November, 19 13 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



381 



would mean something. Grand Mogul 96 m^^—^*~mm^^^^mmmm graduations of the blues, chinchillas and 



would convey a definite guarantee of qual- smokes, are less well known but exceedingly 



ity far superior to that of best cat in a '^^*^k beautiful animals and when bred to purity 



show where there may not have been a 96 )*^Ji» - of color, correct eye color and marking — 



or even a 90. ^ma^k W^ l or freedom from marking as the case may 



Given this standard of judging, the ama- & be, they are things to strive for to win. 



teur cat fancier would have something defi- JB^ There is no question, however, about 



nite to go by in making an initial purchase for W.' the supreme beauty of a fine specimen of 



founding a cattery and a definite standard -^H W the blue-eyed white Persian. Anyone who 



— quite comprehensible — towards which to m K recalls a glimpse of a bit of blue sky 



breed. As it now is the best one can do through the blossom laden branches of a 



is, having selected the color one wishes to cherry tree in May time, can form some 



specialize on, to buy as good a queen of "■""■■■■■■■■■■■■■■^■■■■■■* id ea f the peculiar beauty of the large blue 



that color as one can afford, always select- Contentment e y es f ^is class of cats. There is some- 

 ing one whose ancestors for at least five generations have thing peculiarly child-like and innocent, not seen in eyes 



been of the color without a break. of any other color. It is a pity that blue-eyed cats are so 



And really, the fine breeding and pedigree is of more im- very often deaf. However, their peculiar sensitiveness to 



portance than the individual cat, for cats, 

 like all animals revert, in marked degree, 

 to their ancestors, and an inferior indi- 

 vidual of unexceptional pedigree may pro- 

 duce some notable kits. Another point to 

 be understood is that the descent is of more 

 importance than the show record. 



Another thing to avoid in starting a cat- 

 tery is, in the writer's opinion, the Angora. 

 The writer's advice would be to buy a straight 

 Persian, if a long-haired cat is wanted or a 

 good short haired, for I can assure you that 

 the short haired is at last coming into his own ; 

 but not the Angora. As to color, that is 

 really a matter of individual preference, 

 and there is really no "latest style" in color, 

 but it pays to select one color and stick to 

 it, acquiring as fine specimens as possible 

 and establishing a reputation for that 

 color. It also pays to adopt a cattery 

 name and use it as a prefix or suffix to the 



vibrations in a measure atones for this de- 

 fect and one owner of a perfectly deaf cat 

 told me that she called it by tapping on 

 the floor — the jar reaching its inner con- 

 sciousness just as the sound of her voice 

 reached the perfect hearing of the other 

 cats. 



A perfectly colored black is, perhaps, 

 one of the rarest and most handsome of 

 cats; cats of this color so often showing a 

 reddish or brownish tinge and more or less 

 gray under color. A solid black, clear to 

 the skin, with no white hairs, other points 

 being satisfactory, counts up into big 

 money very fast and one should not expect 

 to get a really good bred kitten of this 

 type for less than fifty dollars, while ex- 

 cellent oranges, browns and blues and 

 whites may be had for from twenty-five up. 



Where one merely wishes a fine cat as a 

 pet, preference should, the writer thinks, 



Persian Kitten 



names of your best cats, and then having it registered, always be given to the females as there is no comparison 



Most everyone has some definite idea of the standard between them and males as household companions. They 



colors — white, black, orange and blue, but the various are quite certain to be more disciplinable in their habits, 



There is no question about the supreme beauty of a fine specimen of the blue-eyed white Persian cat 



