|| CATS 15 



day. At this period, bright light is dangerous and may re- 

 sult in blindness. Unless the kittens are of a valuable breed, 

 or future homes have been arranged for them, all but one 



I or two should be destroyed at birth. When four or five 

 ■ weeks old, the kittens will begin to seek their share of their 

 mother's meals and soon will be quite independent. 



1 ^ Cats are sometimes troubled with fleas, but these are 

 ^f easily removed by sprinkling the fur thoroughly with pyre- 

 thrum or Persian insect powder, obtainable from any drug- 

 store. 



Breeds 



In spite of the great numbers of cats, very little has been 

 done in the way of developing breeds, as compared with 

 other domestic animals. The well-known promiscuity of 

 the creature, coupled with the time-honored custom of giv- 

 ing the pet its liberty at night, doubtless accounts for this 

 lack. It is only during the last half -century or so that 

 distinct breeds have appeared. 



The types of cats fall naturally into two chief groups : the 

 short-haired and the long-haired or Persian. The former, 

 of course, is simply the common cat, somewhat glorified by 

 selective breeding. The body is rather short, strong and 

 well filled out. The head is broad and round, with short, 

 deep muzzle. The legs are of medium length and well 

 muscled, while the tail must be tapering but not thin. The 

 coat is short,, so ft and glossy. 



The Persian or Angora Cat appears really to have origi- 

 nated in Persia, contrary to the usual rule of geographic 

 names among domestic animals. There is no reason to 

 suppose, however, that it originated in any other way than 

 as a mutation or " sport " from the common short-haired 

 variety, as in the Angora rabbit and Peruvian cavy. 



Persian cats average larger than short-haired ones, and 



