, 
but  I  do  not  feel  convinced  that  this  is  so.  I 
am  of  the  opinion  that  the  constant  breeding 
of  silver  tabby  to  silver  tabby  will  eventually 
result  in  the  production  of  poorly  marked  cats. 
Let  me  give  an  example  :  "  Felix  Mottisford  " 
was  a  very  heavily  barred  son  of  "  Champion 
Felix,"  and  "  Patz  "  was  also  heavily  barred 
and  bred  from  silver  tabbies.  Two  of  their 
kittens  were  "  Silver  Midget  "  and  "  My 
Fairy."  "  Midget  "  was  a  prettily  marked 
silver  tabby,  but  much  lighter  than  her 
parents,  and  showed  a  strong  tendency  to 
throw  unmarked  kittens.  "  Fairy  "  was  cer- 
tainly a  silver  tabby,  but  her  markings  were 
entirely  on  the  surface,  and  as  she  grew  older 
faded  away  until  she  was  more  shaded  than 
barred.  Mated  with  a  blue,  she  produced  four 
chinchilla  kittens  ;  mated  with  "  Lord  South- 
ampton," there  were  two  well-marked  silver 
tabbies  and  two  chinchillas  (this  litter  included 
"  Dimity  "  and  "  Abbess  of  Broomholme  ")  ; 
mated  with  "  Silver  Lambkin,"  there  was  one 
chinchilla  kitten — "  Fitz  Eustace" — and  the 
rest  were  silver  tabbies  ;  by  "  Tuan,"  a  much 
more  marked  cat,  the  kittens  were  all  chin- 


THKEE      LITTLE      AMERICANS. 


chillas  ("  Tuan,"  I  may  mention,  was  a  distant 
cousin  of  "  Fairy  ")  ;  by  "  Silver  Lustre  " 
there  were  two  chinchillas  and  two  silver 
tabbies.  I  then  parted  with  her,  and  she 
afterwards  had,  by  "  Silver  Chieftain,"  a  litter 
of  silver  tabbies  and  chinchillas,  including 
"  Silver  Tangle  "  and  "  Silver  Sprite."  After 
that  date  I  have  no  record  of  her  doings,  but 
it  can  be  seen  that  she  certainly  showed  an 
inclination  on  her  own  account  towards  chin- 
chilla kittens,  and  this,  I  take  it,  was  the  result 
of  the  continued  mating  together  of  silver 
tabby  cats.  I  do  not  consider  any  other  cross 
than  black  is  admissible  in  a  silver  tabby  strain, 
but  the  introduction  of  black  blood  is  neces- 
sary from  time  to  time  if  markings  are  to  be 
retained.  I  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  a  cross  of 
green-eyed  black  in  every  third  generation 
would  be  a  wise  precaution. 

The  red  tabby,  the  orange,  and  the  tortoise- 
shell  are  rather  hopelessly  mixed  up  at  present. 
The  self-orange  (so  called)  did  not  exist  a  few- 
years  ago,  but  of  late  a  premium  has  been  put 
on  absence  of  marking,  and  a  lot  of  cats  with 
self-coloured  or  shaded  bodies  and  striped  faces 
appear  in  the  orange  classes  and  win  all  the 
prizes.  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with  the  shade 
of  colour  of  these  cats  ;  they  are  a  beautiful 
bright  clear  orange,  but  if  they  are  to  be  self- 
coloured  the  face  markings 
must  go.  Crossing  with  blue 
gets  over  this  difficulty,  but 
we-  immediately  lose  bright- 
ness of  colour  and  get  dull 
yellows  and  fawns.  Tortoise- 
shell  is  a  safe  cross,  but  the 
ancestry  of  the  tortoiseshell 
must  be  carefully  inquired 
into,  and  one  bred  from  black 
and  tortoiseshell  is  best,  or 
we  can  go  direct  to  the  black. 
Tabby  cats  or  any  of  a  blue- 
or  grey  colour  should  be- 
avoided  in  this  connection. 

Clear,  pale  yellow  creams 
may  be  bred  from  oranges  and 
tortoiseshells  ;  but  these  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the 


COLOUR    BREEDING. 


349 


fawn-coloured  cats,  often  called  creams,  which 
are  more  common  and  easy  to  breed.  Though 
creams  and  fawns  occasionally  appear  in  the 
same  litter  this  is  generally 
the  fault  of  their  ancestors, 
and  can  be  accounted  for  if 
the  pedigree  is  known  on  both 
sides.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
I  have  never  seen  one  of 
these  clear  yellow  creams 
which  was  not  descended, 
however  remotely,  from 
Mrs.  Kinchant's  strain.  Ex- 
amples of  the  colour  I  mean 
are  "Cupid  Bassanio," 
"Zoroaster,"  "  Dairy  Maid," 
"  Mistletoe,"  and  a  few  of 
their  descendants. 

To  breed  fawn  creams  is, 
comparatively,  a  simple  mat- 
ter, as  a  cross  of  blue  and 
orange  will  almost  invari- 
ably produce  some  fawn 
kittens,  especially  if  the  dam 
is  blue.  When  the  dam  is  orange  or  tortoise- 
shell  there  will  often  be  a  number  of  blue 
tortoiseshell  kittens  which  are  valueless. 
Some  people  like  them  to  breed  fawn  creams 
from,  but  I  have  never  found  them  more  use- 
ful for  this  purpose  than  a  correctly  coloured 
tortoiseshell. 

Tortoiseshells  are  entirely  neglected  by 
fanciers  nowadays,  and  are  only  used  as  a 
stepping-stone  to  more  fashionable  colours. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  a  tortoiseshell  can  be 
got  to  breed  anything  !  I  knew  a  queen  which 
bred  magnificent  blacks,  blues,  creams,  oranges, 
fawns,  and  smokes,  whether  mated  to  a  blue, 
a  cream,  or  a  smoke,  and  I  believe  she  also 
threw  chinchilla  kittens  to  a  chinchilla  sire. 
To  breed  tortoiseshells  for  the  show  pen  we 
must  not  indulge  in  any  haphazard  matings. 
The  fault  of  the  tortoiseshells  is,  as  a  rule,  that 
the  red  and  yellow  has  run  all  over  the  black, 
and  instead  of  having  a  clear  patchwork  of  red, 
yellow,  and  black,  we  have  a  blur  containing 


"  HOLMLEA   THISTLEDOWN. 
OWNED  BY  MRS.  KEEP,  SYDNEY,  NEW  SOUTH  WALES 


a  preponderance  of  yellow.  The  obvious 
remedy  is  our  old  friend  the  black.  All  the 
best  tortoiseshells  are  bred  from  blacks,  and 
a  black  and  a  red  tabby  or 
orange  will  generally  throw 
some  good  tortoiseshells.  To 
produce  tortoiseshell-and- 
whites  cross  a  tortoiseshell 
with  a  black-and-white  rather 
than  with  a  white,  but  avoid 
red  tabby,  as  a  tortoiseshell- 
and  -  white  cat  frequently 
shows  tabby  markings  for 
this  breeding. 

The  red  tabby  has  nearly 
died  out  among  long-haired 
cats,  though  it  flourishes  in 
the  short-haired  variety,  but 
by  crossing  a  brown  tabby 
with  an  orange  it  might  be 
revived.  No  doubt  there 
would  be  a  few  mis-marked 
kittens  in  the  litter,  but  the 
chances  would  be  in  favour 
of  a  good  red  tabby,  and  the  colour  could 
then  be  preserved  by  crossing  with  black 
and  tortoiseshell  only. 

Of  course,  it  is  no  use  trying  experiments  in 
cross-breeding  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  definite 
results  unless  we  are  satisfied  as  to  the  pedi- 
gree of  the  cats  employed  for  at  least  two 
generations,  or  all  our  calculations  may  be 
upset.  For  example,  when  breeding  for 
chinchillas,  if  we  used  a  black  bred  from 
a  brown  tabby  mother  the  results  would  be 
disastrous. 

A  point  to  be  carefully  noted  in  cross- 
breeding is  to  select  a  cat  with  eyes  of  a  colour 
desired  in  the  breed  which  he  is  destined  to 
improve,  whether  those  eyes  would  be  correct 
in  his  own  family  or  not.  This  suggests  a  use 
for  our  rejected  green-eyed  blues  and  blaeks 
and  our  orange-eyed  silvers. 

My  notes,  as  may  be  observed,  are  on  the 
subject  of  long-haired  cats,  but  they  will  be 
found  equally  applicable  to  short-hairs. 

HESTER  COCHRAN. 


33° 


CHAPTER     XXXII. 

THE   CAT'S   PLACE    IN   NATURE  :     ITS   ANCESTRY,    CLASSIFICATION,    STRUCTURE, 

AND    DISTRIBUTION. 


T  a  very  remote  period  in  the  history 
of  animal  life  when  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence was  rife,  the  carnivorous  and  pre- 
daceous  animals  (to  which  the  existing  cat 
belongs)  occupied  a  position  in  the  scale  of 
creation  as  important  as  the  one  they  hold  to- 
day. We  find  locked  up  in  the  rocks  of  the 
tertiary  and  recent  pleistocene  formations  the 
bones  and  teeth  of  these  ancient  cats  along 
with  those  of  the  animals  upon  which  they 
lived. 

These  ancestors  of  our  cat  had  a  tolerably  wide 
geographical  distribution,  and  they  apparently 
differed  considerably  in  size,  as  do  the  different 
members  of  the  existing  cat  family.  The 
crested  cat  (F.  crestata)  was  probably  as  large 

as  a  tiger — more  re- 
cent remains  having 
a  closer  affinity  to 
existing  cats  are 
found  plentifully  in 
caves  and  in  the 
deeper  beds  of 
rivers  and  lakes 
almost  all  over  the 
British  Islands. 

Probably  the  most 
remarkable  of  these 
extinct  cat-like 
creatures  is  the 
Machcerodus,  the 
skulls  of  which 
(Fig.  ii.),  with  por- 
tions of  its  skeleton, 
associated  with  the 
bones  of  other  ani- 
mals, have  been 
found  in  the  cave 

deposits  in  Brazil,  North  and  South  America, 
India,  Persia,  many  parts  of  Europe,  as  well  as 
in  the  British  Islands — viz.  Kent's  Cavern, 


B 


FIG.    I. — BKAIN    OF    CAT. 

A,  Right  hemisphere  of  cerebrum  ; 
B,  Cerebellum  ;  c,  Medulla 
oblongata  ;  D,  Olfactory  bulb 
(nerve  of  smell)  ;  K,  Convolu- 
tion, or  Gyrus  ;  F,  Fissure. 


Creswell  bone  caves,  and  other  places.  The 
skull,  which  is  very  typical  and  cat-like  in 
form,  is  remarkable  for  the  extraordinary 
development  of  the  upper  canine  teeth,  which 
in  some  species  exceed  seven  inches  in  length. 
The  Machoerodus  was  about  the  size  of  a  lion. 
The  ancestors  of  our  cat  were  certainly  more 
specialised  in  parts  of  their  organisation.  The 
nearer  we  approach  the  recent  forms  a  greater 
uniformity  in  structure  prevails,  until  we  get 
in  the  existing  cat-like  group  (Felis)  probably 
the  most  consolidated  and  uniform  of  all  the 
generic  mammalia. 

FAMILY    CHARACTERISTICS. 

Under  the  generic  title  of  Felis  are  in- 
cluded over  fifty-one  distinct  species,  of 
which  the  lion,  tiger,  leopard,  puma,  and  our 
common  domesticated  cat  may  be  taken  as 
representative.  They  inhabit  every  region  on 
the  earth's  surface,  except  the  extreme  northern 
latitudes,  and  vary  in  size  from  the  tiger  and 
lion  to  the  little  red-spotted  cat  of  India,  which 
does  not  exceed  fifteen  or  sixteen  inches  in 
length.  But  it  is,  as  already  indicated,  very 
uniform  in  order  as  regards  structural  points. 
All  have  well-developed,  retractile  claws,  the 
only  exception  being  the  cheetah,  whose  claws 
are  only  partially  retractile  ;  all  have  five 
toes  on  the  fore  feet,  and  four  on  the  hind 
feet  ;  all  the  teeth  are  cusped,  or  pointed,  and 
specialised  for  flesh-eating,  as  well  as  for  ag- 
gressive purposes.  The  incisors  in  front  of  the 
upper  and  lower  jaws  are  small,  the  four 
canines  well  grown  and  long,  with  a  cutting 
edge  on  the  inner  side  ;  the  molars,  or  cheek 
teeth,  have  one  to  five  cusps,  points,  or  lobes. 
All  the  members  of  the  family  are  digiti- 
grade  (i.e.  use  only  the  extremity  of  the  toes 
in  walking)  ;  the  tympanic  bulla,  or  ear-bone, 
is  large  and  prominent  ;  the  general  form  of 


THE    CAT'S   PLACE   IN   NATURE. 


the  skull  is  rounded  and  broad  across  the 
orbits,  or  eye-sockets  (the  latter  are,  with  two 
exceptions,  open  or  incomplete  behind)  ;  the 
clavicle,  or  collar-bone,  is  reduced  to  a  short, 
curved,  splint-like  bone  ;  in  many  species  it 
is  absent. 

The  stomach  is  always  simple,  intestines 
relatively  short,  tongue  covered  with  minute 
spines.  In  many  species  the  pupil  of  the  eye 
contracts  in  one  direction  only,  thus  giving  it 
a  linear  and  upright  form.  The  majority  of 
the  species  are  nocturnal  ;  the  habits  of  the 
genus  are  very  diverse.  The  lion  apparently 
prefers  the  drier,  sandy  areas  covered  with 
short,  scrubby  vegetation  ;  others  prefer  the 
dense  forests,  and  live  much  in  the  trees. 
Many  species  are  found  at  considerable  alti- 
tudes, the  snow  leopard  being  found  at  18,000 
feet.  All  the  members  of  the  group  can  swim, 
and  several  species  (i.e.  the  fishing  cat  of 
India  and  Southern  China)  are  adepts  at  catch- 
ing fish,  but  immersion  is  invariably  avoided. 

The  colours  of  the  different  members  of  the 
genus  Felis  vary  considerably.  It  may  be  a 
uniform,  tawny,  pale  brown,  or  a  grey — as  in 
the  lion,  puma,  eyra.  The  tiger  is  striped 
transversely  ;  the  ocelot  has  bands  or  rows  of 
more  or  less  fused  spots  ;  the  serval  and  several 
other  species  have  solid  black  spots ;  the 
leopard,  clusters  of  spots,  forming  a  kind  of 
star  ;  the  jaguar  has  the  spots  arranged  in  an 
open  ring.  In  the  clouded  leopard  of  Southern 
India  the  markings  are  composed  of  irregular 
groups  of  lines  and  spots,  merging  into  the 
ground  colour  of  the  animal's  coat.  A  black 
variety  of  the  common  leopard  is  occasionally 
found  in  a  wild  state.  Albinos,  or  white  forms, 
are  extremely  rare  in  nature,  though  quite 
common  in  the  domesticated  cat. 

GENERAL   STRUCTURE    OF   THE    CAT. 

The  natural  food  of  all  the  cat  tribe  in  a 
state  of  nature  is  carnivorous,  and  the  whole 
organisation  of  the  group  is  specialised  and 
adapted  for  aggressive  or,  if  need  be,  defensive 
purposes.  The  body  is  compressed  laterally, 


The  bony  framework  or  skeleton  is  light, 
and,  for  the  purpose  of  an  elementary  descrip- 
tion, is  readily  divisible  into  three  parts — 
viz.  (i)  the  skull ;  (2)  the  axial  skeleton,  com- 
prising the  bones  of  the  neck,  thorax,  loins, 
and  tail  ;  (3)  the  appendicular  skeleton  or 
limbs.  The  skull  is  short,  rounded,  and  broad 
across  the  orbits  or  eye-sockets,  which  are 
large  in  proportion  to  the  skull.  The  pos- 
terior rim-of  the  orbit  is,  with  three  exceptions, 
out  of  the  fifty-one  species — viz.  the  fishing- 
cat  (F.  voverrina),  the  rusty  spotted  cat  (F . 
rubiginosa),  and  the  flat-headed  cat  (F. 
planiceps) — incomplete  or  open.  The  teeth 
of  the  fully  adult  cat  should  be  thirty  in 
number — sixteen  in  the  upper  jaw  and  four- 
teen in  the  lower.  They  are, divided  by  the 
comparative  anatomist  into  three  sets  or 
groups — viz.  incisors,  canines,  premolars,  and 
molars — their  number  and  position  being  con- 
cisely expressed  by  a  dental  formula  thus  : — 
I  'i»  C.  1,  PM.  f,  M.  T.  The  six  incisors  in 
the  upper  and  lower  jaw  are  small,  simple- 
pointed  teeth,  with  a  simple  fang  or  root. 
Then  we  have  a  long  canine  or  flesh  tooth  C  C '. 
the  most  important  functional  tooth  the  cat 


FIG.  II. — SKULL  OF  THE   GREAT  SABRE-TOOTHED   CAT. 
FROM  THE  CAVES  OF   BRAZIL.    (Macliarodtts  Neogoeus.) 

has,    for     with   it    and  its  fellow  the  living, 


and  has  a  considerable  amount  of  flexibility     struggling  prey  is  seized,  retained,  and  killed, 
in  it  as  a  whole.  In   the  upper  jaw,  immediately   after    the 


352 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


canine,  are  three  premolars  PM.  These  are 
the  second  or  permanent  series,  and  succeed 
the  kitten's  milk-teeth.  The  first  one  is  very 
•  small,  and  has  only  a  single  cusp  ;  the  second 
,  is  .larger,  and  has  two  £usps  ;  the  third  is  the 
largest,  and  is  sometimes  called  the  "  sec- 
torial  "  tooth.  It  has  three  pointed  cusps  and 
three  fangs,  or  roots.  Immediately  behind  it, 
and  placed  somewhat  transversely,  is  the 
single  true  molar.  It  is  a  small  tooth,  of 


The  Axial  Skeleton  (see  p.  ^354)  consists  of 
the  bones  forming  the  neck,  thorax,  loins,  and 
tail.  The  neck  is  relatively  short,  and  con- 
sists of  seven  bones— a  number  almost  con- 
stant throughout  the  animal  kingdom,  the 
giraffe,  the  hippopotamus,  and  the  whale 
having  the  same  number.  Succeeding  these 
are  the  dorsal,  or  thoracic,  vertebrae  (thirteen 
in  number),  each  one  supporting  two  ribs — one 
on  each  side.  Then  follow  the  seven  vertebras 


—  B. 


FIG.  III. — SUPERFICIAL  FLEXOR 

TENDONS  OF  THE  CAT'S 

LEFT  FORE-FOOT 

A,   Perforatus,   or  flexor  sub- 

digitorum  ;  B,  Perforans,  or 

flexor  profitndus  digitorutn. 


FIG.  IV.  —BONES  AND  PRINCIPAL  LIGA- 
MENTS OF  A  CAT'S  TOE,  SHOWING 
MECHANISM  OF  RETRACTILE  CLAW. 
A,  Distal  or  terminal  phalanx;  B,  Middle; 
c,  Proximal ;  D,  Perforatus  tendon  ;  E,  Per- 
forans tendon  ;  F,  Elastic  ligament. 


IT. 


FIG.  V. — PADS    OF    CAT  S 
LEFT    FORE-FOOT. 

A,  Plantar  pad  ;   B,  Digital  pad ; 
c,  Pisiform  pad. 


obtuse  form,  and  indefinitely  cusped  ;    it  has 
no  predecessor  in  the  kitten's  milk  set. 

In  the  lower  jaw,  immediately  after  the 
canine  tooth,  there  are  only  two  premolars 
(PM.  PM'.)  in  the  permanent  set  which  have 
predecessors,  the  last  tooth  (M.)  being  the  only 
true  molar,  and  having  no  predecessor  in  the 
milk  set.  Occasionally,  in  the  lower  jaw  there 
is  a  small  premolar  corresponding  to  the  first 
premolar  of  the  upper  jaw.  In  the  kitten 
from  about  six  or  seven  weeks  to  about  five 
months  old,  there  are  only  twenty-six  teeth, 
the  number  and  form  being  very  similar  to 
the  adult  set.  The  two  permanent  molars  in 
the  upper  and  lower  jaw  are  absent. 


composing  the  lumbar  region.  They  are  stout, 
thick  bones,  with  long,  transverse  processes 
for  the  attachment  of  certain  muscles  sup- 
porting the  body  cavity,  etc.  No  ribs  are 
attached  to  these  bones.  Immediately  behind 
are  three  smaller  bones  forming  the  sacrum,  to 
which  the  pelvis,  or  hip-bones,  are  articulated. 
The  terminal  bones  of  the  axial  skeleton  are 
the  tail,  or  caudal,  and  vary  from  nineteen  to 
twenty-one. 

The  Ribs  (thirteen  on  each  side)  are  ex- 
tremely light,  elastic,  and  slender.  Nine  of 
these  on  each  side  join  the  sternum  or  breast- 
bone directly,  and  are  called  true  ribs  ;  the  re- 
mainder are  free,  and  terminate  in  cartilaginous 


THE    CAT'S    PLACE    AY   MATURE. 


353 


points,    which    are   adherent    to    the    true   rib 
terminations,  for  support. 

The  Sternum,  or  breast-bone,  consists  of 
eight  bones,  from  each  joint  of  which  springs 
a  rib-like  costal  cartilage,  to  which  the  true 
ribs  are  articulated.  The  cat's  collar-bone  or 
clavicle  is  very  short  and  rudimentary  ;  it  has 
a  slight  attachment  to  the  acromion  process  of 
the  scapula,  the  other  end  terminating  in  the 
muscles  of  the  chest.  It  is  often  absent. 

The  Appcndicular  Skeleton  includes  the  fore 
and  hind  limbs.  The  fore  limb  in  the  cat,  as 
in  the  majority  of  mammals  (see  plate, 
P-  355  )>  is  a  subtriangular  flat  bone,  with 
a  ridge  on  the  outer  side  for  the  attach- 
ment of  certain  muscles  moving  the  leg. 

In  a  small  hollow  on  the  posterior 
or  lower  border  is  articu- 
lated the  head  of  the 
hnmcrus  (4),  or  arm-bone  ; 
its  lower  or  distal  end  is 
expanded,  and  receives  the 
end  of  the  ulna  (10),  which 
with  the  radius  (9)  forms 
the  bones  of  the  forearm. 
The  wrist  or  carpal  bones 
(8)  include  seven  small 
bones,  the  upper  row  being 
attached  to  the  radius,  the 
lower  row  to  the  five  pha- 
langes of  the  toes  (7)  ;  to  these  latter  are 
articulated  the  bones  of  the  digits,  or  fingers. 

The  terminal 
bones  of  the  cat's 
foot  arc  encased 
by  powerful 
hooked  claws 
(Fig.  in.).  When 
at  rest,  the  claw 
is  brought  to  the 
outer  side  of  the 
middle  phalanx 
by  the  elastic 
ligament  F,  the 
flexor  tendons 
being  relaxed. 

KIG.    VI. C. — CATS    SKULL    FROM  c 

i:i-:i.o\v,  WITHOUT  LOWER  JAW,      "'hen  the  cat  is 
SHOWING  PALATAL  SURFACE.        on    the  point  of 
23 


FIG.    VI. «. CATS    SKULL' 

VIEW    FROM    ABOVE. 


FIG.  \i.b. — CAT'S 

WITH    LOWER 


seizing  its  prey, 
the  greater  power 
of  the  flexor  ten- 
dons stretches 
the  weaker  elas- 
tic ligament,  the 
claw  is  brought 
down,  and  so  a 
powerful  grip  is 
obtained.  The 
under-surface  of 
the  cat's  fore  and 
hind  feet  is  pro- 
tected by  certain 
hardened  pads  of 

subcutaneous  and  fibrous  tissue  —  viz.  the 
plantar  pad,  giving  chief  support  to  the  leg, 
and  the  digital  pads  pro- 
tecting the  claws,  etc. 
These  pads  are,  of  course, 
of  additional  use  in  aiding 
the  cat's  noiseless  and 
stealthy  progression. 

The  cat's  hind  limb  is 
articulated  by  a  ball  and 
socket  joint  to  the  hip-bone 
or  pelvis  (20),  which  is 
again  firmly  united  to  the 
three  bones  forming  the 
sacrum  D.  The  thigh-bone 
or  femur  (19)  sustains  the  whole  body,  and 
has  many  powerful  muscles  attached  to  it 
concerned  in  the  springing  movements  so 
characteristic  of  the  animal ;  to  its  lower  end 
is  articulated  the  principal  bone  of  the  lower 
leg,  the  tibia  (13).  At  the  union  of  these  two 
bones  on  the  anterior  side  is  the  knee-cap,  or 
patella  (12).  On  the  outer  aspect  of  the  tibia 
is  a  slender  bone,  the  fibula  (18),  its  outer  end 
being  attached  to  a  prominence  on  the  tibia, 
the  lower  end  to  one  of  the  large  bones  (the 
astragalus)  which  form  the,  tarsus  of  the  foot. 
The  Tar  sal  bones  (14)  consist  of  seven  bones, 
the  largest  of  which  is  the  os  calcis  (17),  or 
heel-bone,  to  which  powerful  muscles  are 
attached.  Succeeding  the  tarsal  bones  are  the 
four  bones  forming  the  metatarsal  bones  (the 
fifth  or  inner  toe  being  absent,  though  often 


SKULL,     SIDE     VIEW 
JAW    IN    PLACE. 


354 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


present  in  the  dog).  To  these  are  attached 
the  phalanges  of  the  toes,  with  the  claws,  etc., 
similar  to  the  fore  foot. 

