Your Dog and Your Cat 



The cat should not be allowed to go more than 

 forty-eight hours without a movement of the 

 bowels, nor twenty-four hours without a passage 

 of urine. In male cats, straining attempts at urina- 

 tion without results are sufficient indication of 

 trouble to require immediate attention. 



Coat. — ^The coat of the cat should receive daily 

 combing and brushing. This is of especial impor- 

 tance in those of the long-haired variety, since their 

 hair so readily snarls and mats. Should this 

 happen, the mat must be removed, either by teas- 

 ing it away bit by bit from the underlying hair, 

 or by clipping it off. Bathing is rarely, if ever 

 necessary and since cats so strongly object to water 

 it is best avoided. Should it be attempted the cat 

 must be thoroughly dried afterward to prevent its 

 catching cold. 



Teeth, NaUs, Etc.— The teeth of the cat do not 

 cause much trouble. They seldom become covered 

 with tartar and so do not quickly decay. Cats 

 rarely suffer from discharging eyes nor are they 

 frequently subject to injury. The ears of the cat 

 are often affected with canker and so it is necessary 

 to clean them occasionally with a dry cotton swab. 

 The cat's nails are exceedingly sharp and it is some- 

 times advisable to cut away or file the very sharp 

 points. This operation, however, deprives the ani- 

 mal of a very effective weapon. Shedding of the 

 nails is promoted by scratching on the carpets, chair 

 legs, doorposts, etc. Occasionally the cat is sup- 



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