SIAMESE CATS. 



261 



Armitage that she exhibited at one of the 

 Manchester shows. "Sam Sly" was as near 

 perfection as possible, and after taking 

 everything in the way of prizes, medals, and 

 championships this fine fellow came home and 

 died ! Mrs. Spencer, of Eye Vicarage, to whom 

 I have alluded as a Siamese fancier, has bred 

 so many large litters of kits that I wrote to 

 ask if she would kindly give me and my 

 readers the benefit of some of her experience 

 in rearing young Siamese. She writes in 

 reply : 



" My ' Royal Siam ' came from the royal 

 palace, and I consider him a splendid specimen. 

 I did not breed from him until he was between 

 three and four years old, which may be one 

 of the reasons why all the kittens by him are 

 so wonderfully strong and healthy. He has 

 never ailed anything since I have had him. 

 I have never placed him at stud, but have 

 allowed a few friends to send their queens to 

 visit him. Neither have I ever exhibited him, 

 for he is far too precious a pet to be allowed 

 to run any risks. My queen ' Princess Mai- 

 mowne ' is also a fine strong cat, a daughter 

 of Mrs. Carew Cox's ' King Kesho ' ; and many 

 are the prize-winners bred from these two. I 

 heat my catteries during the day in winter, 

 and at night in cold weather I give the^cats a 

 hot stone bottle in their sleeping boxes, for it 

 is the damp and cold of our English winter 

 nights which are so dangerous. The windows 

 of my catteries face south, and this is import- 

 ant in rearing Siamese. I always allow my 

 cats an abundance of fish ; this I give mixed 

 with bread soaked in water twice a day, with 

 another meal of something different, thus 

 making three meals a day. I boil all the milk. 

 Sometimes I give a little cod-liver oil over 

 their food with very beneficial results. If the 

 kittens have bad colds or any trifling ailment, 

 I indulge them with a little finely cut up raw 

 beef. I have been breeding Siamese for over 

 five years, and I have only lost one kitten of 

 my own rearing. I think the reason of my 

 success is that I never pass over the most 

 trifling symptom of illness, and it is very neces- 

 sary to take the temperature of Siamese at 

 17* 



the slightest sign of sickness. I send a great 

 number of kittens away to purchasers, and I 

 am most particular in the way I pack the kits 

 for their journey. The basket outside should 

 be covered with thick brown paper, leaving 

 just a square piece in the lid for ventilation. 

 Inside I line with new house flannel, and place 

 a soft cushion at the bottom, and if very cold 

 weather I put an indiarubber hot-water 

 bottle under the cushion. If the cats have to 

 pass through London, I arrange with the 

 District Messengers Company to meet the 

 cat and convey it to its destination or to 

 another station. Thus dangerous delays are 

 avoided at a very little cost." 



As everyone knows, Lady Marcus Beresford 

 has always been especially fond of Siamese 

 cats, and many splendid specimens have 

 inhabited the Bishopsgate cat cottage. At 

 present "King of Siam" and "Khoula," and 

 a quaint little female called " It," represent 

 this breed. In the days gone by "Tachin" 

 and " Cambodia " were the admired of all 

 admirers, and I doubt if ever a more perfect 

 pair has landed on these shores. These cats 

 were given to Lady Marcus Beresford twelve 

 years ago by the late Lord William Beresford, 

 who brought them straight from the palace 

 at Bangkok. Lady Marcus writes : 



" I never once had any trouble or anxiety 

 with them dear, gentle, friendly little people, 

 so clever and attractive. I have never seen 

 any I have so admired. They had many fine, 

 healthy litters, scattered about now amongst 

 various friends. My success all round was 

 great with them no illness of any kind, till one 

 day a fiend poisoned both ' Tachin ' and ' Cam- 

 bodia,' and some of their six months kittens. 

 I have replaced them with some bred in 

 England ; and my opinion is that, as a rule, 

 the imported ones are much the stronger. A 

 pair of Siamese imported from the temple at 

 Bangkok I purchased from Mrs. Vary Campbell, 

 and had the great misfortune to lose them. 

 They differed from the royal Siamese, being 

 darker and having a more pointed head 

 and face, and their eyes were larger and 

 fuller. 



