278 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



The cats are reared in outside and unwarmed 

 houses, with ample wired-in runs. All the 

 Sherdley cats are prize-winners. I am able to 

 give illustrations of " Alexis Michael " and the 

 two " Sachas." The first named has been 

 quoted as a typical British blue. 



Mrs. Carew Cox is a most ardent supporter 

 and successful breeder of short-haired blues. 

 As she has had a long and varied experience, 

 I asked her to send me some notes. I have 



effaced before they are many weeks old. In 

 one case a kitten (now a large neuter) had 

 until five months of age two broad black 

 stripes down his back on either side of his 

 spine ; they were so decided in appearance 

 that it seemed very doubtful that they would 

 ever disappear. However, at six months old 

 he was a perfectly self-coloured cat ! This is, 

 of course, most remarkable and unusual, and 

 amongst all the many kittens of this breed 



pleasure in publishing them for the benefit of that I have reared for the past thirteen years 



my readers : 



" Blue short-haired cats many of them 

 imported from Northern Russia make very 

 desirable pets, presenting, as they do, a neat, 

 smart, ' tailor-built ' appearance all the year 



there has never been another presenting a 

 similar appearance. 



" The eyes of a Russian should be golden 

 in colour, or deep orange. To procure deep- 

 coloured eyes, experiments have been made in 



round, and possessing the great intelligence crossing Russians with Persians, but the results 

 usually to be met with in all short-haired so far as I have seen have not proved satis- 

 breeds. They have the advantage over many factory, and to an experienced eye the cross is 



other varieties in that they are, as adults, 

 strong, healthy 

 cats not at all 

 liable, as a rule, 

 to pulmonary at- 

 tacks. Kittens, 

 however, require 

 both care and 

 patience to rear 

 successfully, and, 

 strange to say, 

 attain sounder 

 constitutions 

 when brought up 

 by healthy Eng- 

 lish foster-moth- 

 ers. Females 

 are more difficult 

 to rear t han 

 males. A Russian 

 cat should be of 



" MARIA. 



OWNED BY MRS. WOODCOCK. 

 (Photo: S. Richardson, Standish.) 



perceptible. I believe there is no really recog- 

 nised standard 

 of points for this 

 breed, which un- 

 til quite recently 

 was c o m p a r a- 

 t i v e 1 y little 

 known. I note 

 that there is a 

 very fair demand 

 for Russians 

 at the present 

 time chiefly, 

 strange to say, 

 from the North 

 of England. The 

 shape of the head 

 in many of those 

 imported is more 

 pointed than 

 round ; indeed, 



an even shade of blue throughout, even the some have long, lean, pointed heads and 

 skin itself being often in fact, generally of faces, with big ears. The backs of the ears 



a bluish tinge. There should be no stripes 

 or bars, and for exhibition purposes there 

 should be no white patches. Kittens f re- 



should be as free from hair as possible ; some, 

 I remark, are entirely devoid of hair on the 

 upper parts of their ears at least, if there is 



quently have body markings when very young, any, it is not perceptible^ to the naked eye. 

 also rings on their tails; but in pure-bred Others, again, have ears covered with peculiarly 

 specimens these defects generally become fine, close, silky hair. Some imported blues are 



