Care of Cats 41 
on the other food. As sulfur is practically tasteless, 
they will not object to its use in this manuer. 
“A common cause of sickness, especially in long- 
haired cats, is clogging of the stomach and intestines 
with hair in the shedding season. The cat should 
be brushed daily with a soft bristle brush, removing 
by this gentle process as much of the hair as possi- 
ble. This will not prevent the cat from licking itself 
and swallowing hair; but it will prevent it, to a cer- 
tain extent, from becoming dangerously injured by 
it. During the ‘molting season,’ give daily with her 
food a dessert-spoonful of fresh olive oil; if she ob- 
jects to this, mix it with a little juice from a can of 
salmon. The oil will assist her in disposing of the 
hair in a natural manner. If the cat throws up casts 
of hair, congratulate her, as it is one of nature’s ways 
of affording relief. 
“Cats should be kept free from matted clots of hair, 
for vermin deposit their eggs in these. A comb will 
disentangle them if used in time, but if they do not 
easily yield, work them full of vaseline, and leave 
over night; this loosens them so that a comb should 
remove them; but if they still resist, remove them with 
scissors, taking care not to hurt the skin. This matted 
hair is usually dead hair and should come out. 
“Washing cats is not a good practice. In case of 
sickness, for sanitary purposes, dry boracic acid, dusted 
into the hair and brushed out, will accomplish the re- 
sult desired with less annoyance to the animal. If 
the eat needs cleaning, fill the fur with damp warm 
bran and brush it. 
