OTHER USEFUL ANIMALS 



693 



be periodically treated for worms. Per- 

 haps the best remedy for this purpose is 

 areca nut given in doses of 2 grains for 

 each pound of the dog's weight. After 

 a few hours this treatment should be fol- 

 lowed by tablespoonful doses of castor 

 oil. 



(The diseases of dogs are discussed in 

 Chapter III.) 



CATS 



The various members of the cat tribe 

 may be considered as belonging to the 

 genus Felis of which about 50 species 

 are known in different parts of the 

 world. The domestic breeds of cats 

 have originated from the European, 

 Egyptian, American, Indian and Ben- 

 galese wild cats. The short haired 

 house cat seems to trace its origin to 

 the European wild cat (Felis cat us). In 

 this stock the Egyptian wild cat (Felis 

 caligata) is also concerned. This cat 

 was domesticated by the Egyptians more 

 than 15 centuries before Christ. It is 

 yellow, darker on the back with a ringed 

 tail. The American wild cat (F. lyncus 

 rufus) has also contributed slightly to 

 the blood of the common house cat. 

 The long haired or Asiatic cats have de- 

 scended from various wild species of 

 Asia. The number of breeds of cats is 

 quite limited and many of them are 

 useless except for pets. In this connec- 

 tion we have space only for the brief 

 mention of the more important of them. 



The Angora cat has long hair which 

 is of black, slate or blue color and finer 

 and more silky than that of the Persian 

 cat. The preferred color of the Persian 

 cat is black, the head is larger than in 

 the Angora, the tail longer and the ears 

 less pointed. These are the two chief 

 breeds of long haired cats. Many breeds 

 of short haired cats are known but they 

 are not very firmly fixed. The Tortoise- 

 shell cat is black, red and yellow with 

 the three colors in well defined patches. 

 The body is long and slender with a 

 long tail. It is a fine mouser but ill- 

 tempered. The Tortoise-shell and White 

 eat carries considerable white on face 

 and under parts. Tabbies are banded 

 or spotted and a number of breeds are 

 distinguished, including the Brown, 

 Spotted, Blue or Silver, and Red, named 

 according to the prevailing ground color. 

 The "White cat has a short, even white 

 coat with blue eyes and slender head and 

 body. The Blue cat, also called Maltese, 

 and Self Colored cats, are blue, black, 



gray or red, and the color should be 

 solid all over the body. The Black and 

 White cat is jet black with white nose, 

 breast, and feet. The coat of the Royal 

 cat of Siam is short and woolly and dun 

 or fawn color, while the face, ears, legs, 

 and tail are black. The Manx cat is 

 tailless, of various colors and with long 

 hind legs, giving it the gait of a rabbit. 



We cannot enter into the care and 

 treatment of pet cats. If cats are al- 

 lowed the freedom of the yard they need 

 little attention in these respects. They 

 are naturally cleanly animals if given a 

 chance. Milk, bread, and oatmeal por- 

 ridge are good foods with raw meat 

 (preferably mutton or fish) occasionally 

 or even twice a day. The period of preg- 

 nancy in the cat varies from 56 to 63 

 days, and the number of kittens in a lit- 

 ter varies from two to six. Kittens are 

 blind and helpless till the ninth day. 

 The practice of castrating toms to make 

 them more docile is very common. 



The economic importance of the cat is 

 very slight. They destroy mice and 

 other vermin, but are equally fond of 

 birds and chickens. Their chief value 

 is as pets. In Germany and elsewhere 

 cat meat is sometimes fraudulently sub- 

 stituted for that of rabbits and the folk 

 name "roof rabbits" is therefore some- 

 times used in referring to cats. Cat 

 skins are somewhat used for making 

 robes, for coats and other fur articles. 



Diseases — Cats are subject to many 

 diseases some of which are here briefly 

 referred to. Catarrh and bronchitis are 

 characterized by the same symptoms as 

 in other animals. If these diseases are 

 accompanied with much fever, doses of 

 one or two drops of aconite or one grain 

 of quinine may be given. Eor pneu- 

 monia the same treatment may be 

 adopted with the addition of a little 

 whiskey as a stimulant. Gastritis and 

 other digestive troubles may be treated 

 by doses of five to 10 drops of paregoric 

 or a teaspoonful of strong solution of 

 Glauber's salts. Calomel in one-tenth or 

 one-twelfth grain doses is good for jaun- 

 dice. Distemper is a highly contagious 

 disease with fever, inflammation of va- 

 rious organs and discharges from the 

 nose and eyes. It occurs chiefly in young 

 kittens and unless they are particularly 

 valuable they may as well be killed, since 

 treatment is tedious and the death rate 

 high. The usual treatment consists in 

 the use of a laxative and whiskey in 20 



