LOXG-HAIRED OR PERSIAN CATS. 



99 



the most difficult to rear, and suffer from ex- 

 treme delicacy. Perhaps in-breeding amongst 

 Persian varieties has been more carried on 

 than with the short-haired breeds, which are 

 allowed a greater freedom of choice, and there- 

 fore are the result of natural selection. 



Apart from the question of health and 

 strength, Persian cats require a great deal 

 more care and attention on account of the 

 long fur. In the spring Persian cats begin 

 to shed their coats, and this process continues 

 through the summer months, and it is not 

 till about October that the new fur begins 

 to grow again. Persian cats may be con- 

 sidered in their finest condition during the 

 months of December and January. It is a 

 wise provision of Nature that during the 

 coldest months these somewhat delicate cats 

 should have their warmest clothing. It has 

 often been a matter of surprise that cat shows 

 should ever be held in the summer, when 

 long-haired pussies present a most unkempt 

 and moth-eaten appearance. In this con- 

 dition they arc not likely to win converts to 

 the cult of the cat ; but from an educational 

 point of view these unclothed specimens give 

 the judge an opportunity of displaying his 

 ability, for it needs a really capable judge, 

 with experience, knowledge, and good common- 

 sense, to allow for absence of coat, and to 

 place the awards accordingly. Under summer 

 skies shape and bone will have their innings, 

 whereas a grand winter coat may hide a 

 multitude of sins that even the eagle eye of 

 the most astute judge may fail to discover. 



At the same time, for a breed 

 of cats called " long-haired " the 

 coat ought to demand the greatest 

 consideration ; for what is the 

 good of the most perfect shape 

 in a Persian cat, if it is exhibited 

 out of coat and almost like an 

 English short-hair in a class set 

 apart for long-haired specimens ? 

 No doubt many breeders of 

 Persians have been led through 

 disappointment to join the ranks 

 of short-hair breeders, for it is 



indeed very vexatious and tantalising, after 

 having entered a grand-coated cat a month 

 before a show, to find your precious pet 

 persistently scratching out her fluffy frill and 

 shedding the chief glory of her breed before 

 the eventful day when you had hoped to reap 

 golden awards. 



As regards Persian kittens, the change of 

 coat takes place between the ages of three and 

 six months. In some cases long-haired kittens 

 will -east their fur to such an extent as to 

 present the appearance of an uneven short- 

 haired specimen, whereas in others the shed- 

 ding process is so gradual that the transition 

 stage from a kitten to a cat is hardly more 

 discernible in the long- than in the short-haired 

 breeds. Any severe illness may cause the 

 fur to come out of Persian cats at any season 

 of the year, and the growth of the new coat 

 will be retarded by poor condition of the skin. 

 In both long- and short-haired cats, as in other 

 animals, the teeth are the chief guide in 

 deciding the age, and a kitten may be said to 

 become a cat after six months, when the adult 

 dental process is completed, and the second 

 set of teeth has become established. And 

 here I would quote from Mr. John Jennings' 

 interesting book on " Domestic or Fancy 

 Cats" hi-support of. my twofold classification: 

 " Of the many varieties or breeds of the cat 



GENTIAN',' ' 



OWNED BY LADY MARCUS BEKESFORD. 



(I'liolo : B. Landor, Eating.) 



