BREEDS AND VARIETIES 23 



cannot stand our climate, and others attribute their great 

 delicacy to those terrible pests worms to which this breed 

 is very subject. Certain it is that breeders of Siamese have 

 much to contend with and many disappointments to suffer. 

 The Royal Cat of Siam, so called from the original breed 

 being kept in the Palace of the King of Siam, is one of the 

 most fascinating cats to keep as a pet. They have wonder- 

 ful intelligence, and seem to have great powers of attaching 

 themselves to human beings. In colouring they resemble 

 pug-dogs, When born they are nearly white, and gradually 

 turn a pale fawn. Their ears, muzzle, tail and legs should 

 deepen to a dense brown chocolate colour. The markings 

 of the ears should be sharp and distinct. The eyes should 

 be a lovely bright blue, large and round. On the question 

 as to whether the tail of a Siamese cat should be kinked or 

 not kinked, no two opinions appear to agree, though H.M. 

 the King of Siam is quoted as saying they ought not to be. 

 A rather strange characteristic of this breed is the tendency 

 to darken in coat as they grow in age. For this reason it is 

 well to have the classes at Shows divided according to age. 

 Siamese cats may be said to be in their prime at a year old ; 

 after this their colouring becomes blurred. 



The only other foreign cat that calls for attention is the 

 Abyssinian or Bunny cat, and it is not often that specimens 

 are exhibited at our Shows. We have no special fanciers of 

 this breed. The fur has a groundwork of reddish-brown 

 ticked with darker brown markings. The coat should be 

 close and soft. 



The "Maltese" (Short-haired Blue) cat of the United 

 States is not known by that name in England, nor has the 

 American "coon cat" or the Mexican hairless cat yet been 

 seen on our Show benches. References to the two former of 

 these will be found on a later page. 



