IO2 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



The beds for the cats are specially designed 

 by Lady Decies. The walls of the cats' rooms 

 are adorned with pictures by Louis Wain, 

 and there is a display of prize cards won by 

 Lady Decies' famous cats. " Zaida," so well 

 known as the winning silver female, is the 

 privileged occupant of Lady Decies' boudoir, 

 and here the aristocratic little lady makes her- 

 self at home on the soft cushions and couches. 



The famous " Lord Southampton " is now 

 in the possession of Lady Decies, and resides 

 in one of the up-to-date catteries at Beresford 

 Lodge. He was purchased at a very high 

 price. Since his change of ownership he has 

 not frequently appeared in public, but in the 

 past he was a noted winner. It is, however, 

 as a silver sire that he attained his success 

 and made his name. It is well-nigh im- 

 possible to mention his numerous winning 

 children. His name in a pedigree is a safe 

 guarantee for quality and colour. 



The two Siamese cats have warm quarters 

 in the stable cottage. 



Lady Decies' pets comprise both long- and 

 short-haired cats. Among the latter " Xeno- 

 phon " is generally considered as the best 

 specimen of a brown tabby, and has a long 

 prize-winning record. A woman and a boy 

 are kept to attend to the wants of these aris- 

 tocratic animals. 



The Bishopsgate cattery may be said to 

 have won a worldwide renown, and those who 

 have been privileged to visit the ideal residence 

 of Lady Marcus Beresford will agree with me 

 that it is impossible to give any idea either 

 by photography or description of the delight- 

 ful dwelling places set apart for the pussies 

 belonging to this true lover and fancier of the 

 feline race. 



There is the cat cottage, where the attend- 

 ant has her rooms, and where the other apart- 

 ments are especially fitted up for the cats. 

 Here the Siamese have their quarters, and the 

 sun streams in at the windows, which face due 

 south. Opposite to the cottage, as may be 

 seen in the illustration, are some of the cat 

 houses, and in the centre is the kitchen. The 

 cat attendant stands at the door, and some 



of the pussies are having their mid-day meal. 

 The celebrated " Blue Boy II." occupies a 

 house, and in the background is a grass run, 

 securely wired in, which is used as a play- 

 ground for the pussies. In the hot summer 

 weather this is shaded by the lovely spreading 

 beech trees of Windsor Park. 



The stud cats' houses are splendidly ar- 

 ranged with sleeping places and nice large 

 runs. The space in the centre in front of 

 these runs is used as an exercise ground for 

 the females and kittens. The garden-house 

 cattery is, indeed, an ideal one, being a bower 

 of roses in the summer-time, and in winter 

 an ivy-clad retreat. This house is divided 

 into two apartments, and these are generally 

 used for the queen mothers and their families. 

 On the shelves along the windows the pussies 

 sit and sun themselves. 



Truly the lives of inmates of the Bishops- 

 gate catteries are spent in peace and plenty, 

 and when their little span of life is over they 

 find a resting place under the shadow of the 

 grand old trees, and a little white tombstone 

 with a loving inscription marks the spot of 

 pussy's last long sleep. 



Lady Marcus Beresford has had almost 

 every breed of cat under the sun at her cat- 

 teries, but of recent years she has specially 

 taken up silvers, blues, and Siamese, and a 

 grand specimen of each of these varieties is 

 in the stud at Bishopsgate. Amongst some 

 of the celebrated cats owned by Lady Marcus 

 Beresford I may mention " Lifeguard," a 

 grand orange of massive build ; " Tachin " 

 . and " Cambodia," two imported Siamese with 

 perfect points ; " Cora," a tortoiseshell-and- 

 white of great beauty, and " Kismet," a brown 

 tabby of exquisite shape, both imported ; and 

 " Cossy," a smoke that has found a home in 

 America. At the present time three of the 

 most notable inmates of the Bishopsgate cat- 

 tery, representing blues, silvers, and Siamese, are 

 "Blue Boy II.," "Beetle," and "King of Siam." 



One of the largest catteries in Scotland, 

 where the fancy grows apace, is owned by 

 Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart, of Seagate House. 

 Irvine. Mrs. Stewart has possessed several 



