Nearly all the domesticated animals have been brought before the public and been placed on exhibition at different times until these exhibitions have come to be a part of the social life in the great cities where they take place each year. The dog show and the horse show are the most prominent of these. It was not, however, until recently that the cat has come into any prominence, although it is one of the oldest of household pets, and its history is traced back to the Egyptians. About 15 years ago tabby was brought into the art world, and then it was through the work of Mr. Louis Wain, who has by his excellent drawings won fame and also brought the cat into prominence. Mr. Wain is not only a painter of cats, but he is also an expert on these animals and, for several years, was president of an English Cat club, a position which is now held by the Duchess of Bedford.

Mr. Wain is an English artist of note. His home is at Westgate-on-Sea. He is connected with the staff of several of the larger English illustrated papers and magazines, in which many of his sketches of cats have been published. At his home he has many feline pets of rare species

DICKENS A LOVER OF CATS
The Inter Ocean, January 1st, 1899

Great Novelist Was a Slave to His Little Feline Pets. At the last cat show there was an Englishman who chanced to know many unrecorded tales of Dickens, and during a lull in the “meows” he casually inquired: “Did you know, by the way, that Charles Dickens was devoted to cats? He was indeed a lover of all animals, and frequently became the slave of his pets. Williamina, a little white cat, was a great favorite with the entire household, but regarded the great author as her especial friend. She selected a corner of his study for her individual property, and one day committed the indiscretion of bringing in her little family of kittens from the kitchen, one by one. Dickens had them taken away, but Williamina brought them quietly back. Again they were removed, but the third time of their return the little mother did not leave them in the corner. Instead she placed them at her master's feet, and taking her stand beside them, looked imploringly up at him. That settled the question.

Thereafter the kittens belonged to the study, and made themselves royally home, swarming up the curtains, playing about the writing table, and scampering behind the bookshelves, until they were one by one given away; all but a poor little deaf one, which from her demotion to Dickens became known as ‘the master’s cat.’ This little creature followed him about like a dog, and sat beside him while he wrote. One evening Dickens was reading by a small table upon which stood a lighted candle. As usual, the cat was at his elbow. Suddenly the light went out. Dickens was deeply interested in his book, and he proceeded to relight the candle, stroking the cat while he did so. Afterward he remembered that puss had lcoked at him somewhat reproachfully while she received the caress. It was only when the light again became dim that the reason of her melancholy suddenly dawned upon him. Turning quickly, he found her deliberately putting out the candle with her paw, and again she looked at him appealingly. She was lonesome; she wanted to be petted, and this was her device for gaining her end.”

AHA! OHO! THE GREAT CAT SHOW! SWELL TABBIES ARE GOING TO TOWN.
Wilkes Barre Times Leader, Jan 6, 1899

New York, Jan 6 [Special] - It's hardly certain yet whether or not the cat show to begin on the 9th will be a society function or not, but if New York society follows that of London, where cat shows have long been an annual fixture, the coming exhibition will be patronised by all that is swellest in this town.

Judging by the past, too, that is exactly what will take place. New York Is a good deal behind a number of American cities as well as London in the matter of cat shows, Boston in particular having held a number of feline expositions. But in 1895, when New York held its first, last and only cat show to date [it actually held shows before and after 1895], the newspapers recorded the fact that the Astors, the Iselins, the Seward Webbs, the Frederic Bronsons, the Thomaa Hitchcock, Jr.'s, the Duers, the Newbold Morrises and a whole lot more of the most ultra blue blooded in the town were much interested, while such intellectual and business lights as Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Mrs. Edmund Clarence Stedman, wife of the banker poet; Dariua Ogden Mills, owner of the Mills hotel and father-in-law of Whitelaw Reid; J. Pierpont Morgan, the great reorganizer; Herman Oelrichs, steamship man and champion swimmer, and many others were numbered among the exhibitors and judges.

To most of us a cat is a cat, and that's the end of it, but the true cat fancier divides all feline creation with two general classes, based on the length of the hair, with six subdivisions, based on distinctions of sex, and 42 further subdivisions that only a cat fancier would understand.

The coming exhibition differs materially from that of 1895 in one particular. It was held in the Madison Square Garden, the home of the horse show, the dog show, the six day race, the flower show and the circus. This year's cat exhibition will be held in the Grand Central Palace, the much less imposing, less expensive building in which the recent snake show proved to be so much of a success. Possibly the show of 1895 was not very profitable, and it may be that this is the reason the Grand Central palace was selected. To the outsider It would seem not to be a very good place to hold an exhibition of any sort, providing the Garden could be had, for of all places of entertainment here, next to the Metropolitan Opera House, the Garden is most popular with society.

At the close of the last cat show the formation of a cat club similar to the cat club of London, an Institution of real standing In the British capital, with Mrs. Fabius M. Clarke, Miss Milhan, Mrs. Bannister, Mrs. Hurlbut, Mr. E. N. Barker, Dr. Rush S. Huidekoper (whose name has been rather familiar to the reading public since the close of the Spanish war), Mr. W. P. Buchanan, Mr. H. Chapman, Dr. Hammond and J. T. Hyde for leading spirits, was proposed. The writer did not follow this project up at the time, but there is no reason to suppose that the club failed in formation or that it has not proved a success.

Here is a paragraph about the prize winning points of a cat as understood by Dr. Hush Huidekoper, who was one of the judges in 1895 and may be this year: “The head should show breadth between the eyes and be strong boned. The eyes should be round and open. The nose should be short and tapering. The feet should be sharp and the claws flat. The foot should be small and round. The chest should be deep, but the frame should be light. The neck should be slim and graceful, but firm; the ears, medium in size, with rounded points, the croup should be square and high and the tail long and tapering.”

These qualifications hold good in all classes except the Manx. Manx cats have no tails at all. A good many cats were sold at the last show, but except in a few cases the prices were not specially impressive, $25 being among the higher figures recorded. Plenty of high priced cats were shown, however, one in particular being valued at $1,000.

It is expected by the promotors of the coming show that the number of cats on exhibition will be considerably larger than the number shown at the first one. Three hundred in all were then exhibited, and this seems small compared with the 1,000 and more usually shown at the London exhibitions, yet only 100 were on view at the first London show held rather more than 30 years ago.

Possibly the most famous cats In New York are those which keep the post office free from rats and mice, but they are not of the prize winning variety — they are plain business cats procured and maintained by Uncle Sam’s agents because without them the letters and papers In the office would be in real danger of damage from the rats and mice with which every building in this town not furnished with an efficient feline police is sure to swarm. It may seem like a strange item for government disbursement of money, but it is true that a certain sum is spent every week for these cats, of which there are generally from 15 to 20. The furnishing of the post office cat meat is a matter of regular contract which has been in the hands of the same dealer for years. About ten pounds a day or not far from two- thirds of a pound apiece is provided and the quality is good. Care is taken not to feed the cats too freely, however, for then they are remiss in their hunting.

Mrs. Russell Sage is one of the most devoted cat lovers in New York, and her two feline pets, which rejoice in alarmingly classic names, are famous in the wide circle of her acquaintance. She provides luxurious sleeping baskets for them and declares that they are so attached to her that they run out of the house and into the street to meet her whenever she returns from an outing

Several rather amusing incidents cane to the front while the cat show of 1895 was in progress. One cat, which was admired by every one who saw it, which was valued ostensibly by Its exhibitors at $500 and which came near gaining one of the big prizes, was discovered barely in time to be nothing but a stray street cat after all that had been exhibited just for the fun of fooling the catologists. It was justly cast out. That was bad enough, but worse was to come, for after the final award of prizes such a row was made by exhibitors that the judges were fain to take to the woods. – Dexter Marshal

MRS FOOT’S CHRISTMAS TREE (short story)
The Sun (NY), January 8 1899

Social Trouble Caused in a Suburban Town

When the Foots bought a comer lot on the broad avenue recently laid out and erected a house that cost twice as much as the minimum limit mentioned in the restrictions, an unprejudiced person might have assumed that their neighbors would look upon them as a valuable addition to the town’s society. In this case the unprejudiced person would have been right. Mr. and Mrs. Foot were young, they had discriminating taste in delft, old china and colonial mahogany, and they golfed just well enough not to excite the envy of the experts in the Surf View Golf Club. Since Christmas Eve, however, the Foots have discovered that they have made a social mistake and the effects of it are far-reaching.

