72 THE CAT 



enlargement may, sometimes, be felt through the 

 abdominal walls. The leading signs are : gradual 

 wasting away; loss of energy; want of appetite, etc. 

 Destruction is the most economical. 



Poisoning, 



As stated, when referring to some of the previous 

 diseases, the scavenging nature of the cat pre- 

 disposes it to the ingestion of various noxious 

 substances, but beyond this, many human beings 

 seem to have a strong inclination towards the 

 destruction of cats, especially when they become 

 a nuisance to an adjacent neighbour's garden. 



When crimina41y destroyed such substances as 

 strychnine, arsenic, antimony, phosphor-paste 

 and various vermin-destroyers are those usually 

 resorted to, but the worst of all is strychnine. It 

 causes remarkably painful and distressing tetanic 

 spasms the body being convulsed from head to 

 foot ; death sometimes occurring within a quarter of 

 an hour the muscles of respiration being paralyzed. 



Arsenic and antimony both cause rapid signs of 

 collapse. Pain in the belly is indicated by the cat 

 howling : purgation : vomiting : death within a 

 variable time. 



The other poisons give rise to allied symptoms. 

 Treatment, accordingly, must be left to the veterinary 

 surgeon, but death usually occurs. 



