154 
Photograph by C. Reid, Wishaw, N.B. 
PERSIAN CAT. 
(Champion Blue Jacket.) 
out of their baskets and put into the 
‘show pen, with the result that they will 
be fait and ill. et a bird, therefore, 
have a good feed and a drink of water 
immediately before placing it in the hamper 
to go away. Indian corn and peas com- 
bined make the best meal for a pigeon 
before being sent away, as they will last 
longest. Similar remarks apply to pigeons 
returning from a show; very often—par- 
ticularly in the case of young birds—they 
fret at shows and do not get properly fed; 
consequently, on their return, they are often 
in a low weak state, especially if the show 
has lasted three or four days and has been 
held in a building not too well ventilated. 
Hard corn should never be given to birds 
when they come back; it may cause them 
to become ‘“‘crop-bound.”” They should have 
soaked corn for their first meal or two— 
which they will generally eat with avidity— 
and not too much of that. Yet again, no 
bird returning from & show should be allowed 
to mix with the other birds until it has 
been quarantined for a few days, as there 
is always a great risk of diseases being 
brought from shows that will be liable to 
be communicated to the other birds in the 
loft. 
Animal Life 
Cams need to have as 
much variety 
in their food 
as possible, 
and as a rule the single 
cat in a household gets 
a good variety—so, too, 
do cats kept on farms 
where they can poach. 
But for those kept im 
catteries a varied course 
of diet must always be 
provided= il ojttiem 
recommend people whose 
cats are not thriving to 
give them coarse, whole- 
meal, brown bread 
soaked in gravy or milk. 
This seems to have an 
excellent effect on the 
system. ish, too, is 
very good for cats by 
way of variety. It is a mistake to give 
cats much starchy food such as potatoes 
and white bread; they need vegetable food, 
of course, and any one who has noticed 
cats (and dogs too for that matter) which 
have been: let: out into a field after being 
shut up will have observed how fond they 
are of eating a little grass. It is a very 
bad plan to feed cats on “lights.” The lungs 
of animals are very often the seat of tuber- 
cular disease even though it may not be 
apparent, and cats are Hable to be affected as 
a result of eating this kind of meat. On the 
other hand raw lean meat is undoubtedly 
the cat’s most natural food, but it is better 
that what is provided should be wholesome 
butcher’s meat. 
The best way to get an animal’s coat into 
condition is to groom it regularly—that will 
do far more good than anything in the way 
of medicine, although the latter, of course, is 
desirable at times. The cat is a very cleanly 
animal and can usually be depended upon to 
keep its coat tidy; but where long-haired cats 
are concerned they must be groomed with a 
comb and soft brush at least twice a day. 
A cat with eczema or other skin trouble will 
always derive benefit from the use of a brush; 
friction of this kind has an excellent effect 
The 
Cattery. 
