158 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



''FUR AND F E A T H E R." 



(Photo : Mrs. S. F. Clarke ) 



greater strength, and be mothered for a 

 longer period than would be possible with 

 their real parent. 



" It is necessary to remember that, al- 

 though the foster mother needs extra food 

 when nursing just as in the case of the 

 silver mother more caution must be exer- 

 cised when beginning the more liberal diet, 

 for very probably, if this is forgotten, a 

 liver attack which will also affect the 

 precious kits will be the result of her un- 

 usually liberal fare. Remember, also, to 

 inquire of the owner of your foster as to how 

 she has been fed. With this knowledge, com- 

 mon sense and careful watching of cat and 

 kittens will quickly show if it would be better 

 to increase or diminish her meals either in 

 quantity or quality. It is of enormous value 

 to bespeak the foster mother, if possible, 

 four or five weeks before the birth of the 

 kittens, for then it will not hurt to give her 

 what is almost certain to be necessary i.e. 

 a worm powder. 



" I always allow my mother pussies as 



much milk as they like (although, as a rule, 

 my cats drink water), but it should be boiled, 

 and one tablespoonful of lime-water added 

 to each half-pint. When I once urged this 

 care of the foster mother to a friend who 

 owned two kittens she was extremely anxious 

 to rear, I was laughed to scorn, and assured 

 that such fussiness about a strong English cat 

 was more than foolish. Yet I would remind 

 breeders who are inclined to agree with the 

 above opinion that on the perfect health of 

 your head nurse rests the future of your 

 much-prized litter. On her depends their 

 growth, their first chance of throwing off 

 their natural delicacy. Mr. House, in one of 

 his articles lately published in Fur and Feather, 

 advises that kittens should be kept with and 

 fed by their mothers as long as sixteen weeks. 

 In my humble opinion this is too great a 

 strain on any Persian cat, but there may 

 be great wisdom in keeping the kits with the 

 mother or foster for as long as it is possible 

 without overtaxing the cat. The same 

 authority speaks of a relay of foster mothers. 



