FEEDING KITTENS. 113 



she had her three kittens comfortably housed, and she and 

 they were all nestled together in an apple basket, warm 

 and dry. Surely she must' have known, by instinct or obser- 

 vation, that the storm was coming." — From my Book of 

 ''Animal Stories, Old and New:' 



Should it be deemed necessary to destroy some, if not 

 all of the litter, which, unfortunately, is sometimes the case, 

 it is not well to take away the whole at once ; but it is 

 advisable to let a day or two intervene between each 

 removal ; the mother will thus be relieved of much suffering, 

 especially if one at least is left for her to rear, but two is 

 preferable. Still, when the progeny are well-marked or 

 otherwise valuable, and large specimens are required for 

 show or other purposes, three kittens are enough to leave, 

 though some advocate as many as five ; but if this is done 

 it is better to provide a foster-mother for two, for which 

 even a dog will often prove a very good substitute for 

 one of the feline race. In either case, slightly warm new 

 milk should be given at least three times a day ; the milk 

 should not be heated, but some hot water put to it, and 

 as soon as their teeth are sufficiently grown for them to be 

 of use in mastication give some raw beef cut very small 

 and fine. Some prefer chopped liver ; I do not ; but never 

 give more than they can lap or eat at each meal. This 

 liberal treatment will make a wonderful difference in their 

 growth, and also their general health and strength; and 

 being so fed makes them more docile. And it should be 

 borne in mind that in a state of nature cats always bring 

 raw food to their young as soon as they are able to eat ; 

 therefore raw meat is far the best to give them— their 

 dentition proves this. 



