HOUSING OF CATS. 



57 



let the cats have also a saucepan of their own, 

 a deep stewpan-shaped one. of blue enamel, 

 large enough to cook a sheep's head with 

 biscuits. Cook will be far less prone to grum- 

 ble at the necessary cooking for the cats I 

 speak here of a small cattery, when no attend- 

 ant is kept if her saucepans are not pressed 

 into the service. 



But see that all are kept scrupulously clean, 

 nothing " left over " 

 in thesaucepan to be- 

 come sour or tainted 

 in hot weather ; 

 and after each meal 

 is cooked, the sauce- 

 pin should be boiled 

 out with soda and 

 scoured clean. 



Earth tins. A 

 great mistake made 

 in these necessary 

 items is having them 

 too deep. I have 

 seen an old zinc foot- 

 bath supplied to two 

 months old kittens 

 with quite six inches 

 of sawdust in it, and 

 the owner wondered 

 why she could not 

 teach her kittens to 

 be cleanly in their 

 habits ! 



A 4 inch deep tray 

 is quite deep enough, 

 and this should not 

 be tilled more than 



Uvn thirds full, or the cat rakes so much earth 

 out on the floor. Neither do they require to 

 be very large, as their weight when filled with 

 soil makes them very cumbersome to move, 

 and they get the more quickly knocked out of 

 shape. The best size is about 17 inches by 

 14 inches and 4 inches deep, made in stout 

 galvanised iron, with a rim round the edge, 

 and these might be painted some light colour 

 with Aspinall's enamel paint. (I advocate 

 " light paint." as any dirt stains are seen at 



I.KTHAL CHAMUKK, ROYAL LONDON INSTITI'TION 

 HOME FOR LOST AND STARVING CATS. 

 (Photo : Cassell & Company, Limited.) 



once.) They will then last free from rust, and 

 can be washed out every morning. Two or 

 three tins of smaller size say, 12 inches by 

 8 inches by 2 1- inches are suggested for kittens, 

 or for placing in small pens in an emergency. 

 Baking tins answer this purpose. 



After washing, it is well to stand these trays 

 in the air to sweeten, as if they smell disagree- 

 able the cats will not u~e them. 



Messrs. Whiteley 

 supply these zinc 

 tins, or they can be 

 made by any local 

 ironmonger to di- 

 mensions given. 



Hot - water appli- 

 ances. These are 

 very necessary in the 

 cattery, and should 

 by no means be for- 

 gotten. 



Many a sick cat's 

 life has been saved, 

 and the critical 

 corner in an illness 

 turned, by the timely 

 comfort and strength 

 bestowed by the hot- 

 water bottle or bag, 

 or even a brick made 

 hot in the oven and 

 wrapped up. In the 

 event of winter lit- 

 ters, too, a hot-water 

 bag should be always 

 in readiness, in case 

 it is advisable to 



remove the first-born kittens from the mother 

 for a few hours. Heat will restore a seemingly 

 dead kitten, as I have said before. The 

 outside dwellers also, how they appreciate 

 on a bitter winter's night the hot bottle or 

 wrapped up hot brick to keep them cosy ! 



I know a luxurious stud cat who has a 

 hot-water tin made to fit his sleeping box, 

 which is filled by the maid every cold night and 

 slid beneath his hay bed. Assuredly, there is 

 no greater safeguard against winter's chills and 