A  better  idea  of  the  superficial  muscles  of 
the  cat  is  obtained  from  an  examination  of  the 
plate  than  by  any  technical  description.  It 


lives  too  much  in  the  lap  of  luxury  for  them  to 
attain  to  a  proportionate  development. 

A  well-known  writer  has  estimated  that 
there  are  500  muscles  concerned  in  the  move- 
ments of  the  cat's  body. 

The  cavity  of -the  cat's  body  is  separated 


FIG.    VII. — SUPERFICIAL     MUSCLF.S    OF     A     CAT. 


i. — Maxillaris. 

2. — Caninus,  or  Nasalis. 

3. — Orbicularis. 

4. — Temporalis. 

5. — Mastoideus. 

6. — Cephalo-humeral. 

7. — Posterior    and     anterior    portions    of 

8. — Infraspinatus.  [Trapezius. 

9. — Latissimus  dorsi. 
TO. — Great  Oblique. 
ii. — Prominence  of  Hip-bone. 
12. — Gluteus  niedius. 

13. — Prominence  of  Thigh-bone,  or  Femur. 
14. — Gluteus  maximus. 

15. — Muscles  concerned  in  the  movements 
of  the  Tail. 


16. — Fascia  lata  covering  deeper  muscles. 

17. — Biceps  femoralis. 

18. — Semi-tendinosus. 

19. — Gastrocnemius. 

20. — External  Saphenous  Vein. 

21. — Point  of  Heel,  or  Os  Calcis. 

22. — Plantar  or  Flexor  Tendons  of  Sole  of 

Foot. 

23. — Kxtensor  Tendons  of  Toes. 
24. — Internal  or  Inner  Saphenous. 
25. — Sartorius. 
26. — Rectus  abdominis. 
27. — Serratus  magnus. 
28. — Pectoralis  major. 
29. — Elbow,     or    Olecranon     Process     of 

Ulna. 


30. — Flexor  carpi  ulnaris. 

31. — Superficial  Extensors  of  Toes. 

32. — Annular  or  Wrist  Ligament. 

33. — Extensor  communis  digitorum. 

34. — Flexor  carpi  radial  is. 

35. — Extensor  carpi  raclialis. 

36.  — Triceps. 

37. — Scapular  deltoid. 

38. — Acromion  deltoid. 

39.  — Mastoideus. 

40.  — Sterno-h  void. 
41. — Parotid  Gland. 
42.  — Masseter  Muscle. 

43. — External  Maxillary  Vein. 

44.  — Zigomaticus. 

45. — Zigomalicus  labialis. 


will  be  seen  that  for  its  size  the  cat's  muscles 
are  well  developed  ;  its  kin,  the  lion  and  tiger, 
are  known  for  their  grodigious  strength  in 
bearing  away  young  oxen,  deer,  antelopes,  etc., 
upon  which  they  live,  as  well  as  for  their 
leaping  powers  and  agility  and  courage. 

Although  the   cat's   muscles   are   identical 
with  those  of  its  more  powerful  relatives,  it 


into  two  unequal  compartments  by  a  muscular 
partition  called  the  midriff  or  diaphragm.  In 
the  anterior  or  foremost  cavity  are  the  two 
lungs,  and  the  heart  and  its  blood-vessels  ;  in 
the  larger  or  most  posterior  compartment  is 
the  stomach,  intestines,  liver,  kidneys,  etc. 
Without  a  considerable  number  of  diagrams 
it  is  difficult  to  convey  in  a  popular  manner 


THE    CAT'S    PLACE 


NATURE. 


355 


some  peculiarities  of  these  internal  organs. 
The  cat's  tongue  (Fig.  x.)  is,  however,  very 
characteristic  of  the  order,  and  is  easily  ob- 
served. It  is  supplied  with  the  usual  glands 
common  to  all  mammals — viz.  tonsils  (B), 
flattened  soft  papillae  (c),  four  circumvallate 
papilla'  (D),  conical  papillae  (E),  and  the  more 


complicated  appearance  as  compared  with  the 
simpler  livers  of  other  animals.  The  gall- 
bladder is  present  in  the  usual  position.  The 
cat's  heart  is  somewhat  small  for  the  si/e  of 
the  animal,  and  is  not  so  pointed  at  its  apex 
as  in  other  animals ;  the  veins  entering  the 
heart,  and  the  branching  of  the  arteries  leaving 


Fid.     VIII. SKELETON     OE     A     CAT. 

A.   CERVICAL  OR  NECK  BONES  (7  in  number).      B.    DORSAL  OR  THORACIC  BONES  (13  in  number,  each  bearing  a  rib).      C.    LUMBAR 
BONKS  (7  in  number).       D.    SACRAL  BONES  (3  in  number).       K.   CAUDAL  OR  TAIL  BONES  (19  to  21  in  number). 


i. — Cranium,  or  Skull. 

2. — Scapula,  or  Shoulder-blade. 

3. — Clavicle,  or  Collar-bone. 

4. — Humerus. 

5. — Sternum,  or  Breast-bone. 

6. — Phalanges  of  the  Toes. 

7. — Metac^rpal  Bones. 


8. — Carpal  or  Wrist-bones. 

9. — Radius. 
10. — Ulna, 
ii. — Costal  cartilages,  uniting  ends  of  Ribs 

to  Sternum. 

12. — Patella,  or  Knee-cap. 
13.— Tibia. 


14. — Tarsal  Bones. 

15. — Metatarsal  Bones. 

16. — Phalanges  of  Hind  Toes. 

17. — Heel-bone,  or  "  Calcis." 

18.— Fibula. 

19. — Femur,  or  Thigh-bone. 

20. — Pelvis,  or  Hip-bone. 


minute  fungiform  papillae  (F).  The  peculiarity 
of  the  cat's  tongue  is  that  the  conical  papilhe 
are  specialised  into  horny  processes  or  hooks, 
as  shown  in  E  F,  and  are  of  value  not  only  in 
assisting  to  clear  the  flesh  from  bones,  but  are 
of  undoubted  use  in  cleaning  the  animal's  fur. 
The  cat  also  has  the  parotid,  sublingual,  and 
other  glands  concerned  in  the  preparation  of 
the  food  for  primary  digestion. 

The  cat's  liver  is  mainly  on  its  right  side  ; 
it  is  divided  into  several  lobes,  which  give  it  a 


it,  are  nearly  identical  with  those  of  closely 
allied  animals.  The  time  required  for  the 
complete  circulation  of  the  blood  throughout 
the  body  of  the  cat  is  fourteen  to  sixteen 
seconds.  The  pulse,  each  beat  of  which  corre- 
sponds to  one  contraction  of  the  left  ventricle 
of  the  heart,  may  easily  be  felt  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  fore-paw,  about  an  inch  above  the 
prominence  of  the  radius  ;  it  may  also  be  felt 
at  the  same  place  as  the  horse's  pulse — on  the 
inner  side  of  the  lower  jaw.  There  are  two 


356 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


other  situations  on  the  cat's  body  where  it 
may  be  felt,  but  to  find  the  exact  point 
requires  some  intimate  anatomical  knowledge. 
The  temperature,  or  normal  heat,  of  the  body 
of  the  cat  is  100°  F.  ;  it  may,  however,  be 
slightly  above  or  below  this. 

The  brain  of  the  cat,  following  the  general 
structure  of  the  higher  mammals,  is  divided 
into  very  similar  areas  or  divisions.  The 
larger  or  more  anterior  portion  is  called  the 
cerebrum  (Fig.  I.,  A),  and  is  divided  into  right 
and  left  hemispheres.  Its  surface  is  divided  into 
convolutions  or  gyri  (E)  by  certain  shallow 
fissures,  which  have  received  specific  names. 
Very  intimately  attached  to  the  under-surface 


In  all  the  higher  mammals  the  eye  can 
accommodate  itself  to  the  varying  influence  of 
light.  This  is  mainly  done  by  means  of  the 
central  black  part  or  pupil  (Fig.  ix.,  A).  The 
pupil  is  merely  a  hole  in  the  iris,  or  coloured 
part  of  the  eyeball  (B),  and  it  is  by  its  contrac- 
tion or  expansion  that  the  exact  amount  of  light 
necessary  is  admitted  to  act  upon  the  sensitive 
retina  at  the  back  of  the  eye.  The  form  of  the 
pupil  varies  considerably  in  different  animals. 
In  the  cat's  eye  during  bright  sunshine  it  is 
reduced  to  a  thin  vertical  line  ;  at  dusk  it 
expands  to  a  nearly  circular  form.  This  ver- 
tical reduction  is  by  no  means  common  to  the 
entire  cat  family.  In  very  many  species  the 


AT  DAY-TIME. 
A. — Contracted  linear  pupil. 
B. — Iris.  [nans). 

C. — Nictitating    membrane    (Plica    semilu- 
D. — Opening  of  the  Harclerian  Gland  Duct. 


FIG.     IX. — THE    CAT'S    EYE. 

AT    NIGHT-TIME. 

A. — Expanded  and  nearly  circular  pupil. 
B.— Iris. 

C. — Nictitating  membrane. 
D. — Opening  of  Harderian  Duct. 


C. — C'at'seye,  showing  the  third 
eyelid  or  nictitating  mem- 
brane fully  extended. 


of  this  part  of  the  brain  are  the  olfactory  lobes 
(D),  in  which  are  situated  certain  nerves  con- 
cerned in  the  sense  of  smell.  The  hinder  and 
smaller  part  of  the  brain  is  called  the  cere- 
bellum (B),  and  is  much  darker  in  colour  than 
the  cerebrum.  Its  surface  is  made  up  of 
numerous  small  foldings  of  its  substance, 
which,  on  section,  look  like  the  branches  of 
a  small  tree  ;  these  branches  finally  fuse  and 
terminate  on  the  under-side  of  the  base  of 
the  brain. 

Intimately  associated  in  a  most  complex 
manner  with  the  cerebrum  and  cerebellum  is 
the  medulla  oblongata  (c),  an  enlarged  part  of 
the  spinal  cord.  The  brain  of  the  cat,  it  may 
be  remarked,  is  not  nearly  so  highly  organised 
as  that  of  the  dog. 


pupil  retains  a  rounded  form  even  when  con- 
tracted to  its  minimum. 

On  the  inner  angle  of  the  cat's  eye  there 
is  a  curious  semi-transparent  fold  of  skin, 
called  by  naturalists  the  plica  semilunaris,  or 
nictitating  membrane.  In  reptiles  and  birds 
this  is  a  very  important  factor  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  eye  from  external  injuries,  and  it 
acts  also  as  a  regulator  of  the  admission  of 
light.  It  is  well  developed  in  nocturnal 
reptiles  and  birds,  and  as  the  cat's  ancestors 
were  doubtless  more  nocturnal  than  they  are 
now,  it  probably  was  in  active  use.  It  is, 
however,  useless  now,  the  cat  having  no  control 
over  it.  It  is  one  of  many  interesting  vestigial 
structures  the  cat  carries  about  with  it  of  its 
former  ancestry  from  a  lower-organised  animal. 


THE    CAT'S    PLACE    IN    NATURE. 


357 


THE    DISTRIBUTION7    OF   THE    CAT    FAMILY. 

Long-continued  and  systematic  study  of  the 
habits  of  living  animals  has  led  to  the  division 
of  the  surface  of  the  world  into  specific,  areas, 
called    Zoogeographical    regions, 
of  which  there  are   six — viz.  (i) 

(2)  Ethi- 
region  ;  (3) 
region  ;  (4) 
(5)  Xearctic 


PaUearctic      region 
opian    or    African 


Oriental  or  Indian 
Australian  region  ; 
or  North  American  region  ;  and 
(6)  Neotropical  or  South  Ameri- 
can region.  The  cats  of  the 
Old  World  and  of  the  New  World 
are,  with  the  exception  of  the 
debatable  northern  lynx,  speci- 
fically distinct.  No  native  cats 
exist  in  Australia. 

The  Palsearctic  region  com- 
prises the  whole  of  Europe,  part 
of  North  Africa,  and  extends 
eastward  to  Kamtchatka,  and 
includes  the  islands  of  Japan. 
There  are  about  twenty  -  one 
known  species  of  the  cat  family 
inhabiting  this  extensive  area, 
the  best-known  being  the  tiger, 
which  is  found  in  Mongolia  ; 


are  known  to  inhabit  this  region.     The  best- 
known  are  the  lion,  leopard,  serval,  Egyptian 
cat,  caracal  lynx,  and  cheetah.     The  Oriental 
or  Indian  region  includes  a  strip  of  southern 
Persia,     the     whole     of     India, 
China,  and  the  Malay  peninsula, 
Borneo,    and     other    islands    of 
the     East     Indian     Archipelago. 
There   are  about  sixteen  species 
inhabiting  this  region.     The  best- 

known  examples  of  the  cat  family 

here  are  the  lion  (inhabiting  the 
southern  portions  of  Persia), 
tiger,  leopard,  cheetah,  clouded 
leopard,  and  a  great  variety  of 
the  smaller  species. 

The  Nearctic  or  North  Ameri- 
can region  includes  Greenland 
and  the  whole  of  the  continent 
of  North  America  down  to 
Mexico  City  and  Vera  Cruz. 

A.-Epiglottis  or  upper  cartilage      Tllere    ar6    Ollly   S6Ven    indigenous 

species  of  the  cat  family,  the 
best-known  being  the  puma, 
which  also  extends  into  the  neo- 
tropical region,  the  northern 
and  the  bay  lynx. 


X. — SURFACE  OK  THE 
CAT'S  TONGUE.' 


of  windpipe. 
B.— Tonsil. 

C. — Flattened  or  soft  papilla;. 
D. — Circumvallate  papillae. 
E. — Horny  conical  papilla?. 
E.I. — The  same  enlarged. 
F. — Fungiform  papilla;. 


the  common 
leopard,  widely  distributed  in  Southern  Siberia  ; 
the  snow  leopard,  wild  cats,  the  lynx,  and  many 
others.  The  Ethiopian  or  African  region  in- 
cludes the  whole  of  the  continent  of  Africa  up 
to  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  and  the  greater  part  of 
Arabia  and  Madagascar.  About  nine  species 


The  Neotropical  or  South  American  region 
extends  from  Vera  Cruz  in  Central  America, 
through  the  whole  of  South  America  to  Pata- 
gonia. About  thirteen  well-marked  species  of 
the  cat  family  inhabit  this  region.  The  better- 
known  species  are  the  puma,  jaguar,  ocelot, 
margay,  pampas  cat,  and  the  curious  eeyra. 

ROBERT  HOLDING. 


23* 


35* 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 

By  HENRY  GRAY,  M.R.C.V.S. 


GIVING   MEDICINE. 


ADMINISTRATION    OF    MEDICINE. 

IN  the  treat- 
ment of 
the  dis- 
eases of  the 
cat,  the  cor- 
rect method 
of  adminis- 
tering what- 
ever medica- 
ments are 
deemed  ne- 
cessary is  a 
most  import- 
ant consider- 
ation. To  the 
uninitiated 
and  timid  the 
task  is  gener- 
ally a  difficult 

one,  and  may,  in  some  cases,  appear  almost 
impossible ;  but  with  a  little  practice,  aided 
by  courage  and  determination,  the  difficulties 
can  nearly  always  be  overcome.  The  admin- 
istration of  medicine,  however,  is  seldom  so 
easy  in  the  case  of  the  cat  as  in  that  of 
the  dog. 

Some  cats  are  so  gentle  that  the  mouth 
can  easily  be  opened  by  means  of  the  index 
finger  and  thumb  of  the  left  hand  acting 
as  a  wedge  between  the  jaws.  The  palm  of 
the  hand  rests  on  the  top  of  the  head,  while 
the  finger  and  thumb  gently  but  firmly  press 
the  cheeks  at  the  angle  of  the  jaws  inwards, 
until  they  intervene  between  the  finger  and 
thumb  of  the  operator  and  the  posterior  teeth 
of  the  patient. 

The  jaws  being  thus  kept  open,  and  the 
head  at  the  same  time  raised,  the  right  hand 
of  the  operator  drops  the  pill  or  powder  at  the 
back  of  the  mouth  between  the  tongue  and 
palate.  This  having  been  accomplished,  the 
right  hand  is  passed  under  the  lower  jaw,  so 
as  to  keep  the  head  raised  until  the  animal 
swallows,  while  the  left  hand  is  withdrawn 
from  its  previous  position  and  the  jaws  allowed 
to  close,  thus  facilitating  the  act  of  swallowing. 
For  the  administration  of  liquid  medicine 


it  is  not  necessary  to  open  the  mouth.  The 
operator  grasps  the  head  with  his  left  hand, 
and  taking  the  spoon  in  his  right  he  slowly 
and  carefully  drops  the  liquid  between  the 
teeth,  or  into  the  space  between  the  cheek  and 
teeth,  at  the  angle  of  the  mouth.  For  the  cat, 
a  coffee-spoon  is  preferable  to  a  tea-spoon,  and 
care  must  be  taken  that  too  much  is  not 
poured  into  the  mouth  at  once.  The  dose 
should  be  administered  drop  by  drop,  and 
time  allowed  for  swallowing. 

DISEASES    OF    THE    STOMACH. 

Vomiting,  though  a  symptom  common  to 
many  diseases,  may  be  quite  natural  in  some 
instances,  such  as  over-feeding  or  during  the 
weaning  period,  when  the  mother-cat  eats  a 
lot  of  animal  food  and  then  brings  it  home 
and  vomits  it  up  for  her  young  kittens  to  feed 
upon. 

The  act  consists  of  ejecting  the  contents 
of  the  stomach  up  through  the  gullet  and  then 
out  of  the  mouth. 

The  causes  of  vomition  are  various  :  Worms 
travelling  from  the  bowel  into  the  stomach, 
emetics,  expectorants,  poisons,  foreign  bodies 
(as  hair,  cork,  pins,  etc.)  ;  bad  or  altered  food, 
blood-poisoning,  distemper,  gastritis,  tumours, 
tuberculosis,  jaundice,  diseases  of  the  kidneys, 
etc.,  may  produce  it. 

It  may  also  occur  from  parasites  in  the 
ear,  foreign  bodies  in  the  mouth,  and  as  a 
symptom  of  brain  disease,  such  as  meningitis. 

Treatment. — This  depends  upon  the  cause, 
which  should  be  removed  if  possible.  When 
due  to  foreign  bodies  or  altered  food,  an  emetic 
(especially  the  hypodermic  injection  of  Vo  to 
oV  grain  of  apomorphine  hydrochloride)  would 
most  likely  remove  the  source  of  trouble.  If 
the  foreign  body  cannot  be  removed  by  simple 
means,  an  operation  may  be  deemed  necessary. 
If  due  to  inflammation  of  the  stomach,  bismuth 
and  aerated  soda-water  are  of  great  value. 
Ice  and  cocaine  or  chloretone  are  occasionally 
useful  when  these  have  failed.  Sometimes  it 
is  necessary  to  wash  the  stomach  out  with 
mild  antiseptics.  If  of  nervous  origin,  a  hypo- 
dermic injection  of  TV  to  |  grain  of  morphine,  or 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


359 


five-minim  doses  of  tincture  of  opium  or  bromide 
of  potassium,  given  by  the  mouth,  may  prove 
successful.  When  resulting  from  tumours  or 
tuberculosis,  humanity  dictates  that  the  lethal 
chamber  should  be  called  into  requisition  and 
the  animal  put  out  of  its  misery.  Easily 
assimilable  and  non  -  irritating  food  only 
should  be  given  for  a  few  days.  Aerated 
soda-water  forms  the  best  drinking  fluid. 

Gastritis,  or  inflammation  of  the  stomach, 
is  sometimes  called  gastric  fever,  and  when  of 
a  mild  type,  gastric  catarrh.  Its  causes  are 
variable.  It  may  be  due  to  altered  or  de- 
composed food,  distemper,  microbes  of  various 
kinds,  large  doses  of  emetics  or  aperients, 
mineral  poisons,  chills,  absorption  of  dressing 
applied  to  the  skin,  or  licking  the  same  off. 
It  is  also  caused  by  worms,  especially  the  broad- 
necked  tapeworm  (Tcenia  crassicollis),  travelling 
into  the  stomach  and  setting  up  irritation. 
Again,  diseases  of  the  uterus,  liver,  kidneys, 
and  other  organs  give  rise  to  gastritis.  It 
frequently  rages  as  an  epizootic,  causing  con- 
siderable mortality  in  some  catteries,  especially 
after  cat  shows. 

Symptoms. — The  disease  is  ushered  in  by 
sudden  vomiting  of  the  food,  followed  by  the 
repeated  rejection  of  ropy  mucus,  and  then, 
if  the  case  is  severe,  this  is  succeeded  by  a  thin, 
clear,  greenish  yellow  or  bloody  fluid  ;  saliva 
flows  from  the  mouth,  the  thirst  is  great, 
especially  for  cold  water,  which  is  generally 
expelled  almost  as  soon  as  taken  ;  there  is 
a  distressed  appearance,  restlessness,  or  a  fre- 
quent shifting  of  the  posture.  As  a  rule,  the 
animal  prefers  to  lie  on  its  belly  full  length, 
with  its  limbs  resting  on  cold  objects. 

Pressure  on  the  region  of  the  stomach 
causes  moaning  and  sometimes  vomiting. 
After  the  lapse  of  some  time,  when  a  fatal 
termination  is  advancing,  the  eyes  appear 
sunken,  the  pupils  become  dilated,  the  ex- 
pression is  sad,  the  animal  becomes  cold  and 
indifferent  to  his  surroundings,  the  mouth 
gives  off  an  offensive  odour,  and  the  coat  is 
dull,  open,  and  lustreless.  The  animal  dies 
either  in  a  comatose  state  or  from  sudden 
failure  of  the  heart  during  a  fit  of  vomiting. 
Treatment.— If  recognised  early,  an  emetic 
is  sometimes  very  useful  in  cutting  short  the 
complaint.  No  food  or  ordinary  water  should 
be  allowed  until  twenty-four  to  forty-eight 
hours  have  elapsed  since  the  last  vomiting  ; 
but  a  teaspoonful  of  Brand's  essence  of  beef 
jelly  and  two  to  four  teaspoonfuls  of  aerated 


water  should  be  given  every  four  hours. 
Bismuth  subnitrate  or  carbonate  in  five-grain 
doses  may  be  shaken  on  the  tongue  an  hour 
before  these  two  latter  are  administered. 

If  this  means  of  treatment  should  prove 
ineffectual  after  twenty-four  hours,  one  may 
conclude  that  the  disease  is  of  a  severe  type, 
and  in  this  case  one  to  five  minims  of  the 
liquid  extract  of  opium  in  a  little  mucilage,  or 
chloretone,  £  to  2\  grains,  should  be  given 
every  three  hours.  Feeding  by  means  of  rectal 
suppositories,  or  injection  of  an  ounce  of  milk 
containing  a  little  common  salt,  may  be 
attempted.  Finally,  if  this  fail,  washing  out 
the  stomach  with  borax  or  boracic  acid,  or 
chinosol  and  warm  water,  and  a  hypodermic 
injection  of  bullock's  or  sheep's  serum  might 
be  tried.  In  gastric  inflammation  due  to  in- 
fection the  hypodermic  injection  of  quinine 
hydrochloride  or  trichloride  of  iodine  will  some- 
times answer  when  everything  else  has  failed. 
Cocaine  and  orthoform  have  no  advantage  over 
opiates,  especially  the  denarcotised  prepara- 
tions, in  soothing  the  stomach.  Ice  in  small 
pieces  pushed  down  the  throat  sometimes 
answers  in  assuaging  the  thirst  when  the  soda- 
water  does  not.  In  the  chronic  form,  doses 
of  £  to  |  grain  of  calomel  or  mercury  with 
chalk  given  with  bismuth  three  times  a  day 
are  beneficial  in  many  instances. 

Enteritis,  or  inflammation  of  the  in- 
testines or  bowels,  frequently  co-exists  with 
gastritis,  and  then  the  disease  takes  on  the 
term  of  gastro-enteritis.  The  causes,  like  those 
of  gastritis,  are  various.  It  may  be.  due  to 
infection,  bad  food,  drugs,  foreign  bodies,  chills, 
distemper,  intussusception  or  irritating  enemas, 
etc.  There  also  seems  to  be  a  special  con- 
tagious  type  of  this  disease  which  frequently 
causes  great  mortality  in  catteries,  especially 
with  kittens.  Generally  the  small  intestine 
forms  the  seat  of  the  disease,  which  may  in 
rare  cases,  however,  extend  the  whole  length 
of  the  bowel,  which  is  sometimes  lined  with  a 
croupy  or  diphtheritic  membrane. 

The  symptoms  are  restlessness,  great  pain, 
frequent  crying  or  moaning,  offensive  and 
profuse  and  frequent  diarrhoea,  the  dejections 
varying  in  colour  and  consistence  and  fre- 
quently containing  blood,  and  sometimes  vomit- 
ing, especially  when  the  stomach  is  implicated  ; 
thirst  is  intense,  food  is  refused,  the  animal  is 
cold,  haggard,  and  depressed  ;  its  fur  is  dull, 
open,  and  lustreless,  and  becomes  soiled,  giving 
off  an  abominable  odour.  When  the  abdomen 


360 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


is  manipulated,  the  animal  cries  or  moans  from 
the  pain  caused.  If  the  pupils  are  dilated  and 
the  expression  has  an  anxious  appearance,  and 
emaciation  is  rapid,  a  fatal  termination  may 
be  anticipated. 

