78 THE CAT 



it will finish the drying and cleaning for itself 

 by rolling in the straw and by licking itself, 

 after which it can be brushed with a soft brush. 

 For a simpler form of dressing to make the 

 coat shiny, the animal can be sponged over 

 with a very little perfectly fresh olive or cocoa- 

 nut oil, or with a little perfectly fresh cream, 

 which is then wiped off with a sponge slightly 

 damped, or with a towel, and the animal put 

 into the basket of oat straw to clean itself. 



FEED. 



In the country, or in a small house where the 

 cat has full freedom of the kitchen and back 

 yard, very little attention is required in regard 

 to feeding, as the animal will pick up from the 

 scraps the very diet which it is best for it to 

 have. When cats, however, are kept in closer 

 confinement, and in city houses, more attention 

 must be paid to their food ; for inattention to 

 this is the principal cause of most of the mala- 

 dies with which they are affected. In the first 

 place, the dishes from which a cat is fed must 

 be absolutely and immaculately clean, and at 



