26 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



are keenly excited in the winnings of the 

 household pet or the king of the cattery. As 

 a friend once said to me, " You know what 

 men are ; if only the cats win prizes, my hus- 

 band does not mind, but it is a different 

 matter if I return from a show with no award ; 

 then he declares we must get rid of all the 

 cats ! " I am afraid that cat fanciers must 

 be looked upon as a rather quarrelsome set, 



interest has been manifested, better classifi- 

 cation given, and a larger number of cats 

 exhibited. It was, therefore, considered ad- 

 visable to have some definite organisation, 

 and the National Cat Club was instituted in 

 1887, with Mr. Harrison Weir as president. I will 

 now proceed to give a list, which I believe to be 

 complete and correct, of the various other clubs 

 and societies in England and America which 



and there is no doubt that petty jealousies have been organised and which are all at this 

 and spiteful gossip retard in many ways the 

 development and im- 

 provement of the fancy. 



Another question 

 that is often asked is 

 whether cats can be 

 made to pay or, in 

 other words, whether 

 cat breeding is a profit- 

 able undertaking. 

 From my own experi- 

 ence, which has ex- 

 tended over a number 

 of years, I can unhesi- 

 tatingly say I have de- 

 rived not only much 

 pleasure but a good 

 deal of profit from 

 keeping cats, and also 



I have started many MR . HARRISON WEIR. 



friends in the fancy (piuto-. c. E. corke, smenoaks.) 



who have gone on and 



prospered. The dangers that beset begin- well, near Bristol, 

 ners are many, and the chief difficulty is to 

 know how to limit the number of our pussies 

 and so avoid overcrowding, or retaining poor 

 stock which will not prove creditable or profit- 

 able. Cat keeping on an extensive scale means 

 a large outlay, followed by constant and un- 

 tiring attention. I do not intend, however, 

 in' this chapter to enter into any details as to 

 the care and management of cats, for this and 

 other subjects connected with their interests 

 will be fully dealt with later on. 



In my preceding chapter I alluded to the 

 first Cat Show held at the Crystal Palace in 

 1871. This exhibition of cats has become 



present time in thoroughly good working order. 



LIST OF CAT CLUBS 

 AND SOCIETIES. 



The National Cat Club, 

 founded 1887. Hon. sec., 

 Mrs. A. Stennard-Robin- 

 son, 5, Great James Street, 

 Bedford Row, London, 

 W.C. Annual subscrip- 

 tion, i guinea. 



The Cat Club, founded 

 1898. Hon. sec., Mrs. 

 Bagster, 15 A, Paternoster 

 Row, London, E.G. An- 

 nual subscription, 

 i guinea. 



The Northern Counties' 

 Cat Club, founded 1900. 

 Hon. sec., Mrs. Herbert 

 Ra.nsome, Altrincham. 

 Annual subscription, IDS. 

 The Silver and Smoke 

 Persian Cat Society, 

 founded 1900. Hon. sec., 

 Mrs. H. V. James, Back- 

 Annual subscription, 55. 



Black and White Club. Hon. sees., Miss Kerswill 

 and Miss White Atkins. Entrance fee, is.; annual 

 subscription, 45. 



The Blue Persian Cat Society, founded 1901. Hon. 

 sec., Miss Frances Simpson, Durdans House, St. 

 Margaret's-on-Thames. Annual subscription, 55. 



The Siamese Club, founded 1900. Hon. sec., 

 Mrs. Baker, i3,Wyndham Place, Bryanston Square, W. 

 Annual subscription, 4.5. ; to working classes, 2s. 6d. 

 The Orange, Cream, Fawn and Tortoise-shell 

 Society, founded 1900. Hon. sec., Miss Mildred Beal, 

 Ronaldkirk Rectory, Darlington. Annual subscrip- 

 tion, IDS. 



The Chinchilla Cat Club, founded May, 1901 . Hon. 

 sec., Mrs. Balding, 92, Goldsmith Avenue, Acton. 

 Annual subscription, 53. 



The Short-haired Cat Club, founded 1901. Hon. 



an annual fixture, and year by year greater sec., Mrs. Middleton, 67, Cheyne Court, Chelsea. 



