THE LADIES' FIELD "CAT GOSSIP" COLUMNS

THE LADIES' FIELD "CAT GOSSIP" COLUMNS - 1901

The Ladies Field, a weekly magazine for well-to-do women, was founded in 1898 and focussed on women's sport, pastimes and fashions. It was published by George Newnes (in 1928, it was absorbed by The Home Magazine). The Cat Gossip column was written by Dick Whittington, the pen-name of Miss Higgins. Rather than divide up the content, I have compiled the columns into a series of chronological files. Readers wondering why prices of cats were given in multiples of £1 1s - this is a guinea; a £5 5s cat costs 5 guineas.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 5, 1901

There was no Cat Gossip in this issue.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 12, 1901, pg 214

MISS DERBY HYDE is working hard in the interests of a Siamese Cat Club, and her appeal to lovers of Siamese cats has met with a favourable response. I understand that the club is not to be run on the same lines as several recently started specialist clubs, but is to have a committee. Of all specialist clubs I think that this is the one most wanted, for the Siamese cat is proverbially ill-treated in the matter of show classification. Miss Derby Hvde also talks of a club for blue-eyed white cats, which might be a success, as these cats are very popular just now.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has purchased from Mr. Janes Money the blue Persian male, Darnlev, a cat from Miss Bray's well-known strain, and has changed his name to Ayrshire Donald. I have never seen Donald, but I remember his brother, Lord Clyde, well. He and Blue Boy II. had a close fight for first at the Glasgow Show two years ago, both being beautifully-shaped cats, with perfect heads and good eyes. Lord Clyde died soon afterwards.

MRS. KENNAWAY has sold her young blue Persian male, Beetle, to Mrs. Green, of Market Drayton. Beetle is a very promising cat, and a son of Mousmee, who so mysteriously disappeared from the Botanic Gardens Show.

I HAVE received from Mrs. Champion a specimen of the Silver Society pedigree forms. These are conveniently and clearly arranged, and will be found most useful for persons selling kittens. Mrs. Champion sells them at the rate of 1s. for twenty-five, and intends devoting the proceeds to the purchase of a cup for the Silver Society.

TALKING of cups reminds me of the amazing list of challenge cups, medals, and other special prizes which will have been competed for at Westminster before these lines appear in print. It really seems that a cat must be a very bad specimen if it cannot win something. I should suggest that the cat clubs give up offering any prize money at all in future, or, at any rate, not more than enough to cover the entry tees. Over thirty extra prizes are given in the silver classes alone, and the best long - haired brown tabby male cannot win less than six prizes.

If anyone feels inclined for a gigantic practical joke let him start a club for Manx cats. The result will, I think, be sufficiently exciting to justify the experiment. Cat fanciers, taken as a whole, are not peaceable persons, but Manx cat fanciers seem to be always "spoiling for a fight," and fly at one another's throats on the slightest provocation.

It will be found that all cats do better if fed in the evening just before dark. Some cats will feed at any time, and some will also rest in peace after a morning meal; but others fidget up and down all day, and decline to fatten. If fed in the evening they will almost invariably go peacefully to bed, and will improve greatly in condition.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 19, 1901, pg 225

LADY ALEXANDER expects great things from a litter of short-haired blues which should arrive in February, by Brother Bump ex Mother Bunch. Brother Bump is, without doubt, the best short-haired blue male that has ever been shown. He is a large, strongly-made cat, with a fine head, good colour, and glorious dark orange eyes. Mother Bunch is a charming, fat, comfortable, round-faced person, who is too precious to be shown, but would be likely to cause a small sensation did she appear in the show pen, and her kittens have already done a good deal of winning. When in good condition she scaled 9lb., which I fancy is a record weight for a short-haired queen.

I HEAR rumours that Lady Alexander has made some important purchases lately. Her cattery is already invincible in its particular line, but Lady Alexander believes in second strings when they are obtainable.

MISS DERBY HYDE is working most enthusiastically in the cause of the Siamese Cat Club, and has already obtained a large number of members, including Miss Forestier Walker, Miss Willoughby, Mrs. Neild, Mrs. Brough, Miss Sutherland, Miss Armitage, Mrs. Robinson, Miss Cochran, and Mr. Astley.

THE HON. MRS. MCLAREN MORRISON is leaving for Calcutta once more, and has consequently parted with a large number of her best cats. I believe that Mrs. Morrison has an even finer cattery in Calcutta than at Kepwick Park.

As a rule Westminster is the last big show of the year, but I hear that Mr. Billett, of Reading, proposes to hold one shortly, and there are vague rumours of a monster exhibition under new management which will throw efforts of N.C.C. and C.C. into the shade. I am not at liberty to say more at present, but I advise cat fanciers to keep their best cats in condition for another month or two.

A CORRESPONDENT sends me a thrilling anecdote of a snake-killing cat. A lady who lives in India was in bed, ill and alone, when she saw a large cobra fixing its eyes upon her. She was paralyzed with fear, and thought her last hour had come. In the room was a large blue-eyed white Persian cat, which on seeing the snake jumped upon the mantelshelf, not, as his mistress first thought, to escape from the snake, but to get an advantage over it, for he immediately flew at the back of the snake's neck, and fastening on with teeth and claws succeeded in killing it!