It happened that nearly every woman in Mrs. Foot's circle of acquaintances owned a cat which she thought knew more than any other cat. Thus Mrs. Van Tassel had a cat named Reginald that would obey orders in German, French, Irish, Danish and Swedish, the effect partly of the linguistic accomplishments of Mrs. Van Tassel’s cook, waitress, nurse, and coachman, and partly of the cat's intelligence. Mrs. Brown had a cat named Evangeline that would jump on the table and drink cream from a jug in a very ladylike manner, and Mrs. Jones’s cat had a cultivated taste for canaries that inspired it to ingenious methods of obtaining them. Two weeks after the Foots moved into their new house a friend presented to them a thorough-bred Maltese cat with fur much finer than that of any other cat in town, and with a list of exclusive accomplishments so long that Mrs. Foot could not recite them all in an hour. To suit this cat’s talents it was named Ryal.

The discovery was made on Christmas Eve by a neighbor who looked out of her window to see if it was snowing that the Foots had illuminated a small Christmas tree in their library, which was on the second floor. The shades were up and the tree with its small candles could be seen by any one who chose to walk past the house. It was known that there were no children in the Foot household, so the Christmas tree excited comment.

Mrs. Jones met Mrs. Brown in front of the house and said: “Why are the Foots having a Christmas tree? They have no small nieces or nephews.”

“I don't understand it,” said Mrs. Brown, "but if you will wait until I can run home and get a golf club which I borrowed from Mrs. Foot I will return it and you come with me.”

“Mrs Jones and I,” said Mrs. Brown, as they walked into the Foots’ hall, “wanted to wish, you a merry Christmas and I thought I would return your golf stick because you might want to play to-morrow.”

“Thank you so much, said Mrs. Foot, and just then the bell rang and a moment later in came Mrs. Van Tassel to extend her greetings. The conversation was general and uninteresting for several minutes until Mrs. Jones, who is very direct, said, “By the way, Mrs Foot, as I came in I noticed a Christmas tree in your library. How beautifully you have it illuminated.”

“Yes, I have one,” said Mrs. Foot, and then , changing the subject, she said: “Are you going to the links to-morrow. Mrs. Brown?”

“Possibly I may,” said Mrs. Brown. “By the way Mrs. Foot, won't you let us see your Christmas tree? It did look so pretty from the street.”

Mrs. Foot said that she would be delighted, but she did look half so pleased as did her visitors, who now numbered half a dozen. As Mrs. Foot led them upstairs they debated in whispers the purpose for this tree. The library door was thrown open and in they walked. A quick glance explained the situation. The Christmas tree was low and it was decorated in the most approved fashion. The presents which dangled from its branch were red herrings, smelts and small bags of catnip, and sitting on its hindquarters picking them off was Mrs. Foot s Maltese cat, Royal. Mrs. Foot tried hard to look as if she had not given her acquaintances a surprise, and as they left she wished them the greetings of the season.

“There were enough fish on that tree to make all the cats in the neighborhood happy,” said Mrs. Van Tassel significantly as she left.

“My Evangeline has not had any catnip for two months,” said Mrs. Brown, and the others each said something. An unusual number of calls were exchanged the day after Christmas by Mrs. Foot’s acquaintances, and the result of them was the agreement that while Royal was a fine cat it had no right to be exclusive.

"If you called Mrs. Foot’s cat in German would it come?” asked Mrs. Van Tassel.

“Certainly not,” said Mrs. Brown, nor could he drink cream out of a jug like my Evangeline without soiling his whiskers,” and it was not long before Royal's accomplishments were cut down to picking red herrings off a Christmas tree selfishly and alone. Mrs. Foot’s Christmas tree was thoroughly dismissed until every owner of a cat thought that she had been grievously insulted because her cat has not been invited. A cat party to which royal as not invited was given several nights ago. When Mrs. Foot has called on acquaintances who have cats the cats have been ostentatiously removed from the room. The factions which were the result of the blowing club a year ago have come together and they propose to hold a cat show at which no Maltese cat need apply. Mr. Brown and Mr. Van Tassel and Mr. Jones, who always invited Mr. Foot to join in a game of whist on the train in, now nod to him coldly and curl themselves down in their seats to read their newspapers. It has even been said that the Surf View Golf Club might be forced to put itself on record officially, either for or against Mrs. Foot’s Royal, because the cat is to be held in the clubhouse.

A DUMB THING'S DOCTOR’S BILL.
The Westminster Budget, January 20th, 1899

The Marylebone County-court Judge had before him the other day some claims made by a veterinary surgeon for medical attendance upon pets belonging to various people. Amongst the cases was one where a cat had had influenza, and the bill was £5, including two bottles of whisky, twenty-one pints of beef-tea, and a post-mortem. The Judge had a good time. First he declared the charge in this instance to be exorbitant and part of it an imposition. Then when the veterinary plaintiff lost his temper and said unpleasant things, the Judge ordered him into custody. He afterwards accepted an apology, and found for the plaintiff, but he made some caustic remarks about valueless animals receiving more attention than human beings. Criticism of this sort is very common, but it is not always logical. It does not follow that because people lavish attention upon a suffering animal dependent upon them they therefore do any injustice to suffering human beings. On the contrary, they are generally the sort of people who wish to relieve distress whenever it comes under their notice. It is quite true that some of us look after our cats and dogs better than some other people look after their children, but it does not follow that we should therefore give up our animals and substitute for them the other people’s neglected babies. And-when our pets are ill, why shouldn’t we try to cure them ?

CAT BOOK
The Morning Times, January 22, 1899

Mrs. Leland Norton and Jennie Van Allen, prime movers in the Cat Show held recently in Chicago, have published a book entitles “Practical Pussyology; or, Just a Little About Cats.” If the book at all resembles its title, even the most hardened book reviewer will be tempted to run. –

SOCIETY AND CATS
As Seen by Sarah Davidson.
The Decatur Herald, January 22, 1899

Chicago doesn’t go in for slumming. In fact Chicago doesn’t follow Gotham's fads and fancies in much of anything. [. . .] With all of-her unconventional ways Chicago has some fads. Since the cat show here cats have become the fad. The same society which goes to the charity reception went to the cat show, and the same society is now infatuated with the cat fad. In every well-appointed home there must now be a cat and those unable to afford the luxury of one with a pedigree must be content with one without, but it must have a cat of some kind. For a while the girl with a cat carried her pet in a little bag when she went traveling in carriage or streetcar, went to the store, the theater or the restaurant, but the bags have about all been discarded now, and when pussy travels about the shops is under the arm of her mistress; and in the car, the theater or the restaurant she lies in her lap or perches herself upon her shoulder.

On one of the suburban trains the other day I saw a young lady and a cat. The young lady’s gown betokened wealth, but the cat did not, for it was a very ordinary little white and yellow kitten. Before I reached my destination I heard the young lady tell her friend the history of her pet, and I solved the riddle of the difference between the cat and gown.

The young lady had had a friend in the volunteer service during the war with Spain, a captain and regimental quartermaster, and the cat had been with him and his regiment throughout the war. She had been a regimental mascot, picked up at the camp in Chickamauga and transported from place to place as a part of the captain’s baggage. She had traveled to Cuba am back again, had witnessed the fall of Santiago, had rubbed her glossy side against the uniforms of generals of both armies. In fact, she was a veteran and a hero. This history was worth far more than a pedigree, and, as her mistress declared, “she would not par with her pet and its history for the longest pedigreed Angora in the country.”

And I did not in the least blame her for thus prizing her pet’s history above a pedigree, for was it not the military mascot that started the cat fad, and she had the genuine article.

ORGANIZED WAR ON CATS
The North Adams Transcript, January 24, 1899

A secret Anticat league flourishes in the most fashionable quarter of the city. The aristocratic Angora and the patrician Persian cat out in the back yard singing to the moon die suddenly. Their bodies, still and voiceless, are found in the yard next day, and not until then is it known that the official Borgia of the Anti cat society has passed that way. The active welfare on the felines of the smart set was only begun recently, but the havoc wrought has struck terror into the hearts of the oat show exhibitors. – Joseph Russell.

CAT ESCAPES FROM JAIL
The Inter Ocean, January 27, 1899

Detective Woolridge’s cat has escaped from her comfortable cell at the Harrison street station. The cat was arrested at the time when the detective was tracing up clews in the Rose Gagne case. The tabby was promenading in the gutter at the corner of Clark and Polk streets when Woolridge passed. A man who» he had never seen before approached, and, pointing to the cat, whispered that it was valued at $500, that It had been rescued from Admiral Cervera’s ship, exhibited at the cat show, where It had taken a medal, and bought by a Michigan avenue millionaire, from whom It bad just been stolen. The detective succeeded in catching the animal, which darted under street cars, and finally climbed a telegraph pole, after it had led a chase through alleys and among ash barrels.

