280 



THE BOOK OF THE CAT. 



1901. In 1890 I owned a very pretty soft- 

 looking blue female she was, in fact, a blue 

 tabby (one of Canon Girdlestone's breed) ; 

 also a male of the same variety. They had 

 evidently been the victims of tape-worm for a 

 considerable period, and finally succumbed 

 owing to the presence of these odious parasites 

 in overwhelming numbers. That same year 

 ' Kola ' a very pretty blue-and-white female 

 became mine. She was imported from Kola, 

 and after changing hands more than once 

 whilst at sea she was finally exchanged at the 

 London Docks for a leg of mutton ! A very 

 lovable little cat was 

 'Kola,' with very 

 round face and very 

 soft fur. She lived 

 until November, 1900, 

 and evidently died 

 from old age, becom- 

 ing feeble and tooth- 

 less, but quite able to 

 enjoy the soft food 

 that was specially pre- 

 pared for her. These 

 two old pets ' Dwina ' 

 and ' Kola ' were a 

 great loss, after twelve 

 and ten years' com- 

 panionship. ' Ling- 

 popo ' an extremely 

 beautiful blue was 

 imported from Arch- 

 angel, very sound in 

 colour, rather long in face and legs, sleek, sinu- 

 ous, and graceful, peculiarly lethargic in her 

 movements, and dainty in her deportment. I 

 bought her in 1893, when she was seven months 

 old. Unfortunately, a disease of the kidneys 

 carried her off when in the flower of her exist- 

 ence. ' Moscow ' (1893) was a very successful 

 blue Russian sire of many kittens ; he won 

 many first and special prizes ; he died in 1897, 

 during my absence from home. In 1895 Lady 

 Marcus Beresford presented me with a very 

 handsome kitten a male with a very thick 

 yet close coat, and very compact in shape. 

 ' Olga ' came to me in 1893 or 1894, and still 



LADY ALEXANDER OF BALLOCHMYI.E. 

 (Photo: Lafayette, Ltd.) 



lives ; she was imported, and has been a great 

 winner in her time, but is getting an old cat 

 now. She is the mother of my stud cat 

 ' Bayard,' who was born in 1898, and whose 

 sire was ' King Vladimir.' ' Fashoda ' was 

 born in 1896, and was imported ; she is a 

 large, strong cat, and a winner of many prizes. 

 ' Odessa ' is a daughter of ' Fashoda ' by 

 ' Blue Gown.' ' Yula ' came to me in 1901, 

 and was imported from Archangel. ' Sing 

 Sing ' (neuter) is the cat that as a kitten 

 had the peculiar black stripes down his spine 

 alluded to previously He was born on Easter 



Monday, 1899, a son 

 of 'Fashoda' and 

 ' Muchacho.' He has 

 two toes off one of 

 his hind feet the re- 

 sult of a heavy weight 

 falling upon his foot 

 when a kitten ; he 

 suffered greatly from 

 shock, and every day 

 foi three weeks he 

 paid visits to the 

 doctor, who dressed 

 his foot, having previ- 

 ously amputated the 

 toes. The little fellow 

 had a sad time, but 

 he does not miss his 

 toes now. 



" ' Muchacho,' the 

 stud cat that has sired 

 so many winning kittens, is a son of Mrs. 

 Herring's (late) ' Champion Roguey ' and my 

 (late) ' Lingpopo.' I sold him as a kitten, but 

 after two people had had him I again became 

 his owner, and now he will never leave me 

 until he is called to the ' happy hunting 

 grounds ' that I hope, and think, must be 

 prepared for all faithful creatures somewhere 

 ' beyond the veil.' " 



In America the classification given for these 

 cats at the Beresford Cat Club show is " Blue 

 or Maltese," but I have not heard of any ardent 

 fanciers of this breed over the water. More 

 will be written on the so-called Maltese cat by 