MANY fanciers seem to be unaware of the fact that it is quite easy to tell whether a white kitten's eyes are goings to be blue or not directly they open. All kittens' eyes are at first a greyish blue colour, but this is quite different from the bright forget-me-not shade of the genuine blue eye.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 26, 1901, pg 264

THE CAT CLUB SHOW.

THE quality of the cats at the Westminster Show on January 15th and 16th was below the average, though there was a good entry in most of the classes. The catteries of Lady Marcus Beresford and of several other well-known exhibitors were unrepresented. The Blue-eyed Wanderer won in the white male class, to the joy of his new owner, Miss Harper, but he was lucky in finding White Knight out of form. The latter, having broken a tooth in his basket, seemed much out of sorts, and after taking second was sent to Mr. Sewell's for treatment. Mrs. Petitt's charming pair, Beautiful Pearl and Queen of Pearls, won in the female class. Dr. Roper's Dick Fawe is the best black Persian I have yet seen, and easily won the gold medal tor best cat in the show. He is a huge, heavily-boned cat, with a fine coat and glorious orange eyes, but is just a trifle too high on the leg. Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's Ronald took first in blue males He is a large. fine cat, good in colour, head, and eye, but his expression is becoming terribly sulky, and he might be cobbier. Skellingthorpe Patrick (second) tails in eyes, and might have given place to Miss Bennet's Blue San Toy, a cat which will improve with age.

The winning blue female, Miss Bennet's Blue Pads, was lucky I thought, as, though in head, coat, and shape she is exquisite, her eyes are very poor. She won as the best long-haired female in the show. Backwell Jogram won second in smoke males for Mrs. James, with Miss Power's Watership Caesar second. In smoke females Mrs. Cartwright's Upwood Minouche, the only unmarked smoke in the class, won easily. She is an exceedingly good smoke, with deep orange eyes.

The chinchilla males were disappointing, as all the best cats had been entered in the shaded silver class. Miss Snell's Silver Starlight, good in colour and coat, took first, with Mrs. Humphrey's Fitzroy, a large cat, with good head and green eyes, but badly shown, second; third prize was withheld for want of merit. Fulmer Zaida won easily among the females, the only good-coloured cat in the class. The Hon. Philip Wodehouse won first and innumerable specials with Silver Tom, a magnificent dark-shaded silver, perfect in shape and colour; second went to Mrs. Wilson's Rob Roy of Arrandale, and third to Mr. Witt's Whiskerandos, another fine cat. In the female class Mrs. Champion's Argent Puffy won easily, She was shown in perfect form, and has a grand head. Miss Beal's fawn cats did well, as usual, and in silver tabbies Lady Pink's handsome Shrover II. won, with Miss Derby Hyde's Thames Valles Silver King second, and Mrs. Herring's King Alfred, who scores in markings, third. In the silver tabby female class the Hon Philip Wodehouse won with Silver Saint, who is a beautiful cat, but not very clearly marked. She is full sister to Silver Tom.

Persimmon won in brown tabbies, and his descendants also did well. Mrs. Brown's Smut, a daughter of Ronald, won easily in blue kittens, and should be heard of again; and Mrs. Harber's smoke, Bulger, is also a promising kittens. The chinchilla and shaded silver kittens were disappointing, but Mr. Bevington Smith's sable, Wickham Bunch, is beautifully marked, though, as usual, the brown tabbies and sables were marred by light chins.

The short-haired cats were exceedingly disappointing. The numbers were not great, and the quality was exceedingly poor. The absence of Ch. Xenophon and of all Lady Alexander's champions was much noticed. In the white class Miss Derby Hyde's Thames Valley Blue-eyed Daddy won. He is a nice cat, and has much improved, but his eyes might be wider opened. Another good cat is Mr. Neate's brown tabby, Flying Fox, who was the only good cat in his class. In silver tabbies Mr. Blackett won easily with Silver King, while in red tabbies and kittens Mr Kuhnel carried all before him with Bell of Bradford, Abbey Bell, and Woodkirk Surprise. Mrs. Herring's tortoiseshell, King Saul, being shown quite out of form, had to give place to Mrs. Page's Oxford Lightfoot.

In the blue class Mr. Coles's grand-headed Muff won easily, but he had not much to compete against. Mrs, Vyvyan did well in Siamese, but these cats struck me right through the classes as wanting depth of colour in their eyes. Miss Fraser's winning Siamese kitten, Thomasina Atkins, shows promise, as does Mrs. Neild's Minthamee, who at present wants substance. The Manx classes were miserably supported, possibly owing to the curious confusion as to the judge appointed. The only Manx cat I really liked was Miss Dresser's Moonlight, who might well have won.

AN interesting engagement - that of Lord Decies to Miss Gertrude Willoughby, a sister of Sir John Willoughby, and a young lady well known in that increasing section of society which gives up so much of its time and thought to the feline portion of creation - is just announced. Lord Decies, who has not long returned from the front, succeeded his father some seven years ago. He is the head of the English branch of the Beresford family, and has several delightful seats, including his usual place of residence, Beresford Lodge, Birchington. He has just celebrated his thirty-fifth birthday; and it is a curious fact that of the six sons left by the late Lord Decies not one is as yet married. It is expected that the wedding will take place some time in March.