When the cat was taken to the police station in a patrol wagon Inspector Hartnett said: “That’s no Angora, or Maltese, or tortoiseshell pussy. She’s never seen a Spanish ship or a cat club judge.”

The cat was, however, put in a comfortable cell and her captor bestowed upon her the name of Rose Gagne. Rose appeared perfectly contented, and her past remained as much a mystery as if it had belonged to the real Mrs. Gagne. Detective Woolridge had expected the Michigan avenue millionaire to claim her and it was a severe disappointment to discover that she bad disappeared.

KIPLING'S RECENT STORY - RIDGELY NICHOLAS in REVIEW OF BOOKS AND ART.
The New York Times, February 18, 1899,

After reading Mr. A.O. Halsey's criticism of Mr. Kipling's story, "An Unsavory Interlude," I feel called upon to ask that gentleman if he has not an aversion to cats in general, and in particular to the dead of that tribe. He says, or hints, that Mr. Kipling offends "good taste" in making a dead cat the means by which " Stalky" and his two friends revenge themselves on " King's House." Would Mr. Halsey be kind enough to define the phrase “good taste?" Does he use It in reference to the tongue? Probably not. He surely does not think that Mr. Kipling wishes us to eat deceased cats. Mr. Halsey should be more explicit. Again, he says that no boy would carry a dead cat "in the bosom of his sweater." Are dead cats worse than birds in the same condition? I have often seen boys with the latter in their pockets. Besides, “Stalky and Co" were forced to do this, as it seemed to them to be the only way in which they could cleanse themselves from the epithet of “Stinkers” given them by the boys of King’s House. - RIDGELY NICHOLAS, New York, N. Y., Feb. 11, 1899.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT, THE GOOSE MARKET CAT
The New York Times, March 26, 1899

It is appropriate to write requiescat in pace to Teddy Roosevelt, the Goose Market cat, who was last week introduced by “A Produce Man" into print, where, as a rule, only ladylike, well-bred cats, who go to cat shows and sleep on silk cushions and are cared for by loving mistresses appear. Now the Goose Market cat is going into print again for the last time. “Teddy,” wrote the produce man on Wednesday, “passed away into cat heaven last night at the point of my revolver. “Poor Teddy's tragic end was a natural sequel to his more tragic life. He had reached what might perhaps be the ambition of a poor, neglected cat - getting his name in the paper - just as if he was a pedigreed, aristocratic darling whose life was a long, blissful dream. Then came the poison - perhaps Teddy took it purposely himself - and then in his last agony he was put to rest by the only friend be had ever known. Surely if Teddy had gone to a cat show he must have taken first prize as a marked type of a large and unhappy class of metropolitan residents. The owners of ladylike, well-bred cats would not allow them to associate with Teddy or his companions; it would not have been well. But Teddy undoubtedly came into the world a soft little mite of fur as attractive as a small kitten usually Is. No one knows what he might have been if his environments had been different, and, thinking of those susceptible days of kittenhood, spent in what his one friend says is one of the most callous districts in the city, even the lovers of only well-bred cats may well give a thought and say requiescat in pace over the battle-scarred remains of poor Teddy Roosevelt.

DEATH OF CERVERA THE CAT.
Detroit Free Press, March 26, 1899

Cervera is dead. Not the Spanish admiral, but the cat – one of the cats –from the Cristobal Colon. And with him goes the chief pride and glory of the cat show. How many cats were rescued from the wrecked Colon is not known. But if this cat had been all the cats that were said to have been saved and each cat had nine lives; then the lives that were lost when this cat died yesterday would foot up into the hundreds. The record, however, of. Tomas Cervera is well authenticated.

Cervera had a life of wild adventure, even wilder and more adventurous than usually befalls a cat. Its history for the purposes of exhibition begins when Admiral Cervera ran the Colon ashore out of Santiago harbor. The tug Right Arm, of the Merritt-Chapman Wrecking Company, visited the Colon twenty-six days after the battle, for the purpose of raising the Spanish cruiser. The only living thing aboard was a black and white cat. For nearly a month it had been the crew and commander of the defeated flagship. The crew of the Right Arm took possession of this cat, adopted it as a mascot, and named it Tomas Cervera.

But Cervera brought ill luck. When Lieut. Hobson raised the Maria Teresa the rescued cat was placed aboard to be brought to America. The Maria Teresa never reached these shores, and when the vessel grounded off the Bahamas, the cat fell into the hands of the natives. He was rescued the second time, and at last reached America, a passenger on the United States repair, ship Vulcan. Tomas Cervera was jointly owned by Asst. Surg. Thomas, U.S.N., of No. 68 West Fifty-second street, and Ensign G.I. Holzlnger, of the Vulcan. Ensign Holzinger’s home is In Rosedale. Wyandotte county. Kansas, and the cat was to have been shipped there at the end, of the cat show 'Saturday.

But when the Cristobal Colon sank Tomas Cervera, the cat, lost interest in life. Ever since his capture and rescue he has been a melancholy cat, and when other cats went serenading, Cervera remained at home and brooded. He spent long hours gazing pensively at the steam heater in Dr. Thomas' home and refused to be comforted. After the signing of the peace treaty the change became more marked. It was evident that he suffered from a broken heart. At the cat show the cat was a lion, but not even the great attention he attracted moved him from his melancholy.

Dr. Thomas saw his pet yesterday morning. There was then no change. But in the afternoon the cat gave a convulsive gasp or two and clawed wildly at the air. Heroic measures were resorted to. Albert Stadler, the animal trainer, dosed the cat with salt. He shoved a handful of it down Cervera’s throat. Dr. Thomas was called in, but it was all in vain. Cervera stiffened his legs, dug his claws deep into his cage and so died. There were hints of poison - Cuban treachery - but those who knew him most intimately are satisfied that Cervera died of a broken heart.

In the death of Tomas Cervera the cat show loses one of its chief attractions, which is evidence that this is not a press agent's story. And In proof that Cervera was the original cat rescued from the Colon, his owners will have the body stuffed to be preserved as a matter of historical interest.—Minneapolis Tribune

A PROFESSIONAL CAT-WASHER
Miss Virginia Smith's Pleasant and Profitable Business.
Various, March 1899

She is a young girl, not yet 18, and gave the following account of herself: “You won’t have any trouble about spelling my name; it’s Smith - Virginia Smith. I have always been especially fond of cats, and had a lot of ’em as pets since I was a baby. My mother died ten years ago, and my father died last year. I being the oldest, there are two younger than me, and there being no money to fall back on, I knew I had to earn a living or starve. I started out to hunt work in an office. I tramped for a week without getting so much as a promise, so you may guess how discouraged I was when Sunday came. But as there was nothing else to do I took my two younger sisters - one is 10 and the other 12 years old, for a walk in the park.

“During our walk we saw a cat being taken for an airing in a doll carriage by a stylishly dressed maid. It was a fine Angora, but about the dirtiest white cat I ever saw. It hadn’t been very well it seems, and not being allowed out of doors to roll on the grass had no means of keeping itself clean. I knew at once what was the matter and I said to the girl: ‘Why don’t you wash that cat? It would get well very much quicker and be a different looking animal.’

“She said the cat fought so that no one dared tub it. Well I had a little chat with the girl while I was petting pussy, and learned the name and address of her mistress. The next morning bright and early I rang that door bell and sent up my card to the mistress. When she came down I explained my circumstances and asked permission to wash the cat. She was astonished, but she granted my request and paid me well for it.

“That was the beginning; now I have as many engagements as I can attend to. I go to the homes of my ‘clients,’ I call them, and give them a bath and rubbing down once every two weeks. That is often enough for a healthy cat. I know it is generally believed that cats keep themselves clean but it is like a great many other things generally believed, it is a mistake, for there is the greatest difference in the world between the fur of a cat allowed to care for its own coat, and one receiving the proper attention. It is longer, finer, more glossy, and ten times more soft.

“I always use three waters, in a vessel plenty large enough to immerse the cat, all three baths comfortably warm. In the first water I put a few drops of ammonia, then taking the cat in my lap on my rubber apron thoroughly soap her all over with any good soap. Then I put her in the water and give her bath number one. From this I give her rinsings in two clear baths, the water of both about the same temperature as the first. If she is strong I rub her dry, pet her a little and turn her loose. But if she is delicate or quite young I not only rub her dry, but give her a saucer of warm milk, and then I pet her in her basket and cover her up for a nap. Of course since taking this up as a means of earning my own and my sisters’ living I have informed myself thoroughly on the subject; that is, I have learned all about cats, their habits and their ailments, so whenever I have a sick cat or a puny cat they don’t have to go to a doctor.

