THE CAT AND ITS DISEASES. 363 
CATS WITH KITTENS. 
If you havea valuable and favorite cat pregnant, do not allow her 
to be pushed about, struck or kicked, or she may miscarry, or suffer during 
her confinement. Sometimes the kittens are still-born from such ill-treat- 
ment. See that the cat is well and regularly fed and properly housed. 
3 When she has kittens, never be so hard-hearted as to destroy all her 
family at once. There is no other animal that exhibits more affection for 
its progeny. It will go hungry that its young may eat, and will face the 
most terrible danger in their behalf. If her children are taken from her, 
the mother will go about for many days in the most distracted and melancholy 
manner, filling the house with her piteous mewings. Therefore, be merci- 
fui and humane. Always leave her at least one baby until it has reached. 
an age when it can find other food than its mother’s milk. If a cat is de- 
prived of all her young, she may suffer from painful enlargement or inflam- 
mation of the breasts, which sometimes suppurate. I have known many 
cases in which this retention of milk acted as it does sometimes in women. 
when delirium and child-bed fever set in; and a cat may be dangerous at. 
such times. 
A cat’s litter 1aay all be born dead, or may be eaten by some old. 
tom-cat, or any other animal. If no kittens can be procured to nurse the 
mother, a little caraphorated oil or phytolacca cerate should be rubbed on 
the breasts; if sne has fever, give aconite and belladonna (pellets) alter- 
nately an hour apart. Sponging the teats with warm water will sometimes. 
cause the milk to flow and relieve the swelling and pain. 
Tf. the mother dies and you wish to raise the kittens by hand, give 
them a little new milk sweetened with brown sugar. As a substitute for 
the mother’s licking, rub them with a sponge, squeezed out nearly dry after 
being dipped in warm water that is a little soapy. 
BRIEF MENTION OF VARIOUS AFFECTIONS. 
Boiis.—Several of my cats have had an eruption like boils, probably 
from over-feeding. They need but little treatment, and measures for pro- 
moting the general health will be sufficient. 
Pox.—lIn the spring and autumn cats are frequently afflicted with a 
disease resembling chicken-pox in the human subject. The head and throat 
are the parts usually attacked, the hair falls off, and the animal’s appearance 
is very miserable. Give hepar sulphur, third trituration, a few grains on the 
tongv-'every three hours, and apply the boracic-acid ointment mentioned. 
under Mange. 
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