WHITE PERSIANS. 



123 



disappears. You are calling on some friend 

 or acquaintance, and, to your surprise and 

 astonishment, there on the armchair lies, 

 curled up, your cat ! ' Thus it will be seen 

 that the wily native makes a small income 

 out of one cat, by stealing or enticing it 

 away from the original purchaser and calmly 

 re-selling it to one of the neighbours." 



Mrs. Clinton Locke, the president of the 

 Beresford Cat Club, has owned some beautiful 

 white Persians which she has imported from 

 time to time. This ladv writes thus to Our 



Mrs. Westlake, writing from Camden Town, 

 says : 



" My acquaintance with white Persian cats 

 began some years ago, when I imported a 

 white female as a pet. I was so delighted 

 with her that, although for a London resident 

 white cats would seem the least desirable, I 

 decided to import two blue-eyed whites for 

 breeding purposes. It was a litter from these 

 two cats that tempted me to take up exhibit- 

 ing, _This litter consisted of all blue-eyed 

 kittens, the tone of the blue being exceptionally 



" WHITE BUTTB:RFLY." 



THE PROPERTY OF Miss WHITE ATKINS. 

 (Photo: E. E. Lipputt, Leamington.) 



Cats : ' The first white Persian I ever owned 

 was brought to me many years ago from 

 Persia by a distinguished traveller, and its 

 eyes were amber, showing that the white cats 

 brought from their native land have not 

 always blue eyes. The descendants of this 

 cat, mated to both amber and blue eyed cats, 

 have thrown blue eyes. Two odd-eyed cats 

 have also given blue-eyed kittens ; but a pair of 

 blue-eyed cats has by no means always thrown 

 blue eyes with every kitten in the litter." 



One of our most persistent and consistent 

 breeders and fanciers of white Persians is 

 Mrs. Westlake, and therefore I am glad to be 

 able to put forward a few of her experiences 

 as to the peculiarities of the breed. 



deep. Since then I have, of course, often had 

 a different tale to tell, and odd-eyed kittens 

 have sometimes predominated. This curious 

 freak of nature connected with white cats 

 seems unaccountable. The two colours are 

 generally yellow and blue, but I have seen 

 green and blue. I have also remarked on the 

 very brilliant tone of the one blue eye. 



" There is a popular belief that almost all 

 blue-eyed cats are deaf. All I can say is 

 that I have never had a blue-eyed white 

 that was deaf. I have, however, often come 

 across those that were stone deaf, and others 

 with defective hearing. Again an unaccount- 

 able freak. 



" White Persian cats have been declared 