“Perhaps you will be interested to I know that at the recent cat show, every New York cat, with one exception, that received a prize or honorable mention was a ‘client’ of mine.” - Lafayette M’Laws.

A CAT STORY
Various, April/May, 1899

Permit me to tell a cat story. A family cat became the proud mother of a large litter, and in a thoughtless moment the whole litter was ordered destroyed. The old cat’s condition soon becoming uncomfortable by the pressure of the milk, she secured relief by cornering a half-grown cat, surviving member of a former litter, and making him take the place a duties of the late family. The substitute did not do his work willingly and was frequently cuffed into a proper sense of his maternal obligations. Did the old cat show reasoning power or only instinct? – Forest and Stream

CRAZE FOR DOGS AND CATS
Logansport Reporter, April 10, 1899.

It seems that every other man you meet in Chicago these days wants to tell you of the intelligence of his pet canine and were he to choose the street corner for his rostrum, from which to proclaim the remarkable learning of his dog, he would he sure of an appreciative and attentive audience. In fact, among the masculine sex dogs are considered quite the proper thing, and they are to be found in all of the very best families, as Roswell Field would say.

But this craze for dogs, produced by the recent bench show, has a dark side. In the interests of the public peace the authorities should not permit the holding of a bench show and a feline exhibition during the same season. It is never considered a move in the interests of harmony to confine a cat and n dog in the same room together, and for the same reason it is unwise to hold both a cat show and a dog show during the same season. The exhibition of cats, held earlier in the season, produced a fad for cats, to which the ladies took with a vengeance, and although some three months have passed since that exhibition of felines, the fad has not yet died out. Now that the men folks have taken to dogs, there is not only trouble in sight, but it has actually begun.

This mixing of cats and dogs has caused a ruption in many families that have heretofore lived in domestic pace. It has not only been expensive, in the way of destroyed bric-a-brac, but also gives promise of producing a boom in the business of divorce courts.

DEAD CATS IN FICTION EVEN IN KIPLING
The New York Times, April 15, 1899

To The New York Times’s Saturday Review - Mr. Ridgely Nicholas, in THE SATURDAY REVIEW of Feb. 18, mildly rebukes me for uttering my protest against too much dead cat details, and some objectionable expressions in Mr Kipling’s "An Unsavory Interlude.” As I read his opening paragraph he apparently has a sneering contempt for a correspondent to whom defunct felines are obnoxious, otherwise why should he demand, at the very threshold of the discussion, “If I have an aversion in particular to dead cats"? He may rest assured that I am bitterly opposed to them in literature; never use them as bouquets to throw at bad actors; and shall ever decline them as the crowning dishes at a swell Chinese dinner. After these boastful Confessions I feel sure that I have no Standing in Mr. Ridgely Nicholas’s good graces, and that he’ll scorn the rest of my responses to his critical catechism.

Having made use, in the letter that provokes Mr, Ridgely Nicholas’s reply, of the term “good taste,” Mr. Nicholas asks "Would Mr. Halsey he kind enough to define the phrase ‘good taste'? Does he use it in reference to the tongue? He surely does not think that Mr. Kipling wishes us to eat diseased cats. Mr, Halsey should be more explicit.” The very earnestness of Mr. Ridgely Nicholas’s sudden “ hold up " recalls to my mind the remarks of Charles Lamb's Caledonian. "A healthy bunk. Did I catch rightly in what you said? I have heard of a man in healthy state of body, but I do not see how that epithet can he properly applied to a book." Of a mind of this order “Ella " tells us: " His conversation is a book. You must speak upon the square with him. He stops a metaphor like a suspected person in an enemy’s country." Nevertheless, I venture for answer a "crib" from Webster:

"A discerning sense of decent, and sublime, with quick disgust from things deformed, or gross in species." * * * “It grows in delicacy and correctness with the progress of the individual and of society at large."

Mr. Rldgely Nicholas does not agree with me that it would be hard to find among our own public school lads one who would care to transport a dead cat in the bosom of his sweater. So he asks: "Are dead cats worse than birds in the same condition"? He is very positive of having often seen boys with the latter in their pockets. If an urchin is seen pocketing a dead sparrow is that all the evidence Mr. Rldgely Nicholas relies on to convict the same party of having a murdered Tabby in his improvised gamebag? Marvelous, startling and wonderful things are in the inventory that truthfully records the spoils of healthy youngsters after a long Saturdays tramp, as parents the country over will testify; but did they ever find a dead cat among them? – A. O. Halsey, Newark, N.J. March 20, 1899.

CRISTOBAL COLON
Arkansas City Daily Traveler, April 18, 1899

The Kitten That Was Rescued from the Spanish Cruiser.

Six months ago a little gray kitten played among the sailors of a Spanish cruiser. He was in no wise a remarkable cat, and if any one had told him that he was going to be, it probably would not have troubled his little head. His ship, with three others, lay in the hill-circled harbor of Santiago for many days, while in the offing the big American men-of-war, like watchdogs, barked grimly, and threw bursting shells at the port and town, to show how they could bite if they should find harsher measures necessary. At last, one bright Sunday morning, the throb of the screw-propeller on board of the kitten’s ship was felt again and the cruisers in their war-paint slid down the channel to meet the awful storm of shot and shell that awaited them outside. From that dreadful rain of steel, as we all know, three of the Spanish vessels turned to the shore, bursting into flames, while the Cristobal Colon fled down the coast, with the Oregon and Brooklyn following at her heels.

When the chase was ended, a party of the Oregon’s men boarded the wreck of the Colon, to take away any wounded they might find, and to collect such relics as they could. The wrecked ship lay at the mouth of one of the most beautiful little bays upon the Cuban coast. From top to bottom the hillsides were clothed with living green. A fairer resting place could not have been chosen, but it is doubtful if the poor old Colon's bones will be allowed to lie there in peace. When the Oregon party returned, it had, among other prizes, two trembling little captives, who, having gone through one of those experiences which make history, could never again be considered commonplace. They soon became accustomed to new quarters, and shewed no prejudice against their captors, evidently deciding that an American arm was as warm to lie curled against as a Spanish one, and that American food was if anything, superior in quality and quantity to the short rations they may have had at Santiago. One kitten was given to Capt. Evans of the Iowa, and the other to the Oregon's commander.

When the Oregon reached New York the cat belonging to Capt. Clark was shipped to his brother at St. Joseph, Mich., to be cared for until Capt. Clark should have settled his duty. Cristobal, as the kitten was called, made as much sensation upon his journey west as if he had been a high official. Tacked lo his traveling basket was a placard which read: TO GOOD AMERICANS - Treat me kindly and give me food, as I am a prisoner of war from the Cristobal Colon, being forwarded by my captors, the crew of the Oregon, to their gallant commander, Capt. Charles E. Clark, whose brave efforts forced the Colon to surrender July 3, 1898.

People crowded to the New York express office to see the little prisoner who had played his part in one of the battles of the century. Newspapers printed paragraphs about him, and it was even stated, to give him more distinguished rank, that he had been Admiral Cervera’s pet, a statement which his name alone should have contradicted, since the Colon was not the Admiral’s flagship. He arrived at St. Joseph none the worse for his journey.

At last his peaceful life was broken by a call from Indianapolis, where what with the payments to see him and the sale of his photographs, Cristobal Colon bought the sum of $50 to the Indiananolis free kindergarten. He seemed so glad to be at home after his Indianapolis trip that Mr. and Mrs. Clark resolved he should travel no more: but Capt. Clark, while objecting to further travels for the cat, who had had so little rest in his eventful life, had stipulated that if Chicago asked for him she should not be refused, for that city was the home of many of Cristobal’s brave shipmates on the Oregon. Poor little Cris! His appearance at a Chicago cat show was his last appearance in public. He greeted his master and mistress, on his return, with the usual affection, but seemed very, very tired, and after a day and a night of illness died. The handsome medal he won at the Chicago show will probably be sent to the crew of the Oregon, in memory of their little shipmate.—Mrs. S. S. Robison, in St. Nicholas.

AT THE CAT SHOW.
The Monroeville Breeze, April 20, 1899

Tame Wildcat Not as Dangerous as a Wild Tame Cat.
One of the principal attractions at the show given by the Cat Club in Chicago was the “tame wildcat,” an animal that had been caught in the forests of Minnesota or Wisconsin when a little kitten, and having fallen into good hands, had grown up to be a gentle, affectionate creature, fond of being petted, and giving no evidence of its original wildness except in its pointed ears and its size, which was about that of four ordinary cats.