LADY JANE GREY is a really beautiful silver tabby Persian cat, with short, broad face and beautiful eyes and markings. She is the property of Mr. Mountfort, of Birmingham, by whom the photograph was taken.

A FRIEND sends me the following paragraph from "Animals of To-day," by C. J. Cornish:-
The number of cats in London, according to a writer in the Daily Mail, is 400,000, of which half are unattached, and live largely on refuseuse, because London is the most wasteful city in the world.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 2, 1901, pg 328

THE SILVER QUESTION,
The question of the correct classification of silver Persian cats caused much discussion at the Westminster Show, and as I was the judge of the silver classes at that show I think a few remarks on the subject may be of general interest. I was really sorry to have to mark so many good cats "wrong class," but it was unavoidable, as only in this way will people learn how to enter their cats. Last year the cats were judged as entered, and much discontent was expressed because the same colour of cats won both as shaded silvers and as silvers, or chinchillas, or self-silvers, The natural result was that there were even more cats wrongly entered this year. I marked a number "wrong class" this year partly that the owners might know in future what their proper class was, and partly because it is less of a disgrace to a good cat than to be passed over. I fear that it is a fact that some people who have cats which they think are a shade too dark to win in the chinchilla class deliberately put them in the silver class, in the hope that the judge will not have sufficient: strength of mind to disqualify them. I wish to state emphatically that the shaded silver classes are not meant for cats which are "betwixt and between" the two classes. Such cats are not likely to be noticed in either class, any more than are those animals with vague markings which are sometimes shown as silver tabbies and sometimes as chinchillas. Such animals may be, and frequently are, of great use for breeding from, but their place is not in the show-pen. It is impossible to mark them "wrong class," because they have as much right in one class as in the other, but they cannot win in either if they have to compete against cats of the correct type.

In going round the pens at Westminster there could be no possible doubt that Zaida was the best-coloured chinchilla there, and other really good-coloured cats were Silver Starlight, The Seraph (who arrived too late for competition), and Lord Hampton, who was unfortunately entered as a shaded silver. Between these cats and Silver Tom and Argent Puffy, who headed the shaded silver class, there is no resemblance whatever, and I have great hopes that the object lesson given will not be lost upon exhibitors.

I see in a contemporarya statement to the effect that Miss Simpson has announced that it is the Cat Club's intention in future to provide only one class for silvers. I hope there is some mistake here, as if this is so I shall feel that my trouble has been completely thrown away. I think there must be some misunderstanding, as I am not aware that the matter has been discussed even in committee, and the question, of course, is one to be referred to a general meeting, and not decided offhand. - HESTER COCHRAN.

THE Siamese Cat Club is well under way, and Miss Derby Hyde, of St. Peter's, North Moreton, Wallingford, has been appointed Hon. Secretary. Mrs. Backhouse is Treasurer; Mrs. Vary Campbell, of Edinburgh, President; Miss Gertrude Willoughby, Mrs. Chapman, Mrs. Murray Rumsey, Miss Sutherland, and Miss H. Cochran are Vice-Presidents; and on the committee are Mrs. Backhouse, Mrs. Parker Brough, Mrs. Carew Cox, Mrs. Arthur Spencer, and Miss Forestier-Walker. The annual subscription is 5s.

MRS. BARNETT, of Birmingham, purchased the winning blue queen, Blue Pads, at Westminster Show, from Miss Bennett, for the high price of £20. Blue Pads is beautifully-shaped cat, good in colour and head, and has plenty of coat of a good texture. Were her eyes of the correct shade she would be well-nigh perfect. Had her owner been a member of the Cat Club she would have won a gold medal and some challenge cups, I fancy.

LADY ALEXANDER had the misfortune to lose her short-haired tortoiseshell and white male cat after the Crystal Palace Show from distemper; however, nothing daunted, she determined to find another, and she now writes that she has been successful, and that this new rarity, whom she has named Ballochmyle Solomon, far surpasses his predecessor in richness of colouring.

MISS FRASER, of Inverness, is pleased by the success of her Royal Siamese kitten, Thomasina Atkins, at Westminster. This kitten, which took first prize, was entered at the ridiculous price of 30s., but, there being keen competition for it, it was, I believe, eventually sold for £3 10s. Another wood Siamese cat, which, I believe, was purchased by Mr Astley, was Kesho of Wernham.

MRS. MARRIOTT has not shown her cats lately, but, as usual, she has some young ones a little better than her neighbours', as the accompanying photographs show. Silver Plume is a year old, and is a son of Mrs. Marriott's Bon Bon, who is litter brother to Prince of the Fairies. His Majesty is a truly fascinating baby, by Tod Sloan out of The Seraph. He does his raw meat diet credit, for he scales a good 5lb.

A NOVICE in the cat fancy is Mrs. Moseley, of Griffon and Schipperke renown. At Westminster she took several prizes with some promising Manx kittens, winch will probably do well when full grown.

