The Book of Cats. 213 



then, but not until nearly two hours after medicine, 

 to keep up the strength, until appetite returns. 



There is a disease resembling the chicken-pox, 

 which appears in the shape of eruptions upon a 

 Cat's head and throat. It is, in these cases, ad- 

 visable to rub the bad places with flour of brimstone 

 mixed with fresh hog's lard, without salt. The Cat 

 will lick some of this ointment off, and swallow it, 

 which operation will assist the cure. Much of the 

 necessity for physic is, however, avoided when the 

 Cat is able to get some grass to eat, without which, 

 I believe, it can never be in good health. I have 

 a Tom Cat, which seems to be particularly partial 

 to ribbon grass, but this, I should say, is quite an 

 epicurean taste of his. According to Lady Cust, 

 who is the greatest, indeed, the only authority on 

 such matters, the hair swallowed by the Cat in 

 licking itself, and conveyed into the stomach and 

 intestines, where it remains in balls or long rolls, 

 causing dulness and loss of appetite, "is digested 

 easily by adhering to the long grass ; or if the mass 

 is too large, as is often the case in the moulting 

 season, especially with Angora Cats, it will be seen 

 thrown up : long rolls of hair with grass ; perfectly 

 •exclusive of any other substance. But, again, the 

 Cat itself seems to know that grass is very needful 