The  treatment  varies  according  to  the  cause. 
If  the  case  is  seen  in  the  early  stage  a  tea-  to  a 
dessert-spoonful  of  castor-oil  containing  i  to  2\ 
minims  of  liquid  extract  of  opium  may  be 
given  at  once,  to  clear  out  any  irritating 
material  from  the  bowels  and  also  to  allay 
pain  and  irritation  ;  or  morphine  in  TV  to  TV 
grain  doses  may  be  injected  under  the  skin 
every  four  hours.  Bismuth  salicylate,  in  five- 
grain  doses,  should  be  dropped  on  the  tongue 
about  the  same  time.  Starch  enemas  con- 
taining liquid  extract  of  opium  may  also  be 
administered.  Boiled  milk  containing  bicar- 
bonate of  soda  should  be  given  in  small  and 
repeated  quantities. 

Turpentine  stupes  frequently  applied  to  the 
abdomen  are  recommended,  but,  where  this  is 
objected  to,  the  floor  of  the  abdomen  may  be 
painted  with  tincture  of  capsicum,  or  tincture 
of  iodine,  until  soreness  is  produced,  the  hair 
being  first  clipped  off. 

In  those  cases  of  epizootic  nature,  isolation 
is  called  for.  The  food  and  surroundings 
should  be  changed,  and  the  catteries  and 
utensils  thoroughly  cleansed  and  disinfected. 
In  the  chronic  form  a  powder  composed  of 
bismuth  salicylate  2  to  5  grains,  and  /3- 
naphthol  i  to  2 J-  grains,  should  be  shaken  on 
the  tongue  three  times  a  day.  Milk  and  rice 
form  the  best  diet. 

Diarrhoea,  like  vomiting,  is  not  a  disease 
of  itself,  but  an  expression  of  many  different 
affections.  It  may  be  salutary  or  otherwise. 
It  may  be  due  to  aperients,  irritating  or 
indigestible  food,  microbes,  diseases  of  the 
bowels,  kidneys,  and  liver.  It  frequently 
results  from  distemper  or  gastro-enteritis, 
tuberculosis,  intestinal  catarrh,  and  from  lick- 
ing applications  put  on  the  skin  in  the  treat- 
ment of  skin  affections.  Sour  milk,  tainted 
miik  or  fish,  and  chills  will  also  induce  it.  In 
kittens  improper  food,  especially  during  hot 
weather,  is  a  common  cause. 

The  symptoms  are  a  looseness  of  the  de- 
jections from  the  bowels,  which  are  passed 
several  times  a  day.  The  stools  vary  in 
colour  according  to  the  food  taken  by  the 
animal,  or  according  to  the  severity  of  the 
cause  ;  they  are  generally  of  a  very  offensive 
odour,  and  may  contain  blood. 


Treatment. — If  the  cause  of  the  diarrhoea  is 
due  to  irritating  food,  a  dose  of  castor-oil  will 
be  beneficial.  When  due  to  catarrh  of  the 
bowels,  the  carbonate,  subnitrate,  or  salicylate 
of  bismuth,  in  five-grain  doses,  two  or  three 
times  a  day,  is  the  most  appropriate  treat- 
ment. If  it  is  associated  with  distemper  or 
typhus,  the  bismuth  salts  mentioned  above,  or 
tannablin  or  tannigen,  in  2\-  to  5-grain  doses, 
are  suitable.  For  chronic  diarrhoea,  2\  to  5 
grains  of  salicylate  of  bismuth,  with  i  to  5 
grains  of  /3-naphthol,  given  three  times  a  day  on 
the  food,  is  generally  followed  by  recovery. 

Failing  this,  a  mixture  composed  of  dilute 
sulphuric  acid,  concentrated  infusion  of  cloves, 
and  concentrated  infusion  of  haematoxylin 
should  be  tried. 

When  the  diarrhcea  is  due  to  irritation  of 
the  so-called  large  or  posterior  bowel,  injections 
containing  starch,  laudanum,  and  tannic  acid 
should  be  used. 

As  long  as  the  diarrhcea  lasts,  no  meat  or 
meat  infusions  should  be  given,  but  milk,  rice- 
pudding,  bread  and  milk,  and  such-like  food 
are  suitable. 

Constipation  is  an  impaction  of  faeces  in 
the  hind  bowel,  and  is  generally  due  to  weak- 
ness of  this  portion  of  gut,  or  results  from  a 
cleanly  animal  having  no  place  to  evacuate 
its  faeces  in.  Sometimes  it  is  due  to  a  ball  of 
fur,  and  occasionally  foreign  bodies,  such  as 
cat's-meat  skewers,  being  swallowed  along  with 
the  meat  by  a  greedy  animal.  When  due  to 
paralysis  of  the  bowel,  which  is  occasionally 
seen  in  young  cats,  the  abdomen  becomes 
distended  by  the  faeces  in  the  bowel.  It  also 
occurs  as  a  symptom  of  spinal  paralysis.  The 
non-passage  of  fasces  seen  in  cats  when  not 
well  and  not  taking  solid  food  must  not  be 
,  confounded  with  constipation. 

The  symptoms,  as  a  rule,  are  the  non- 
passage  of  fseces  for  some  time,  distension  of 
the  abdomen,  and  impaction  of  the  bowel  with 
fasces  which  can  be  felt  by  manipulating  the 
abdomen. 

Treatment. — A  dose  of  castor-oil  and  an 
enema  of  soapy  water  or  glycerine  will  gener- 
ally put  matters  right.  If  these  means  do  not 
succeed,  massage  or  kneading  of  the  bowels, 
by  grasping  the  abdomen  with  the  hand  and 
alternately  compressing  and  relaxing  the  grasp, 
will  assist  to  stimulate  the  intestines  to  force 
on  their  contents.  Of  course,  this  only  applies 
when  impaction  is  due  to  soft  material  and 
not  hard  foreign  bodies,  which,  in  this  latter 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


case,  should  be  removed  by  the  fingers  or 
forceps.  If  any  irritation  of  the  mucous 
membrane,  evidenced  by  frequent  straining  as 
if  to  pass  faeces,  remains  after  the  bowels  have 
been  relieved,  an  enema  of  warm  salad-oil, 
containing  a  few  drops  of  liquid  extract  of 
opium,  will  allay  it,  and  prevent  straining. 
In  case  of  the  bowel  remaining  weakened  or 
paralysed  so  as  to  bring  about  a  recurrence  of 
the  constipation,  pills  containing  TV  grain  of  the 
alcoholic  extract  of  nux  vomica  should  be  ad- 
ministered morning,  noon,  and  night  after  food. 

WORMS,  OR  INTERNAL  ANIMAL  PARASITES. 

Cats,  like  all  other  animals,  are  liable  to 
be  infested  with  worms,  which  may  not  cause 
any  disturbance,  unless  in  great  numbers  or 
when  another  disease  is  in  existence. 

The  Common  Round -worm  is  very  preva- 
lent in  young  kittens,  generally  when  they  are 
living  on  milk,  upon  which  these  worms  thrive. 

Their  natural  residence  in  the  cat  is  in  the 
small  intestine,  but  sometimes  they  wander 
from  here  into  the  stomach,  and  set  up  vomit- 
ing and  occasionally  convulsions. 

Treatment. — The  worms  should  be  expelled 
and  the  animal  fed  on  nutritious  and  stimu- 
lating food,  such  as  raw  fish,  raw  meat,  and 
fresh  birds.  The  milk,  to  which  is  added  a 
pinch  of  salt,  should  be  boiled.  The  best 
remedy  to  expel  these  worms  is  santonin 
given  along  with  or  followed  by  an  aperient. 
The  following  is  a  convenient  formula  :— 


Santonin 
Calomel 


i   gram. 
*       » 


This  powder  is  to  be  dropped  on  the  back 
of  the  tongue  of  an  adult  cat  after  fasting 
twelve  hours,  every  other  morning,  until  four 
doses  have  been  given.  Half  this  quantity  is 
suitable  for  a  cat  three  or  four  months  old,  and 
a  quarter  for  a  kitten  of  a  month  to  six  weeks 
of  age. 

The  commonest  Tapeworm  of  the  cat  is 
the  Teenia  elliptica  vel  felis,  with  which  fifty 
per  cent,  or  more  are  affected.  It  is  caused 
by  fleas,  lice,  and  mange-mites  which  have  at 
some  time  or  another  infested  the  cat. 

They  do  not  seem  to  cause  much  harm, 
even  when  numbering  hundreds.  In  one  case 
that  I  encountered  the  cat  was  in  the  pink  of 
condition,  and  yet  I  found  700  of  these  worms. 

It  is  a  delicate  tapeworm  with  joints  re- 
sembling a  cucumber  in  outline.  The  ripe 
joints,  which  are  often  of  a  reddish  tint,  fre- 


quently become  detached,  and  pass  with  the 
faeces,  on  which  they  are  seen.  They  are 
generally  termed  by  fanciers  maw-worms. 

Treatment. — The  worms  should  be  expelled, 
and  fleas,  lice,  or  mange-mites  destroyed,  so  as 
to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the  trouble. 

Another  tapeworm  of  the  cat  is  the  Teenia 
crassicollis,  or  broad-necked  species.  It  is 
seen  only  in  cats  that  kill  and  eat  rats  and 
mice,  in  the  liver  of  which  the  larval  form  of 
this  parasite  resides. 

It  is  a- big,  coarse  tapeworm,  measuring 
eighteen  to  thirty  inches  in  length,  and  having 
no  well-defined  neck. 

Treatment. — For  the  expulsion  of  tape- 
worms there  are  many  remedies,  the  best  of 
which  are  areca  nut,  kamala,  oil  of  male  fern, 
pomegranate,  and  kousso,  but  as  the  dose  of 
these  in  the  crude  is  generally  too  bulky  for 
the  cat,  it  is  advisable  to  give  either  of  them, 
with  the  exception  of  the  male  fern,  in  their 
alkaloidal  form,  as  : — 


Koussein 
Kamalin 
Arecoline 
Pelletierine 


tO    2 

to    2 

to 
to 


grams. 


Any  one  of  these  may  be  given  either  in 
pill  or  tabloid  form,  or  rubbed  up  with  milk 
sugar,  as  a  powder  on  an  empty  stomach  after 
the  animal  has  fasted  at  least  twelve  hours,  and 
repeated  every  third  or  fourth  morning.  A 
dose  of  castor-oil  or  jalap  should  be  given 
an  hour  after.  The  oil  of  male-fern  is  best 
administered  in  a  capsule.  Powdered  pumpkin 
seed  may  be  sprinkled  on  the  food, 

DISEASES    OF    THE    KIDNEYS. 

Diseases  of  the  kidneys,  such  as  degener- 
ation, fatty  degeneration,  parasitic  disease, 
tuberculosis,  cancer,  acute  and  chronic  Bright's 
disease,  and  calculi  are  not  rare,  but,  as 
the  space  at  our  command  is  limited,  we 
only  mention  them. 

Incontinence,  or  the  involuntary  passage 
of  urine,  is  usually  due  to  weakness  of  the 
bladder,  brought  about  by  over-distension. 
It  sometimes  results  from  injury  to  the  spine 
and  calculi. 

The  treatment  that  is  best  suited  for  this  is 
the  administration  of  TV  grain  of  the  alcoholic 
extract  of  nux  vomica  and  1  grain  of  quinine 
in  a  pill  three  times  a  day.  If  there  be 
irritability  of  the  bladder,  soda  bicarbonate 
2  grains  and  extract  of  henbane  -J  grain  in  a 
pill  should  be  given. 


362 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


Retention  of  urine  is  generally  caused  by 
a  calculus  or  chalky  material  blocking  up  the 
urethra  or  canal  leading  from  the  bladder,  and 
preventing  the  exit  of  the  fluid.  If  relief 
is  not  given  to  the  bladder — that  is,  if  the 
obstruction  is  not  immediately  removed — the 
urine  decomposes  and  then  sets  up  inflamma- 
tion of  the  bladder,  and  death  takes  place 
from  unemic  poisoning. 

Symptoms. — The  cat  seems  in  pain,  and 
makes  ineffectual  attempts  to  pass  its  urine  ; 
it  strains  to  no  purpose  ;  it  seems  restless, 
getting  up,  lying  down,  rolling  on  its  side, 
swishing  its  tail,  looking  towards  its  side,  and 
crying.  After  a  time  the  animal  becomes 
drowsy  and  indifferent.  If  the  abdomen  is 
manipulated,  the  bladder  will  be  felt  to  be 
distended,  hard,  and  painful. 

Treatment. — The  only  rational  treatment  is 
to  remove  the  obstruction  and  pass  the  catheter 
immediately,  a  special  silver  catheter,  half  the 
size  of  the  smallest  human  catheter,  being  re- 
quired for  this  purpose.  If  the  urine  is  bloody, 
it  may  be  necessary  to  wash  out  the  bladder 
with  a  warm  solution  of  boracic  acid  and 
alkalis  and  sedatives,  but  no  meat  or  meat 
extracts  should  be  given. 

DISEASES  OF   AIR   PASSAGES  AND   LUNGS. 

A  Common  Cold,  or  coryza,  or  acute  nasal 
catarrh,  or  cold  in  the  head,  is  caused  by 
exposing  the  cat  to  the  inclement  weather,  or 
washing  it  and  not  thoroughly  drying  after- 
wards. It  may  also  be  due  to  the  irritating 
vapours  of  chloroform  or  ether  used  by 
inhalation  to  produce  anaesthesia.  Letting  a 
cat  out  in  the  cold  and  wet  after  it  has  been 
used  to  a  warm,  dry  dwelling  sometimes  results 
in  a  cold.  It  is  not  contagious,  but  is  fre- 
quently mistaken  for  distemper. 

Symptoms. — There  is  frequent  sneezing,  and 
sometimes  a  cough  ;  a  clear  watery  discharge 
trickles  from  the  corner  of  the  eyelids  and 
nostrils.  After  a  time  this  discharge  becomes 
gluey,  thick,  and  yellowish  or  greenish  ;  the 
eyelids  become  partially  closed,  and  the  haw 
protrudes  over  the  front  of  the  eyeball  ;  food 
is  refused,  or  sparingly  eaten  ;  the  fur  is  dull 
and  open  ;  warm  or  dark  corners  are  sought 
for  ;  the  animal  trembles  and  seems  miserable. 
If  the  throat  is  sore,  there  is  a  cough;  the 
breathing  is  wheezy,  and  a  discharge  may 
issue  from  the  angles  of  the  mouth.  These 
symptoms  generally  pass  away  in  a  few  days. 

Treatment. — Where  many  cats  are  kept,  an 


animal  suffering  from  "  a  cold "  should  be 
isolated  from  the  rest  as  soon  as  possible,  as 
it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  a  simple  case 
of  "  catarrh  "  from  the  early  stage  of  a  case  of 
distemper.  A  warm  place,  well  ventilated,  but 
free  from  draughts,  is  essential. 

Raw  meat,  scraped  and  given  three  times 
a  day,  is  the  best  diet.  Fish,  milk,  bread-and- 
milk,  or  rice-pudding  should  be  offered. 

A  small  pilule  of  half  a  grain  of  quinine 
sulphate  should  be  dropped  at  the  back  of 
the  mouth  three  times  a  day.  The  nostrils 
and  eyelids  should  be  sponged  with  a  warm 
solution  of  boric  acid,  containing  eight  grains 
to  the  ounce  of  water,  and  afterwards  smeared 
with  a  little  white  vaseline  three  times  a  day. 
Sanitas  or  turpentine  should  be  sprinkled  on 
the  floor  of  the  room.  Great  relief  is  often 
given  by  inhaling  the  fumes  of  eucalyptus  oil 
dropped  into  a  jug  of  boiling  water. 

Chronic  Nasal  Catarrh,  sometimes  called 
"feline  glanders,"  differs  from  the  preceding 
complaint,  inasmuch  as  it  runs  a  longer  and 
more  persistent  course  ;  it  may,  however,  follow 
on  simple  catarrh  which  has  been  neglected. 
Distemper  is  one  of  the  commonest  causes  of 
it,  but  it  is  also  seen  after  diphtheria.  It  may 
occur  as  a  symptom  of  tuberculosis,  foreign 
bodies  in  the  nasal  channels,  malignant  growths, 
such  as  sarcoma  or  cancer  attacking  the  tur- 
binated  bones,  diseased  bone,  or  teeth,  etc. 

When  neglected,  it  may  last  for  months  or 
even  years,  and  is  frequently  incurable. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  persistent  gluey, 
odourless,  or  sometimes  foetid  discharge  either 
of  a  gelatinous  or  yellowish  appearance,  with 
or  without  streaks  of  blood  from  the  nostrils, 
the  outsides  of  which  are  sometimes  ulcerated. 
The  throat  may  be  swollen ;  the  appetite  and 
general  condition  of  the  animal  are  often  pre- 
served. Sometimes  there  is  an  abscess  in  the 
inner  corner  of  the  eye. 

Treatment. — In  those  cases  that  are  due  to 
malignant  tumours  or  tuberculosis,  and,  in 
consequence,  incurable,  merciful  destruction  of 
the  animal  is  called  for.  If  due  to  foreign 
bodies — as  fish-bones,  pieces  of  grass,  or  food, 
or  to  diseased  teeth — they  should  be  removed. 

Syringing  the  nostrils,  so  as  to  wash  the 
diseased  lining  membrane  of  the  nasal  channels, 
with  some  mild  antiseptic  is  the  only  means  to 
insure  success.  The  mode  of  procedure  is  this  : 
A  skilled  assistant  must  firmly  secure  the 
animal  between  his  hands — that  is,  he  holds 
the  limbs  firmly — then  the  operator  grasps  the 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


363 


head  with  his  left  hand,  taking  care  to  keep 
the  mouth  shut  by  means  of  the  thumb  and 
index  finger,  and  steadies  it  on  the  table  ;  and 
with  the  right  hand  he  carefully  and  gently 
passes  the  pipe  of  the  syringe  up  one  of  the 
nasal  channels  and  then  presses  out  the  fluid. 
\Yhen  this  is  finished,  the  other  nostril  is 
served  the  same. 

The  following  is  a  suitable  formula  for  the 
solution  to  be  injected  : — 

Alum       .          .          .          .          .30  grains. 

Boric  Acid      ....     2  drachms. 

Liquid  Extract  of  Hydrastis  .     2          „ 

Warm  Water  .          .         .     £  pint. 

This  should  be  used  every  other  day  until 
some  benefit  is  derived  from  it.  If  the  disease 
is  not  amenable  after  a  fortnight's  adoption  of 
this  treatment,  the  following  should  be  substi- 
tuted :— 

Tincture  of  Iodine  (B.  P.)  .  10  minims. 
Glycerine  ....  6  ounces. 
Warm  Water  .  .  .  I  ounce. 

Pills  of  iron,  quinine,  arsenic,  and  such-like, 
as  well  as  plenty  of  flesh  food  along  with 
cod-liver  oil,  should  be  given.  Fresh  air  is 
invigorating,  and  a  change  to  the  seaside  some- 
times does  miracles.  Eucalyptus  sprinkled 
about  the  cat's  box  is  useful,  because  it  acts 
not  only  as  an  antiseptic,  but  as  a  stimulant 
to  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  nostrils. 

Bronchitis,  or  inflammation  of  the  bron- 
chial or  air  tubes,  may  occur  as  a  sequel 
to  catarrh  or  during  its  course,  and  may  also 
accompany  distemper.  It  is  also  due  to  small 
worms  in  the  tubes ;  washing  followed  by  ex- 
posure to  draughts  ;  medicine,  especially  light 
powders,  going  down  the  windpipe,  etc.  It  is 
frequently  due  to  tuberculosis. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  frequent  cough,  the 
breathing  is  wheezy,  and  sometimes  quickened 
or  difficult.  The  desire  for  warmth  is  great  ; 
there  is  shivering,  ana  perhaps  a  discharge 
from  the  eyes  and  nose.  On  listening  to  the 
chest  by  means  of  the  stethoscope,  wheezing 
or  hissing  or  bubbling  sounds  will  be  heard. 

Treatment, — The  animal  should  be  kept  in 
a  constant  temperature  of  60°  F.,  and  have 
warm  milk  and  beef  administered  to  it.  The 
throat  and  sides  should  be  rubbed  with  oil  of 
mustard.  Inhalations  of  steam  are  useful 
when  expectoration  seems  difficult.  Kermes 
mineral  (two  grains)  and  powdered  squill  (one 
grain)  should  be  given. 

Pneumonia,  or  inflammation  of  the  sub- 
stance of  the  lungs,  may  be  due  to  various 


causes,  such  as  exposure  to  cold,  chills  after 
washing,  medicines  passing  down  the  wind- 
pipe, foreign  bodies,  blood-poisoning,  small 
worms,  and  principally  distemper  or  tuber- 
culosis. It  may  be  associated  with  pleuris} 
or  bronchitis,  and  is  then  termed  pleuro-pneu- 
monia  or  broncho-pneumonia  respectively ; 
and  also  sometimes  with  a  purulent  collection 
or  tuberculosis,  and  then  it  receives  the  names 
septic  pneumonia  or  tubercular  pneumonia,  or 
phthisis. 

Symptoms. — At  first  there  is  intense  shiver- 
ing, a  greatrdesire  for  warmth,  loss  of  appetite, 
dull  appearance,  dull  cough,  sickness,  difficulty 
of  breathing,  which  after  some  days  becomes 
laboured  or  panting.  On  auscultation  of  the 
chest  the  characteristic  sounds  may  be  heard. 
At  first  fine  crepitations,  then  a  day  or  two 
after  the  tubular  or  blowing  sounds,  and  when 
convalescence  sets  in  the  fine  crackling  or 
crepitating  sounds  are  heard  again.  The 
cough  becomes  more  frequent  and  the  appe- 
tite increases.  On  the  other  hand,  if  there  be 
no  improvement,  the  coat  becomes  dull  and 
open,  the  eyes  sunken,  and  the  pupils  dilated  ; 
the  flanks  move  up  and  down  like  a  pump- 
handle,  and  the  breath  becomes  foetid  ;  food 
is  totally  refused,  and  diarrhoea  sets  in,  a  fatal 
termination  is  to  be  anticipated. 

Treatment. — The  animal  should  be  kept  in 
a  temperature  of  60°  F.,  and  fresh  air,  but  no 
draughts,  allowed.  The  sides  are  to  be  rubbed 
with  oil  of  mustard,  or  painted  with  tincture 
of  iodine,  or  an  ointment  composed  of  one  part 
of  tartar  emetic  to  eight  of  lard.  Quinine 
sulphate,  |  grain  ;  alcoholic  extract  of  nux 
vomica,  yV  grain  ;  and  extract  of  digitalis, 
i  grain,  in  a  pill,  may  be  administered  every 
four  hours,  and  nourishing  food  given.  In  the 
case  of  tubercular  pneumonia,  which  is  gener- 
ally chronic,  the  animal  should  be  destroyed. 

Pleurisy,  or  inflammation  of  the  covering  of 
the  lungs  or  internal  lining  of  the  chest  cavity, 
in  the  cat  as  well  as  in  the  dog,  is  chiefly  due 
to  tuberculosis.  It  may,  however,  result  from 
pneumonia,  abscess  in  the  lung,  cancer,  para- 
sites, injuries,  foreign  bodies,  gunshot  wounds, 
cold,  etc.  It  is  generally  accompanied  with  a 
dirty  sanious,  or  clear  amber-tinted,  or  port- 
wine  -  coloured  fluid,  sometimes  containing 
yellowish- white  strings  of  lymph  floating  in  it 
in  the  chest  cavity.  One  or  both  sides  may 
be  affected.  It  is  usually  fatal. 

Symptoms. — The  cat  has  an  anxious,  painful 
facial  expression,  and  moans,  or  rather  grunts, 


364 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


and  sometimes  attempts  to  bite  when  the  chest 
is  touched  or  made  to  move  ;  the  abdomen  is 
retracted,  and  the  breathing,  which  is  short 
and  jerky,  seems  to  be  performed  by  the  flanks. 
There  is  a  slight  or  suppressed  cough,  but  this 
is  often  absent.  The  animal  wastes  away,  the 
coat  becomes  dull  and  open  and  lustreless,  and 
the  hairs  are  easily  pulled  out.  The  creature 
hides  under  the  furniture  and  refuses  its  food, 
and  when  a  fatal  termination  is  at  hand, 
the  flanks  move  up  and  down  like  a  pump- 
handle,  the  breathing  becomes  difficult  and 
suffocative,  the  mouth,  which  is  offensive, 
being  opened  at  every  inspiratory  and  ex- 
piratory effort ;  the  tongue  becomes  purplish, 
the  elbows  turn  out,  the  cat  assumes  a  squat- 
ting position  on  all-fours,  and  a  foetid  diarrhoea 
sets  in. 

Treatment. — Although  generally  fatal,  treat- 
ment may  be  desired  to  be  attempted.  The 
chest  should  be  painted  with  tincture  of  iodine 
or  oil  of  mustard  ;  if  there  be  much  pain,  a 
hypodermic  injection  of  morphine  will  prove 
useful,  and  a  pill  composed  of  {-  grain  pow- 
dered digitalis  leaves,  -J-  grain  sulphate  of 
quinine,  and  i  grain  of  iodide  of  potassium, 
administered  three  times  a  day.  When  the 
breathing  becomes  difficult  in  consequence  of 
the  accumulation  of  fluid  in  the  chest  cavity, 
it  may  be  deemed  advisable  to  draw  the  fluid 
off  by  means  of  a  trocar.  Nourishing  liquid 
food,  such  as  milk,  Mosquera's  beef  jelly,  or 
eggs,  should  be  given,  little  and  often. 

DISTEMPER. 