I HEARD the other day of two four-months kittens which had been cured of gastro-enteritis, and on asking for particulars of their treatment was told that they were each given tiny drops of Symes's Lac Bismuthi every two or three hours for a couple of days. They were not fed by hand, but as soon as they were willing to eat were allowed a small quantity. of raw meat. Their growth has not been in any way checked by their illness. Their owner had lost sever other cats and kittens from the same complaint, and was determined at last to either kill or cure.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 9, 1901, pg 348

ISS ANDERSON LEAKE tells me that she has purchased a new chinchilla stud cat, which is to be named Pathan of Dingley. Miss Leake is not one of those fanciers who are always on the buy, and when she makes a purchase it is because something out of the common has tempted her. Pathan, I understand, is a great beauty, nearly three years old, with a magnificent coat short legs, very sweet wide face, and tiny ears. His colour also is excellent, being very pale and unbarred. His pedigree is interesting, as his sire. Abdul Azim, was bred by Miss Leake from Ch. Abdul Zaphir of Dingley and Oona of Dingley, the latter a very pale chinchilla, bred by Mrs. Brydges and descended from her Oscar and Candace. Pathan's dam was Silky, who was full sister to Silver Lambkin.

A FEW weeks ago I suggested that a Manx cat club would afford excellent opportunities for anyone who was fond of practical joking. Someone seems to have taken the idea seriously and Miss Derby Hyde, the indefatigable, is trying to float a "Manx and Foreign Cat Club." It is a pity that Manx breeders should work so much against their own interests. Quite recently a lady of my acquaintance started breeding Manx cats. She had a good number, and it seemed probably that she would soon be a most successful exhibitor; this, however, did not suit some of the older hands, and they turned upon these cats with such unmerited abuse and (accusations (since disproved) that their owner, utterly disgusted with cat fanciers, has parted with her cats and does not intend showing again. Can it be wondered at that Manx cats don't "catch on"?

THE accident to Miss White Atkins's White Knight is, I am sorry to hear, a great deal more serious than was at first supposed. It appears that the vet passed the cat into the show apparently perfectly well, and that he was discovered some hours afterwards suffering from some serious injuries to jaw and teeth. The injuries were so great that moth vets and dentists are convinced that the cat could not have inflicted them himself in trying to get out of his basket. I understand that the Cat Club has offered a reward for any information as to how the cat met with this accident.

ANOTHER specialist club has been started, and promises to be a great success. This is the blue Persian Club, of which Miss Jay, assisted by Miss Champion, is the secretary. It is to be run on the same lines as the Silver Society, with a 5s. subscription, and an enormous amount of support is certain to be given, With so many and such successful specialist societies, the parent clubs must look to their laurels, or they will become nonentities, and ere long will find themselves superfluous, for there is no reason why the specialist clubs should not hold shows of their own, and if their views and standards are not upheld in the older clubs they cannot be blamed for doing so.

MRS. BROWN, of Ballingair, Kilmarnock, is delighted by her successful debut as an exhibitor. Ballingair Smut is none the worse for her outing at Westminster, and Mrs. Brown has bought another blue kitten from Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart. This kitten has a lovely head and deep orange eyes, and Mrs. Stewart thinks she may eventually beat Smut, but Mrs. Brown is faithful to the old love and thinks Smut invincible. Smut has never been fed on anything but raw meat, and weighs, at six months, well over 6lb. The chinchilla kittens bred by Mrs. Brown from FitzEustace and Puff, and sold to Mr. Crawford, took two firsts at Glasgow Show.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 16, 1901, pg 413

IT amuses me rather to see how convinced cat fanciers are that pills or capsules are more easily administered to cats than are liquid medicines. I have always thought exactly the opposite, and I have rarely had any trouble in dosing cats, though this I quite think is partly due to the fact that I never give cats medicine unless they really require it, which, with an ordinarily healthy cat, should not be more than once or twice in a lifetime. When people first began to use capsules I laid in a large stock, and wishing to give a very cross cat some castor oil I expected to have no trouble, but after twenty minutes' hard work I fetched the castor oil bottle and a spoon and gave her an ordinary dose without difficulty. I course, there is a knack in dosing cats. A great point is to make no fuss with preparation. DO NOT wrap the cat up in a cloth, and do not put a stick across its jaws; these methods are only for cats which have been proved vicious. Stroke the cat's head with your left hand, holding the spoon containing the dose in your right hand, then suddenly take a firm hold of the scruff of the cat's neck with your left hand and tilt the head back; at the same moment gently pour the medicine through the cat's teeth, which will have come slightly open. It is best to pour the medicine in at one side of the teeth, being careful to hold the head straight, so that it does not run out at the other side.

A CORRESPONDENT writes to me as follows:- Do you think it would be any use to suggest that exhibitors should be allowed at cat shows practically the same liberty of access to their exhibits that they have at dog shows etc.? Apparently it is before the exhibitors and public are admitted that cats are in danger, and it seems to me that, with stringent regulations at the entrances, the cats' safety would be better secured by there being numbers of people present most at the time. Of course, it would be regarded at first as an impossible and sweeping change, but, after all, exhibitors do not exist for the benefit of the shows, vice versa. I would advocate their being allowed in at the judging also. It would be quite possible to create and enforce rules which would present their being any hindrance; and as to this making a loophole for any unfair play, if there are any unscrupulous exhibitors there is nothing under the existing arrangements which can prevent their making the number of their exhibit known to the judge beforehand.

THERE is a good deal of common sense in this letter, and I commend it to the attention of my readers. There is one great advantage to show committees contained in the suggestions therein, It would ease them of a good share of responsibility, for it must be remarked that whenever a cat is lost or injured at a show the owner is convinced that nothing would have happened had he or she been in the show, and that it happened before the public were admitted. I have judged in public at a large show and found that I was not hindered in any way. I requested that the aisle in which I was working: might be kept clear, and this was done without difficulty. I believe that at Scotch shows judging in public is quite usual.

