THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



FEMALE CATS AND KITTENS. 

 As regards the management of female cats, 

 it is necessary to start from the time when 

 they first arrive at maturity, viz. when they 

 are first capable of becoming mothers. This 

 usually takes place or they " come in season," 

 as it is called after they are seven or eight 

 months old ; and though cases have been 

 known when this has happened before six 

 months, it is very unusual. It may there- 

 fore be laid down as a rule that if a kitten 

 exhibits extraordinary high spirits, racing and 

 tearing about, it should be carefully watched, 

 and not allowed its freedom without super- 

 vision, either out of doors or in the house. 

 Queens may be known to be in season by 

 several symptoms, such as rolling on the ground, 

 rubbing up against furniture, increased affection 

 for their owners, and often by the curious cries 

 they utter, at times by a soft note of invitation, 

 at other times by shouts of impatience or dis- 

 tress which resound through the house. Cats 

 should not be mated until they are nine or ten 

 months old at least ; twelve months is a better 

 age, though if they are insistent it will not do 

 to put them off more than three times, as 

 there are records of cats who, having been kept 

 back on account of extreme youth, have been 

 seriously ill or have never had families at all. 

 On the other hand, it is possible these cats 

 may have had the reproductive instinct abnor- 

 mally strong, though for some cause or another 

 they would always have been unfertile. Pow- 

 ders are sold to quiet cats who are considered 

 too young to become mothers, and two or three 

 small doses of bromide have a decidedly calm- 

 ing effect. This drug should, however, be 

 given with caution, as it is a dangerous one 

 in unskilled hands. Cats come in season about 

 every three weeks during the spring and 

 summer ; but in the autumn and early winter 

 months nature seems to intend that they 

 should rest ; therefore, as soon as the year has 

 turned, and in very mild winters even before 

 Christmas, no time should be lost in selecting 

 the best sires for the various breeding queens, 

 and arrangements made with their respective 

 owners, so that as soon as ever a queen is 



ready she may be mated without delay, as 

 some cats go off in two or three days, while 

 others are not safe for a fortnight. If possible, 

 it is well to select a stud cat near at hand, 

 especially if your queen is timid and frightened, 

 as a long railway journey may upset her. 



It is most essential that female cats 

 should be freed from worms before being 

 allowed to mate or breed, otherwise the kittens 

 will probably fall victims to these pests by 

 sucking in the disease with the mother's milk. 

 Most cat fanciers know the symptoms which 

 are suggestive of worms ; and whenever there 

 is a reasonable suspicion of their presence, then 

 it is best at once to resort to some of the many 

 remedies to be obtained from veterinaries and 

 cat specialists. 



A cat's period of gestation is nine weeks, but 

 this is often extended to a day or two longer, 

 so that it is best to expect a litter about nine 

 weeks from the date of the queen's return 

 from visiting the stud cat. An experienced 

 breeder will most likely see symptoms of a cat 

 coming in season, and will then do well to 

 give a worm powder. Salvo's No. 3 powder 

 may be given one morning, and the cat sent 

 off the next day quite safely. Visiting queens 

 should be despatched as early in the morning 

 as possible and insured, to save delay on the 

 road, with the owner's name and address in- 

 side package, also the name of the cat, as poor 

 pussie will be far happier if on her arrival' she 

 hears herself called by her pet name. Tull 

 instructions should be sent as to the return 

 journey ; also it should be stated if the cat 

 is kept out of doors or indoors, and what food 

 she is accustomed to have, number of meals 

 per diem, etc. If going a very long journey 

 the queen should not be nailed into a box, or 

 padlocked, as occasional delays occur, and 

 the railway authorities will feed and look after 

 an insured cat if packed in a hamper or box 

 where they can get at the occupant. Boxes 

 or hampers with skeleton lids are by far the 

 best on this account. If the weather is very 

 cold and a basket is used, it should be lined, 

 and round the sides brown paper is an addi- 

 tional safeguard against draughts, for which 



