2o8 The Book of Cats. 



" Have ready a large cloth and wrap the patient 

 therein, wisping the cloth round and round her body 

 so that every part of her, except the head, is well 

 enveloped. Any one may then hold it between 

 their knees, while you complete the operation. Put 

 on a pair of stout gloves, and then with a firm hand 

 open the animal's mouth wide !" 



Poor Pussy ! From the formidable nature of these 

 preparations, one would almost fancy that it was a 

 full-grown tigress about to be doctored, and its iron 

 mouth required a firm hand to wrench apart the 

 jaws. To such inexperienced ladies as could require 

 these directions, the writer's further advice not to 

 pour down the Cat's throat too much at a time, 

 comes very seasonably, but I am not too sure that 

 Pussy will not be choked for all that. When 

 properly managed, says he, "a sick Cat may be 

 made to take pills or any other drug without risk 

 of a severe scratching on your part, and danger of a 

 dislocated neck on the part of suffering Grimalkin." 



I can readily understand that there is small fear 

 of the Cat's claws penetrating through five or six 

 folds of stout calico, but about the safety of its 

 neck I have my doubts. One, indeed, feels almost 

 inclined to add, as a further safeguard for the 

 trembling doctor, a suit of chain-mail or a diver's 



