140 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



not amber but wishy-washy yellow, will be the 

 inevitable result. So many silver cats have 

 eyes that may be described as neither one 

 thing nor the other. Often one hears the re- 

 mark, " Oh ! but if you see So-and-so's eyes 

 in the right light they are a 

 lovely green." But viewed by 

 the ordinary eye of a critical 

 judge, they appear an uncertain 



There is one rather peculiar feature in the 

 eyes of some silver cats. This is the dark 

 rim which often encircles the eye. This rim 

 decidedly enhances the beauty of the eye, 

 and makes it look larger than it really is, 



THREE PRETTY SILVERS. 

 (Photo: C. Reid, Wishatv.) 



yellow. Therefore it is best to set up a 

 standard, and I think it is becoming an almost 

 undisputed fact that silver cats of perfect 

 type should have green eyes, and by green 

 let it be understood that the deeper the tone 

 the better will they accord or contrast with 

 the pale silvery coat. 



I would here impress upon fanciers the 

 great importance of striving to obtain the 

 large, round, full eye, which gives such ex- 

 pression to a cat's face. How many of our 

 silvers of to-day are spoiled by small, badly 

 shaped or half-open eyes ! I do not think 

 sufficient importance is attached by our 

 judges to this point of size of eye. Many 

 are carried away by the correctness of colour, 

 and fail to deduct a sufficient number of 

 points for a beady, badly shaped small eye. 



Colour is fleeting, and with age our cats 

 may lose the brilliancy of green or orange, 

 but bold large eyes, placed well apart and not 

 too deeply sunk, will be lasting points in 

 favour of our pets. 



and also throws up the colour. 

 Light, almost white, ear-tufts and 

 toe-tufts are adjuncts which go to 

 make up a perfect silver cat. The 

 nose is of a dull brick red, darkening slightly 

 towards the edges. 



Few Persian cats suffer so severely during 

 the process of shedding their coats as silvers, 

 and they present a most ragged appearance 

 at this period of their existence. The lovely 

 fluffy light silver undercoat almost disappears, 

 and the top markings stand out very dis- 

 tinctly, so that a cat that in full feather 

 would be considered a light, unmarked speci- 

 . men will appear streaked and dark after the 

 coat has been shed. As regards the silver 

 kittens, it is a curious fact that these, when 

 born, are often almost black or, at any rate, 

 generally very dark in colour, resembling 

 smokes. It is seldom that a silver kitten is 

 light at birth, but gradually the markings and 

 shadings will lessen, and perhaps just the one 

 mite that was looked upon as a bad black will 

 blossom forth into the palest silver. In this 

 respect, silver kits are most speculative, but 

 in another they are cruelly disappointing, for 

 a kitten at three months old may be a verit- 