An interested visitor, after having reached a finger through the wires of the wildcat’s cage and stroked the animal’s forehead, strolled along, and presently repeated the performance at the cage of a particularly handsome Angora, receiving a savage scratch as he did so.

“Wow! Ow!” he exclaimed, wrapping his handkerchief hastily around the torn finger. “A tame wildcat isn’t half as dangerous as a wild tame cat!”

An agriculturist from Iowa, who had brought some live stock to the city, and had heard of the cat show, dropped in to see what it was like. He had a half-formed idea of buying one of the handsomest of the animals, if he could be assured that he could transport it to his home without too much trouble.
With this point in mind he made the rounds of the cages, and then, stopping in front of a splendid black cat bearing the name of “Peter Jackson,” asked somebody who happened to be standing by:

“What do you suppose they’d sell that cat for?”

“The lady who owns that cat,” was the reply, “values him at five hundred dollars.”

“Great Scott!” gasped the visitor. “That’s all I got for a whole car-load of fat hogs!”

He didn’t buy any cats at that show.

VERY KNOWING PUSSY
Detroit Free Press, May 12, 1899

A remarkable family cat has added another to its list of achievements. The household had decided that pussy should be exhibited at the cat show, which was held the other day, but Tommy, it appears, had another engagement, says the Lansing Journal. He was to be washed and sleeked up to look his best that morning, but what did he do but disappear. He was called in vain and refused to come, even for some scraps left from the noonday meal. It must have been a wonderful intuition that the cat was possessed of, for it did not reappear at its home until the cat show was safely over.

OXFORD COUNTY COURT. VELEY VS. TOYNBEE. ACTION FOR DAMAGES.
Oxford Journal, 10th June 1899

(This relates to early Siamese cats. In 1884, the British Consul-General in Bangkok, Edward Blencowe Gould brought back a breeding pair of these cats, Pho and Mia, as a gift for his sister, Lilian Jane Gould, who became Lilian Jane Veley in 1895, and co-founded the Siamese Cat Club in 1901. The two linked cases took place in 1899. The case was heard in Court at the County Hall, Oxford, before His Honour Judge Snagge. In the first of the cases, one of Mrs. Veley's Siamese studs was injured in a fight with a neighbour's cat. The second case largely concerns the temperament of the neighbour's cat.)

This was a claim for £2 damages to plaintiffs cat inflicted by defendant's cat.-Mr. Marshall appeared for the complainant and Mr. Mallam for the defence. At the outset Mr. Marshall asked that a second case of White v. Toynbee should be taken first –Mr. Mallam: I object. -Mr. Marshall: Why? – Mr. Mallam said he objected on the question of order of date. His friend wanted to prejudice the case by bringing forward a case which occurred two days later.- His Honour refused to depart from his custom of “first come, first served."

In opening the case, Mr. Marshall remarked that it was, conceivable at first sight, that this case might be considered frivolous, but he believed after hearing the [illegible] would agree it was a serious case [illegible] objected not only to annoyance [illegible] considerable damage from the [illegible] a most valuable animal, being of a rare species known as “Royal Siamese,” or Lady O’Malley’s breed.

Victor Herbert Veley, M.A., F.R.S., then gave evidence. It appeared that he lived at 20, Bradmore-road, and plaintiff resided at 10 Norham-gardens, the gardens of the parties adjoining. Plaintiff was in his garden on May 22, about 3.45 p.m. when defendant’s cat came over the wall from defendant’s garden and flew at his animal. Plaintiff attempted to drive the animal away and eventually the intruder want back, witness' cat following. His Honour: Do I understand that they had one round in your garden, and then they went and had round number two in defendant's garden - (laughter) - Plaintiff: Yes. Describing the Injuries the animal suffered, plaintiff said it had a number of bites on the back and on other parts of the body, and there were various gashes on the legs and elsewhere. It was valued at £30 at least. The animal was afterwards taken to a veterinary surgeon, whose charge was 3s. 6d.

In answer to cross-examination by Mr. Mallam, witness said he did not see the fight continued on the greenhouse in defendant’s garden, and he did not know whether any of these cuts were caused by glass. - Mr. Mallam: They have had these little bursts before? - Yes-(laughter) . -Is it not usual for tom cats to fight? - His Honour: Yes - (laughter). Mr. Mallam then read three letters from plaintiff to defendant, the first stating that proceedings would be taken; the second asking that the branches of the trees overhanging his garden be cut in order that a wire fence might be erected to protect "himself from the nuisance," and the third stating that if the cat was not destroyed defendant would have to take the consequences. Lilian Jane Veley, wife of plaintiff, corroborated. She added that she saw the remainder of the fight on the west greenhouse. She saw defendant's cat strike her animal through the glass of the greenhouse, and they eventually rolled down together.

The cat was then brought into court and the scars exhibited by Mr. Veley. Mr. Veley also showed the cat to His Honour, who asked if it was a good mouser and ratter.-Mr. Veley: Oh, yes, and it would catch rabbits. - His Honour: Really? Very well. – Proceeding with her evidence, Mrs. Veley stated that this cat was of a of very rare species. The King of Siam had come to know that they were very valuable animals and had stopped their exportation. - His Honour: This will be a good advertisement for their importation – (laughter) - There seemed to him there was a little bit of Zoological Gardens about the face of the animal.- Witness: It is a domestic animal and is regarded as such by the authorities at the Zoological Gardens. - In cross-examination by Mr. Mallam she said she believed two of the gashes were caused by glass. The injuries would leave permanent marks, and the slightest mark detracted from its sale value, and rendered it unshowable.

For the defence, Mr. Mallam. argued that there was no case to defend. On his Honour desiring him to go on, he called Mrs. Toynbee,her cook (Mrs. Aline), Mrs. Levett, Mr. Fletcher, and Mrs. Butler (neighbours), who tar all spoke of Mrs. Toynbee’s cat as a harmless, quiet, domestic cat. His Honour reserved judgment after the hearing of the second case.

WHITE VS TOYNBEE. This was a claim for £3 7s. 6d in damages for injuries sustained by an assault by defendant's cat. Plaintiff is a domestic servant in the employ of the former plaintiff, and the defendant was Mrs. Toynbee. Mr. Marshall appeared for complainant, and defendant was again represented by Mr. Mallam.- Plainttllf alleged that, on returning home on the afternoon of April 24th she found the cat sitting in the window. She went up to it and spoke to it, when it suddenly jumped at her and settled on her chest, tearing a hole in he dress, and severely frightening her. She fortunately had an umbrella in her hand, and with it struck the animal a blow which knocked it to the ground. She screamed, and ran to the door, which on being opened allowed the animal to escape. She then ran upstairs and there met the maid, whom she told of the occurrence. She claimed 7s. 6d, for the value of the blouse, which was torn, and £3 as compensation for the fright she suffered.

Katie Ethel Saxton, another domestic servant in Mrs. Veley's employ, stated that the cat in question had once or twice flown at her. Mrs. Veley stated that she complained to defendant by letter on the matter on May 23rd. She had herself been attacked by the animal, but only when endeavouring to separate the combatants.

His Honour delivered judgment at length. In the first case he stated that it had not been proved that any of the injuries on plaintiff's cat were inflicted in his garden. There would consequently be a non suit without costs, as undoubtedly Mrs. Toynbee's cat was in the first instance where it should not have been. The second case was, however, of a very different character, and there would be judgment for the plaintiff with 2d damages and costs on that sum, whilst the costs of one witness would also be allowed. His Honour said he could not help thinking that if the cats had been allowed to have it out it would have been more satisfactory to both parties, and the cats would have been the best of friends afterwards.

[FELINE SUICIDE]The Gentlewoman, 27th May 1899
ONE does not often hear of strange and original deeds of cats, but there are such deeds nevertheless. I once saw a cat deliberately commit suicide with apparently no provocation. The animal rushed along the docks and jumped right into the water with deliberate intent, and with no effort to save itself even in the water. Now we hear of a cat that raced a train. The occurrence was witnessed by a number of passengers who were waiting on the Hither Green platform for a train the other day. When the train arrived at a point about four to five hundred yards from the station a cat was observed on the metals actually racing it. The poor animal succeeded in reaching the platform first, but missed its hold, when it leapt and fell on its back in the permanent way insensible. The station master rescued it, however, and sent it back by the next down train to Lee station, to which it appears, it is "officially attached."

