High-Bred Cats in America 



took a first prize, but two of them have since come 

 to an untimely end. Colonel Mann is a devoted 

 lover of animals, and has given a standing order that 

 none of his employees shall, if they see a starving 

 kitten on the street, leave it to suffer and die. Ac- 

 cordingly his office is a sort of refuge for unfortunate 

 cats, and one may always see a number of happy- 

 looking creatures there, who seem to appreciate the 

 kindness which surrounds them. The office is in a 

 fifth story overlooking Fifth Avenue : and the cats 

 used to crawl out on the wide window-ledge in sum- 

 mer-time and enjoy the air and the view of Madison 

 Square. But alas ! The Laird and Little Billee came 

 to their deaths by jumping from their high perch 

 after sparrows and falling to the pavement below. 

 Now there is a strong wire grating across the win- 

 dows, and Taffy, a monstrous, shiny black fellow, 

 is the leader in the "Town Topics Colony." 



Dr. H. L. Hammond, of Killingly, Ct., makes a 

 speciality of the rare Australian cats, and has taken 

 numerous prizes with them at every cat show in this 

 country, where they are universally admired. His 

 Columbia is valued at six hundred dollars, and his 

 Tricksey at five hundred dollars. They are, indeed, 

 beautiful creatures, though somewhat unique in the 

 cat world, as we see it. They are very sleek cats, 

 with fur so short, glossy, and fine that it looks like 

 the finest satin. Their heads are small and narrow, 

 with noses that seem pointed when compared with 



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