Distemper  is  a  contagious,  inoculable  fever, 
due  to  a  specific  microbe  (the  cocco-bacillus, 
or  pasteurella  of  Lignieres),  and  is  similar,  if 
not  identical,  to  that  causing  distemper  in 
the  dog.  Krajewsky,  Laosson,  Lignieres,  and 
others  have  experimentally  demonstrated  its. 
identity,  but  I  have  never  observed  the  cat 
naturally  giving  the  dog  distemper,  nor  vice 
versa,  and  I  believe  this  is  the  experience  of 
most  veterinary  surgeons  in  this  country. 

The  microbe  of  distemper — which  belongs 
to  the  same  class  of  micro-organisms,  the 
pasteurella,  that  causes  influenza  in  the  horse, 
fowl  cholera,  swine-fever,  guineapig  dis- 
temper, etc. — is  generally  found  in  the  blood, 
which  it  alters  to  such  a  degree  as  to  make  so 
profound  an  impression  on  the  system  as  to 
diminish  its  natural  resistance  to  the  ordinary 
germs,  which  become,  in  consequence,  increased 
in  virulence,  and  cause  the  various  phenomena 


by  which  we  know  the  disease.  It  is  difficult 
to  detect  in  the  body  after  about  a  week. 

The  disease  varies  in  severity  according  to 
the  degree  of  virulence  of  the  microbe.  If 
this  is  very  virulent,  it  causes  a  very  acute  or 
septic  disease,  as  is  observed  in  the  typhus  or 
gastro-enteric  outbreak,  which  kills  off  a  large 
number  of  animals  within  a  few  days  or  even 
hours.  If  it  is  of  a  milder  strength,  we  get 
the  subacute  form  with  localisations,  such  as 
we  usually  see  in  distemper.  There  is  also  a 
chronic  form,  which  lasts  a  long  time,  and 
which  tries  the  patience  of  the  owner  as  well 
as  the  vitality  of  the  sufferer.  Finally,  a 
chronic  wasting  or  cachectic  form  is  sometimes 
observed  ;  it  resembles  the  "  going  light  "  in 
birds  and  other  animals,  and  may  be  mis- 
taken for  starvation,  which  it  simulates  very 
much. 

The  microbe  may  exist  in  a  healthy  cat's 
body  for  weeks  without  causing  it  any  dis- 
turbance until,  perhaps,  the  animal  catches 
cold,  or  is  depressed  in  some  other  manner. 
However,  an  apparently  healthy  animal  with 
this  microbe  in  it  may  be  infective  for  othei" 
cats. 

Period  of  Incubation. — This  varies  according 
to  the  degree  of  virulency  of  the  microbe  and 
the  state  of  the  cat's  system  and  the  surround- 
ings in  which  it  is  kept.  A  very  virulent 
infection  has  a  much  shorter  period  of  in- 
cubation than  a  mild  infection.  Whereas  the 
former  may  cause  distemper  in  from  two  to  five 
days,  the  latter  takes  from  one  to  three  weeks. 
It  seems  doubtful  whether  the  specific  microbe 
causes  the  symptoms  we  usually  see  in  dis- 
temper, or  if  these  are  due  to  a  secondary 
infection  resulting  from  the  invasion  of  the 
normal  microbes  of  the  body,  which  have 
become  virulent,  and  prey  upon  their  hosts. 

Duration  of  the  Disease. — This,  like  the 
period  of  incubation,  varies  also  according  to 
the  degree  of  virulence  of  the  virus.  A  very 
virulent  virus  kills  in  a  few  days  or  even  hours, 
or  the  animal  recovers  very  quickly.  It  is 
not  so  with  a  virus  of  a  milder  degree  of  viru- 
lence, which  may  cause  symptoms  that  take 
from  one  to  five  or  six  weeks  to  disappear, 
if  the  animal  recover.  In  other  cases  the 
disease  shows  itself  in  so  mild  a  form  that  it 
appears  like  an  ordinary  catarrh,  and  recovery 
is  established  within  a  few  days. 

In  a  few  instances  death  takes  place  sud- 
denly before  any  premonitory  symptoms  have 
had  time  to  develop. 


THE   DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


365 


The  principal  sources  of  propagation  of  the 
infection  are  cat  shows,  catteries  (especially 
those  belonging  to  people  who  exhibit),  homes 
for  lost  and  stray  cats,  and  institutions  that 
take  in  these  animals  as  boarders.  The  cat 
dealer's  shop  is  not  free  from  blame — many 
newly  purchased  kittens  develop  distemper  a 
few  days  after  purchase,  contracted,  no  doubt, 
at  the  dealer's.  Many  cases  have  been  traced 
to  the  cattery  where  the  female  has  been  sent 
to  stud.  Hampers,  cages,  and  persons  coming 
from  infected  catteries  are  so  many  media  of 
contagion.  Even  if  a  cat  has  apparently  re- 
covered from  the  disease,  it  may  still  give  off 
infection  and  contaminate  other  cats  for  a 
variable  but  uncertain  period. 

Although  the  disease  may  be  seen  at  all 
times  of  the  year,  it  is  most  prevalent  during 
spring  and  autumn,  especially  if  the  weather 
is  changeable  and  wet. 

Moisture  of  the  atmosphere  favours  the 
increase  of  distemper.  Wet,  following  very 
dry  weather,  continuous  dampness  and  rain, 
all  predispose  an  animal  to  the  disease.  Where 
catteries  or  homes  for  lost  and  strays  are  con- 
tinuously being  washed  out  and  not  properly 
dried,  especially  in  damp  weather,  before  the 
cats  are  allowed  into  the  rooms,  distemper  is 
very  prevalent. 

Where  too  many  cats  are  crowded  into  a 
given  space,  especially  if  the  place  is  badly 
lighted  and  not  very  well  ventilated,  this  is 
favourable  for  the  contamination  of  the  in- 
mates. 

The  mortality  varies  according  to  the  breed 
of  the  animal,  its  surroundings,  and  the  degree 
of  virulence  of  the  infection.  Seasons  and 
periods  have  also  some  bearing  on  it.  Common- 
bred  cats  allowed  to  roam  out  in  the  open  at 
their  will  are  more  likely  to  recover  from  the 
disease,  but  if  confined  to  cages  or  in  catteries, 
or  in  the  house,  the  mortality  is  quite  twenty- 
five  per  cent.  The  long-haired  cats  are  less  re- 
sistant against  it,  and  as  many  as  fifty  percent, 
die.  In  the  Siamese  breed  of  cats,  the  fatality 
is  as  high  as  ninety  out  of  every  hundred.  The 
younger  the  animals,  the  greater  the  death- 
rate  ;  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  if  old  animals 
are  very  fat  or  anaemic  from  want  of  fresh  air 
and  exercise,  the  mortality  is  just  as  high. 

Many  cats  are  resistant  at  one  time  against 
the  infection,  others  have  it  in  a  mild  form,  and 
yet  others  have  it  severely ;  but  this  does  not 
always  prevent  them  from  having  it  again  at 
some  future  period.  My  experience  is  that  a 


cat  may  frequently  have  a  recurrence  of  dis- 
temper at  least  two  or  three  times,  and  then 
succumb  to  it. 

One  season  it  may  appear  as  a  contagious 
catarrh,  another  season  as  an  infectious  sore 
throat,  and  at  other  times  as  a  bronchitis  or 
pneumonia,  and,  lastly,  as  a  contagious  gas- 
tritis or  gastro-enteritis.  Frequently  all  these 
forms  may  co-exist  in  a  single  outbreak,  and 
often  a  single  animal  exhibits  the  whole  of 
these  manifestations.  For  the  convenience  of 
descriptiorrf)f-the  symptoms  of  this  multiform 
malady  we  divide  it  into  five  principal  forms, 
as  follow  : — 

1.  The  Catarrhal,  attacking  chiefly  the 

eyes  and  nostrils. 

2.  The  Pharyngeal  or  Tonsillar,  affecting 

the  region  of  the  throat. 

3.  The  Pulmonary  or  Chest  form. 

4.  The  Abdominal  or  G '-astro-enteric. 

5.  The  Cachectic  or  Wasting. 

The  Catarrhal  form  of  distemper  is  that 
which  is  generally  seen  in  the  cat,  and  is  the 
least  fatal  of  any.  The  first  symptoms  noticed 
are  a  watery  discharge  from  one  and  some- 
times both  eyes,  the  lids  of  which  may  be 
partially  or  completely  closed,  so  as  to  hide 
the  front  of  the  eye,  and  a  frequent  licking  of 
the  upper  lip  and  nose  as  if  they  were  parched 
and  burning.  After  a  day  or  so  the  inner 
lining  of  the  eyelids  may  be  very  much  red- 
dened, swollen,  and  giving  rise  to  a  yellow- 
white  or  greenish-white  thick  discharge,  which 
adheres  to  the  lids  and  seals  them  together. 
There  may  also  be  shivering  fits,  a  dull  open 
coat,  and  a  great  desire  for  warmth  (this  being 
so  intense  in  some  cases  that  the  animal  fre- 
quently gets  under  the  grate  when  a  fire  is  in 
it).  There  is  sneezing,  followed  by  a  snuffling 
kind  of  breathing  ;  the  nostrils  discharge  a 
thick,  ropy,  whitish  or  greenish  matter,  which 
clings  to  their  openings,  and  very  often  closes 
them  up.  When  the  pharynx  or  larynx  is  the 
seat  of  catarrh  there  are  frequent  fits  of  cough- 
ing. The  appetite  is  diminished  or  absent,  but 
thirst  is,  as  a  rule,  great.  There  may  also  be 
seen  at  times  vomiting,  diarrhoea,  or  constipa- 
tion. Emaciation  is  gradual  and  slight,  or 
rapid  and  great,  varying  according  to  the 
severity  of  the  symptoms. 

The  breathing  is  not  much  altered  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  but  in  a  few  instances  it 
becomes  frequent.  The  temperature  rises 
a  few  degrees,  but  this  is  variable,  and  it  is 
sometimes  normal.  The  body  and  limbs  feel 


366 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


cold  to  the  touch,  and  sometimes  give  off  an 
offensive  odour.  The  tongue,  lips,  hard  and 
soft  palates,  and  gums  (especially  around  the 
teeth)  are  occasionally  ulcerated.  Now  and 
again  the  eyes  become  the  seat  of  ulceration, 
which  on  rare  occasions  becomes  perforated  ;  at 
other  times  they  become  affected  with  a  severe 
inflammation,  which  extends  to  the  whole  eye- 
ball and  destroys  this  organ.  There  is  at 
times  dulness  or  drowsiness,  and  the  animal 
seeks  dark  corners  or  gets  under  the  furniture. 
Many  cats  from  sheer  nervousness,  especially 
in  strange  places,  avoid  the  fire  and  seek 
obscure  or  lofty  positions.  Recovery  generally 
takes  place  within  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks, 
but  death  may  take  place  within  twenty-four 
to  forty-eight  hours  from  the  commencement 
of  the  attack. 

The  Pharyngeal,  Tonsillar,  or  Throat  form 
is  the  most  deadly  manifestation  of  distemper. 
The  first  symptom  to  attract  attention  is 
the  drivelling  of  clear,  ropy  albuminous 
saliva  from  the  corners  of  the  mouth.  The 
animal  crouches  upon  all  four  of  its  limbs ; 
there  is  a  frequent  gulping  movement, 
and  a  sound  is  emitted  from  the  throat  as 
if  there  was  an  attempt  to  swallow  the  thick 
ropy  saliva  which  clings  about  the  mouth  and 
pharynx  ;  the  swallowing  seems  difficult  or 
impossible  ;  food  is  refused,  but  thirst  is 
constant,  although  the  animal  seems  incapable 
of  swallowing ;  there  is  a  great  dulness  or 
depression,  and  the  cat  appears  indifferent  to 
its  surroundings. 

On  examination  of  the  outside  of  the  throat 
it  is  found  swollen  and  painful,  the  glands  are 
enlarged,  and  there  appears  to  be  a  gurgling 
noise  at  each  inspiration  and  expiration.  On 
inspection  of  the  mouth  and  back  of  the  throat, 
the  tongue  and  pharynx  are  found  to  be . 
covered  with  a  thick,  ropy,  bubbling  saliva, 
the  mucous  membrane  is  swollen  and  con- 
gested, and  the  soft  palate  is  of  a  pinkish  or 
even  dark  reddish  arborescent  appearance,  due 
to  the  congested  state  of  the  small  blood- 
vessels. Sometimes  ulcers  appear  on  the  hard 
and  soft  palates.  After  a  day  or  so  the  de- 
pression increases,  there  is  a  discharge  from 
the  eyes  and  nostrils,  which  appears  at  first 
as  a  clear  viscid  fluid,  and  afterwards  becomes 
yellowish  or  dirty  green  in  colour,  and,  if  the 
animal  lives  long  enough,  ultimately  bloody, 
in  consequence  of  it  irritating  the  mucous 
membranes  and  surrounding  skin  of  the  eyes 
and  nose.  There  may  also  be  a  catarrhal  or 


purulent  foetid  discharge  from  one  or  both 
ears,  but  this  is  quite  exceptional,  and  is 
mostly  seen  in  cases  having  a  fatal  termination. 

If  the  prostration  is  very  great,  and  there  is 
rapid  loss  of  weight  and  condition,  and  the 
discharge  from  the  mouth,  nostrils,  and  eyes- 
becomes  foetid,  coupled  with  total  loss  of 
appetite,  and  no  abatement  of  the  other 
symptoms,  a  fatal  termination  is  to  be  antici- 
pated. Late  in  the  complaint  the  pharyngeal 
mucus  may  become  of  a  dirty  colour  or 
sanious  ;  purple  spots  appear  on  the  tongue, 
gums,  and  lips,  and  there  is  a  moan  or  cry 
emitted  at  each  respiratory  effort  ;  convulsive 
movements  of  the  muscles  of  the  temples, 
shoulders,  and  thighs  set  in,  and  death  takes 
place  from  intoxication.  The  temperature 
rises  at  first,  but  when  a  fatal  termination 
is  to  be  anticipated  it  falls  below  the  normal. 

The  Pulmonary  or  Chest  form,  although  not 
so  frequently  seen  in  the  cat  as  in  the  dog,  may 
appear  from  the  outset  as  a  distinct  localisa- 
tion, or  follow  or  intervene  during  an  attack 
of  the  other  forms  as  a  complication.  It  may 
or  may  not  be  ushered  in  by  shivering  fits  ; 
the  coat  becomes  dull  and  open,  there  is 
sneezing  or  coughing,  or  both  ;  tears  run  from 
the  eyes,  and  mucus  issues  from  the  nostrils, 
and  there  is  a  great  desire  for  warmth.  The 
temperature  is  elevated,  and  varies  from  102.5° 
to  106°,  but  rarely  running  a  typical  course. 
The  cough,  when  present,  is  frequent  and 
rattling  or  harsh,  and  sometimes  dull.  On 
listening  to  the  chest  wheezing,  rattling,  or 
blowing,  or  rubbing,  or  splashing  sounds  may 
be  heard.  Emaciation  is  either  gradual  or 
rapid,  thirst  is  generally  great,  but  the  appe- 
tite is  diminished  or  absent. 

The  breathing  is  either  quickened  or  the 
inspiratory  and  expiratory  efforts  may  be 
prolonged  and  accompanied  or  not  with  a 
moan  or  grunt,  which  is  sometimes  associated 
with  fluid  in  the  chest  cavity,  which  is  known 
by  the  pumping  or  lifting  action  of  the  flanks, 
this  effusion  in  one  or  both  of  the  pleural  sacs 
being  either  of  a  clear  greenish  or  amber- 
tinted  or  bloody  or  dirty  yellowish  appearance, 
and  sometimes  of  a  foetid  odour.  Besides 
pleurisy,  which  is  only  occasionally  encoun- 
tered, there  may  be  pneumonia,  broncho- 
pneumonia,  or  bronchitis,  according  to  the 
structure  of  lung  involved  in  this  form  of 
distemper.  (For  a  description  of  these  local- 
isations or  complications,  sec  under  their 
respective  headings.) 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,   AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


367 


The  lesions  of  the  lungs  may  be  slight,  and 
yet  the  symptoms  may  be  severe  ;  on  the 
contrary,  the  lesions  may  be  extensive,  and 
the  resulting  symptoms  comparatively  slight. 
If  the  fever  remains  high,  the  appetite  abol- 
ished, the  pupils  dilated,  the  breathing  plaintive 
and  very  rapid,  and  prostration  great,  death 
soon  takes  place  from  failure  of  the  heart  due 
to  intoxication.  In  many  cases,  though,  the 
fever  is  not  intense,  and  yet  death  supervenes. 

The  Abdominal,  Gastric,  or  Gastro-enteric 
form  of  distemper  is  oftener  seen  than  either 
the  pharyngeal  or  pulmonary  form,  and  may 
occur  as  a  very  acute  and  rapidly  fatal 
manifestation,  or  as  a  chronic  disease.  It 
frequently  accompanies  the  other  forms.  In 
acute  cases  there  is  sudden  vomiting  of  food, 
quickly  followed  by  a  frequently  repeated 
ejection  of  thick,  slimy,  and  frothy  mucus, 
and  ultimately  by  a  thin,  watery,  serous  fluid, 
which  is  of  an  olive-green  or  yellowish  appear- 
ance. The  thirst  is  intense,  and  no  sooner  is 
water  sipped  than  it  is  expelled.  There  is  fre- 
quent diarrhoea ;  the  stools  at  first  seem  fluid, 
then  become  watery,  sometimes  bloody,  and 
very  foetid.  The  appetite  is  suppressed,  and 
the  animal  becomes  cold  and  indifferent  to  its 
surroundings,  the  facial  expression  is  pinched, 
the  eyes  are  semi-closed  ;  the  coat  is  dull  and 
open,  and  on  pressure  over  the  region  of  the 
stomach  pain  is  evinced  by  a  moan  or  cry, 
and  death  usually  takes  place  in  a  few  hours. 
There  is  not  as  a  rule  any  discharge  from  the 
eyes  and  nostrils. 

In  the  subacute  cases,  beyond  a  slight 
catarrhal  discharge  from  the  eyes  and  nostrils, 
there  may  be  either  vomiting  or  diarrhoea — 
often  both — and  at  other  instances  vomiting 
and  constipation.  When  the  bowels  are  the 
principal  seat  of  the  disease,  vomiting  is  rare, 
but  diarrhoea  is  generally  persistent.  Thirst 
is  great,  and  food  is  refused  or  taken  sparingly. 
The  animal  is  dull,  cries  if  moved  or  if  the 
abdomen  is  manipulated  ;  emaciation  is  rapid, 
and  the  animal  dies  in  a  state  of  exhaustion. 

In  the  chronic  cases  there  may  or  may  not 
be  any  catarrhal  symptoms,  but  there  is  a 
chronic  and  persistent  diarrhoea,  and  some- 
times vomiting.  The  appetite  is  capricious 
or  sometimes  ravenous,  thirst  moderate,  and 
emaciation  gradual,  and  liquid  faeces  may  be 
expelled  on  the  least  effort,  as  by  coughing  ; 
the  fur  or  pelage  around  the  tail  becomes 
soiled,  and,  in  consequence,  the  animal  gives 
off  an  offensive  odour. 


In  some  instances  the  breath  becomes 
foetid  ;  the  teeth,  gums,  tongue,  and  lips  are 
covered  with  a  dirty  brown  or  greenish  slimy 
material ;  and  frequently  the  gum  around  the 
neck  of  the  teeth  is  spongy,  and  bleeds  on  the 
slightest  touch.  Occasionally  the  bone  into 
which  the  teeth  are  inserted  becomes  exposed, 
ulcerated,  or  necrosed.  Ulcers  are  at  times 
seen  on  the  lips  and  tongue. 

The  Chronic  Cachectic  or  Wasting  form  is 
sometimes  encountered  as  a  chronic  wasting 
malady,  not  showing  many  symptoms  beyond 
gradual  emaciation,  great  weakness,  intense 
thirst,  ravenous  or  capricious  appetite,  and 
occasionally  diarrhoea.  At  other  times  the 
animal  goes  off  its  appetite,  sits  about  in  a 
mopish  manner,  has  a  staring  and  dull  coat, 
the  mucous  membranes  are  pallid,  the  haw  pro- 
truding over  the  front  of  the  inner  portion  of 
the  eyeballs,  and  becomes  light  in  weight. 

It  very  occasionally  happens  in  these 
wasting  cases  that  the  skin  becomes  the  seat 
of  parasitic  mange,  and,  in  consequence,  gives 
off  an  offensive  mousy  or  mouldy  odour.  If 
treatment  is  not  skilfully  and  early  adopted, 
death  takes  place,  and  on  post-mortem  ex- 
amination the  remains  simulate  those  of  an 
animal  having  died  from  starvation.  It  may 
follow  on  the  other  forms  of  manifestation. 

Skin  eruptions  are  rarely  noticed  in  dis- 
temper of  the  cat,  but  sometimes  one  sees  on 
kittens  a  scabby  eruption  resembling  ecthyma, 
the  discharge  of  which  mats  the  hairs  in  these 
young  creatures.  Female  cats,  when  pregnant, 
frequently  abort — in  fact,  nearly  every  cat  in 
this  condition  in  a  cattery  affected  with  dis- 
temper will  miscarry,  making  it  appear  as  if 
it  were  a  special  contagious  disease. 

The  ears  occasionally  become  the  seat  of 
acute  catarrh  or  ulceration,  and  give  rise  to 
an  offensive  discharge.  This  complication  is 
mostly  associated  with  the  pharyngeal  form. 

The  cornea  of  the  eye  is  sometimes  the 
seat  of  ulceration,  which  generally  disappears 
as  the  animal  recovers.  The  whole  eyeball 
occasionally  partakes  of  inflammation,  which 
destroys  it. 

When  the  eyes  of  young  kittens  become  the 
seat  of  catarrh,  the  eye  is  generally  destroyed, 
and  consequently  the  sight  is  lost.  The 
nervous  type,  showing  itself  as  excitement, 
convulsions,  chorea,  meningitis,  or  paralysis, 
although  seen,  is  somewhat  rare  in  this 
creature. 

Death    may   occur    either    suddenly   from 


368 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


convulsions,  or  rapidly  from  intoxication,  or 
slowly  from  exhaustion. 

When  due  to  intoxication,  clonic,  convul- 
sive, or  twitching  movements  of  the  muscles 
of  the  temples,  shoulders,  and  hind  limbs 
precede,  and  are  even  seen  shortly  after, 
death.  Frequently  death  takes  place  without 
any  symptoms  of  the  disease  having  been 
noticed.  In  this  case  it  appears  to  be  due  to 
the  rapidity  of  the  formation  of  the  toxin  or 
poison  of  the  microbe,  which  causes  intense 
shock  to  the  system. 

Diagnosis. — In  many  instances  this  disease 
is  mistaken  for  a  simple  catarrh,  diarrhoea,  or 
sore  throat — a  mistake  unfortunate  where  other 
cats  are  concerned.  It  is  true  that  the  first 
stage  of  distemper  frequently  resembles  either 
of  these  simple  complaints,  which  are  not  con- 
tagious, and  generally  only  affect  one  out  of 
several  animals  kept  together,  and  run  their 
course  in  a  few  days  ;  whereas  in  distemper  the 
disease  usually  runs  a  prolonged  course,  is  verj' 
prostrating,  and  in  many  instances  fatal,  and, 
beyond  all,  contagious.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
may  resemble  diphtheria,  which  is  contagious, 
but  has  false  membranes  on  the  soft  palate, 
pharynx,  larynx,  and  tonsils,  which  are  absent 
in  distemper. 

Prognosis. — Distemper  is  a  most  treacherous 
disease,  and  one  of  which  even  an  expert 
cannot  foretell  the  result.  Many  instances 
occur  in  which  an  animal  appears  to  be  on 
the  right  road  towards  recovery,  when  a 
relapse  suddenly  sets  in  and  carries  off  the 
poor  creature.  If  the  appetite  is  moderate, 
the  emaciation  not  rapid  or  great,  the  diarrhoea 
not  intense  or  too  frequent,  and  no  complica- 
tions set  in  after  the  end  of  the  first  week, 
recovery  may  be  anticipated.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  weakness  be  progressive  and 
prolonged,  emaciation  rapid  and  great,  an 
offensive  odour  is  given  off  from  the  body, 
eyes  sunken  in  their  orbits,  pupils  dilated, 
and  the  facial  expression  is  haggard,  death  is 
to  be  expected.  Again,  relapses  (which  are 
commonly  encountered),  early  youth,  obesity, 
complications,  the  breed  of  the  animal  (such 
as  Siamese  and  long-haired  varieties,  especially 
light-coloured  animals),  are  generally  un- 
favourable towards  a  certain  recovery. 

Chronic  nasal  catarrh,  chronic  pneumonia 
or  phthisis,  and  persistent  diarrhoea  may  also 
give  trouble  after  the  distemper  has  run  its 
ordinary  course,  and  will  have  to  be  reckoned 
with. 


Treatment. — An  old  maxim  is,  "  Prevention 
is  better  than  cure,"  and  ought  to  be  carried 
out  as  far  as  possible  by  isolating  all  those 
animals  that  have  been  in  contact  with  the 
infection. 

Animals  coming  from  homes  for  lost  and 
stray  cats,  cat  shows,  dealers  in  cats,  should 
be  kept  apart  from  those  in  the  cattery  for  at 
least  a  fortnight,  to  see  if  they  develop  the 
complaint.  The  place  of  isolation  should  have 
no  communicatioa  with  the  building  or  house 
in  which  the  majority  of  healthy  cats  are 
kept.  The  baskets,  cages,  clothing,  etc., 
should  be  thoroughly  'Washed  and  disinfected 
before  they  are  used  again  for  sound  cats.  It 
ought  not  to  be  forgotten  that  persons  who 
have  been  in  contact  with  sick  animals  may 
carry  the  infection  on  their  hands  or  clothes. 