I CAN picture the wrath of dog fanciers if they were forbidden to bench their own dogs or lead them into the ring; a show which made such a rule would be promptly tabooed, and I cannot see why cat fanciers should he more difficult to control than dog fanciers. An ideal show in my opinion would be one in which each cat was penned in a separate movable pen, which the owner or an attendant could carry into the judging ring, and then, if the judge wished to have the cat picked up or turned round, the owner would be able io do this for him.

MRS. CARTWRIGHT has parted with her prettily-shaped little black queen, Upwood Witchcraft, to Mr. Furze, of Birmingham, the owner of Silver Green Eyes. This cat is a silver tabby, but as his markings are not strong enough it is hoped by mating him with a black cat to produce good results.

I READ the other day in a contemporary that a Siamese cat should never be mated with one of any other breed, that experiments had been made in this direction, but that no good results had followed. This is a mistake. I know of two persons who have tried crosses with excellent results. In one case a blue-eyed white male was crossed with Siamese queens, and sundry Siamese prize-winners were produced. In the other case a blue-eyed white queen was crossed with a Siamese male, and had two good Siamese kittens, which have not been shown; the third case was similar to the second, and a black kitten and a tabby one were born. I may say that I am not at liberty to reveal the names of these enterprising breeders, but I have my suspicions that many other people have with more or less success followed the same tactics.

MATTHEW and Miriam of the Durhams are two charming cream kittens, the property of Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard, of Barnard Castle. They took first and second at Manchester Show, and are by Romaldkirk Midshipmite ex Hazeline.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
TITTIMUS. Please do not dose your kitten for worms. Even if you do not kill it at once, you will lay up for it a nice store of horrible ailments for the future. The diarrhoea and the worms alike are caused by indigestion produced by long continued improper feeding. Stop all the slops, the milk food, and the green vegetables, and give the kitten four times daily a dessert-spoonful of finely minced raw beef. He will require no other food, but may be given water to drink if he wants it.
ANGORA. - One of the finest litters I ever bred was born when the mother was ten months old. She was a small cat and had always been delicate, but she had and reared four huge kittens, and her own health was vastly improved. This proves that your informant was wrong in saying that cats under a year never had good kittens. I do not, as a rule, believe in mating cats before they are a year old, but much depends on individuals.
PATRICK. - If a dog has once become a confirmed cat-killer, there is little hope of curing him. You had better get a terrier puppy and let him grow up among the cats.
PICKET. - Persian cats are very aggravating animals, but few of them are in coat for more than two or three months in the year, and some of them never come into full coat at all after they are a year old.
PUSSY. - It is quite impossible for me to tell you whether your cat has got mange or not. You must take it at once to a skilful vet. Be sure that he has experience of cats, as many of the dressings which can be safely applied to other animals are dangerous to cats. This is especially true of carbolic, which is even more dangerous to cats than to dogs, and should never be applied to the skin of either by anyone but a vet. - DICK WHITTINGTON

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 23, 1901, pg 427

THE number of specialist clubs is ever on the increase, and the most recent, and perhaps one of the most important and comprehensive, to be formed is the British Cat Club. This club has already got well under way, and an enormous amount of support has been promised. Several people well known in the show word have accepted official positions, and among these are Sir Claud and Lady Alexander and Captain Barry.

I HEAR from Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart that her well-known Ronald has retired into private life, and will no more be shown for competition. Ronald having taken first at the Crystal Palace and Westminster, Mrs. Stewart feels that he can rise no higher, and I think she is wise to let him retire while he is still "the best blue male."

THE Siamese Club intends offering medals for competition among its members, and by the generosity of the president, Mrs. Vary Campbell, these have already been ordered. The design is being drawn by Miss Derby Hyde, and is to represent a Siamese cat's head, which is to be enamelled in natural colours on silver.

I HEAR rumours that there is likely to be further trouble over the attitude of the Silver Society towards the older clubs, but it is to be hoped that some understanding will be come to shortly as the Silver Society has, in the short space of six months, developed into a most powerful body, and is likely, in conjunction with the other specialist societies, to prove a great influence for good in the cat world. While on this subject I may mention that the Blue Persian Society, of which Miss Jay is secretary, is one which everyone interested in blue Persians should encourage.

SOME discussion has lately arisen as to whether short-haired blue cats should be called Russians or merely short-haired blues. It is nonsense to assert that these cats are foreigners, for I can state as a fact that few, if any of the best cats shown bear any relationship to Russian cats. There is certainly a strain of blue cats about Archangel, but species coming from there are, as a rule, small, ill-thriven cats with snipey faces. Many of they are striped, and have more or less white about them, and I have yet to see one with really deep orange eyes. I once bred a very good so-called Russian cat from a silver Persian queen and an English male.

