68 CATS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



visits and births in the cat papers, it is the owner of the 

 stud cat who sends the notice of the visit and the proprietor 

 of the queen that announces the arrival of the family. It is 

 just as well to have some such rule amongst fanciers, other- 

 wise, as is sometimes the case, a duplicate advertisement 

 appears in the same column. 



When your queen returns from visiting a stud cat, it is 

 well to keep her shut up safely for a few days. Cats are 

 often very restless after their return home, and the impres- 

 sion is o r ten given that the visit has been fruitless. It is 

 generally at the end of a month that one is able to judge 

 whether puss is intending to present us with a family or not. 



I do not approve of specials being offered in the form of 

 free visits to stud cats. This savours too much of seif- 

 advertisement, and does not certainly incur much sacrifice. 



Try and avoid sending your queens away to mate on a 

 Saturday, in case of delays, as poor puss may spend her 

 Sabbath at a railway station. 



It is well to keep a register of all the queens visiting your 

 stud cats, filling in the date of arrival and departure. Such 

 a record often comes in useful when wishing to purchase a 

 kitten of a particular strain, or in answering inquiries from 

 fanciers. 



Senders of queens to stud cats should attach a label 

 inside the hamper or box, stating the name and address 

 of the owner, for should two or three visitors arrive in the 

 same day, there is a fear of complication amongst the cats 

 and their travelling trunks. 



Shows and Exhibiting 



If many cats are kept, and some are sent to shows, do 

 not let these, on their return, mix with the others who have 

 remained at home. It is a wise precaution to keep them 

 apart for some days. 