When  distemper  has  declared  itself  in  a 
cattery  and  the  inmates  have  recovered,  the 
place  should  be  thoroughly  scrubbed,  disin- 
fected, and  afterwards  lime-washed  or  re- 
painted. Boiling  water  and  soda,  used  with 
the  aid  of  a  scrubbing-brush,  is  much  more 
reliable  to  remove  infection  than  many  of  the 
so-called  disinfectants,  which  frequently  do 
not  destroy  the  virus,  but  often  injure  the 
cats.  After  the  habitation  has  been  scrupu- 
lously cleansed,  it  may  be  well  to  disinfect  it 
with  chlorinated  lime  (i  Ib.  to  the  gallon  of 
cold  water),  which  should  be  brushed  all  over 
the  floor,  walls,  partitions,  etc.  Baskets, 
hampers,  etc.,  should  be  served  likewise. 
Metal  and  earthenware  utensils  may  be  boiled 
in  strong  soda-water. 

Before  any  cats  are  again  put  into  the 
place,  the  doors  and  windows  should  be  opened 
for  at  least  a  week,  and  fresh  air  and  daylight 
admitted,  as  they  are  the  best  destructors  of 
micro-organisms. 

Where  valuable  cats  are  kept  and  the  risk 
of  distemper  is  great,  it  would  be  advisable 
for  the  owner  to  have  the  cats  immunised,  or 
rendered  proof  against  the  disease,  by  means 
of  the  Pasteurian  system  of  vaccination  with 
the  attenuated  microbe  of  distemper,  as  intro- 
duced into  practice  by  Professor  Lignieres  and 
Dr.  Phisalix.  Several  degrees  of  strength  of 
the  vaccine  are  used.  The  animal  is  at  first 
vaccinated  or  inoculated  with  a  mild  degree 
of  virus,  and  afterwards  with  vaccine  of 
gradually  increased  virulence,  so  that  the 
most  virulent  virus  (which  would  quickly  kill, 
or  cause  the  disease  in  a  severe  form  in 
an  animal  not  previously  inoculated  with  the 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


369 


milder  vaccines)  would  not  produce  any  dis- 
turbance in  the  vaccinated  creature. 

Medical  or  Curative  Treatment. — The  sick 
animal  should  be  kept  in  a  well-lighted  and 
well-ventilated  but  not  draughty  room,  which 
ought  to  be  dry,  and  kept  at  a  temperature  of 
about  60°.  The  floor  should  be  covered  with 
a  thick  layer  of  fresh  pine  sawdust,  heaps  of 
which  should  be  placed  in  tins,  boxes,  or  old 
coal-scuttles  for  the  convenience  of  the  animals. 

If  the  cat  is  seen  in  the  first  stage  of  the 
disease,  an  emetic  of  }  to  £  grain  of  tartar 
emetic  in  a  teaspoonful  of  warm  water  may 
be  given  to  clear  out  the  stomach  and  bronchial 
tubes.  In  place  of  this  drug,  -3V  to  ^V  grain 
of  hydrochloride  of  apomorphine  in  tabloid 
iorm  may  be  injected  under  the  skin.  After 
the  emetic  has  passed  off,  easily  digested  and 
nourishing  food,  such  as  milk,  should  be 
offered,  and,  if  refused,  forced  upon  the 
animal.  When  the  appetite  is  fairly  good, 
£  to  J  grain  of  calomel  may  be  given  twice  a 
day,  but  must  be  stopped  as  soon  as  it  causes 
vomiting  or  intense  diarrhoea. 

When  the  appetite  is  bad,  quinine  sulphate 
(•t-  grain)  given  three  times  a  day  for  a  length- 
ened period  may  be  useful  in  remedying  it. 

The  eyes  and  nostrils  should  be  bathed 
three  times  a  day  with  the  following  lotion  : 

Chinosol  .          .         .         •     3i  grains, 

Rose-water      ...          .8     ounces ; 

and  then  smeared  with  an  ointment  composed 
of— 


Boracic  Acid  . 
Cold  Cream    . 


.     £  drachm, 
4  drachms. 


When  the  throat  is  very  much  inflamed,  it 
should  be  painted  on  the  outside,  after  all 
the  hair  is  clipped  off  from  ear  to  ear,  with 
tincture  of  iodine  or  the  setherial  tincture  of 
capsicum,  three  times  a  day,  until  soreness  is 
produced.  As  it  is  a  difficult  job  to  paint  the 
inside  of  the  cat's  throat,  the  following  powder 
dropped  on  the  tongue  will  act  in  a  similar 
manner  : — 

Quinine  sulphate    :         .         .       £  grain. 

Borax     .         .         .          .          •     2^  grains. 

To  be  given  morning,  noon,  and  night. 

If  there  is  either  pleurisy  or  pneumonia,  or 
both  combined,  the  hair  should  be  cut  off 
over  the  ribs,  and  the  skin  painted  with  a 
solution  of  tartar  emetic  (composed  of  i  drachm 
of  the  drug  to  an  ounce  of  spirit),  and  then 
wrapped  up  with  a  binder,  under  which  a 
layer  of  cotton-wool  is  placed. 
24 


In  case  there  is  repeated  vomiting,  a  powder 
composed  of — 

Bismuth  carbonate          .         .     5   grains, 
Cocaine  hydrochloride     .         .     \  grain, 

should  be  shaken  on  the  tongue  every  four 
hours  until  twenty-four  hours  have  elapsed 
since  the  last  vomiting  took  place.  If  there 
should  be  a  persistent  and  profuse  diarrhoea, 
it  must  be  moderated,  but  not  suppressed, 
by  means  of  2-J-  grains  of  tannigen  given  morn- 
ing, noon,  and  night.  When  there  are  any 
convulsions  -or  much  pain,  i  to  £  grain  of 
extract  of  opium  in  pill  should  be  administered 
morning  and  night. 

Light  and  easily  digested  food — such  as 
peptonised  milk,  Mosquera's  beef  jelly,  Benger's 
peptonised  food,  etc. — should  be  given  in  small 
and  repeated  quantities  during  the  earlier  or 
active  stages  of  the  disease.  Later  on,  in  the 
convalescent  stage,  scraped  raw  beef,  boiled 
fish,  rice  pudding,  etc.,  may  be  offered. 

Parrish's  chemical  food  and  cod-liver  oil, 
given  by  some  cat-owners  during  the  acute 
stage  of  distemper  when  there  is  no  appetite, 
are  harmful  and  cruel  remedies. 

DISEASES  OF  THE   EAR. 

The  external  ear  in  the  cat  is  short,  upright, 
triangukr,  pointed,  and  opens  in  front.  Its 
apex  in  some  cats — especially  Persians — has  a 
tuft  of  hair  growing  from  the  inside.  In  the 
outer  margin  the  ear  doubles  on  itself,  forming 
a  pouch,  in  which  lumps  of  dirt,  ear-mites, 
etc.,  frequently  accumulate. 

A  Serous  Cyst,  or  abscess,  forms  between 
the  skin  and  cartilage  of  the  inside,  and  some- 
times also  of  the  outside,  of  the  ear  or  ears. 

The  ear  is  swollen,  feels  tense,  has  a  bluish 
or  reddish  tint,  but  is  not  very  painful.  The 
contents  of  this  swelling  are  a  thin,  reddish 
fluid  and  a  blood  clot,  which  separate  the  skin 
from  the  cartilage  and  its  covering. 

It  is  always  associated  with  ear-mites,  and 
generally  results  in  the  ear  shrinking  and  be- 
coming drawn  down,  which,  when  both  ears 
are  affected,  give  the  animal  a  peculiar  ap- 
pearance, resembling  some  wild  variety  of  the 
cat  tribe  that  usually  carries  these  organs  in 
a  semi-pendulous  manner. 

Treatment. — It  can  be  prevented  by  keeping 
the  cat's  ears  clean  and  free  from  ear-mites. 
When  it  is  present,  the  cyst  should  be  freely 
opened  (which  can  be  done  painlessly  by  pre- 
viously injecting  a  few  drops  of  a  4  per  cent, 
solution  of  cocaine),  the  blood  clot  carefully 


370 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


removed,  and  the  inner  surface  of  the  cavity 
washed  out  with  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of 
chinosol.  The  ear  must  be  gently  pulled 
every  day  to  prevent  shrinking,  and,  con- 
sequently, deformity. 

True  Canker  is  an  inflammation  of  the 
deeper  part  of  the  cavity  of  the  ear,  accom- 
panied with  a  chronic  foetid,  whitish,  cheesy, 
or  gluey  discharge,  and  sometimes  ulceration, 
and,  rarely,  warty-looking  growths.  It  usually 
runs  a  long  course,  unless  skilfully  treated,  and 
is  liable  to  recur. 

Treatment. — The  ear  should  be  carefully 
washed  out  with  tincture  of  calendula,  and 
then  well  dried  with  cotton-wool,  and  after- 
wards have  finely  sifted  boracic  powder  blown 
down  the  cavity.  This  treatment  should  be 
carried  out  at  least  every  other  day  until 
recovery  takes  place. 

Quite  90  per  cent,  of  long-haired  varieties 
and  cross-breeds  suffer  from  Parasitic  Canker. 
It  is  seen  in  kittens  a  month  old,  as  well 
as  in  aged  cats,  and  is  conveyable  to  the  dog. 
The  ferret  also  is  liable  to  it. 

It  is  due  to  the  ear-mite  called  Symbiotes 
auricularum,  which  was  first  found  in  the  ear 
of  the  dog  by  Professor  Henng,  of  Stuttgart, 
in  1834,  and  in  the  cat  by  Huber,  of  Memingen, 
in  1860. 

It  resembles  the  mange  and  cheese  mites  in 
general  characters,  and  is  only  with  difficulty 
seen  with  the  naked  eye.  When  viewed  in 
strong  sunlight,  it  appears  as  a  small  whitish 
or  cinnamon-coloured  woolly  speck,  resembling 
a  grain  of  meal  or  flour  crawling  about  on  the 
brownish  dirt  in  the  ears.  These  mites  nearly 
always  collect  together  in  large  colonies. 

There  is  frequent  scratching  of  the  ears  with 
the  hind  limb.  The  cat  suddenly  stops,  sits 
down,  inclines  its  head  to  one  side,  and 
scratches  away  as  if  it  gave  it  great  pleasure 
to  do  so.  In  some  cases,  however,  it  becomes 
quite  frantic,  and  swears.  Frequently  there 
is  an  abrasion  of  the  skin  behind  the  ears  due 
to  this  scratching,  and  occasionally  the  flap  of 
the  ear  becomes  the  seat  of  a  serous  abscess, 
which  I  have  described. 

When  the  mite  wanders  over  the  drum  of 
the  ear,  especially  in  warm  weather,  some  cats 
are  seized  with  convulsions,  others  become 
delirious,  and  many  reel  about  as  if  intoxi- 
cated. 

Treatment. — The  ears  should  be  washed  out 
with  warm  soap  and  water,  and  then  well  dried 
with  cotton-wool,  and  afterwards  have  a  lini- 


ment composed  of  oil  of  stavesacre  (2  drachms) 
and  almond  oil  (6  drachms),  mixed  together, 
and  poured  in  every  day  until  all  signs  of  irri- 
tation have  passed  away,  care  being  taken  to 
wipe  off  the  superfluous  dressing  from  the 
ears  after  each  dressing. 

DISEASES  OF   THE   EYE. 

In  certain  respects  the  eye  of  the  cat  differs 
from  that  of  the  other  domesticated  animals. 
It  resembles  the  eye  of  the  dog  in  its  shape, 
which  is  somewhat  rounded  and  globular.  The 
membrana  nictitans,  haw,  or  third  eyelid,  is  not 
so  well  developed  as  in  some  other  animals,  as 
the  cat  is  able  to  protect  the  eye  with  the  paw 
to  a  considerable  extent.  The  tapctum  lucidum 
is  of  a  brilliant  metallic  golden  yellow  or 
greenish  (in  Siamese  and  albino  cats  pinkish 
colour),  and  is  so  well  developed  that  it  probably 
enables  the  animal  to  see  better  at  night,  by 
reflecting  the  rays  of  light  a  second  time 
through  the  retina. 

It  is  also  the  cause  of  the  well-known  glare 
of  the  cat's  eyes  in  the  dark. 

The  iris,  or  curtain,  is  yellowish-green,  orange, 
or  golden  in  most  cats  ;  sometimes  it  is  amber- 
coloured,  and  in  other  cases  golden,  with  a 
tinge  of  metallic  green  around  the  pupillary 
circumference.  Some  cats,  especially  white 
cats,  have  the  iris  of  one  of  the  eyes  of  a  bluish 
white  appearance,  and  the  other  a  golden, 
amber,  or  greenish  golden  colour. 

The  Siamese  cat  and  many  white  cats  have 
pale  blue  or  bluish  eyes.  The  shade  of  the  iris 
generally  varies  with  the  colour  of  the  cat's 
fur,  and  is  taken  into  consideration  in  the 
judging  of  points  at  shows. 

The  pupil,  or  opening  in  the  centre  of  the 
iris,  when  widely  dilated,  is  circular  in  shape, 
but  when  contracted  it  becomes  vertically 
elliptical,  and  may  become  so  narrow  as  to 
appear  as  a  mere  thin  perpendicular  slit. 

The  optic  disc,  or  entrance  of  the  optic  nerve 
before  it  expands  in  the  cavity  of  the  eyeball 
to  form  the  retina,  is  small,  round,  and  cupped, 
and  of  a  clear  grey  colour,  and  the  veins  in  it 
can  be  distinguished  from  the  arteries  which 
radiate  from  the  optic  disc.  The  choroidal 
vessels  are  rarely  seen,  but  in  the  Siamese  cat 
they  are  seen  in  the  red  peripheral  zone. 

Kittens,  like  puppies,  are,  as  a  rule,  born 
with  the  eyelids  closed,  and  this  condition  lasts 
usually  from  nine  to  twelve  days,  when  the 
membrane  joining  the  two  lids  together  wastes 
and  finally  gives  way.  Sometimes,  however, 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


371 


the  eyelids  do  not  become  separated,  or  only 
become  so  at  one  part,  so  that  surgical  inter- 
vention may  be  necessary  to  separate  the 
partially  or  completely  closed  lids. 

I  have,  on  several  occasions,  seen  kittens 
born  with  their  eyes  open,  but  have  not  been 
able  to  satisfy  myself  if  the  condition  was  due 
to  any  prolongation  of  the  period  of  utero- 
gestation. 

The  eyelids  are  sometimes  the  seat  of  ring- 
worm, mange,  follicular  scabies,  or  eczema,  and 
as  these  affections  are  usually  present  in  other 
parts  of  the  body,  they  can  easily  be  diagnosed 
by  means  of  the  naked  eye  or  the  microscope. 
The  best  remedy  for  any  of  these  diseases, 
when  situated  on  the  eyelids,  is  : — 


Yellow  oxide  of  mercury 
White  vaseline 


4  grams, 
i   ounce. 


These  ingredients  are  to  be  well  mixed  by  a 
competent  chemist,  and  a  small  piece,  about 
the  size  of  a  pea,  is  to  be  well  rubbed  on  the 
affected  part  or  parts  every  morning.  Care 
must  be  taken  that  no  superfluous  ointment  is 
left  on  the  hairs,  as  most  cats  will  rub  it  off 
with  their  paws,  which  they  will  immediately 
lick,  and  so  may  become  poisoned. 

The  eyelids  occasionally  become  turned  in- 
wards, so  that  the  hairs  covering  it  rub  on  the 
glassy  portion  of  the  eyeball,  and  frequently 
set  up  irritation,  inflammation,  and  opacity, 
and  a  copious  discharge  of  tears.  This  is 
termed  entropium,  and  requires  an  operation. 
When  the  eyelid  is  turned  outwards  from  the 
eyeball,  the  condition  takes  the  name  of 
ectropium,  which  rarely  calls  for  any  inter- 
ference, as  it  does  not  injure  the  animal,  even 
if  it  is  unsightly.  A  very  rare  anomaly  of  the 
eyelid  in  the  cat  is  when  the  hairs  of  it  take 
'  an  unusual  direction,  and  rub  on  the  glassy 
portion  of  the  eyeball,  and,  like  entropium,  set 
up  irritation,  inflammation,  and  smokiness  of 
it.  This  is  termed  trichiasis,  and  requires  an 
operation  to  remedy  it. 

The  eyelids  are  also  subject  to  wounds, 
bruises,  abscesses,  warts,  and  Meibomian  cysts, 
which  do  not  call  for  special  attention.  The 
third  eyelid,  haw,  or  membrana  nictitans — 
though,  as  before  stated,  it  is  not  so  well 
developed  in  the  cat  as  in  some  other  animals- 
is  liable,  in  debilitating  diseases,  such  as  dis- 
temper, anaemia,  etc.,  to  protrude  persistently 
over  the  inner  part  of  the  front  of  the  eyeball. 
It  will,  however,  resume  its  normal  position 
as  the  cat  regains  strength,  and  should,  there- 


fore, on  no  account  be  removed.  It  frequently 
becomes  inflamed  during  distemper,  catarrh, 
or  ophthalmia,  or  from  injuries,  but  should 
not  in  these  cases  be  removed,  as  if  it  were  a 
foreign  body  or  new  growth  ;  a  simple  soothing, 
antiseptic  lotion  will  put  it  right  as  the  original 
disease  abates  and  strength  is  regained. 

Frequently  in  the  cat,  as  in  the  dog,  just 
below  the  inner  angle  of  the  eye  socket  an 
abscess  forms.  This  is  due  to  pus  in  the  cavity 
of  the  jaw  bones,  called  also  the  antrum  of 
highmore,_above  the  teeth,  and  is  generally 
caused  by  some  disturbance  or  disease  of  the 
tooth.  When  the  tooth  immediately  below 
the  abscess  is  removed,  and  the  abscess  cavity 
is  washed  out  with  some  astringent,  recovery 
usually  takes  place.  It  should,  however,  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  teeth  below  the  eye 
are  frequently  diseased,  and  no  abscess  is 
caused  by  them. 

A  fistula  may  form  immediately  below  the 
inner  angle  of  the  eyelids.  It  results  from  an 
abscess  which  opens,  and  then  heals  up,  to 
break  out  again.  This  process  goes  on  until  a 
permanent  opening  or  fistula  remains,  from 
which  a  discharge  of  matter  issues.  This  is 
connected  with  some  disturbance,  or  even 
disease,  of  the  tooth  or  teeth  immediately 
below  it.  When  the  tooth  or  teeth  are  re- 
moved, and  the  opening  occasionally  well 
washed  out  with  some  astringent,  it  heals  up, 
and  no  further  trouble  is  seen.  However,  it 
is  sometimes  due  to  tuberculosis,  and  the 
mere  removal  of  teeth  does  not  do  away  with 
the  fistula.  It  is  mostly  mistaken  for  a 
lachrymal  fistula. 

Sometimes  the  conjunctiva,  or  the  pinkish 
membrane  lining  the  inner  surface  of  the  eye- 
lids and  the  front  of  the  eyeball,  becomes  the 
seat  of  disease. 

A  non-inflammatory  swelling  of  it  is  seen, 
due  to  an  infiltration  of  serum.  This  is  called 
chemosis.  It  has  the  appearance  of  a  palish 
pink  swelling  all  round  the  eye,  which  seems 
sunken  in  the  orbit  but  does  not  seem  in- 
flamed or  painful.  It  may  quickly  disappear 
on  dropping  a  few  minims  of  a  4  per  cent, 
solution  of  cocaine  hydrochloride  into  the 
eye.  It  is  liable  to  recur  at  some  future 
time. 

Conjunctivitis,  or  inflammation  of  the  mem- 
brane covering  the  inner  lining  of  the  eyes  and 
the  front  of  the  eyeball,  is  also  termed  external 
or  simple  ophthalmia.  It  is  frequently  seen  in 
the  cat  during  distemper,  diphtheria,  catarrh, 


372 


THE    BOOK     OF    THE    CAT; 


or  from  an  injury  to,  or  presence  of  a  foreign 
body  in,  the  eye. 

The  animal  evidently  dreads  the  light,  as 
the  eyelids  are  partially  closed,  and  the  haw  is 
drawn  a  little  way  over  the  front  of  the  eyeball. 
Tears  run  down  the  face,  and,  if  the  eyelids 
are  separated,  and  the  internal  lining  thus 
exposed,  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  swollen  and 
reddened  from  the  distension  of  the  small 
blood-vessels.  After  a  day  or  two,  the  dis- 
charge alters  in  character,  and  instead  of  being 
watery,  as  before,  appears  as  yellowish  white 
thick  matter,  flowing  from  or  sticking  to  the 
inner  corner  of  the  eye.  The  lining  membrane 
may  become  so  swollen  that  it  laps  over  the 
lids,  and  the  eyeball  seems  to  have  sunk  into 
its  orbit. 

Sometimes  it  is  associated  with  the  presence 
on  the  conjunctiva  of  small,  round,  pinkish 
bodies,  the  size  of  a  pin's  head,  which  com- 
pletely disappear  as  the  affection  passes  off, 
leaving  the  mucous  membrane  as  they  found 
it.  Frequently,  there  are  reddish-yellow  granu- 
lations or  greyish- white,  semi-transparent,  or 
glistening  bodies,  of  the  size  of  a  rape-seed  or 
less,  scattered  over  the  conjunctival  membrane, 
or  protruding  from  it. 

To  these  two  latter  varieties  of  conjunctivitis 
the  terms  of  follicular  and  granular  are  re- 
spectively applied.  They  both  seem  contagious. 

Treatment. — If  the  catarrh  of  the  eyes  is  due 
to  a  foreign  body,  it  must  be  removed.  The 
cat  should  be  kept  in  a  dark,  warm  place,  free 
from  draughts  and  away  from  the  fire,  and  the 
eye  bathed  with  a  warm  lotion  composed  of 
the  following  ingredients  : — 

Boracic  acid    ....     8  grains. 
Cocaine  hydrochloride    .          .8       „ 
Rose-water      ...          .     i   ounce. 

If  there  are  any  granules  on  the  conjunctiva, 
the  lining  membrane  of  the  lids  should  be 
everted,  after  the  eye  has  been  cocainised,  and 
painted  with  a  10  per  cent,  solution  of  nitrate 
of  silver  or  rubbed  with  a  stick  of  copper 
sulphate,  care  being  taken  that  the  superfluous 
material  is  afterwards  washed  off  with  warm 
water. 

The  Purulent  Ophthalmia  of  the  New-born  is 
seen  in  young  kittens  as  soon  as  their  eyes  are 
opened,  or  even  before,  and  is  a  very  serious 
complaint,  as  it  generally  attacks  the  eyeball, 
which  it  destroys,  and  consequently  the  sight 
is  lost.  This  disease  seems  contagious. 

There  is  a  bulging  of  the  eyelids,  which  are 
glued  together.  When  these  are  separated,  a 


thick,  yellowish  matter  flows  out,  the  eyes  are 
ulcerated  and  perforated,  the  inner  surfaces  of 
the  eyelids  are  inflamed,  and  soon  after  the 
contents  of  the  eye  protrude  as  a  fleshy  mass. 

Treatment. — If  the  eyes  are  destroyed,  the 
animal  should  be  put  into  the  lethal  chamber 
at  once.  On  the  other  hand,  if  there  is  no 
ulceration  of  the  eyeball,  the  eyelids  should  be 
separated  and  the  eyes  and  under-surface  of 
the  eyelids  constantly  irrigated  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  at  a  time  with  a  warm  solution  of 
chinosol.  The  eyelids  must  not  be  allowed  to 
become  sealed  up,  else  matter  will  collect  and 
press  on  the  delicate  eyeballs  and  destroy 
them.  It  may  be  advisable  to  paint  the  inside 
of  the  eyelids  with  a  10  per  cent,  solution  of 
nitrate  of  silver. 

The  cornea,  or  clear,  glassy  transparent  mem- 
brane of  the  front  of  the  eyeball,  is  frequently 
involved  in  the  disease  just  described,  or  it 
may  become  inflamed  or  ulcerated  independent 
of  it. 

Inflammation  of  the  cornea,  termed  Corneitis, 
keratitis,  or  external  ophthalmia,  may  result 
from  conjunctivitis,  injuries,  distemper,  diph- 
theria, or  disease  of  the  brain  or  nerves,  sun- 
stroke, etc. 

It  is  very  prevalent  during  the  cold  winds 
of  spring,  and  in  the  majority  of  instances 
seems  to  be  contagious.  It  appears  in  the 
form  of  patchy  congestion  or  inflammation, 
or  at  a  later  stage  as  ulceration. 

One  or  both  eyes  may  be  affected.  There 
is  a  dread  of  light,  a  continual  flow  of  tears, 
and  frequent  winking  of  the  eyelids,  or  almost 
complete  closure  of  them.  The  cornea,  usually 
glassy  and  transparent,  becomes  clouded  by 
a  smoky  or  milky  white  film,  which  has  a 
rounded  or  irregular  form. 