FIRE IN A ROOF GARDEN; Morning Blaze, Night Concert at Koster & Bial's. TRAINED CATS AND DOGS SAVED Manager Aarons, Undismayed by a Loss of $10,000, Rebuilds in a Single Day.
The New York Times , June 19, 1899

The stage, scenery, tables and chairs, and all other paraphernalia of Koster Bial's roof garden were destroyed by fire yesterday morning. The fire started at 8:30 o'clock, and for three hours the firemen worked to extinguish it. When the last ember was put out, Manager Aarons set at work a large force of men. The debris was cleared away, a temporary stage was erected, new seats were secured, and the sacred concert announced for last night was given without any interruption. The flames were discovered by Charles Randolph, one of the porters of the theatre. Randolph, with several others, was putting the garden in order for the concert, when he noticed that the flies over the stage were on fire. The garden is equipped with two large water tanks and a. standpipe, and with streams from these the men did their best to extinguish the flames, which soon, however, got beyond their control.

Randolph then ran down to the street and sent in an alarm. Engine Company No. 1, from West Twenty-ninth Street, responded, and a second alarm was sent in, to which Acting Chief Croker and Deputy Chief Gicquel responded. The Acting Chief ordered a third alarm, for the fire was burning fiercely and it looked as if the whole structure were doomed. Manager Aarons, who lives three doors from the building, was awakened by a watchman. When he reached the building his first thought was for the thirty dogs and twenty cats belonging to Prof. Leon Leonidas. They were locked in cages in the rear of the stage in the main auditorium of the building. Mr. Aarons hurriedly opened a cage occupied by two Great Danes. Just as he did so the dogs leaped out, and one of them knocked Mr. Aarons down. He then opened the other cages, and soon the building was filled with dogs running over the seats and into the boxes, and finally; into the street. The cages containing the cats were opened, but the animals refused to leave. Prof. Leonldas at this moment appeared on the scene, and, blowing a whistle, called his dogs and cats together. Not one was lost.

Meanwhile the firemen dragged lines of hose to the roof through the foyer and up the stairs leading to the garden. Four streams were turned on the stage and scenery, but they had been burned beyond repair before the water reached them. The tables and chairs were blazing merrily when the streams were turned on, but the flames were soon extinguished. The fire did not penetrate below the roof, and the interior of the building was not damaged.

After making a survey of the place and estimating his loss at $10,000, Manager Aarons began to rebuild. A force of men was secured, lumber was brought up from the property room, and soon a new stage was in the course of construction. There was plenty of scenery to supply that which was destroyed, and also an extra curtain in the building. Electricians were found to repair broken wires, and a few painters to add touches here and there. All the men worked with a will, under the direct supervision of Manager Aarons, and although the work was hardly completed when 8 o'clock came, the concert was presented with success, and only the smell of charred timbers told those in the audience that a fire had occurred.

KITTENS BORN IN MAIL BAG.; Post Office Cat Had Been Locked Up with Registered Letters.
The New York Times, July 5, 1899

CINCINNATI, July 4. - Postmaster Reynolds of Covington lost his office cat last night. Suspecting that she had crossed over to Newport, the Post Office men there were requested to make inquiries, with the result that the cat was located with a family of five kittens. She had crossed the Licking River in a curious way.

One of the institution of the Covington Post Office is what is called the "locked out" pouch. In it all of the valuable mail received after the safe is locked is placed for the night. The pouch is of the most secure pattern manufactured, and it requires a very expert Post Office robber to be able to filch its contents. The late mails yesterday brought considerable registered matter for Newport, which was placed in the "locked out" pouch. Evidently the cat crept in and made herself a nest among the letters, and was locked in with the male. In the morning the pouch was taken over to Newport, as usual, and upon being opened, not only the mail and the Covington Post Office cat, but five Post Office kittens were found. The cat will probably be sent back, but the fate of the kittens is uncertain.

LANG, ALDEN, AND CATS.
The New York Times , July 22, 1899

In Pearson's Mr. W.L. Alden once more tackles that most abstruse of all topics, which is the cat. Our London correspondent proves that the cat was in all probability "invented by the Egyptians." In evidence of this, he points out the indisputable fact that in that Christmas present, a Noah's ark, "the cat is not included in the passenger list." Learned men, Mr Alden insists are all wrong when they assert that the cat, when turning around three times before lying down to sleep, remembers the high grass which was the original habitat of his prehistoric ancestors. But, as Mr. Alden asks: “Was there ever any grass in Egypt?”

The cat is an enigma. For why, asks the musical Mr. Alden, should the cat have the conviction that “he has a beautiful voice and is an accomplished singer? * * * How did he ever come to this belief? Was he encouraged by Egyptian priests to sit on the back fence of a temple close, and sing in order to frighten away evil spirits? "

Mr. Andrew Lang, in "At the Sign of the Ship" in Longman‘s, has evidently been impressed by Mr. Alden's random shots at the cat, but Mr. Lang observes that authors generally are treating cats "with a familiarity and a, levity most distasteful. * * *' Mr. W. L. Alden, for instance, is reported to boast that he is ‘an honorary cat’, much as if a man were to call himself an honorary member of the Roxburghe Club."

Then Mr., Lang discusses what is an enigma in his mast serious manner, and declares that cats, as explained in books of popular science, are made absurd. It is only Mr. Mivart, who in a very long and fairly tedious volume, handles with respect that animal, which was "a kind of god long, long before the time of Moses," In his argument, Mr. Lang Introduces, as it might he expected, his own peculiar theories about Totemism and golf. Very ingenious is he in regard to thetailless Manx cats and the Albino cats with blue eyes, and deaf at that. If our authority only knew that there was a special breed of domestic cats in Maine called coon cats, which have so far defied all the special laws governing cats, he might make it all clear for us.

We have started with the idea that the cat is a sphinx and not understandable. Perhaps there exist some few noble and devoted women who possess a fair conception of what is the actual cat, about which creature coarser man has not the faintest inkling.

Théophlle Gautier had his own special ideas in regard to cats, and in his “Mademolselle de Maupin " he has presented a peculiar type of the animal. As to our own Mr. Wllllam L. Alden, as he has devoted years of serious study to cats, American, English, French, German, and Italian, we are willing to accept all his conclusions.

CATS
Kansas City Journal, August 6th, 1899

Not only have such eminent authorities as William L. Alden, Andrew Lang and Theophile Gautier taken up that most abstruse of all topics, the cat, but among society women to-day pussy holds an honored place, and serves as a subject for many an hour's serious discussion.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox declares that she was a cat in the other life, because she has such a fellow feeling for them in this. Mrs. Edwin Knowles, whose devotion to pussy-dom at large is proverbial, thinks that she, too, must have been closely related to the cat in some previous stage of existence, though her friends declare that impossible because she lacks that essentially feline trait of scratching. Both of these women, however, in common with many of their sisters, possess a fairer conception of what is the actual cat than coarser man can possibly attain.

It is surprising to note the large number of women who have within the last few years engaged in the raising of Angora cats. While there is much to be learned in their selection, care and management, still no branch of the stock raising business can be so easily mastered, or can be so pleasantly studied, as the kitten business. The profitable raising of kittens means that they should be from the very best breeding. It is as easy to raise an expensive Angora as it is to raise one of inferior quality. The best ones always command the highest price and can be more easily sold than inferior specimens.

It is predicted that this industry is bound to increase, and that in time the Angora kitten is destined to supersede the common cat. The origin of the house cat, according to Dr. Garnett, who has recently studied the matter scientifically, is still a mystery. Indeed, the time at which the cat was first domesticated and introduced into human society is simply a matter of conjecture, and whether the cat resorted to man or man invited the cat to his fireside may never be known. Early in history the cat is found occupying a prominent position among the ancient Egyptians. Pasht, an Egyptian goddess, wears a cat's head and represents the moon. At the time of Justinian, about 550 A.D. the epigrams of the Byzantine poets leave no doubt of pussy’s acclimation, and from this time down her history is clear.

Through the middle ages kitty’s reputation was none of the best, and the sages of Ireland made laws to restrain her thievish inclinations, enacting that a cat caught stealing was to be hanged unless she could prove that she erred “in the excitement of mousing," in which case she was to be acquitted. In juvenile literature the cat has always had an honored place. There was the cat which accompanied Robinson Crusoe to his lonely island; the cat whose prowess brought Dick Whittington to the mayor's chair of London; the “ding dong bell" pussy that “little Johnnie Green” threw into the well; the grimalkin of the “boots," the “kitty, kitty corner,” and the cat that sat “in the creampot up to her cheeks.”

In the superstitions of all countries kittie plays a prominent part. In Albania [and] Turkey. If the cat mews that means sickness; if she washes her coat that, of course, is company. When puss dies a funeral feast is prepared, and all the small boys and girls of the village are bidden to come and eat in memory of the departed.

