i6o 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



Mrs. Walker exhibited a really wonderful 

 silver kitten. I say wonderful, for this 

 youngster, bred from the owner's " Wood- 

 heys Fitzroy " and " Countess," was the most 

 unshaded and unmarked specimen of a silver 

 I have ever seen. This unique specimen will 

 be watched with interest by silver fanciers. 

 May his shadings ever grow less ! 



The average number of inmates of this 

 cattery is about thirty, but at one period 

 of Mrs. G. H. Walker's catty career the silver 

 fever ran high, and there were sixty-three 

 cats and kits within the precincts of the 

 spacious and luxurious catteries of Woodhey? 

 Grange. 



Mrs. Martin, of High Wycombe, who has 

 often acted as judge, has been a most successful 

 breeder of silvers, and the progeny by " St. 

 Anthony," her noted sire, have distinguished 

 themselves by winning over one hundred prizes. 

 " St. Anthony " has retired into private life, 

 but he will always be remembered if only by 

 his two children " Silver Dove " and " Fascin- 

 ation." Mrs. Martin says, " I am all in favour 

 of the male being older than the queen in 

 breeding silvers ; also select a good-coated stud 

 cat, short in the legs. Eyes are a worry just 

 now. Of course, I like green best, but if a 

 cat is good in all points but colour of eye, this 

 should not upset an award. I find that if a 

 kitten is born almost self silver, it will develop 

 into an indifferent silver tabby later ; but if 

 the body is dark, and head and legs light and 

 clear, you may hope for a very unmarked 

 specimen in due time." 



Mrs. Wellbye's silver cats " Dossie," " Silver 

 Lotus," and " Veronica " were at one time 

 well-known winners, and for length of coat and 

 beauty of eye have seldom been surpassed. 

 Mrs. Wellbye is a most astute judge of silvers, 

 and her remarks on this her favourite breed 

 will be read with interest : 



" This handsome variety of the Persian 

 ranks high in the estimation of cat lovers ; 

 indeed, its ardent admirers consider it the 

 creme dc la creme of the cat world. And why 

 not 1 Surely there is nothing to compare 

 with a lovely young chinchilla Persian in full 



coat. Its very daintiness and seeming pride 

 in itself is quite charming. One is reminded 

 of a pretty child dressed out in its party frock, 

 for puss appears to know it is well dressed 

 and desirous to show her charms to the 

 best advantage. She dances, pirouettes, and 

 throws herself into the most graceful and 

 entrancing attitudes, until we feel in sympathy 

 with the Egyptians of old and are willing to 

 fall down and worship our adorable pets. We 

 all love beauty, but to those who love cats 

 there is something beyond even beauty, for 

 only they who keep and care and treat them 

 well know the comfort these little creatures are, 

 and the happiness they can bestow by their 

 sweet caressing ways, perhaps more especially 

 to those whose hearts are starved of human 

 love, but still to all whose sympathies are 

 wide of the varieties of silver cats. I will first 

 treat of the chinchilla. 



" The Crystal Palace show of 1895 or 1896 

 was the first I remember with a class for 

 chinchillas ; previous to that, I believe, they 

 were not recognised as such, but were shown 

 with the silver tabbies. Strictly speaking, the 

 name chinchilla is a misnomer as applied to 

 these cats. The soft grey coat of the little 

 animal called the chinchilla, whose lovely 

 fur is so much prized as an article of ladies' 

 dress, differs diametrically from the cat so 

 called. 



" The fur of the chinchilla is dark at the 

 roots, and shades quite pale grey at the tips. 

 The cat's fur, on the contrary, is absolutely 

 pale grey, almost white at the roots, but 

 tipped with black at the outer edges. 



" The points as laid down by the Silver 

 Society are as follow : ' Chinchillas should be 

 as pale and unmarked silver as it is possible 

 to breed them.' 



" The aim of the breeder of this variety, 

 therefore, is to obtain a cat with none of the 

 markings of the original stock (the silver tabby), 

 the dark tippings to be slight and faint. 



" Breeders have found this ideal most dim- 

 cult to obtain ; although some kittens are born 

 pale all over, with no markings; in a few weeks 

 or maybe months the hope of the family 