Blood-vessels,  which  in  the  normal  state  are 
absent,  appear  on  the  cornea,  spreading  from 
a  part  or  all  round  the  circumference  towards 
the  centre  of  the  eye.  If  the  inflammation  is 
intense  and  prolonged,  the  eyeball  perforated, 
and  the  contents  bulge  outwards  and  become 
rough,  dirty,  and  leathery  in  appearance,  this 
condition  is  generally  seen  either  as  the  result 
of  an  injury,  or  from  improper  treatment,  or 
neglect  of  a  simple  affection  of  the  eye.  In 
distemper  the  inflammation  usually  expends 
itself  on  some  particular  spot  or  spots  in  one  or 
both  eyes.  These  spots  may  appear  as  mere 
milky-white  patches,  or  they  may  present  an 
appearance  which  might  lead  an  ordinary 
observer  to  the  conclusion  that  a  small  piece 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,    AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


373 


had  been  dug  out  of  the  eye.  They  may 
occur  either  in  the  centre  of  the  cornea,  or  a 
little  above  it,  or  sometimes  a  little  towards 
the  outer  angle  of  the  eye. 

At  the  outset  the  cornea  at  the  particular 
spot  or  spots  in  which  the  inflammation  is 
localised  becomes  softened,  then  bulges,  and 
finally  gives  way,  so  that  a  depression  or  ulcer 
is  left  on  the  eye.  Some  time  after  this  ulcer 
becomes  filled  up  with  granulations  of  a  dirty 
red  colour,  which  afterwards  become  absorbed, 
when  the  cure  is  complete.  Frequently  two 
ulcers  appear  side  by  side. 

Sometimes,  when  these  ulcerations  are  im- 
properly treated  or  neglected,  or  associated 
with  great  debility  or  anaemia,  the  white  speck 
remains  as  a  permanent  blemish,  or  in  the 
more  serious  cases  the  ulcer  perforates  the 
eye,  and  the  contents  of  which  bulge  and  cause 
what  is  termed  a  staphyloma,  from  its  resem- 
blance to  a  grape,  or  the  whole  eye  may  become 
involved  in  the  inflammation  and  be  totally 
destroyed.  In  these  cases  of  the  destroyed  or 
"  lost  "  eyes,  the  whole  eyeball  has  a  greenish- 
white  appearance,  and  seems  to  bulge  out  from 
the  socket  in  consequence  of  the  general 
swelling  of  the  organ.  It  may  give  way  or 
become  ulcerated,  giving  rise  to  a  continual 
discharge,  and  if  not  removed  causes  great 
pain  and  exhaustion. 

Treatment. — The  cat  should  be  kept  in  the 
dark,  and  soothing  antiseptics  applied  to  the 
eye. 

The  solution  lecommended  for  conjunctivitis 
is  also  very  serviceable  here.  If  the  eye  affection 
is  due  to  distemper  or  any  other  general  disease, 
it  is,  of  course,  necessary  to  treat  this  disease, 
in  addition  to  the  local  applications  to  the  eye. 
When  ulceration  takes  place,  the  following 
drops  are  recommended  : — 


Eserine  salicylate   . 
Distilled  water 


1  grain. 

2  drachms. 


To  be  instilled  between  the  eyelids,  by  means 
of  an  eye-dropper,  two  or  three  times  a  day. 
Tf,  however,  there  is  much  vascularity,  the 
following  drops  are  advisable  : — 

Atrophine  sulphate          .         .     -J  grain. 
Cocaine  hydrochloride     .          .     6  grains. 
Distilled  water        .         .         .2  drachms. 

After  all  the  acute  symptoms  have  passed 
away,  the  indolent  granulations  may  require 
treatment.  A  suitable  application  for  this 
purpose  is  :— 

Chinosol  .         .         .         -3?  grains. 

Rose-water      .         .          .         .8  ounces. 
24* 


To  bathe  the  eye,  by  means  of  allowing  the 
lotion  to  drop  by  squeezing  a  piece  of  lint 
saturated  with  it  between  the  eyelids  several 
times  a  day. 

When  the  eye  is  irretrievably  lost,  and  sup- 
puration commences  in  the  interior  of  the  eye, 
it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  whole  eyeball. 
However,  this  should  not  be  performed  in  the 
case  of  distemper  until  after  the  original  disease 
abates,  else  removal  of  one  eye  will  probably 
end  in  destruction  of  the  other. 

GeneraL_Remarks  on  the  Eye. — In  all  affec- 
tions of  the  eyes,  a  careful  examination  of  them 
should  be  made  by  an  experienced  qualified 
veterinary  surgeon.  As,  however,  in  some 
out-of-the-way  places  professional  aid  is  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible,  to  obtain,  a  few  brief 
hints  as  to  general  treatment  should  be  useful. 
Many  amateurs,  in  their  anxiety  to  effect  a 
speedy  and  complete  cure,  attempt  too  much, 
use  powerful  and  irritating  drugs  (often  also  in 
improper  proportions),  and  frequently,  with 
the  best  intentions  in  the  world,  succeed  in 
permanently  injuring  or  even  destroying  the 
sight.  It  is  therefore  better,  in  the  absence  of 
professional  aid,  and  especially  in  the  earlier 
stages  of  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  to  trust  to 
mild  and  palliative  treatment,  and  to  "  give 
nature  a  chance." 

In  all  cases  of  recent  inflammation,  soothing 
applications  should  be  used,  such  as  warm 
infusion  of  poppy-heads  or  camomile  flowers, 
warm  milk,  cocaine  drops,  etc.  If  the  in- 
flammation is  associated  with  increased  tension 
of  the  eyeball,  due  to  an  excessive  quantity  of 
fluid  within  it,  or  is  accompanied  by  deep 
ulceration,  the  increased  tension  should  be 
reduced  by  means  of  the  eserine  drops. 

Lotions  containing  either  lead  or  silver  nitrate 
should  not  be  used  in  inflammation  of  the 
cornea  associated  with  ulceration,  as  the  former 
is  apt  to  leave  a  white  spot  or  patch,  and  the 
latter  a  brown  or  blackish  stain. 

Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  animals  affected 
with  disturbance  of  the  eyes  should  be  kept 
in  the  dark,  or  at  any  rate  away  from  the  fire 
or  from  any  glaring  light,  and  should  be  shielded 
from  draughts.  The  general  health  should  also 
be  looked  to,  and  nourishing  food  given. 

DISEASES  OF  THE   SKIN. 

The  cat  is  very  fortunately  free  from  many  of 
the  skin  complaints  that  affect  the  dog.  Never- 
theless, domestication  and  improper  surround- 
ings— the  curses  of  health— demand  a  few 


374 


THE    BOOK    OF     THE    CAT. 


victims  now  and  again,  and  hence  the  much- 
maligned  cat  is  not  exempt  from  this  bane. 

The  diseases  are  either  contagious  and  con- 
veyable  from  one  cat  to  another,  or  simple  and 
not  spread  by  contact. 

The  contagious  skin  diseases  are  due  either 
to  an  animal  parasite  (as  in  mange)  or  to  a 
vegetable  parasite  (as  in  ringworm). 

Sarcoptic  Mange  is  a  contagious  skin  dis- 
ease of  the  cat  due  to  an  animal  parasite  or 
mange-mite,  termed  Sarcoptes  minor,  var.  cati. 

It  generally  attacks  ill-fed,  neglected,  and 
badly  housed  cats  which  are  allowed  to  stray, 
and  is  seen  chiefly  in  the  -autumn.  It  fre- 
quently occurs  as  an  epizootic,  and  where  no 
attention  is  bestowed  on  the  victims  it  is  very 
fatal. 

The  adult  or  mature  mite  has  an  almost 
circular  body.  When  viewed  under  the  micro- 
scope, its  limbs  seem  to  be  under  its  body.  It 
has  eight  pairs  of  legs  in  the  adult  and  six  in 
the  larval  stage.  In  the  female  the  hind  legs 
are  provided  at  the  extremities  with  bristles 
only  ;  but  in  the  male  the  central  pair  of  hind 
legs  are  provided  with  suckers,  although  the 
outer  pair  have  bristles.  It  does  not  excavate 
a  subcutaneous  gallery,  or  burrow,  like  the 
mange-mites  of  other  animals,  but  makes  a 
simple  nest,  that  appears  as  a  minute  eminence. 
The  larvae,  nymphse,  and  males  wander  in  the 
midst  of  the  crusts. 

It  is  capable  of  being  transmitted  to  man, 
and  to  the  dog,  rat,  horse,  and  ox. 

Whatever  part  of  the  body  it  first  touches, 
it  always  goes  to  the  head  to  do  its  injurious 
work.  At  first  small  reddish  pimples,  no 
larger  than  a  pin's  head  or  a  turnip-seed, 
appear;  these  exude  a  yellowish  fluid  which 
dries  and  forms  crusts.  The  animal  scratches, 
the  hair  falls  off,  numerous  other  scales 
appear,  and  become  thicker  and  thicker,  until 
the  whole  head  and  ears  become  encased  in  a 
cast  of  dirty  yellowish  crusts.  The  crusts  may 
be  absent  in  young  kittens  or  cats,  but  slightly- 
adherent  scales  are  seen  instead. 

After  a  time  the  disease  spreads  to  the  neck 
and  shoulders,  elbows  and  thighs,  or  even  to 
the  whole  body.  In  kittens  or  young  cats 
the  complaint  is  more  likely  tp  spread  to 
various  parts  of  the  body,  but  in  older  animals 
it  is  generally  confined  to  the  head,  or  head 
and  neck,  but  may,  as  in  young  cats,  spread  to 
the  other  parts  or  to  the  whole  body,  the  skin 
of  which,  after  some  time,  becomes  wrinkled, 
and  gives  off  a  musty  odour. 


The  nostrils  and  eyes  may  be  blocked  up  by 
the  thickened  crusts,  so  that  the  animal  can 
see,  or  breathe  through  the  nostrils,  only  with 
difficulty.  The  cat  hides  or  strays  away,  it 
mopes  and  seems  sad ;  it  becomes  emaciated, 
and  indifferent  to  its  surroundings,  and  finally 
succumbs  to  exhaustion  or  some  concurrent 
disease.  It  may  be  associated  with  ringworm 
or  parasitic  ear  canker  ;  it  is  nearly  always 
accompanied  by  the  elliptical  tapeworm. 

It  quickly  kills  within  five  or  six  weeks  if 
no  treatment  or  attention  is  bestowed  on 
the  cat,  especially  if  young  ;  but  where  it  is 
partially  treated,  it  may  linger  for  months, 
even  years.  Cold  weather  retards  its  progress, 
but  its  energy  is  renewed  in  the  following 
spring.  It  spreads  slowly  on  well-cared-for 
cats. 

Treatment. — The  mangy  cat  should  be  kept 
isolated  from  the  healthy  animals,  and  kept 
away  from  children.  Its  basket,  bedding,  or 
cage  should  be  boiled,  burnt,  or  thoroughly 
disinfected.  The  cat  must  be  carefully  dressed 
with  sulphurated  lime  lotion,  which  should  be 
applied  by  means  of  a  piece  of  lint  every  day, 
taking  care  that  the  animal  is  kept  warm  and 
well  fed. 

Follicular  Mange  is  due  to  a  caterpillar- 
shaped  mite — the  Demodex  or  Acarus  follicu- 
lorum,  var.  cati — which  inhabits  the  sebaceous 
follicles  of  the  skin.  It  is  sometimes  found  in 
the  ears,  nose,  and  head  of  the  cat,  but  rarely 
causes  severe  itchiness.  It  produces  pimples 
and  scabs,  which  are  only  of  short  duration, 
and  seldom  occasions  trouble.  It  is  frequently 
associated  with  sarcoptic  mange.  The  parasite 
is  a  quarter  smaller  than  that  of  the  dog. 

Treatment. — A  lotion  composed  of  sulphur- 
ated potash  (i  drachm),  glycerine  (-J-  oz.  to 
6  parts  of  rose-water),  applied  by  means  of 
lint  to  the  affected  part  once  a  day,  generally 
suffices  to  cause  its  disappearance. 

Grey  Ringworm,  or  Tinea  tonsurans,  is  not 
a  common  affection  of  the  cat.  It  is  due  to  a 
vegetable  parasite  or  mould,  termed  the  Tricho- 
phyton  felineum,  which  attacks  the  hairs,  these 
becoming  much  altered  and  broken,  and  their 
ends  split  up  and  frayed  like  a  brush.  There 
will  be  noticed  circular  or  oval  bald  patches, 
covered  with  an  abundance  of  scales,  which  are 
of  a  slaty  or  greyish  appearance,  and  vary 
according  to  the  colour  of  the  animal.  These 
are  seen  on  the  head  and  limbs  and  round  the 
eyelids  and  mouth,  but  also  on  other  parts  of 
the  body.  They  ma}'  run  into  one  another, 


THE    DISEASES    OF    CATS,   AND    THEIR    TREATMENT. 


375 


and  form  large  patches.  There  may  be  itchi- 
ness  and  scratching  ;  and  in  this  latter  case 
the  crusts  may  be  covered  with  blood  and 
resemble  eczema. 

Treatment. — As  this  disease  is  conveyable  to 
other  cats,  to  the  horse,  ox.  dog,  and  children, 
the  affected  animal  should  be  isolated  and 
the  patches  dressed  with  tincture  of  per- 
chloride  of  iron  once  every  third  day.  (Whole 
families,  and  even  a  whole  school,  have  been 
known  to  become  affected  with  ringworm 
from  a  cat.) 

Yellow  Ringworm,  or  Tinea  favosa,  or  favus, 
also  termed  "  honeycomb  ringworm,"  is  a 
commoner  disease  in  the  cat  than  grey  ring- 
worm. It  is  due  to  a  vegetable  parasite  named 
Achorion  Qmnckeanum,  which  causes  at  first 
yellow-coloured  crusts  that  are  arranged  as 
cup-shaped  masses,  which  disturb  the  hairs  so 
that  they  are  shed.  These  cup-shaped  masses 
resemble  a  honeycomb  in  appearance,  hence  its 
name.  The  sulphur-yellow  colour  after  a  time 
changes  to  a  dirty  yellow  or  grey.  The  patches 
may  be  circular  or  zigzag,  and  raised  above  the 
skin,  but  the  centre  is  depressed  so  as  to  give 
them  a  cup-shaped  appearance.  They  vary  in 
size  from  a  pin's  head  to  a  shilling,  or  larger. 
They  may  run  into  one  another,  so  that  the 
circular  form  is  no  longer  present.  The  hairs 
are  stiff  and  lustreless,  and  can  be  easily  pulled 
out.  They  seem  to  grow  in  the  centre  of  the 
"  cups."  After  a  time  the  parasite  loosens  the 
hair  in  the  follicle,  so  that  it  is  shed. 

It  prefers  to  affect  the  root  of  the  claws,  or 
the  belly,  sides  of  the  chest,  elbows,  head,  base 
of  ears,  nose,  and  then  spreads  all  over  the 
body.  When  it  attacks  the  head,  it  ensheaths 
the  face  and  scalp  as  if  clay  had  been  moulded 
to  the  parts,  so  that  the  eyes  become  hidden 
from  view. 

The  cat  hides  itself,  or  strays  away  ;  it 
moans  or  mews,  crouches  on  all  fours,  and 
seems  utterly  miserable.  The  skin  gives  off 
an  abominable  odour,  which  resembles  mouldy 
decaying  wood  in  a  damp,  dark  building,  or 
a  mousy  smell.  When  the  disease  is  in  an 
advanced  stage,  the  animal  dies  from  exhaus- 
tion or  some  concurrent  disease. 

It  affects  old  cats  as  well  as  young  ones,  and 
it  is  said  they  contract  it  from  mice  and  rats, 
which  become  affected  behind  the  ears.  A 
week  or  a  fortnight  elapses  before  any  symptom 
appears  after  infection.  Young  animals  are 
easily  infected,  but  older  ones  may  resist  it. 
It  is  transmissible  to  children  and  adults,  from 


cat  to  cat,  from  man  to  cat,  and  from  rats  and 
mice  to  man  and  cat.  It  may  be  associated 
with  mange  and  parasitic  ear  canker. 

Treatment.— The  cat  affected  with  yellow 
ringworm  should  be  kept  away  from  children 
and  other  cats :  the  affected  patches  may 
be  painted  with  the  following  : — 


Salicylic  acid 

Ether 

Spirit  of  wine 

Glycerine 

Camphor- water 


1  drachm. 

2  drachms. 
£  ounce. 

4  drachms, 
to  3  ounces. 


The  term  "Eczema  is  given  to  all  those  skin 
eruptions  that  are  characterised  by  pimples 
and  vesicles  followed  by  scabs  and  scales,  and 
accompanied  with  great  itchiness. 

It  is  said  to  be  non-contagious,  and  as  far 
as  the  cat  is  concerned  this  seems  to  me  to  be 
true.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  dog  some  of 
the  varieties  of  eczema  appear  to  be  spread 
by  contact.  It  very  often  runs  a  chronic 
course,  and  frequently  recurs. 

It  generally  affects  the  back,  loins,  root  of 
tail,  and  back  of  the  thighs,  although  any  part 
of  the  body  may  be  attacked.  There  is  great 
itchiness,  the  animal  bites  or  licks  itself,  the 
skin  becomes  red,  pimples  the  size  of  a  head 
of  a  millet  seed,  or  even  a  small  pea,  appear ; 
these,  after  a  time,  burst,  and  a  fluid  issues 
from  them  and  dries,  forming  scabs.  Some- 
times the  itchiness  is  so  intense  as  to  cause  the 
animal  to  bite  or  lick  itself  until  the  skin 
becomes  raw  and  bleeding.  In  rare  instances 
it  produces  a  kind  of  mania  for  licking,  which 
is  followed  by  epileptiform  seizures.  The  hair 
falls  off,  leaving  bare  patches,  or  it  becomes 
matted  together  by  the  gluey  discharge  and 
ultimately  sheds  itself. 

In  suckling  cats,  after  sudden  deprivation  of 
their  offspring,  an  eczematous  eruption  may 
appear  on  the  belly,  back,  and  loins,  but  it  is 
not,  as  a  rule,  severe. 

The  she-cat,  especially  of  the  light-coloured 
variety,  when  not  allowed  to  breed,  is  often 
troubled  with  a  scattered  vesicular  eruption, 
which  is  too  difficult  to  eradicate,  and  is  very 
liable  to  recur. 

In  the  castrated  male  cat  it  is  very  common 
to  find  a  papular  and  vesicular  eruption,  which 
breaks  out  every  spring  and  autumn. 

The  causes  of  eczema  in  the  cat  are  an  un- 
natural, sedentary  life  and  an  abundance  of 
rich  food  without  any  compensatory  or  suffi- 
cient exercise  in  the  fresh  air.  Hot  weather, 
especially  when  accompanied  by  wet,  pre- 


376 


THE    BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


disposes  to  it,  but  the  affection  is  seen  also  in 
the  cold  months  of  the  year. 

Treatment.  —  The  animal  suffering  from 
eczema  should  be  allowed  as  much  exercise 
of  its  functions  in  the  open  aii  as  possible. 
Grass  or  freshly  boiled  green  vegetables,  or 
asparagus,  should  be  put  within  its  reach. 
Raw  meat,  uncooked  fish  with  the  bones  in,  or 
birds  with  the  feathers  on,  or  bullock's  liver 
are  suitable  as  ordinary  food.  Rice-pudding, 
oatmeal,  and  milk  should  not  be  given. 

The  treatment  of  the  skin  is  chiefly  local. 
The  itchiness  must  be  allayed.  This  can  be 
obtained  by  applying  precipitated  sulphur 
(2  drachms),  zinc  oxide  (2  drachms),  mixed  in 
olive  oil  (2  ounces)  twice  a  day  to  the  affected 
parts.  If  the  eruptions  are  spread  over  a 
wide  area,  the  hair  should  be  cut  off  close  to 
the  skin  before  applying  the  dressing.  For 
internal  treatment  a  powder  composed  of 
calomel  (J-  to  J  grain)  and  bicarbonate  of 
sodium  (a£  to  5  grains)  should  be  given  twice 
a  day.  If  the  disease  runs  a  chronic  course, 
arsenic  bromide  or  iodide  (T-J-ff  grain  in  a 
pilule)  should  be  given  three  times  a  day. 

EXTERNAL  ANIMAL  PARASITES. 

The  Cat  Flea  (Pulex  serraticeps,  var.  cati). 
— The  cat  flea  is  identical  with,  but  rather 
smaller  than,  that  of  the  dog.  It  differs  from 
the  flea  of  mankind  (Pulex  irritans)  by  having 
black,  blunt  spines,  seven  to  nine  in  number, 
arranged  as  the  teeth  of  a  comb,  at  the  pos- 
terior border  of  the  prothorax  and  at  the 
inferior  border  of  the  head.  It  is  a  trouble- 
some pest  by  irritating  and  disturbing  rest.  It 
prefers  to  attack  the  cat  when  she  is  suckling. 

The  flea  plays  an  important  part  in  the 
evolution  of  the  elliptical  tapeworm  (Tcema 
elliptica)  by  harbouring  the  intermediary 
cysticercus,  the  ingestion  of  which  gives  rise 
to  the  development  of  this  tapeworm  in  the 
intestine. 

Treatment. — The  cat  should  have  powdered 
pyrethrum  well  rubbed  into  its  skin,  and  then 
combed  out,  care  to  be  taken  that  the  combings 


are  burnt.  The  crevices  or  corners  of  the 
cat's  house  should  be  sprinkled  with  oil  of 
turpentine,  or  Sanitas  powder. 

Fortunately  for  the  cat,  it  is  affected  with 
only  one  variety  of  louse,  the  Cat  Louse  (Tricho- 
dectcs  subrostratus),  which  differs  from  the  flea 
in  being  wingless  and  not  jumping  from  but 
only  quitting  the  cat  by  accident.  It  has 
three-articled  antennae ;  the  head  has  five  sides 
to  it ;  the  body  is  oval,  and  in  the  female 
notched  behind.  Its  colour  is  yellowish-brown. 

It  is  not  a  blood-sucker,  but  attacks  the 
hair  and  eats  the  epidermis,  preferably  that  of 
the  head,  neck,  back,  and  limbs,  where  it 
causes  intense  itching.  It  develops  rapidly 
upon  poorly  fed,  weak,  or  debilitated  animals. 
There  is,  besides  itchiness,  loss  of  hair,  scurfi- 
ness,  and  nits  (eggs)  in  more  or  less  large 
numbers,  which  by  their  presence  indicate  that 
the  skin  has  not  received  sufficient  attention. 
The  nits,  or  eggs,  are  attached  to  the  hair. 

Treatment. — The  hair  may  be  sprayed  with 
equal  parts  of  vinegar  and  concentrated  in- 
fusion of  quassia.  Moreover,  should  the 
animal  lick  itself  after  this  dressing  is  ap- 
plied, it  will  act  as  a  tonic.  Raw  meat,  or 
fish,  cod-liver  oil,  etc.,  should  be  given. 

PAINLESS   DESTRUCTION   OF  CATS. 

A  knowledge  of  how  painlessly  to  destroy  a 
cat's  life  is  very  important  to  the  owner  of  a 
cat  who  is  not  in  reach  of  a  veterinary  surgeon 
— the  proper  person  to  undertake  this  duty 
under  ordinary  circumstances. 

The  most  humane  method  i?  to  place 
the  animal  in  a  small  air-tight  box,  into 
which  has  been  placed  previously  two  to  four 
drachms  of  chloroform  on  a  sponge  or  piece  of 
lint  or  cotton-wool,  which  produces  at  first 
anaesthesia  or  painless  sleep,  and  afterwards 
•death  from  failure  of  the  respiration  and  heart. 
It  does  not  cause  a  suffocative  feeling  or  sen- 
sation like  coal-gas,  or  spasm,  as  does  prussic 
acid.  Care  must  be  taken  not  to  take  the  cat 
out  of  the  box  too  soon,  or  else  life,  not  quite 
extinct,  may  return. 


INDEX. 