The father of all mascots is the black cat. Every sailor knows the luck in a black cat. Perhaps the most historic of these animals was Thomas, of the Maine. For several days after the Maine anchored in Havana harbor he was observed staring over the side the most of the time. He was not hurt in the explosion, and was taken off the wreck the next morning. Some of the Spaniards feared Tom, for they believe that black cats are witches off duty. Dewey’s cat, it is said, rather enjoyed the Manila fight. When a shell came toward the flagship the cat seemed to take observations as to whether the slight trail of smoke had any length. If it appeared as a point she carefully moved off to another position, knowing that the shell was coming toward her. If, however, it appeared as a line, she would refuse to move.

It is not generally known that the government spends several thousands of dollars annually for the maintenance of cats, but the accounts of the United States depot commissioners prove it. In every storehouse there are from one to five of these animals, and their rations are provided as carefully and regularly as those of the gallant soldiers. They are not fed on scraps, nor are their individual tastes disregarded, as are those of the enlisted men, but they are allotted so many pounds of choice beef or any other delicacy their palates may desire. Of course, they may have as much game as they wish, and the storehouses seldom fail to furnish an unlimited supply of rats and mice. That the cats save many times their cost of support is well known.

That the army cats in San Francisco are well treated may be judged from the fact that while New York quotes 6 cents a day a cat as the price of cat meat, the depot commissary at San Francisco finds 7 cents as low as he can get the proper sort of beef for the felines which protect his stores.

While cats are made welcome in almost every home and city, in Chicago they have risen to the dignity of appearing vicariously at a club. The Cat Club of Chicago is a coterie of well-to-do women who cultivate blue blooded cats. The originator of this feline organization is Mrs. Clinton Locke, who was inspired by the example of the National Cat Club, organized in London two years ago by Lady Beresford. The object of the Chicago Cat Club, as defined in the constitution, is the general welfare of the cat and the improvement of the breed. From the same city comes an attractively gotten up pamphlet entitled “Just a Little Practical Pussyology,” by Mrs. Leland Norton and Jennie Van Allen, proprietors of the Royal Drexel kennels. Among other interesting things the book says:

“Cats are extremely sensitive, and dislike loud voices and bustling ways. They love repose, calmness and grace. One feels so immensely flattered when chosen by a discriminating cat, for it is an affection which can only be won by merit and never bought. A dog will love any wreck of humanity who chances to own him, but one needs to be self-respecting to earn the love of a cat. Pussies show their regard in such dignified little ways. When you open the hall door your cat will come half way downstairs to meet you and will then turn and walk up before you with tail erect, and you feel as heartily welcome as though a dog had jumped all over you and knocked your hat off in the exuberance of his greeting. You notice cats never follow, never even walk by your side — they precede, by a sort of divine right."

In a chapter given over to the diet and care of cats it is stated that as high bred pussies are peculiarly liable to indigestion, resulting from too frequent or injudicious feeding, it is wise to allow them only two meals daily — a light repast in the morning and a hearty dinner at night, when they should be permitted to eat until fully satisfied. Cats thrive on a breakfast of cream or bread and milk, varied with rice, boiled or cooked; lean meats should be given homeopathically. As an occasional appetizer an egg or oyster may be allowed. The evening meal should consist of plenty of raw meat, mutton preferred, with asparagus, corn on the cob, or any vegetable relished by puss. Several times each week boiled liver should be added to the bill of fare, but all kinds of fish should be given sparingly. Kittens should be fed every three hours with sweetened or salted scalded milk. When six weeks old they should be weaned and taught to lap warm milk. A bit of scraped raw mutton or beef once a day insures strength and vitality. Sour milk should be given once or twice a week to prevent the accumulation of worms in the stomach. Cats reared in a flat should be occasionally presented with an umbrella plant or a saucer of freshly cut grass. Fresh water, to which has been added a rusty nail or a lump of sulphur, should be placed where the cat can drink night or day.

Cats should not be washed oftener than once a month, as it makes the hair brittle and likely to break. A laundry or ordinary tub should be filled with warm soapy water, and after pussy’s face and ears have been thoroughly washed, gently immerse the neck, and while holding with one hand, rub vigorously with the other. Rinse in clean, warm water, wrap pussy in a hot blanket and rub and comb the hair dry. Tuck pussy in a basket and after a nap she will emerge sweet tempered and pretty to look at.

THE TAIL OF A TAILLESS CAT– The Des Moines Register, 6th August, 1899
New York Sun: A departure from legal formality characterized an opin¬ion handed down by Justice MacLean in the appellate term of the supreme court Wednesday, concurring in the affirmance of a Judgment obtained by Miss Lillian C. Moeran for $50 against the New York Poultry, Pigeon and Pet Stock association for the loss of a Manx cat. The cat, which was named Zenda, escaped from the cat show of the defendant given last winter in Madison Square garden. It had been put on exhibition by Miss Moeran on an agreement that it should be cared for and returned to her at the end of the show. The cat escaped. Miss Moeran got Judgment against the defendant on the ground of its negligence. The defendant appealed. Justice MacLean says:

“Herein is an instance of bailment or, to borrow learned language from Massachusetts (10 Gray, 366) locatum of a Manx feline, described as a male specimen, longer as to its hind legs than as to its fore, prize winning from agricultural societies, of great value and without a tail. Zenda, for so the Manx was hight [named], was brought to the show of pigeons, of poultry and of pets of the defendant and placed in a coop thereof by mistress and maid, assisted by an offeringman of fair complexion and dressed In blue checked overalls with a colored blouse, in which livery many were about, who opened the coop door and showed both how to open and close it. A little later the powerful and peculiar exhibit had moved the iron cage, unforesightedly not fastened at the bottom, along and partly beyond the platform whereon it stood, making an aperture sufficient for its escape. Then he was off. There was a quick but bootless pursuit by the attendants in pack, with many others, with hue and cry. Though often spied in the secrecies between the roof rafters and subcellar of the vast garden, Zenda was never recovered. Whether his manucapture was impracticable because he was strenuously moved to solitude by jealousy, or any other of the impulses delicately suggested by Allen, J., in his lettered and sympathetic opinion (22 Barb. 506) anent the contentions of and over the dogs of Oneida county, or because ferae naturae, as was held (47 Hun. 366) to be the bivalve, though destitute of locomotivity, in an oyster bed litigation in an adjoining judicial department, is not stated.

"The defendant contends that it was relieved from liability for such loss because the animal was received at ‘owner's risk,’ but that proviso in the entrance blank, read with regulation also prepared and furnished by the association, caused the owner to assume only the risk arising from ordinary dangers not to be prevented by reasonable and ordinary care on the part of the show company. It left the latter liable for occurrences which might be avoided with ordinary care and prudence. It still left to the exhibitor the right to anticipate that the coops provided, and in which, within the regulations, exhibits could only be shown, would be suitable for their purpose and such as were likely to enable the defendant to carry out its undertaking. Besides, the constructive caption of the cat at the outset was lucrandi enimo, so far as the corporation had a mind. It was delivered on the invitation of the defendant, which charged and received payment for the entry and for the coop. Then it was, to take again from Massachusetts without plagiary, ’locatum and not depositum, and the defendant was liable for want of ordinary care (Newhall vs. Paige and another, 10 Gray, 366).’

“The learned justice of the municipal court before whom the parties appeared and introduced their evidence found for the plaintiff and cast the defendant in damages of $50. He was right. Judgment affirmed with costs.”

THE DOMESTIC CAT – The Index, Hermitage, Missouri, 24th August, 1899
The prominent attention lately bestowed on the domestic cat by fashionable society, and the success of the several cat shows, have induced Mr. John E. Diehl, the well-known authority on domestic animals to prepare a handy little volume under the above title. It carefully describes the different breeds and varieties, and states how to keep and rear cats; how to recognize their various diseases and how to treat them. The publisher’s price of the book is 50 cents but the Associated Fanciers, 400 N. 3d. St., Philadelphia, will mail a copy of it on receipt of 25 cents to any subscriber of this paper.

ANGORA CATS FOR NEW YORK.
Maine Breeders Ship Large Numbers Here--Supply Is Giving Out.
The New York Times, August 30, 1899

PORTLAND, Me., Aug. 29.-The business of raising cats for the New York and Philadelphia markets has reached quite large proportions in Maine during the past twelve months. Since July 1, 1898, 6.400 cats of different varieties have been shipped out of the State, many of them going to foreign Countries; One concern alone has sent 968 Angoras, and another has disposed of 486, besides other varieties. In addition to these shipments there are more than 1,860 Angoras remaining in the hands of their owners in Maine, and as it is estimated that there are only 32,500 cats of this kind in the United States, it can be seen that Maine still has its share. However, the number of Angoras is gradually diminishing each season, showing a loss of at least 1,000. The demand for them is so great that the farmers cannot keep up a sufficient supply. Maine breeders made over $50,000 last year on their cats, some of the felines selling for as much as $50. The stock of coon cats also is giving out in the State, and it will not be long before the fancy breeds will be gone entirely.

