28 CATS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



What fanciers dread most in their litters are bad eyes ; if 

 they are the result of cold they are not so hard to cure but 

 the usual cause is debility and worms in the mother or other 

 constitutional weakness. If the kittens are only a few weeks 

 old the mother should have a worm dose as this affects the 

 milk and acts on the kittens beneficially. The kittens them- 

 selves should not be dosed under three months old. It is 

 cruel to take a kitten from the mother until eight weeks old. 

 Never dose a cat for worms when in kitten after the first 

 fourteen days as it would be more than likely to cause a mis- 

 carriage. These hapless events usually occur at the end of 

 five weeks, and are generally caused by fright, chill, or weak- 

 ness, or are the result of old age of either of the parents 

 (generally the mother). If once a mishap has occurred 

 history may repeat itself and especial care should be taken at 

 the time which has proved the most critical to the mother 

 in previous matings. 



I should mention that diarrhoea is another ailment very 

 common in kittens and there are various causes chill, indi- 

 gestion and worms. This troublesome complaint should at 

 once be stopped or the kitten loses strength and succumbs. 

 Fleas and those horrid little lice also work great havoc. And 

 I have seen more than one victim to these pests, with deadly 

 white lips, nose and mouth, the coat all rough and wiry, the 

 kitten itself a bag of bones with no real disease except 

 what the insects have caused, for they suck the blood, thus 

 causing anaemia, and irritate the sufferer almost to madness. 

 A tooth comb will get rid of all the dirt and nearly all the 

 fleas ; then rub a little insect powder into the fur, but never 

 use insect powder on very young kits as the mother has 

 a horror of it and might desert her kittens in consequence. 

 It is often necessary to toothcomb young kittens. Mr. 

 Ward, of Manchester, makes a very good powder which 

 kills lice, but it does not destroy the vitality in the eggs at 

 once, so the powdering will have to be repeated at intervals. 

 This powder has a very inoffensive smell, but I would not 

 recommend using it on kittens until six weeks old. 



I have not yet mentioned out-of-door catteries. These are 

 best made of wood raised up from the ground and should 

 be covered with felt or corrugated iron. There should be 

 plenty of ventilation, avoiding draughts. A wired-in run is 



