70 , DISEASES OF CATS 



obstinate refusal of food, inanition and maras- 

 mus. That these deaths are attributable to 

 nostalgia and to no other cause can be proved 

 by comparing the percentages of mortality fol- 

 lowing operative procedures carried oiit at the 

 home of the patient with those carried out 

 among strangers and amid strange surround- 

 ings, as in a veterinary hospital. Also by com- 

 paring the resxolts of operations performed at 

 the hospital (where they should be) tvithin 

 twenty-four hours of admission with the results 

 of operations when the animal has been allowed 

 to become accustomed to its surroundings by 

 residence in the hospital f pr at least a week pre- 

 vious to operation. The results of such an in- 

 vestigation and comparison will not only sur- 

 prise the practitioner but will convince him that 

 nostalgia plays an important part in the 

 therapy of feline patients. 



The cat is often considered by people that 

 have not carefully studied the animal, to be of 

 filthy and unclean habits, and while this' may 

 be true of untrained and neglected individdkls, 

 it is very far from the truth as regards the 

 average cat. The normal healthy cat is most 

 particular as to its toilette, and any neglect of 

 the details of personal cleanliness is a sign that 

 there is some deviation from the normal — a^ 

 symptom that may indicate illness. 



The fact should also be borne in mind, cats 