COMPLAINS OF ANGORA CATS
Chicago Daily Tribune, September 24, 1899

Howard B. Lewis Asks Hyde Park Police to "Suppress” Mrs. Charles Lane’s Twenty-nine Pets.

Mrs. Charles Lane's twenty-nine aristocratic Angora cats, which she keeps in the yard in the rear of her residence, 5323 Madison avenue, are the basis of a complaint made by Howard B. Lewis, 5319 Madison avenue, to Sergeant Donovan of the Hyde Park Police Station yesterday. He asked the police to “suppress” the cats.

“The cats are handsome and rare and all that,” said Mr. Lewis, “but after all they have plebeian streaks — especially after sunset. They make the nights hideous with their howling. I don’t mind the animals so much myself, although my rest is frequently disturbed, but my father and mother are old and they cannot endure the nuisance any longer. I want to know if my parents have any rights and I want to know whether or not Mrs. Lane has any right to maintain this nuisance.”

Mrs. Lane is a member of the Beresford Cat club and is as much interested in her pets as some men are in dogs. She keeps them in comfortable cages covered with vines and feeds them on the best food the market affords.

“I have kept cats here for four years and this is the first time anybody has complained to the police about them." said Mrs. Lane when told of Mr. Lewis’ action. “Lewis did complain to the Board of Health some time ago and an inspector came here and examined the cages. He didn't have a word of criticism to offer. None of our other neighbors ever objected. Moreover, my cats do not make much noise. They are too well- bred. These cats are all worth from $25 to $100 each and they never disturb anybody. One, ‘Homo,’ is deaf and occasionally emits a rather peculiar yell, but that's because he can't hear himself. ‘Homo’ is worth $50. This man Lewis has thrown stones at the cats and has even threatened to poison my pets, which have won prizes and will win more at the cat show this fall. The wife of the Rev. Clinton Locke, pastor of the Grace Episcopal Church, has left in my charge a cat which she imported from England, and it is against such pure bred cats as that that Lewis complains.”

TIRED OF A NEIGHBOR'S CATS
The Inter Ocean, September 24, 1899

Twenty-nine Angora cats, housed in the rear of the residence of Mrs. Charles Lane, No. 5323 Madison avenue, have caused one of the neighbors to tell a story of long and patient suffering to the police at the Hyde Park station. The cats have won prizes at various shows and their aggregate value is said to be more than $2,000. They occupy large wire cages, furnished with down cushions, and they are fed on dainty morsels served from decorated dishes; yet they have been treated a inconsiderately as if they were common brindle-gray tramp kittens.

Howard B. Lewis, who with his wife and aged parents, lives at No. 5319 Madison avenue, says that the cats, while very handsome, are unmitigated nuisances. He has gone even so far as to ask the police to take some action to suppress the cats.

“I don’t mind them so much myself,” he said, “but my parents are old and feeble. These cats, while they may be aristocrats, make the night noisy with their howls. They keep the whole neighborhood awake. Mv parents’ rest is continually disturbed. The annoyance has reached an unbearable stage. The cats are quiet enough in the day time, but dusk no sooner falls than a perfect bedlam sets up, and it continues until morning without cessation. I want to know what my rights are, and whether Mrs. Lane is at liberty to infest the neighborhood with a perpetual nuisance.”

Mrs. Lane was angry when told that her animals annoyed her neighbors. She said: “I have kept cats here for four years, and this is the first time anybody has complained to the police about them. Lewis did complain to the board of health some time ago, and an Inspector came here and examined the cages. He didn't have a word of criticism to offer. None of our other neighbors ever objected. Moreover, my cats do not make much noise. They are too well bred. These cats are all worth from $25 to $100 each and they never disturb anybody. One, ‘Homo,’ is deaf and occasionally gives a rather peculiar yell, but that’s because he can't hear himself. 'Homo' is worth $50. This man Lewis has thrown stones at the cats, and even threatened to poison my pets, which have won prises, and will win more at the cat show this fall. Mrs. Clinton Locke has left in my charge a cat which she imported from England, and it is against such pure-bred cats as that that Lewis complains.”

STARVATION IN CUBA.; People Are Driven by Hunger to Eat Cats, Dogs, and Snakes.
The New York Times , September 30, 1899

HAVANA, Sept 29. – Owing to the failure of the crops in the Province of Santa Clara many families in the country districts around Trinidad, it is said, are starving. It is added that all the cats and dogs there, and even iguanas and snakes, have been eaten.

A CAT’S HOSPITAL
The Fort Wayne News, October 10, 1899

Possibly in other cities a cat's hospital would not flourish, but in New York where there is a Cat Show every year; and where fortunes are spent or importing Angoras there is a fine field for such an institution. No less than four cat doctors make a permanent living in New York, making calls upon the sick and restoring them to health; never a kitten is ushered into the world, in those families where Angoras are imported at hundreds of dollars each, but the cat doctor is present; and when they die which happens early in these fine breeds, they are stuffed by a professional taxidermist and sent home to pose forever in the family library.

With such a field as this the cat doctor found abundant scope for her operations. Soon it was necessary, in order to accommodate her patients, to rig up a series of cages, in which the pussies could rest, while being cured; and so a wire cage was constructed many stories high and in this the cats now rest.

The medicines are given in milk and in attractive meat tablets, and the pussies are fed liver, fish and milk and are sunned daily. An attractive occupation surely for any one who is fond of cats.

DISASTROUS CHICAGO FIRE.
Twelve Persons Are Injured and 35 Prize Angora Cats Burned.
The New York Times, October 23, 1899

CHICAGO. Oct. 22.--A business block in South Chicago burned early to-day, entailing a loss of $l20,000, and painfully injuring twelve persons. Fourteen buildings were burned. An old landmark was destroyed in the Grand Central Hotel. It was a frame building and was consumed rapidly. The guests had barely time to save themselves, and fled with little apparel. The persons who were injured received burns or sprains and bruises. Nearly all the property was insured. Mrs. W. E. Colburn, Vice President of the Beresford Cat Club, lost thirty-five prize Angora cats, which were in cages in the yard of her home.

THE ANGORA CAT SHOW.
The Times (NY), December 4, 1899

Angora cats are the prettiest of all; and this collection from the heart of Maine – a living fur show you might call it – is the most remarkable you’ve ever seen. It is well worth seeing for its color-effects and contrasts. Some of the cats are beauties – a few are fascinatingly ugly. Well worth seeing – and hearing – for canaries hung out of reach of the cats, make the air resonant with their thrills and warbles. Cats $10 to $35. Fourth floor, any northern elevator. – John Wanamaker.

ANGORAS FOR XMAS GIFTS.
The World (NY), December 21, 1899

Splendid Cat Show to Be Seen In Wanamaker’s Store. Santa Claus, ever progressive, has added new burdens to that wonderful bag he carries on his back. Sleek and gentle Angora cats are the latest.

Just now, old Santa is exhibiting these interesting additions to his stock of Christmas joys. On the fifth floor of John Wanamaker’s store, in a great big, sunny room, they gambol and play, and show off their many beauties. It might be truly called an Angora cat show. There are twenty-five of them, each in a fine cage of its own.

Wizard, the beauty of the Wanamaker collection, has more than a cage. When not touring the room, he dozes in a silk-lined wicker, basket with a dignity befitting his price — $50. But he has a rival in Cromwell, also priced at S50, a rarity in Angoras because he has the perfect coloring of the Maltese and plumes that sweep the floor.

The others, even those whose cost is but $15, seem to the unpractised eye quite as fine as Cromwell and Wizard. There are innumerable things which affect the value of an Angora. A slight difference in the texture of the long, silky hair means a great deal, its length much more! All of the Angoras at Wanamaker's were raised in Maine and boast of a long ancestry. Some of the lesser priced ones have barely emerged from kitten-hood and they may develop into greater beauties than even Cromwell or Wizard.

No-one should buy an Angora without knowing how to care for it. Well cared for, it has quite as many lives as its plebeian kind. There are experts at Wanamaker’s who will tell all about the feline beauties, and even if you have no thought of buying one as a Christmas gift, it will interest you to hear about and see them.