HOUSING OF CATS. 



55 



it. For a long range of brick-built houses, an 

 outside flue and boiler, with hot-water pipes 

 running the length of the cattery, would be 

 found of most service, as it maintains an even 

 and medium warmth throughout, keeps the 

 building perfectly dry, 

 and can be stoked with 

 less trouble. In small 

 wooden houses, very 

 excellent results are 

 given by the use of an 

 oil stove with hot- 

 water apparatus, such 

 as are supplied for 

 small greenhouses. 

 The lamp will usually 



burn twenty -four hours without attention, 

 is un-get-at-able by the cats, who can neither 

 singe their tails nor knock it over during 

 the wildest gambols, and if kept clean and 

 looked to with care will not cause the slight- 

 est odour. A quart of paraffin in one of these 

 oil stoves will burn 

 twenty - four hours, 

 and heat a building 12 

 feet by 10 feet to 50. 

 Now, in concluding 

 this little discourse 

 upon catteries, the 

 final word of advice 

 is always to remem- 

 ber the importance 

 of absolute cleanliness. 

 There should never 

 be the least offensive 

 smell in the cattery, 

 and if such be noticed 

 on entering the 

 houses in the morn- 

 ing, discover the cause and remedy it at 

 once. And do not rely solely upon disinfect- 



A LITTER BOX. 



A USEFUL CAT HOUSE. 



sote in any quantity, or carbolic, I do not 

 approve of, except in cases of illness of an 

 infectious type, when stronger measures are 

 obligatory. 



Xo dirty food dishes, no unchanged water, 

 no soil of any kind, 

 should ever be left 

 about on flooring or 

 bedding. Let your 

 cattery be kept 

 as scrupulously clean 

 and sweet as a hos- 

 pital, then will your 

 cats thrive and kit- 

 tens be healthy and 

 sturdy. 



Do not elect to start a cattery unless you 

 yourself intend to bestow both time and 

 trouble upon it. In this, as in every other 

 occupation or hobby, the one golden rule 

 is, " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, 

 do it with all thy might." 



APPLIANCES. 



In the preceding 

 section on the cat- 

 tery proper, I have 

 not spoken of the 

 very useful variety of 

 portable houses 

 which are now made 

 a speciality of many 

 firms, considering 

 them more or less as 

 accessories to the well 

 appointed cattery. 

 But in small town 

 gardens, where space 

 is valuable and it is 



not convenient to 



build a large permanent structure, it is quite 

 possible to succeed extremely well when two 



ants to do this. Too frequently this is but or three cats only are kept by using these 



overcoming a bad smell by a stronger, the evil portable houses. They also have the advan- 



remaining. A good and non-injurious disin- tage of being removable and a " tenant's 



fectant should always be used in the water for fixture" in the event of leaving one's house, 



the daily cleansing of pans and floors, etc. A very good house is one built by 



Camphaleyne or Salubrene are both safe and Messrs. Boulton and Paul, of Norwich (see 



effective, but disinfectants that contain creo- illustration). It is a very pretty and well 