LADY ALEXANDER has asked me to state that she and Sir Claud are no longer members of the Cat Club.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
TITTUMS. - As you have kept your cats in a heated room until now, you must not put them out of doors at once. Leave off the stove heat, their health will improve at once, and they will not take cold, but keep them in the same room until there is no fear of frosty nights, and then put them in the outdoor cattery, and let nothing induce you to bring them indoors again.
DASH. - It is quite possible that you may rear your kittens on milk food, but it is more than likely that you will have constant trouble with his digestion, and it is certain that he will not be half so fine a cat as if fed according to my ideas.
PUNCH. - Your Persian cat may with perfect safety be allowed to run in and out of doors in all weathers. Neither rain not snow will do him the least harm so long as he can come indoors whenever he likes, and is properly fed.
JAMPOT. - Much depends on the quality of the kittens, Blue Persians will certainly sell easily at a guinea apiece, and if really good they may fetch three guineas.
ST. ANDREWS. - 1. I think all your troubles arise from the feeding. Try feeding your boarders once daily on the horseflesh only, and there will be no more diarrhoeas. 2. The complaint seems to be a form of distemper. At the first symptoms administer a teaspoonful of castor oil and keep the patient warm. Feed three or four times daily with two or three teaspoonfuls of warm milk, and if the throat is very bad paint it inside with perchloride of iron. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 2, 1901, pg 467

I HOPE shortly to be able to publish a list of the officials and committee of the British Cat Club, and in this several names very well known in the kennel world will be found. The club is growing apace, and all enquiries respecting it should be addressed to Sir Claud Alexander, Bart., who is acting as secretary in the meantime. I understand that very stringent rules with regard to the election of members have been made, with the object of keeping the club free from any objectionable element.

I am authorized to say that the statement that) Miss Champion is secretary of the Blue Persian Society is incorrect. Miss Jay is secretary and treasurer, and Miss Champion has very kindly consented to assist her in her duties.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD is very much pleased with her purchase of Upwood Minouche, the beautiful smoke queen with which Mrs. Cartwright did so well at Westminster. Mrs. Collingwood also owns a handsome young blue male in David, who did well both at Westminster and at Rugby.

MRS. CHAMPION has a very fine young chinchilla tom in Silver Flash, a large, well-grown young cat, with a beautiful colour and green eyes. I cannot at present give his full pedigree, but he is of the highest possible breeding, and is an excellent out-cross for argent cats.

I AM asked to announce that Miss Hester Cochran no longer undertakes the registration department of the Cat Club, and that entries and enquiries should not, in future, be addressed to her.

A FANCIER recently remarked to me that a great improvement was to be seen of late in the classes fur orange Persians. On enquiry I found that her remarks referred in particular to those magnificent cats shown by Mrs. Neate. These cats are, I believe, bred from a splendid sable tabby, the finest I have ever seen, owned by Mr King, of Darlington. I recollect the first appearance of The King's Own, at Boscombe, some years ago. He was then a tiny kitten, and quite the most attractive person in the show, and I envied Mrs. Neate when she claimed him.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
Mr. H.T. CRISPIN. - From your description the cat seems to suffer from chronic indigestion, and my advice to you ta give a dessert-spoonful of castor oil in the morning before feeding, and then to feed at three times a day, giving nor more than an ounce of minced row beef at each meal and over the meat sprinkle a tiny pinch of carbonate of bismuth. The castor oil may be repeated if you think it necessary. Please let me know in a few weeks how the cat goes on, as I am interested in the case.
JOSEPHINE. - Your cat will do well on four or five ounces of raw meat a day. I think it is better to give it without any bread or potatoes, and certainly without gravy.
STELLA. - I am always delighted to answer questions of any description. The state of your cat's health need not cause you any anxiety, as I am sure from what you tell me that she is only seeking for a mate. and she is probably all right long before this.
MISS CARY. - Your cats appear to be pretty, and are charming pets, no doubt, but, unfortunately the photographs are not clear enough for reproduction.
PUNCH.- A self-coloured cat should never be mated with a tabby of any description, and I strongly advise you not to buy the blue kitten which has a tabby parent, as the markings are very likely to appear in the next generation. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 9, 1901, pg 513

MRS. KENNAWAY is again advertising some of her blue Persians for sale. These cats are so well-bred that they should easily find purchasers, and I speak from personal knowledge when I say that anyone buying trom Mrs. Kennaway may be quite certain of not being disappointed in the bargain. She has mated her pale chinchilla, Papoose, by Fitz-Eustace ex Squaw, with Prince of the Fairies, and is building great hopes on the result.

A LADY well-known in catty circles, whose identity is thinly veiled by the nom de guerre "Amber Eye," writes to a contemporary in response to my notes on cat shows. This lady treats of the subject entirely from the standpoint of the show promoter, but, unfortunately, that is a point of view of which we have had a good deal too much of late, and I should like to hear the ideas of the exhibitors on the subject, for, as my correspondent aptly remarked, shows exist for the benefit of exhibitors, and not exhibitors for the benefit of shows!

"AMBER EYE" takes great exception to my ideas and those of my correspondent, but the difficulties she raises are easily disposed of. By her own confession she was present at one show where the judging was in public, and I have attended several, and have on more than one occasion acted as judge. Crowding and interference are easily prevented if two ropes and two stewards are employed to keep clear the aisle where the judge is working. The work need be in no way retarded, and there will not be the usual rush to get through before the public is admitted. Discourtesy to officials is, unfortunately, not to be entirely prevented by the simple means of keeping the pubic out till the afternoon, but I am glad to say that it is very rare at cat shows. As to the statement that "members of clubs change tickets on the pens," this is a little too wild and vague a statement to be treated seriously; but surely tickets are less likely to be changed if all the owners are present to look alter their own.