Abscess  of  the  Ear,  369  ;  of  the  Eye,  371 

Abyssinian  Cats,  297,  301 

Albinos,  351 

Alice  in  Wonderland,  15 

Alice  through  the  Looking-g'ass,  15 

Amateur  Cat  Photography,  332 

America  :  Cat  Fancy,  30,  303  ;  ''Any  Other  Colour  " 
Persians  in,  235  ;  Brown  Tabby  Persians,  227, 
229;  Cats'  Homes  in,  33  ;  Difficulties  of  Show- 
ing, 324  ;  Fanciers,  304  ;  Judging,  317  ;  Litera- 
ture, 31  ;  Short-haired  Cats,  286  ;  Shows,  327  ; 
Smoke  Persians,  184  ;  Stud  Cats,  305  ;  Stud 
Cats'  Register,  309  ;  Wild  Cats  at  bhows,  322 

American  Cat  Clubs,  30 

Anaesthetics,  557 

Anatomy  of  Ca<,  351 

Ancestry  of  Cat,  350 

Angora  Cats.  0,8 

Animal  Worship.  2 

"  Any  Other  Colour  "  Persians,  233  ;  in  America, 
235  ;  Fanciers,  234  ;  Mating,  233 

Appendicular  Skeleton  of  Cat,  353 

Archangel  Cats,  275.  279 

Armitage,  Miss,  on  Siamese  Cats,  260 

Armorial  Bearings  and  Cats,  13 

Arnold,  Matthew,  n 

Art.  The  Cat  in,  15 

Artificial  Foods  for  Ki(ten«,  338 

Artificial  Foster-mother,  340 

Artificial  Heat  in  Cattery,  54 

Asphalt  Floor  for  Cattery,  51 

Assam,  122 

Atab,  215 

Atlantic  Cat  Club,  27,  304  ;  Silver  Tabby  Winners, 
176 

Australia,  Origin  of  Cats  in,  300;  Wild  Cats,  323 

Axial  Skeleton  of  Cat,  352 


B 


Backgrounds  in  Cat  Photography,  332 

Balding,  Mrs.,  on  Chinchilla  Persians,  144 

Barker,  Mr.  E.  M.,  on  Brown  Tabby  Persians, 
227 

Basalt  Cat  Statues,  5 

Battersea  Dogs'  Home,  19 

Beal,  Miss,  on  Cream  Persians,  206  ;  on  Tortoise- 
shell  Persians,  210 

Bedding,  52  ;  at  Shows,  80 

Beds  fur  Oimnfl  in  Kit,  40 

Bennet,  Mrs.,  68 

Bentham,  J.,  n 

Beresford  Cat  Club,  Chicago,  27,  30;  Blue  Short- 
hairs  Classification,  280  ;  Neuters,  239  ;  Stud 
Book,  309 

Beresford,  I.ady  Marcus,  28 ;  Cattery,  101  ;  on 
Siamese  Cat1*,  261 

Berlin  Museum,  5 

Bible,  Reference  to  Cat  in,  2 

Black  Persians,  112  ;  Coats,  113,  117  ;  Colour 
Breeding.  345;  Eyes,  112,  116  ;  Mr.  R.  Little 
on,  117  ;  Mating,  115,  344;  Dr.  Roper  on,  115 

Black  Short-haired  Cats,  289 

Black  and  White  Club,  26,  117 

Black  and  White  Persians,  233 

Bladder,  Distension  of  the,  361 

Blue  Persian  Cat  Society,  26,  30  ;  Objects,  179 
Pedigree  Form,  87 

Blu?  Persians,  125  ;  Catteries,    131  ;    Mrs.   Clarke 
on,     107 ;    Eyes,    127 ;    Fanuers,    128, 
Kittens,  no,  127  ;  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason  on, 
Mating,  ic7,  126  ;  Points,  126,  130 

Blue  Short-haired  Cats,  275;  British,  276;  Mrs 
Carew  Cox  on,  278  ;  Coat,  279  ;  Fanciers,  277 
Canon  Girdlestone's  Breed,  279  ;  Mrs.  Jnme 
on,  265  ;  Mating,  279  ;  Place  of  Origin,  288 
Pointsx  277,  281  ;  Ruisian,  276,  291 


127 


Blue  Smokes,  126 

Blue  and  White  Persians,  233 

Board  School  Essay  on  Cats,  25 

Boarding  Houses  for  Cats,  195 

Body  of  Cat,  351 

Bolton,  Mr.  G.,  on  Manx  Cats,  245 

Bones  and  Principal  Ligaments  of  Cat's  Toe,  352 

Bones  in  Structure  of  Cat,  352 

Bonny,  Mrs.,  on  Short-haired  Cats,  285 

Bordeaux  Museum,  6 

Boston,  U.S.,  Cats'  Home,  34 

Botanic  Gardens  National  Cat  Club  Shows,  27 

Bougeant,  Father,  12 

Boulak  Museum,  3 

Brain  of  Cat,  350,  356 

Brand's  Essence,  45 

Breastbone  of  Cat,  353 

Breeding,  38,347;  in  America,  316.  324;  "Any 
Other  Colours  "  233  ;  Black  Persians,  112,  115  ; 
Blue  Persians,  107,  126  ;  Blue  Short-hairs, 
979  ;  Brown  Tabby  Persians,  228  ;  Chinchillas, 
152,  160;  Colour,  344,  349;  Cream  Persians, 
204  ;  Darwin  on,  152  ;  Financial  Aspect,  26 ; 
Manx  Cats,  250;  Markings,  74;  Orange  Per- 
sians, 190  ;  Pedigree  Cats,  152  ;  Red  Tabby 
Short-hairs,  288  ;  Short-hairs,  284,  291,  294  ; 
Sjamese  Cats,  256,  258  ;  Silver  Persians.  144  ; 
Silver  and  Chinchillas,  143  ;  Silver  Tabbies, 
169,  172  ;  Smoke  Persians,  182  ;  Tortoiseshells, 
209,  295  ;  White  Persians,  119 

Brighton,  Massachusetts,  Cats'  Home,  34 

Brindled  Cat,  216 

British  Cat  Club,  27,  274 

British  Museum,  5 

Broken  Colours,  ^o,  231 

Bromide,  46 

Bronchitis,  363 

Brooke,  Mr.  H.  C-,  on  Manx  Cats,  250 

Brooklyn  Cattery,  306 

Brough,  Mrs.  Parker,  on  Siamese  Cats,  263 

Brown,  Mrs.  Peter,  68 

Brown  Tabby  Persians,  215  ;  in  America,  227,  229  ; 
Mrs.  Barker  on,  227 ;  Classification,  217 ; 
Colour  Breeding,  347  ;  Mrs.  Drury  on,  222  ; 
Kittens,  225  ;  Markings,  216  ;  Mating,  228  ; 
Points,  228 ;  Sables,  217,  224,  229 ;  Miss 
Southam  on,  218 ;  White  Lip,  224  ;  Miss 
Whitney  on,  224 

Brown  Tabby  Short-haired  Cats,  288,  291 

Bubastes,  3 

Bull,  Messrs.,  Travelling  Basket,  60 

Bunny  Cat,  301 

Burial  Cuscoms,  6 

Burma,  300 

Burmese  Cats,  300 

Buying  and  Selling  Cats,  86 


Caffre  Cat,  297 

Cairo,  Cats'  Home,  35 

California,  Cat  Fancy,  316 

Cambyses  Tradition,  £ 

Cameras,  Photographic,  in  Cat  Photography,  332 

Camphaleyne,  55 

Canada,  Cat  Fancy,  315 

Canadian  Cats,  315 

Canker,  369 

Carbonate  of  Soda,  45 

Carroll,  Lewis,  14 

Castor-oil,  360 

Cat    Club,    The,     26 ;    Annual    Shows,    95,    163  ; 

Foundation,    28 ;    Medal,   1^3  ;    Register,    78  ; 

Registration,  29,  62  ;  Stud  Book,  29 
Cat  Clubs  and  Societies,  List  of,  26 
Cat  Family,  The,  350 
Cat  Fancy,  25,  90 

"  Cat  Journal,"  American  Paper,  89,  306 
Cat-louse,  376 
Cat-o'-nine-tails,  19 


Cat  Photography,  332 ;  Grouping,  334 ;  Isochro- 
matic  Plates,  336  ;  Length  of  Exposure,  335 

Cats,  i,  18  ;  Action  of  the  Claws,  353  ;  Amateur 
Photography,  338;  Anatomy,  351,  354;  An- 
cestry, 350  ;  on  Armorial  Bearings,  13  ;  in  Art, 
15  ;  Average  Aee  at  Death,  20  ;  Black,  114  ; 
Brain  of,  350  ;  Buying  and  Selling,  86  ;  Care 
and  Management,  37  ;  Catteries,  50 ;  of  Cele- 
brated People,  10  ;  Classification.  350  ;  "  Cold 
Storage"  Breed,  2\\  Common  Brown  Tabby, 
229  ;  Dentition,  99,  352  ;  Diseases,  358  ;  Do- 
mesticated, 6;  Earliest  Egyptian  Representa- 
tion, 5;  in  Egypt,  2,  297  j  Emblem  of  Moon, 
4;  Exhibiting,  61  ;  Feeding  in  Illntss,  358; 
Foreign  Names  for,  18 ;  Friendships  with 
Dogs,  322 ;  Generic  Family  Name,  350 ; 
Geographical  Distribution,  350  ;  Head  on 
Pasht,  3  ;  in  Heraldry,  12 ;  in  history,  8 ; 
Homeless  in  London,  32 ;  Household,  19 ; 
Housing  of,  49;  Insurance,  66;  Intelligence, 
18,  20;  Judging,  70;  Longevity,  20;  Long- 
haired Foreign,  17 ;  Mating,  38  ;  Medical 
Treatment,  31,  271,  373;  in  Middle  Ages,  8; 
the  Hon.  Mrs.  McLaien  Morrison  on,  105; 
Mummy,  i  ;  Neck  bones,  352 ;  in  Nursery 
Rhymes,  14  ;  Painless  Destruction,  376  ;  Pedi- 
gree, 27  ;  Performing,  24 ;  Place  in  Nature, 
350 ;  Points,  96  ;  in  Public  Offices,  22  ;  Re- 
produced in  Ware,  16 ;  Ribs,  352  ;  Senses  of 
Smell  and  Hearing,  20  ;  Short-haired  English, 
17  ;  Skeleton,  555  ;  Stray,  33  ;  Structure,  350  ; 
Superstitions,  13,  115;  Toy,  in  British  Mu- 
seum, 5  ;  Utility  of,  22 ;  Vertebrae,  352  ;  Wash- 
ing, 37 ;  when  Travelling,  58 ;  Worship  in 
Egypt,  3 

Cats'  Home,  Dublin,  33 

Cats'-meat,  24 

Catteries,  49,  101,  131 ;  American,  304 ;  Appli- 
ances, 55 ;  at  Battersea  Home,  33 ;  Lady 
Marcus  Beresford's,  102 ',  Miss  Beal's,  206  ; 
Breeding  Rooms,  52  ;  Brooklyn,  3c6  ;  Miss 
Cartmell's,  192  ;  Cazenovia,  307  ;  Cleanliness, 
44,  55  ;  Mrs.  Coll  ing  wood's,  105  ;  Lady  Decics', 
10,1;  Disinfectants,  55;  Distemper,  364,  368; 
Drainage,  51 ;  Earth  Tins,  57  ;  Fetdine  in, 
37  ;  Feeding  Utensils,  56 ;  Flooring,  51  ;  Hart 
Park,  Slaten  Island,  307 ;  Mrs.  Hawkins', 
262;  Heating,  54,  57;  Mrs.  Herring's,  106 ; 
Mrs.  Jame/,  180 ;  Miss  A.  Leake's,  170; 
Lethal  Box,  56  ;  Littering  Nests,  52  ;  Linden, 
Indianapolis,  315  ;  Millerton,  New  York,  307  ; 
Mrs.  Neate's,  195;  Old  Ford,  305  ;  Dr.  Otto- 
cengui's,  305 ;  Owena,  313 ;  Photographing 
in,  332;  Pioneer,  Toronto,  315;  Plan  of,  51; 
Playing  Room,  52  ;  Portable,  55  ;  Ridgefield, 
New  Jersey,  306;  Runs,  54;  Sleeping  Boxes, 
52  ;  Siames-  Cats,  261 ;  Miss  Southam's,  220; 
Mrs.  Spent  er's,  261  ;  Mrs.  McKenzie  Stewart's, 
104  ;  Stud  Houses,  54  ;  Treatment  of  Kittens 
in.  338;  Ventilation,  5?;  Mrs.  G.  Walker's, 
159;  Worcester,  Mass.,  306 

Cazenovia,  U.S.,  307 

Cement  Floor  for  Cattery,  51 

Challenge  Trophy  for  Chinchilla  Kittens,  151 

Champfleury,  M.,  on  Cats  of  Egypt.  5  ;  on  Cats 
in  Heraldry,  13;  in  Nursery  Rhymes,  14 

Charity,  Cat  Shows  in  Aid  of,  28 

Cheeks  of  Cat,  96 

Cheetah,  The,  350 

Chemosis,  371 

f  hest  of  Cat,  96' 

Chesterfield,  n 

Chicago  Cat  Club,  27,  30,  309  ;  on  Hairle=s  Cats,  298 

Chicago  Cat  Fanciers,  310 ;  Home,  34,  313 ; 
Shows,  312 

China,  6,  300 

Chinaware,  16 

Chinchilla  Cat  Club,  The,  26,  30,  151 ;  Standard 
of  Points,  154 

Chinchilla  Persians,  137;  Mrs.  Balding  on,  144; 
Colour,  154,  346 ;  Eyes,  346;  Mating,  143, 
160 ;  Points,  141,  154,  160 ;  Show  Cats,  147 


378 


THE   BOOK    OF   THE    CAT. 


Chinese  Cat,  300 

Chintz  Cats,  210,  212 

Chocolate  Siamese  Cat,  256 

Christmas  Cards,  Cats  on,  25 

Chronic  Nasal  Catarrh,  362 

Cincinnati  Cat  Shows,  314 

Clan  Chattan,  13 

Clarke,  Mrs.  S.  F.,  on  Breeding  Blue  Persians, 
107 

Classes,  Definition  of,  28 

Classification  at  Shows,  78 

Clavicle  of  Cat,  351 

Claws  of  Cat,  350,  35^ 

Cleanliness  in  Catteries,  44 

Cleveland  Shows,  314 

Clouded  Leopard,  351 

Coat  of  Cats,  37,  98,  113,  340 ;  Abyssinian  Cat, 
301  ;  Black  Persian,  117  ;  Chinchilla,  154  • 
Cream  Persian,  201  ;  in  Exhibiting,  61,  62  ; 
in  Illness,  45  ;  in  Judging  Long-haired 
Classes,  72  ;  Manx  Cat,  245,  251  ;  Neuters, 
238 ;  Orange  Persian,  190 ;  Preparing  for 
Photography,  333 ;  Short-hairs,  270,  282,  289 ; 
Silver  Persians,  140, 165,  174  ;  Smoke  Persians, 
178,  184  ;  Stud  Cats,  47  ;  White  Persians,  118, 
124 

Cochran,  Miss  H.,  on  "Any  Other  Colour*' 
Persians,  233 ;  on  Cream  Persians,  205 ;  on 
Neuters,  239  ;  on  Siamese  Cats,  265 

Cod-liver  Oil,  39,  261 

Cold  Storage  Breed  of  Cats,  24 

Collar-bone  of  Cat,  351 

Collingwood,  Mrs.,  105 

Colour  Breeding,  344 ;  Black  Cats,  345 ;  Chin- 
chillas, 346;  Crossing  for,  344;  Eyes,  3^5; 
Smokes,  346 ;  White  Cats,  354 

Colour  of  Eyes,  96 

Common  Cold,  362 

Common  Round-worm,  361 

*'  Concerning  Cats,"  by  H.  Winslow,  34 

Condition,  Importance  of,  97 

Conjunctivitis,  371 

Connecticut  Cat  Fancy,  308 

Constipation,  40,  360 

Cope,  Miss,  on  Silver  Tabbies,  173 

Cornea,  Inflammation  of  the,  372 

Corneitis,  372 

Cougar,  The,  322 

Cough  362 

Cowper,  ii 

Cox,  Mrs.  Carew,  on  Blue  Short-hairs,  278  ;  on 
Siamese  Cats,  266 

Cream  or  Fawn  Persians,  201  ;  Miss  H.  Cochran 
on,  205  ;  Colour  Breeding,  348  ;  Mrs.  D'Arcy 
Hildyard  on,  204 ;  Markings,  201 ;  Mating, 
204,  207;  Mr.  Morris  on,  203;  Noted  Cats, 
203  ;  Points,  201 

Cremation,  32 

Crested  Cat,  350 

Crossing  (see  Breeding  and  Mating} 

Crystal  Palace  National  Cat  Club  Shows,  27' 

Cusp  of  Tooth,  352 

Cyprus  Cat,  8,  216 


Darwin,  152,  211 

D'Aveunes,  M.  P.,  13 

Deafness,  118,  121 

Dental  Formula  for  Cat,  321 

Dentition,  99 

Detroit  Cat  Fancy,  313 

Devil  as  Black  Cat,  8 

Diagrams:    Bones    and    Principal    Ligaments  of 

Cat's  Toe,  352  ;  Brain  of  Cat,  350  ;  Eye,  356  ; 

Pad  of  Cat's  Left  Fore-foot,   352 ;  Points  of 

Cat,  96  ;   Skeleton  of  Cat,  355  ;   Skull  of  Cat, 

353  ;    Skull  of  Machcerodus  Neogocus,  351 ; 

Superficial  Flexor  Tendons  of  Cat's  Left  Foot, 

352  ;  Superficial  Muscles  of  Cat,  354  ;  Surface 

of  Cat's  Tongue,  357 
Diana,  Goddess,  6 
Diarrhoea,    39,   42,    360;     in    Enteritis,    358;    in 

Kittens,  46  ;  in  Pneumonia,  363  ;   Rice-water 

to  Check,  339 
Dibdin,  13 

Diet,  37,  39  ;  in  Illness,  373 
Diphtheria,  362 
Diseases  :  of  the  Ear,  369  ;    Eye,  370 ;  Kidneys, 

361  ;  Skin,  373 
Disinfectants,  55 
Distemper,  339,  362  ;   Curative  Treatment,   368 ; 

Diagnosis    and    Prognosis,    368  ;     Mortality 

from,  365  ;  Various  Forms,  365 
Distension  of  the  Bladder,  361 
Dogs'  Cemetery,  35 
Drainage  of  Catteries,  51 
Dublin  Cats*  Home,  33 


Dumas,  n 

Dyer,  Thistleton,  19 


Ear  :  of  Cat,  96  ;  Abyssinian  Cat,  298  ;  Blue 
Short-hairs,  278  ;  Chinese  Cats,  300  ;  Diseases, 
369 

Ear -bone  of  Cat,  350 

Ear  Mites,  370 

Ear-tufts,  96  ;  in  Chinchillas,  154;  Silver  Tabbies, 
172  ;  Smoke  Persians,  178 

Ectropium,  371 

Eczema,  46,  375 

Egypt,  i  ;  Animal  Worship,  2  ;  Cat-faced  Goddess, 

3  ;  Earliest  Cat  Representations,  5  ;  Home  for 
Cats,  33  ;  Mahommedan  Cat  Cult,  4 ;  Mum- 
mies, 2 ;   Old  Cat  Pictures,  5 ;    Modern  Cats 
in,  34  ;  Symbolic  Eye  in  Cat  Images,  5 

Egyptian  Cut,  297 

Electricity  in  Black  Cats,  114 

Ellen  M.  Gilford's  Sheltering  Home  for  Animals, 
34 

Enemas,  360 

Enteritis,  358  ;  Treat-nent  for,  360 

Entropium,  371 

Epilepsy,  8 

Evacuations  in  Illness,  45,  364 

Exhibiting,  61 

Eye  :  of  Cat,  96,  344,  351  ;  Black  Persian,  112, 
116  ;  Blue  Persian,  126  ;  Blue  Short-hairs, 
278  ;  Brown  Tabby  Persian,  216  ;  Chinchillas, 
154  ;  Cream  Persians,  201 ;  Colour  Breeding, 
345  ;  Diseases  of  the,  370  ;  in  Distemper,  365, 
367  ;  General  Remarks,  373  ;  Horopollo  on, 

4  ;  Illustrated,  356  ;  in  Judging,  74  ;  Kittens, 
42,  338  ;  Maltese  Cats,  320 ;  Manx  Cats,  245  ; 
Orange  Persians,  189,  199  ;  Siamese  Cats,  257, 
267 ;    Silver    Persians,    139,    166,    172,    174 ; 
Smokes,    180,    183  ;   Tabby  Short-hairs,    294  ; 
Tortoiseshells,    210  ;    White    Persians,    118 ; 
White  Short-hairs,  289 

Eyelids,  Diseases  of  the,  371 


Face  and  Nose  of  Cat,  96 

Faking,  66,  323 

Fanciers,  27  ;  in  America,  304  ; l(  Any  Other  Class," 
234  ;  Blue  Persian,  is3  ;  Blue  Short-hairs, 
277  ;  Brown  Tabby  Persian,  217  ;  in  California, 
310  ;  in  Canada,  315  ;  in  Chicago,  309,  313  ; 
in  Detroit,  313  J  Maine  Cats,  330  ;  Manx 
Cats,  247  ;  Neuters,  240  ;  in  New  York,  306  ; 
in  Ohio,  314  ;  Orange  Persians,  191  ;  Short- 
hairs,  285,  293  ;  Siamese  Cats,  256,  258  ; 
Silvers,  143,  168,  288 ;  Smokes,  180 ;  Tor- 
toiseshell,  287  ;  White  Persians,  119 

Fawe  Strain,  115 

Feeding  of  Cats,  24,  37  ;  Utensils,  56 

Feet  of  Cat,  353 

Felis,  Generic  Title,  350 

Female  Cats,  38  ;   Eczema  in,   375  ;  Splaying,  47, 

"  Field  and  Fancy  "  :  on  Brown  Tabbies,  229  ;  on 

Orange  Persians,  199  ;  on  Smokes,  185 
Fish  as  Food,  37  ;  for  Kittens,  338 
Fishing  Cat,  351 
Fistula  of  Eyelids,  371 
Fits  in  Kittens,  46 

Flea,  The  Cat,  44,  376  ;  Cause  of  Tapeworm,  361 
Flooring  for  Cattery,  51 
Folklore,  13,  114,  115 
Follicular  Mange,  374 
Food,  37,  39,  373 
Foreign  Cats,  297 ;  Judging,  301 
Fore-limb  of  Cat,  353 
Forestier- Walker,   Miss,  on    Siamese    Cats,   257, 

267 

Fossil  Cat  Remains,  350 
Foster-mother,  42,  157  ;  Dosing,  158;  for  Siamese 

Kittens,  ^268;  Mr.  Ward's  Artificial,  340 
France,  Cat  in,  6  ;  on  Signboards,  13 
Freeman's  Scientific  Food,  37 
Frill  of  Persians,  178.  189 
Fur  of  Cat,  7,  40  ;  Condition,  97  ;  in  Exhibiting, 

62 ;    in    Illness,     45  ;    of    Neuters,     47 ;     of 

Persians,  96,  98,  138 
*' Fur  and  Feather  ":   on  Eyes,  141;  on  Neuters, 

239  ;  on  Showing,  90 ;  on  Siamese  Cats,  256 


Gall-bladder  of  Cat,  356 
Gastritis,  358 
Gastro-enteritis,  358 


Gautier,  Bon,  11 

Gelded  Cats,  237 

Gelding,  47,  237 

Geoffrey's  Cat,  297,  302 

Geographical  Distribution  of  Cat  Family,  350 

Gestation,  38 

Gloss  on  Coat,  97 

Goethe,  n 

Gordon  Cottage,  32 

Gotwalts,  Mrs.,  307 

Government  Cats,  22 

Gowanda,  U.S.,  304 

Grass,  Necessity  of,  ic8 

Great  Britain,  Cats  in,  6 

Greeks  and  Cats,  6 

Grey  Ringworm,  374 

Greymalkin,  216 


Hairless  Cats,  298 

Hana,  5 

Hardy,  Mrs.  P.  :  Travelling  Basket  Designed  by, 

58  ;  on  Treatment  of  Cats  in  Illness,  134 
Hart  Park,  New  Brighton,  307 
Hawkins,  Mrs.,  232  ;  on  biamese  Cats,  262 
Hay  as  Bedding,  338 
Heart  of  Cat,  356 
Heating  Cattery,  54 
Heliopolis,  4 
Heraldry,  Cats  in,  12 
Herring,  Mrs.,  106 
Hildyard,  Mrs.  D'Arcy,  on  Cream  Persians,  204  ; 

on  Orange  Persians,  198 
Hind  limb  of  Cat,  353 
Homes  for  Stray  and  Starving  Cats,  32  ;  Boarding, 

35  ;  in  Chicago,  313  ;  in  Dublin,  33 
Homing  Instinct,  21 
Hooker,  Mrs.  J.  J.,  330 
Horseflesh,  24,  37 
Hot-water  Bottle,  39,  57 
House,  Mr.  C.  A. :  on  Judging,  74  ;    on  Silver 

Breeding,  143  ;  on  Silver  Tabbies,  175 
Housing  of  Cats,  49 
Howel  the  Good,  6 
Hugo,  Victor,  n 

Hunt,  Miss  M.,  on  White  Persians,  121 
Hyde  Park,  Dogs'  Cemetery,  35 


Ice  in  Sickness,  358 

Illness,  Symptoms  of,  44 

In-breeding,  90,  156,  184,  341,  348 

India  :  Domestic  Cats,  298  ;  Fables  of,  6 

Indianapolis,  314 

Inflammation  of  the  Stomach,  358 

Inoculation  for  Distemper,  368 

Instinct,  21 

Insurance,  66 

Iris  of  Cat's  Eye,  370 

Isle  of  Man,  245,  249 

Isochromatic  Plates  in  Photography,  336 

Italy,  6 


James,  Mrs.  H.  V.,  on  Blue  Short-hairs,  276  ;  on 

Smokes,  180 

Japan,  300  ;  Tailless  Cats  of,  246 
Japanese  Cats,  300 
Jay,  Miss,  on  Judging:,  132 
Jennings,  Mr.  J.,  on  Classification,  99  ;  on  Russian 

Cats,  275 
Johnson,  Dr.,  n 

Jones,  Mr.,  Brown  Tabbies  of,  330 
Judge,  1 80 
Judging,  68;    in   America,   317;    Blue  Persians, 

126,  131  ;  Blue  Short-hairs,  277  ;  Foreign  Cats, 


Colours,    72  ;     Siamese    Cats,     265 ;     Silver 
Persians,  162  ;  Tabbies,  72,  295 
Jung,  Mr.  H.  E.t  286 


Katzen  Family,  13 

Kidneys,  Diseases  of  the,  361 

King,  His  Most  Gracious  Majesty  the,  219,  240 

King  James  of  Scotland,  8 

Kircher,  A.,  6 

Kittens,  38,  40,  122,  175,  337  :  Black  Persian,  116 
Blue  Persians,  no,  127,  345  ;  Blue  bhort 
hairs,  276,  279;  Boarding-out  System,  343 
Breeding,  340  ;  Brown  Tabbies,  216,  225 


INDEX. 


