no 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



shape, or boldness of eye, see that, the selected 

 stud-cat excels in those points, and so, as far 

 as possible, correct and balance the points 

 required between the parents. One must not 

 expect to find perfection in any one cat. By 

 using care, judgment, and forethought in 

 mating our pets, we shall go a good way towards 

 establishing in our strain the points necessary 

 to build up the perfect blue Persian. 



" All my kittens have been born in a Japanese 

 dress basket, with the lid standing on its side 

 and the bottom half thrust into it cradlewise. 

 The outside of the basket proper is trimmed 

 with a flounce, which helps to keep out 

 draughts ; over the top is thrown a small 

 cloth table-cover, which covers, at will, the 

 whole or part of the opening, thus making the 

 little one's house a pretty thing to lock at. 

 When any one of my queens is about to have 

 a family I ' flee-flea ' her, which I consider 

 most essential for the future comfort of both 

 mother and kittens ; then I bring her into the 

 house three or four days before the expected 

 event. For the time being the expectant 

 mother becomes the house cat. I let her find 

 her own bed, which has already been prepared 

 for her, by carefully closing all other places she 

 might be likely otherwise to choose. When 

 her time comes I stay with her during her 

 trouble ; but never interfere unless it is abso- 

 lutely necessary. 



" A few encouraging words, and the fact that 

 one is near, seems to give her comfort. If a 

 queen shows much exhaustion, I give a little 

 Brand's Essence with a few drops of brandy in a 

 spoon ; but if all goes smoothly I let well alone. 

 There is no need to press food upon the mother ; 

 she will not require it until some time after the 

 births are complete. A little warm milk or 

 gruel offered between the births may sometimes 

 prove a comfort ; but many queens will not 

 touch it. For about three weeks, that is to 

 say until the little ones creep out of their beds, 

 I keep the queen and her family in the dwelling- 

 house with me, changing her bed every other 

 day. After the first week I make it a rule to 

 handle the kittens at least once a day, and if 

 the queen has more than three to bring up I 



begin, at two weeks old, feeding them three 

 times a day with a few drops of warm sweet- 

 ened milk from a spoon, increasing the quan- 

 tity very gradually as they grow. I never 

 wake the kittens to feed them sleep is as 

 necessary as food ; but always arrange to 

 feed them just after the little ones wake ; they 

 are then hungry, and that is the best time to 

 assist and relieve the mother. It is surprising 

 how soon the kits enjoy being fed and look out 

 for the friendly spoon. 



" As soon as the little ones can get out of their 

 bed they must be introduced to a shallow tin 

 filled with ashes or earth. I prefer ashes to 

 sawdust for very little kittens, and I find at a 

 month old they will regularly use it. This early 

 lesson in cleanliness is invaluable, as later on, 

 with reasonable care, they never forget it. 

 When the kittens are from three weeks to a 

 month old I remove them, with the mother 

 (or foster-mother), to their own little run in 

 the cattery, where I visit them three or four 

 times a day. When they grow stronger, and 

 as early as the weather will permit, they are 

 introduced to the open-air run, the sunshine, 

 and the other cats. 



" I begin the grooming as early as possible, 

 daily brushing the little things in their bed or 

 on my lap ; it improves the fur, and the more 

 they are groomed the sooner they get to like and 

 enjoy it. When grooming kittens two or three 

 months old, I generally have three or four try- 

 ing to get under the brush at the same time, 

 endeavouring to push the favoured one out of 

 the way. I am strongly of opinion that the 

 frequent handling of kittens does not do them 

 any harm, but does tend to improve their 

 temper and increase their gentleness. When 

 I have callers the kittens are invariably 

 fetched, introduced to, and fondled by the 

 visitors, so that they become not the least 

 afraid of strangers ; as a result, when they go 

 to new homes they come out of their basket 

 without fear, making themselves immediately 

 at home, much to the comfort of themselves 

 and their new owners. 



" The best time to dispose of kittens is at 

 about eight weeks old. Breeders with limited 