My suggestions as to ring judging in movable cages seem to have roused "Amber Eye" to special wrath. First, as to the expense, I do not hesitate to say that it there was a fair prospect of their coming into general use some enterprising firm would make suitable cages and hire them out as they do the ordinary pens now in-use. Secondly, the cat, because it is a shy animal, would show infinitely better in a movable cage, with its owner in attendance, than when hauled in and out of a tiny door by a strange man. As to the difficulty of carrying the cages to and fro, I wonder what the attendants are hired for! Personally, I should be delighted to provide my own cages and also to carry then, and so, I think, would most other cat owners. I may tell "Amber Eye" that the days of reform in cat-showing are by no means so far distant as she seems to think.

The Editor tells me that she received the report of the meetings of the Blue Persian and Silver Societies a week after they had taken place, and consequently too late for insertion in this column. The Blue Persian Society, just inaugurated, so far numbers fifty-seven members, and Miss Jay is the hon secretary. A standard of points was read and adopted, and the following ladies are to be invited to place their names on the list of judges: Mrs Hill, Mrs. Wells, Miss F. Simpson, Mrs. Cartwright, Miss Jay, Miss H. Cochran, Mrs. Kennaway, and Miss W. Beal.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS
(For Rules see last week's issue.)
FLUFFY. - Please observe the rules in connection with this column. If they are not complied with questions cannot be answered, Cats' meat is, as a rule, most excellent feeding for cats, but, of course. if it is not sound and fresh it will very likely disagree with your pet. The complaint you mention would be caused by over-feeding, and also by milk. Try giving the cat only four or five ounces of meat a day and no milk, and his health will noticeably improve, and he will live much longer than if fed as you are doing. Clean his coat with white fuller's earth, and then brush well.
L.B. - Some cats are very tiresome in this way. The only thing is to shut the cat in a hamper with the kittens all night and most of the day, and not to let her get out of doors at all. Give her a good dose of castor oil. Her milk would probably return in a day or two, but if the kittens cry a great deal you might try feeding them occasionally, with a teaspoon, on milk and hot water, well sweetened. Feed the cat twice daily, while nursing her kittens, on raw meat, and at other times once daily, Do not give her fish or milk.
MRS. WALFORD GOSNALL. - It is not always possible to put in news immediately it is received, but I always do so when it can be managed. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 16, 1901, pg 9

UNDOUBTEDLY the sensation of the week is Mrs. Neild's purchase of Mrs. Davies's beautiful chinchilla male cat, Lord Hampton. The price paid was a high one, but not a penny too much for such a magnificent creature. "Dick Whittington" feels a great interest in this deal, as it was made entirely by his advice, and also because he had excellent opportunities of studying Lord Hampton at leisure before he journeyed to Manchester. He is a very pale chinchilla cat, with a nice round face, small ears, and big green eyes. He has short legs and an extraordinarily long silky coat, his knickerbockers being especially striking. Lord n Hampton has been unlucky in his show career, for though he took first at Westminster as a kitten and some other prizes later on, he was put down at Brighton because he was so terribly rusty and out of coat. At Westminster this year there can be little doubt that he would have won, but unfortunately he was entered in the wrong class. I believe that excellent authority Mrs. Balding was heard to remark that he was the best chinchilla in the show. With two such cats in her possession as Lord Hampton and the Absent-Minded Beggar, Mrs Neild need fear no opposition in the North of England, at any rate.

THE forthcoming Agricultural Show at Kilmarnock proposes giving eight classes for cats, and Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart will judge. In commenting on this fact, I was amused to see that a contemporary stated that this would be the first cat show to be held in Kilmarnock. Before me, as I write, lies a handsome bronze medal inscribed "Kilmarnock Farmers' Society, for Best Kitten in Show, 1892," and I have vivid recollections of attending more than one Kilmarnock Cat Show in days long past.

THE Secretary of the Cat Club asks me to draw the attention of readers to the fact that, in future, all questions re registration of cats in the Stud Book of the Cat Club should be addressed to Mrs. Simon, 8, Park Road, Regent's Park, London, N.W.

MISS WHITE ATKINS asks me to announce that she has resigned her membership of the Cat Club, and that she was moved to take this step because of her indignation at the extraordinary statement which appears in the published official account of the last Cat Club committee meeting. This statement refers to the case of White Knight, whose accident at Westminster Show was the subject of an enquiry, and is to the effect that "the committee were perfectly satisfied with Mr. Sewell's assertion that the cat was suffering from a badly-decayed tusk." Miss Atkins wishes this announcement to be contradicted, as Mr. Sewell said most emphatically that "there was not, and never had been, anything the matter with White Knight's teeth," and that he was "suffering from an injury to the front of the lower jaw, one tusk having been broken, and the other lower one shifted." Mr. Sewell's opinion had been communicated to the Cat Club committee before their meeting.

AMONG the well-known fanciers who have accepted official positions in the newly-formed British Cat Club are Sir Claud Alexander (hon. sec.), Miss Hester Cochran (hon treasurer), Captain Barry, Mr. Woodiwiss, Mr. Farman, Mr. Lane, Mr. Strick, and Mr. Doyle. The executive, by the way, have been somewhat annoyed by the presumably well-meant advice of some persons unknown, who endeavour to instruct them as to how a club should be formed, and presume to express the opinion that the annual subscription of half-a-crown should be raised.