379 


Chinchilla,  346  ;  Chinchilla  Challenge  Trophy, 
151 ;  Cleanliness,  44,  340  ;  Colour  Breeding, 
345  ;  Danger  of  Damp  to,  340  ;  Defective 
Digestion,  343  ;  Destruction  of  Sickly,  341 ; 
Distemper,  367  ;  Eyes,  42,  370;  Feeding,  42, 
158,  338,  339;  F  osier-mothers,  268,  340;  Fur, 
99;  Handling,  340;  Illness,  45;  Insects  in, 
44;  Maltese,  ^20;  Manx,  249;  Mismarked, 
234  ;  Orange  Persian,  190,  194,  199  ;  Outdoor 
Exercise,  339  ;  Pairs  at  Shows,  65  ;  Persian, 
337  ;  Photographing,  333  ;  Purulent  Oph- 
thalmia, 372  ;  Sale  of,  46,  343  ;  Selection,  91  ; 
Show,  Northern  Club,  93 ;  Siamese,  257  ; 
Silvers,  140,  155,  173  ;  Smokes,  179,  346  ; 
Teeth,  352 ;  Treatment  after  Birth,  40,  337  ; 
Weaning,  44,  159  ;  Weight,  339  ;  White  Per- 


Label  for  Travelling  Basket,  60 

Labour,  Treatment  during,  41 

Ladies  Kennel  Association,  93 

Lady  Decies'  Cattery,  101 

Lambert,  M.  Eugene,  16 

Landor,  Mr.,  88 

Leake,  Miss  A.,  on  Silver  Tabbies,  170 

Lebrun,  Mme.,  15 

Leopard,  The,  350 

"  Les  Chats,"  5 

Lesdiguieres,  Mme,  de,  10 

Lethal  Boxes  and  Chambers,  19,  32,  343,  376 

"  Lettres  sur  les  Chats,"  n 

Lice,  361 

Liguieres,  Prof.,  368 

Lime-water,  158,  339 

Lion,"  The,   350,   351;    and    Cat  in   Legend,   i; 

Colour,  351 
Ljston,  R.,  ii 
Literature  on  Cats,  31 
Litter  Classes,  68 

Little,  Mr.  R.,  on  Black  Persians,  117 
Liver,  of  Cat,  356 

Locke,  Mrs.  C.,  on  White  Persians,  123 
London  Institution,  Camden  Town,  32 
Long-haired  Cats,  98 
Lord  Mayor's  Chain,  216  ;  in  Silver  Tabbies,  170, 

174 

Louisville  Cat  Club,  27 
Louvre,  The,  5 
Lusus,  6 
Lynx,  The,  322 

M 

Maau,  5 

Machcerodus,  350 
Maine  Cats,  321,  325,  328  ;  Brown  Tabbies,  328  ; 

Fanciers,  330;  Neuters,  331  ;  Shows,  303 
Male  Cats,  47  ;  Training  on  Leads,  340 
Maltese  Cats,  275,  320 ;  Kittens,  320  ;  Markings, 

20 ;  Points,  321 
Mange,  374 
Mange  Mites,  361,  374 
Manx  Cat  Club,  27,  30,  249 
Manx  Cats,  244  ;  Mr.  G.  Bolton  on,  245  ;  Mr.  H. 

C.  Brooke  on,  250  ;  Coat,  245  ;  Fanciers,  247  ; 

Kittens,  249  ;    Mating,   250  ;    Origin,   251  ; 

Points,  245,  250  ;  Types,  246  ;  Verses  on    252 
Markings  of  Coais,  74,   319  ;   in   Brown  Tabbies, 

228  ;    Maltese,    320  ;    Orange   Persians,    187  ; 

Short-hairs,  283,  288,  290,  295  ;  Siamese  Cats, 

257  ;  Silver  Persians,  138,  165,  169 
Martin,  Mrs.,  on  Silver  Persians,  160 

Mason,  Mr.  T.  B.  :  on  Blue  Persians,  127 ;  on 
Judging,  74;  on  Short-hairs,  290 

Maternal  Instinct  in  Cat,  22 

Mating,  38,  316  ;  "  Any  Other  Colours,"  233  ;  Best 
Age  for  Queens,  109;  Black  Persians,  112, 
115;  Blue  Persians,  107,  126;  Blue  Short- 
hairs,  279  ;  Brown  Tabbies,  228  ;  Chinchillas, 
152,  160;  Cross-breeding,  334;  Diet  during, 
38;  Hints  on,  91;  Manx  Cats,  250;  Orange 
Persians.  190,  193 ;  Pedigree  Cats,  152 ; 
Shorthairs,  284,  288,  291,  294  ;  Siamese,  256, 

258  ;  Silvers,  143,  144,  172,  175  ;  Smokes,  182  ; 
Stud  Cats,  47  ;  Stud  Fees,  91  ;  Tortoiseshells, 
209,  214,  295  ;  White  Persians,  119 

Maynard,  Rev.  R.,  on  Silver  Tabbies,  167 

Meat,  Raw,  as  Food,  37  ;  for  Kittens,  338 

Medal,  Cat  Club,  133 

Medicine,  39,  135,  358  ;  Bromide,  38 ;  for  Diar- 
rhoea, 40  ;  for  Show  Cats,  67  ;  in  Teething, 
46  ;  Worm  Powders,  38,  361 

Meibomian  Cysts,  371 

Melox,  339 

Melrose,  Mass.,  Cattery,  306 

Middle  Ages,  Cat  Fables,  8,  10 

Midland  Counties  Cat  Club,  27,  29,  94 

Milk,  Condensed,  43,  338 


Milk,  Cows,  41,  158;  in  Enteritis,  358;  or 
Kittens.  41,  338 

Millerton,  N.Y.,  307 

Milton,  J.,  14 

Mind,  Swiss  Painter,  15 

Mivart,  G.,  n 

Mohr  au  Chat,  13 

Moncrietf,  n 

Montreal  Cats'  Home,  34 

Moon,  Cat  Emblem  of,  4 

Morgan,  Mrs.,  32 

Morris  Refuge  for  Homeless  and  Suffering  Ani- 
mals, 34 

Morrison,  Mrs.- McLaren,  105 

Mountain  Lion,  The,  322 

Mouse  in  Arabian  Legend,  i 

Muezza,  10 

Mummies,  Cat,  i,  4  ;  Kitten,  3 

Muscles  of  Cat,  355 


N 

Naples,  6 

Nasal  Catarrh,  362 

Nasal  Discharge,  362 

National  Cat  Club,  26  ;  Championship  Show,  94  ; 
Classes,  27,  •soi ;  Manx  Cat  Judging,  251  ; 
Objects  in  View,  27  ;  Register,  78;  Registra- 
tion, 29,  62  ;  Stud  Book,  27 ;  Varieties  re- 
cognised by,  63 

Neate,  Mrs,,  on  Orange  Persians,  195 

Neck  of  Cat,  96  ;  Neck  Bones,  352 

Neuter  Cats,  47,  237  ;  in  America,  331  ;  Miss  H. 
Cochran  on,  239;  Fanciers,  240;  Persian,  47, 
127;  Points,  238,  242;  Ring  Class  at  Rich- 
mond Show,  68  ;  Short-haired,  241  ;  Showing, 
8}  ;  Training.  340 

New  York  :  Cat  Fancy,  35,  306  ;  First  Show,  303 

Nield,  Mrs.,  on  Silver  Persians,  155 

Nine,  Number,  19 

Normal  Temperature  of  Cat,  356 

Norris,  Mr.  F. ,  on  Cream  Persians,  203 

Northern  Counties  Cat  Club,  The,  26,  29  ;  Kitten 
Show,  93 

Norton,  Mrs.  L.,  Cats'  Refuge,  34 

Nunneries,  Cats  in,  10 

Nursery  Rhymes,  14 


Ocelot,  The,  297,  302,  322  ;  Colour,  321 

Ohio,  Cat  Fancy,  314 

Old  Deer  Park,  Richmond,  67 

Old  Fort  Cattery,  305 

Old  and  New  London,  13 

Ophthalmia,  371  ;  External,  372 

Opiates,  359,  360 

Orange  and  Cream  Cat  Club,  199 

Orange,  Cream,  Fawn,  and  Tortoiseshell  Society, 
26,  30,  1 88 

Orange  Persians,  187  ;  Colour  Breeding,  196,  348  ; 
Fanciers,  191  ;  Mrs.  D'Arcy  Hildyard  on,  198  ; 
Markings,  187,  193  ;  Mating,  190,  193,  196, 
198  ;  Mrs.  Neate  on,  195  ;  Points,  188  ;  Mrs. 
Vidal  on,  192 

Orange-and- White  Persians,  233 

Orange  Tabby  Short-hairs,  291  ;  Mating,  294 

Origin  of  Cat,  i 

Ottolengui,  Dr.,  305 

"  Our  Cats,"  Serial,  17  ;  on  Classification  of  Short- 
hairs,  285  ;  First  Number,  31 ;  on  Manx  Cats.  247 

"Our  Cats,"  Work  by  H.  Weir,  16 

Outdoor  Exercise  for  Kittens,  339 

Owena  Cattery,  313 


Pacific  Cat  Club,  27 

Pads  on  Cat's  Foot,  353 

Painless  Destruction  of  Cats,  376 

Pampas  Cats,  323 

Parasites,  External,  376  ;  Internal,  361 

Parasitic  Canker,  370 

Pasht,  3 

Patent  Foods  for  Cats,  37,  45,  131,  339 

Paw  of  Cat,  97 

Pedigree  Cats,  27  ;  Mating  of,  152,  175,  340 

Peluse,  5 

Pennant,  on  Wild  Ca's,  7 

Pens,  Sleeping  :  in  Cattery,  51  ;  in  Shows,  65 

Persian  Cats,  98  ;  in  America,  325  ;  Breeding  of 
Kittens,  340  ;  at  Cat  Club  Shows,  95  ;  Coats, 
37»  99.  34°;  Colour  of  Eyes,  112;  Ear-tufts, 
96  154,  172,  178  ;  Imported,  113  ;  In-breeding, 
99  ;  Photographing,  333  ;  Rearing  Kittens, 
337  ;  Sensitiveness  to  Damp,  340 ;  Showing, 
62,  76,  loo ;  Tail,  97  ;  Toe-tufts,  97 


Pets,  Neuters  as,  48 

Pettit,  Mrs.,  on  White  Persians,  122 

Philadelphia  Cats'  Home,  34 

Phisalix,  Dr.,  368 

Phthisis,  363 

Pierce,  Mrs.  E.  R.,  on  Maine  Cats,  325 

Pioneer  Cattery,  Toronto,  315 

Pittsburg  Cattery,  304 

Plasmon  Powder,  135 

Pleurisy,  363 

Plica  Semilunaris  in  Cat's  Eye,  357 

Plutarch,  4 

Pneumonia,  45,  363 

Points  of  Cat,  97,  333  ;  in  Selecting  Stud  Cats,  341 

Popular  Superstitions,  13 

Portable  Hutch,  56 

Portier,  Mme.,  68 

Pottsdown  Cattery,  307 

Prizes  at  Shows,  28,  79,  85  ;  Special,  76 

Pulse  of  Cat,  356 

Puma,  The,  350 

Purulent  Ophthalmia  of  the  New-born,  372 


aueen,  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  the,  32,  240 
ueens,    38  ;    Feeding,    42  ;    Handling,    39  ;    in 
Season,  38  ;  Selection  of  Stud  Cat,  340 ;  Visit- 
ing* 39,  9i 
Quinine  Sulphate,  363 


Rail,  Cats  Travelling  by,  66 

Raphael  of  Cats,  The,  15 

Raw  Meat  for  Kittens,  338 

Red-spotted  Cat  of  India,  350 

Red  Tabby  Cats,  194,  288 

Red  Tortoiseshell  Persians,  208 

Registration  :  Cat  Club,  29 ;    National  Cat  Club, 

27,  62  ;  at  Shows,  78 
Repplier,  Miss  A.,  24 
Ribs  of  Cat,  352 
Rice,  37,  339 
Rice-water,  339 
Richelieu,  Cardinal,  10 
Ridgefield  Cattery,  306 
Ring.  Judging  in,  70;   Ring  Class  National  Cat 

Club  Shows,  83 
Ringworm,  374 

Robinson,  Mrs.  C.,  on  Siamese  Cats,  259 
Romans  and  Cats,  6 
Ronner,  Mme.  H.,  16 
Roper,  Dr.,  on  Black  Persians,  115 
Russia,  279 
Russian  Cats,  279 


Sable  Cat,  347 

St.  John,  Festival  of,  8 

Salubrene,  55 

Salvo,  31  ;  Worm  Powders,  38 

Sancho,  an  Old  Friend,  36 

Sandy  Show,  92 

Sanskrit  Writings,  i 

Santonin,  361 

Saratoga  Cattery,  305 

Sarcoptic  Mange,  374 

Scott,  Sir  W.,  IT 

Scottish  Cat  Cluh,  27  .29  ;  Annual  Show,  94 

Sectorial  Tooth,  352 

Selection  in  Breeding,  152,  340 

Self  Blues,  125,  137 

Self  Silvers,  137,  161 

Serval,  The,  351 

Sessa,  M.,  13 

Shaded  Silvers,  137,  161 

Shakespeare,  W.,  n 

Shelley,  P.  B.,  n 

Short-haired  Cat  Club,  The,  26 

Short-haired  Cat  Society,  The,  275 

Short-haired  Cats,  17,  98,  274  ;  in  America,  286, 
321 ;  Black,  289  ;  Blue,  288  ;  Blue,  in  America, 
321  ;  Mrs.  Bonny  on,  285  ;  Broken  Colours, 
282  ;  Brown  Tabby,  288,  294  ;  Clubs  for,  30 ; 
Coat,  282  ;  Fanciers,  274,  285,  293  ;  Judging, 
295 ;  Mr.  Jung  on,  286 ;  Mr.  T.  B.  Mason  on, 
290 ;  Markings,  283  ;  Mating,  284,  291  ;  Neu- 
ters, 241  ;  Points,  282  ;  Red  Tabby,  288  ; 
Russian  Blues,  291  ;  Showing,  62 ;  Silver 
Tabby,  287 ;  Spotted  Tabby,  284  ;  Tabby, 
291,  294;  Tortoiseshell,  284,  295;  H.  Weir 
on,  285  ;  White,  289 


3*0 


THE   BOOK    OF    THE    CAT. 


Shoulder  and  Fore-arm  of  Cat,  96 
Showing,  97,  116,  129  ;  in  America.  324 
Shows,  25,  67,  85  ;  Abyssinian  Cats  at,  301 ;  m 
America,  304,  319,  327  ;  "  A.O.C."  Class,  233  ; 
Bedding  at,  80 ;  Best  Time  lor  Persians,  76  ; 
Black  and  White  Persian  Classes,  112; 
California,  316  ;  Chinchilla  Class,  137  ;  Classi- 
fication, 64, 78,  169,  188  ;  Cleveland,  U.S.,  314 ; 
Connecticut,  308;  Crystal  Palace  (1871),  17  I 
Danger  of  Distemper,  304  ;  Despatch  of  Prizes, 
85  ;  Disqualifications,  6b  ;  Entries  and  Fees, 
64,  65  ;"  Faking  "  for,  66 ;  Feeding  at,  66,  81  ; 
Financial  Aspect  of,  86,  90  ;  Foreign  Cats,  301  ; 
Illness  at,  81  ;  Judging  Books,  82  ;  Kittens, 
Litier  Classes,  65  ;  Local,  02  ;  Management, 
75  ;  Mixed,  75  ;  Naming  of  Cats,  63  ;  National 
Cat  Club,  27,  94  ;  Neuters.  237  ;  New  York, 
304  ;  Ohio,  314  ;  Open  Judging.  84  ;  Pedigree 
Particulars,  63  ;  Penning,  8p ;  Persians,  100  ; 
Prize  Tickets,  80  ;  Registration,  78  ;  Sales,  84; 
Selling  Classes,  82;  Shaded  Silver  Class,  i6e  ; 
Short-haired  Cats,  274,  285,  250;  SilverPersians, 


Various,  28  ;  Veterinary  Surgeon  at,  81 

Siam,  257  ;  Chocolate  Cat  of,  256  ;  Common  Cat 
of,  264  ;  Royal  Cat  of,  254 

Siamese  Cat  Club,  The,  26,  30.  255,  259 

Siamese  Cats,  254,  271  ;  in  America,  271 ;  Miss 
Armitage  on,  260 ;  Breeding,  172  ;  Lady 
Marcus  Beresford  on,  261  ;  Mrs.  Parker 
Brough  on,  263  ;  Chocolate  Colour,  256  ;  Miss 
Cochran  on,  265  ;  Mrs.  Carew  Cox  on,  -.66  ; 
Delicacy,  254  ;  Eyes,  272  ;  Fanciers,  256,  258 
Feeding,  264  ;  Fighting  Propensities,  272  ; 
Freaks,  272  ;  Mrs.  Hawkins  on,  262  ;  Judg- 
ing, 265  ;  Kittens,  257.  268 ;  Legends,  257, 
260  ;  Markings,  257  ;  Mating,  256,  258,  262  ; 
Origin  of  Title  "  Royal,"  259  ;  Points,  255, 
259,  265 ;  Recognised  Varieties,  266 ;  Mrs. 
C.  Robinson  on,  259  ;  Mrs.  Spencer  on,  261  ; 
Superstitions,  268  ;  Throat  Complaints,  269  ; 
Voice,  254,  272  ;  Miss  Forestier- Walker  on, 
257,  267 

Signboards,  Cat  on,  13 

"  Silver  Lambkin  "  Challenge  Trophy,  151 

Silver  Persians,  137,  161  ;  Coats,  140 ;  Fanciers, 
143  ;  Kittens.  139,  158  ;  Markings,  138  ;  Mrs. 
Martin  on,  160  ;  Mating,  143  ;  Mrs.  Nield  on, 
155  ;  Points.  137,  141  ;  Queens,  157  ;  Specialist 
Club,  30;  Mrs.  Wellbye  on,  160 

Silver  and  Smoke  Persian  Cat  Society,  26,  30,  143, 
151 

Silver  Society,  141,  151  ;  Smokes  Denned  by,  182 

Silver  Tabby  Persians,  165;  Colour,  170;  Miss 
Cope  on,  163  ;  Fanciers,  168  ;  Mr.  House  on, 
175;  In-breedine,  348;  Miss  Leake  on,  170  ; 
Mating,  172,  175  ;  Points,  162,  166,  170,  174  ; 
H.  Weir  on,  165 

Silver  Tabby  Short-haired  Cats,  287,  .  291  ; 
Fanciers,  288 

Sinkins,  Mrs.,  on  Smoke  Persians,  187 

Sires,  Choice  of,  38 

Skeleton  of  Cat,  3  i ;  Diagram,  355 

"  Skellingthorpe  Patrick,"  345 

Skin,  Diseases  of  the,  373 

Skull  of  Cat,  06,  351,  353 

Sleeping  Boxes,  52 

Smoke  Persians,  178;  in  America,  184;  Colour 
Breeding.  346;  Eys,  180,  183,  346  ;  Fanciers, 
180  ;  "  Field  and  Fancy"  on,  185  ;  Mrs.  H.  V. 
James  on,  180  ;  Kittens,  346  ;  Markings.  346  ; 
Mating,  179,  182,  184,  346  ;  Points,  178,  180, 
T**2  ;  Mrs.  Sinkins  on,  184  ;  Mrs.  Stead  on,  185 

Snow  Leopard,  The,  351 


Soda-water,  258 

Somatose,  135 

Soul  of  Animals,  36 

South  American  Dwarf  Cats,  300 

Southdown  Cats,  186 

Specialist  Clubs,  30  ;  and  Midland  Counties  Cat 
Club,  94  ;  and  Shows,  76 

Specialists,  Veterinary,  31 

Spencer,  Mr?.,  on  Siamese  Cats,  261 

Speos,  3 

Splaying,  4 ',  237 

Sporting  Instinct,  22 

Spratt's  Biscuits,  37 

Staphyloma,  373 

Statuary,  13 

Stead,  Mrs.",  on  Smoke  Persians,  185 

Sternum  of  Cat,  353 

Stewart,  Mrs.  Mackenzie,  104 

Stomach  of  Cat,  351 

Stray  Cats,  Homes  for,  32 

Structure  of  Cat,  350,  351 

Stud  Cats,  47,  109 ;  in  America,  30,  305  ;  Blue 
Persian-*,  125,  130  ;  Chinchillas,  148  ;  Fees 
(or,  47,  91  ;  Food,  47 ;  Mating,  47  ;  Orange 
Persians,  191,  193;  at  Shows,  84;  Siamese, 
258,  265 ;  Silver  Persians,  144,  168  ;  Tortoise- 
shell,  284  ;  White  Persians,  1.2 

Sulphate  of  Iron,  196 

Sun,  Need  of,  for  Health,  49,  342 

Superficial  Flexor  Tendons,  352 

Superficial  Muscles  of  Cat,  354 

Superstitions,  144 

Surface  of  Cat's  Tongu;,  357 

Swinburne,  n 

Syringing  Nasal  Passages,  362 


Tabby  Cat,  i,  215  ;  Harrison  Weir  on,  216 
Tabby  Fenians,'  165  ;  Colour  Breeding,  3+7 
Tabby  Short-haired  Cats.  291  ;   Colour  Breeding, 

.  34 ) ;  Mating,  294 
Tabby-and-White  Persians,  233 

Tail  or  Brush.  97  ;  in  Eastern  Cats,  245  ;  Siamese 
Cats,  254,  257,  264,  266;  Silver  Persians,  172, 
774  ;  Smoke  Persians,  178 ;  Terminal  Bones 
in,  352 

Tailless  Cats,  245 

Tapeworm,  361 

Tarsal  Bones  of  Cat,  354 

Taxation  of  Cats,  19 

Techau,  5  , 

Teeth  of  Cat,  350 ;  as  Guide  to  Age,  99 ;  of 
Kittens,  352 

Terminal  Bones  of  Cat's  Foot,  353 

Thebes,  3  ;  Paintings,  5 

Thomas,  Mrs.  G.,  330 

Tiger,  The,  350,  351 

Tiger  Cat,  an  . 

Toe  tufts,  97  ;  in  Blue  Persians,  126  ;  in  Chin- 
chillas, 154  ;  in  White  Persians,  ti8 

Toes  of  Cat,  350 

Tongue  of  Cat,  351,  355  ;  Dlagra7';.357 

Tortoiseshell  Persians,  208,  211  ;  Miss  M.  Beal  on, 
210;  Colour  Breeding,  3(5,  3-P!  Mating, 
209,  211  ;  Points,  209,  210;  Scarcity  of 
Males,  209 

Tortoiseshell  Short-haired  Cats,  287;  Fanciers, 
287  ;  Markings,  295  ;  Mating,  295 

Tortoiseshell-and- White    Tertians,    212  ;     Mating, 

Tortoiseshell-and-White  Short-haired  Cats,  293 
"Touch  not  the  cat,  but  the  glove,"  13 
Travelling  Baskets,  38,  58,  65 


Trichiasis,  371 
Trick  Training,  24 
True  Canker,  369 

"  Twenty  Lookes  over  all  the  Roundh  ads  of  the 
World, '  8 


U 

Undigested  Food,  46,  360 
Unreasonable  Buyers,  89 
Urine,  Incontinence  of,  361 


Vegetables  as  Food,  37 

Ventilation,  52,  338 

Vertebra:  of  Cat,  352 

Veterinary  Surgeon  at  Shows   80 

Victoria,  H.R.H.,  Princess  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 

27,  105,  119,  ist 

Vida1,  Mrs.  G.  H.,  on  Orange  Persians,  192 
Vomiting,  35  i 


W 

Wain,  Louis,  16 ;  on  Eyes,  167  ;  on  Neuters,  242 

Walker,  Mrs.  G.  H..  159 

Ward,  Mr.,  31  ;  Artificial  Foster-mother,  42,   340; 

Lethal  Box,  56 
Washing  Cats,  37,  124 
Water,  37 
Watertowl,  5 
Wean  ng  Kittens,  159 
Weir,    Harrison,    i  > ;   on   Angoras,  ^8 ;  on   Black 

' 'ats,   114;   on    Blue   Persians,    128;    on   Cat 

Proverbs,   i=;  ;    on    Curious     Markings,    233 ; 

"Our  Cats,"   by,  16  ;    President  N.t.C.,  26; 

on    Russian   Cats.    275  ;    on  Short-hairs,    284, 

285  ;  on  Siamese  Cats,  272  ;  on  Silver  Tabbies. 

165  ;  on  "Tabby  Cat,"  2  6  ;  on  Tortoiseshell- 

aud-White  Per-ians,  213 
Wellbye,  Mrs.,  on  Silver  Persians,  160 
Westlake,  Mrs.,  on  White  Persians,  123 
Whately,  Archb  shop,  18 
While  Persians,   118  ;  in   America,  304  ;  Breeding, 

344  ;     Cleaning    Coat,     124  ;    Deafness     123; 

Fanciers,     119  ;     Miss    M.      Hunt     on,     121  ; 

Kittens,   121 ;  Mrs.  C.   Locke  on,    123 ;    Mrs. 

Westlake  on,  123 
White  and  Black  Persians,  233 
White  Short-haired  Cats    289 
Whitney,  Miss,  on  Brown  Tabbies,  224 
Whiskers,  of  Cat,  97  ;  o<  Silver  Tabbies,  172,  174 
WildCats,   7,   13;  in   America,   322;  Anatomy  of, 

ico  ;  European,  297 
Window,  Miss  H.,  34 
Wire  Netting,  108 
Witchcraft,  8,  19 
Worcester,  Mass.,  Cattery,  306 
Wordsworth,  W..  M 
Worms,  38  ;  Gastritis  caused  by,  358  ;  m  Kit'ens, 

44;    Medicines,   361;    In    Siamese   Cats,   268; 

Treatment,  361  ;  Vomiting  caused  by,  358 


Yellow  Ringworm,  375 


u  Zaida,"  102,  144 


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