22 CATS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



to the exclusion of any other markings the better the speci- 

 men. I have never seen or heard of an Orange-spotted 

 Tabby. 



The commonest of all cats are Short-haired Tabbies and 

 Whites, and Blacks and Whites. We see these specimens 

 on many doorsteps. The markings are sometimes quite 

 grotesque in their distribution. It seems almost a pity to 

 so far encourage these cats as to give classes for them at 

 our Shows. The " Any other colour " class is set apart in 

 both the long- and short-haired sections for this description 

 of cat, and for those that cannot really be properly classed, 

 such as very light Smokes, Tortoiseshell Tabbies, and Blue 

 Tabbies. Formerly Self-coloured cats with white spots were 

 entered also in this class, but it has wisely been decided 

 that these must take their chance in their own classes. The 

 Blue Short-haired cat, commonly called Russian, has a coat 

 resembling plush in texture. These cats are supposed to 

 have first come from Archangel, but the best authorities 

 seem to agree in believing they are not a distinct breed, and 

 therefore they are now classed at our Shows amongst the 

 short-haired English varieties. Blues should have deep 

 orange eyes, and the colour of coat may be light or dark, 

 but must be even throughout, without any appearance of 

 stripes or markings. A v* hite spot, as in other self-coloured 

 cats, is a blemish. 



The interest in Manx cats is rapidly and surely increasing. 

 These quaint pussies are very intelligent, faithful and affec- 

 tionate,bu t I must confess the love of this particular breed 

 appears to me to be an acquired taste. The first, and all- 

 essential point, is that a Manx cat should have absolutely 

 no tail: one should be able to feel where the backbone 

 ends. Some Manx cats have a tuft of skin or hair, or a 

 stump, but such appendages count against these specimens 

 in the Show pen. The fur of the Manx cat is longer and 

 softer than is found in the ordinary short-haired cat ; its hind 

 legs resemble those of a rabbit ; and the absence of tail gives 

 an appearance of still greater length of limb. Self-coloured 

 Manx cats are much rarer than Tabbies, and I know of a 

 Tortoiseshell Manx needless to say, a female. 



Perhaps the most difficult cat to breed and rear in this 

 country is the Siamese. Some fanciers declare these cats 



