4 o 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



unchecked. This applies to all cats and kittens 

 of whatever age, sex, or condition, but is 

 especially dangerous when a cat is in kit or 

 nursing her young. Mr. Ward and Salvo 

 prepare powders which will stop the diarrhoea, 

 and if persevered with will restore the bowels 

 to their normal condition. Change of diet is 

 also very helpful. If the diarrhoea is very 

 violent or persistent, or if no medicine can be 

 procured, a small quantity of powdered chalk, 

 as much as will lie on a sixpence, may be given 

 every hour or two, three or four times ; but 

 the primary cause, of which diarrhoea is only 

 a symptom, should be sought out, and if not 

 discoverable, the advice of a cat doctor should 

 be obtained. 



Persistent diarrhoea (if not the accompani- 

 ment of diseases, such as inflammation of the 

 bowels, etc.), is usually caused by indigestion 

 or worms, and sometimes by a stoppage of fur 

 or food imperfectly digested, which nature 

 in this way tries to get rid of ; and if this is 

 the case, or there is even reason to suspect 

 it may be, a dose or two of warm salad oil, 

 a teaspoon ful every two hours, will often 

 bring away the obstruction. Cats in kitten 



A PERILOUS PERCH. 



(1'hoto: C. Reid, Wishaw.) 



frequently suffer from constipation, for which 

 also warm salad oil is far better than castor 

 oil, as the latter is irritative to the bowels, and 

 though acting as an aperient, the after effects 

 are increased costiveness. Warm salad oil, 

 given a few hours before the birth of kittens, 

 is helpful to the mother. For at least a week 

 before the kittens are expected, a nice cosy 

 bed should be prepared in some retired spot ; 

 and, to a novice, the caution would not be 

 amiss do not let a cat in kitten sleep on your 

 bed, or she will either have her kittens there, 

 or will drag the poor little things into the bed 

 the first chance she gets. If a box is to be 

 made ready for the cat, it should be of a fair 

 size (about twenty-six inches by eighteen 

 inches), and should be placed on its side, and 

 a bit of wood about three inches deep nailed 

 on to the bottom of the side, standing up to 

 keep the bedding in its place and the kittens 

 from rolling out. This box may be placed 

 on a table or two chairs, so arranged that the 

 cat can step in and out from another chair. 



The floor of the box should be covered 

 with several thicknesses of flannel or blanket 

 in the winter and paper in the summer. Avoid 

 coloured materials, as the dye will come out 

 if they get wet. A bolster may be placed at 

 one side of the box stuffed with straw, or hay 

 or paper torn up very small, to support the 

 cat's back ; but should the weather be very 

 cold and the mother delicate, a hot-water 

 bottle covered with flannel may be used instead, 

 and is a great comfort. A covering should be 

 thrown over the box, which may 

 be pulled down to hide the in- 

 terior, as cats love to be screened 

 from observation ; and also it is 

 very essential that the tiny 

 babies should be kept al- 

 most in the dark for the 

 first fortnight, after which 

 time, when their eyes are 

 open, the covering can be 

 raised in the day and low- 

 ered at night in cold weather. 

 This box must be placed on 

 the ground as soon as the 



