DISEASES OF CATS. 153 



Also give sulphur in milk. If there are any sore places, 

 bathe with lotion made from camphorated oil in which 

 some sulphur is mixed. Oil, 2 oz. ; camphor, ^ oz. ; 

 sulphur, a teaspoonful. 



As a rule, when the animal is of value, either intrin- 

 sically or as a pet, the best plan is to consult a practitioner, 

 well versed in the veterinary science and art, especially 

 when the cat appears to suffer from some obscure disease, 

 many of which it is very difficult to detect, unless by the 

 trained and practised eye. Of all the ailments, both of dogs 

 and cats, distemper is the worst to combat, and is so viru- 

 lent and contagious that I have thought it well to offer 

 remedies that are at least worthy of a trial, though when the 

 complaint has firm hold, and the attack very severe, the case 

 is generally almost hopeless, especially with high-bred 

 animals. 



POISON. 



It is not generally known that the much-admired labur- 

 num contains a strong poison, and is therefore an exceed- 

 ingly dangerous plant. All its parts — blossoms, leaves, seeds, 

 even the bark and the roots — are charged with a poison 

 named cytisin, which was discovered by Husemann and 

 Marms in 1864. 



A small dose of juice infused under the skin is quite 

 sufficient to kill a cat or a dog. Children have died from 

 eating the seeds, of which ten or twelve were sufficient to 

 cause death. The worst of it is that there is no remedy, no 

 antidote against this poison. How many cases have hap- 

 pened before the danger was discovered is of course only a 

 matter of conjecture, as few would suspect the cause to 

 come from the lovely plant that so delights the eye. 



It has, however, long been known to gamekeepers and 

 others, and used by them to destroy "vermin." When 

 quite a boy I remember an old uncle of mine telling me to 

 beware of it even in gathering the blossom. 



