68 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



the photographs (specially taken) which illus- 

 trate this chapter. 



Its chief features were the twenty-five 

 entries in the litter classes and the ring 

 class for neuters only. Objection is often 

 made to litter classes, and yet these are 

 certainly the most attractive. I think that 

 double pens should be provided, and special 

 food ought to be supplied for the little ones. 

 It stands to reason that very young kittens 

 cannot be fed like the grown cats, and it is only 

 natural that if big pieces of meat are thrust 

 into the pen for the mother the hungry little 

 creatures will make a rush for it. They bolt 

 down the hard lumps, and these remain un- 

 digested in their tender little stomachs. It is 

 not to be wondered at if gastritis, inflamma- 

 tion, and other distressing ailments supervene. 

 It is much better to let the mother do with- 

 out her usual meat rations and content her- 

 self with good, nourishing baby food, such as 

 Mellin's or Ridge's, rather than run the risk 

 of providing her with such which will injure 

 her little kittens. With ordinary supervision 

 no evil consequences should ensue from the 

 introduction of litter classes, especially at 

 a one day show. It is not, however, advis- 

 able to have litter classes at shows held during 

 the winter months. But in perfect, warm 

 weather no fatalities will be reported. Cer- 

 tainly the mothers with their families prove 

 a great attraction, and as woollen balls, at- 

 tached from the top of the pens, are provided 

 for the amusement of the kittens, they de- 

 light themselves and their audience with -their 

 playful frolics. 



The ring class for neuters only was an inno- 

 vation and proved very successful, and although 

 some of these pet pussies declined to show 

 themselves off to the best advantage, yet 

 they did not " go " for each other as is some- 

 times the case when .the males are within 

 measurable distance of each other. The illus- 

 tration given is from a photo specially taken 

 for this work, and shows the judges deliberat- 

 ing on the respective merits of the neuter cats. 

 On this occasion a famous Blue Persian owned 

 by Madame Portier carried off the honours. 



He behaved very well on the lead, and his 

 grand shape and wonderful coat made him 

 an easy first. 



Another illustration shows the judges at 

 work awarding the special prizes, which in 

 many cases have to be decided conjointly. 

 Miss Frances Simpson and Mr. C. A. House are 

 comparing notes and determining which of the 

 first prize kittens is deserving of the special 

 for the best in the show. On this occasion 

 Mrs. Bennet, a well-known breeder of Blue 

 Persians, was awarded the coveted prize. 



A general view of one of the rows of pens 

 is given, but on this particular occasion no 

 covering was supplied for the benching, and, 

 therefore, the aspect of the show pens leaves 

 much to be desired. The travelling baskets 

 being placed under the pens, these should be 

 hidden from the public gaze in order to give 

 a neat and tidy appearance to the show. The 

 best material for this purpose is red baize. 

 The custom of allowing exhibitors to pen their 

 own cats enables them to give their pussies 

 a final brush up before they are subjected to 

 the critical examination of the judge. Our 

 illustration represents Mrs. Peter Brown, a 

 well-known breeder of Blue Persians, attending 

 to the toilet of her beautiful " Bunch," who 

 on this occasion repeated her successes at 

 the Botanic Gardens, and carried off the 

 highest honours in the Blue Female Persian 

 class (see page 73). And now to pass on to 

 another portion of our subject. 



JUDGING. 



A standard of points for all long and short 

 haired cats was drawn up by a sub-committee 

 of the Cat Club, of which I was a member ; 

 but since specialist clubs have come into 

 existence, having each their own list of points, 

 nothing much has been seen or heard of the 

 Cat Club's standard. It is just as well to 

 have some definite lines upon which fanciers 

 and exhibitors may base their ideas, and so 

 aim at, if they cannot attain to, the height 

 of perfection set forth in these standards. 

 They are really not meant for judges, because 

 I venture to assert that a judge is no judge 