THE Siamese Club's list of judges includes the following names: Mrs. Vary Campbell, Mrs. Carew Cox, Miss Forestier Walker, Mrs. Parker Brough, Miss Hester Cochran, Mrs. Chapman, Miss Sutherland, Mrs. A. Spencer, and Mrs. Robinson.

I RECENTLY had an opportunity of examining the silver candlesticks presented by the Duchess of Bedford at the N.C.C. Show, and won by Lady Alexander's short-haired neuter. They are, I think, among the nicest specials To have been offered at any show, being of a most charming design, and altogether desirable.

REMUS, whose portrait we give, is a pretty shaded silver, the property of Mrs. David Campbell of Glasgow. Like all the other wise cats who follow "Dick Whittington's" advice and dine on raw meat he thrives exceedingly, and is very lively and mischievous.

IT is probably news to most of us that there are cat shows in Southern India, and the accompanying photograph is of interest as portraying the winner of first prize at Manaar. Daphne and Damaris were bred by Miss Parr, and Daphne is now the property of Mrs. Graham, who was delighted with her success. Daphne's daughter, Victoria, took second prize, and the awards were apparently made by public vote.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 23, 1901, pg 49

I AM informed that Mrs. Balding proposes to start a new society, which is to be called the Chinchilla Society, and which one gathers is to be in opposition to the Silver Society. I hope that this is not so, but it seems to be rather an unnecessary move, and also rather a daring one in the face of the great and universal popularity of the Silver Society.

Cat fanciers are, I think, quite a generation behind dog fanciers in that they do not seem to realize how often skin disease is a matter for internal rather than external treatment. The unfortunate feline patient is daubed all over with some greasy preparation which it promptly licks off, and which, if it does not poison it, gives it indigestion. By way of isolation, it is kept shut up in a house which is probably smaller and less airy than its usual abode, and if any change is made in its diet it is in quite the wrong direction, for the quantity of meat is decreased, and green vegetables are added with the object of cooling its blood. I have more than once said that I do not think vegetables do cats any good, though they probably do them no harm, excepting when a cat is suffering from skin disease; it should then be fed on the most nourishing food possible. The complaint arises more frequently from poverty of blood than from over-heating. If the patient can be sent away from home, and its diet changed and made as generous as possible, it will probably recover in a week or two without any external treatment. By a generous diet I do not mean an enormous quantity of food, but that which contains the largest amount of nourishment in the smallest possible buik - i.e. raw beef, of which a full-grown cat may have four or five ounces daily, and in bad cases a dessert-spoonful of cod-liver oil every morning will assist in working a cure.

I was recently amused to read in a contemporary an advertisement for a "Siamese Mogul Kitten." I can only conclude that a male kitten is meant, and that it has been given this title in opposition to the ordinary "queen" cat.

"THE OLD MAN," writing in the FANCIERS' REVIEW, takes up the cudgel. somewhat warmly on behalf of judging in public, and in a very able article easily disposes of all the arguments urged by the lady who masquerades under the slightly inappropriate name of "Amber Eye," in favour of keeping up the mystery which envelops the working of most of the large cat shows in England. .

A CORRESPONDENT from India sends me the photograph of her cat, and with it the following letter, which I have much pleasure in inserting:- Dear Madam, - I am sending you a photograph of a cat. which I did a few days ago, and I thought it might be of interest to readers of your Animal Gossip page. This cat, by name Ladysmith, is a half jungle cat, and has peculiar spots all over its back instead of stripes, somewhat similar to a panther. It has a remarkably fine coat and ruff. - Yours faithfully, E M.A.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 30, 1901, pg 138

IT is a sad fact that no argument on "catty" matters can be carried on in a proper or sportsmanlike manner. When one gets the best of one's opponent in an argument, he almost invariably resorts to personal abuse and insinuations. For this reason, I find it necessary to withdraw from the discussion upon public judging at cat shows, which promised to prove both interesting and instructive.

Somewhat startling is the news which we gather from a contemporary, that Lady Marcus Beresford, Miss Simpson, and Mr. Bolton have started a short-haired cat club, in which is swallowed up Mr. Bolton's projected Manx Club. We are told that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and, therefore, possibly this is intended as a delicate form of compliment to the British Cat Club, which also commenced its singularly prosperous career by making a meal off a flourishing young Manx club. We doubt if there is an opening for another short-haired club, but we have reason to think that there is more in this recent development than meets the eye.

THAT the British Cat Club is doing well may be gathered from the following official notice: "In consequence of the enormous support given to the British Cat Club by residents in Scotland, it has been decided to form a Scottish branch. Miss Leith, daughter of Sir George Leith-Buchanan, Bart., has kindly consented to act as secretary, and all communications and annual subscriptions (2s. 6d. per annum) should be addressed to her at Ross Priory, Alexandria, N.B. All subscriptions and donations given by residents in Scotland will, unless otherwise desired by the donor, be offered in cash specials at Scottish shows."

I AM delighted to hear that Mrs. Kennaway has sold both her young blue Persian miles, Bobs and Wratz, sons of Blue Robin, through her advertisement in these columns. Bobs has gone to Mr. Storey, of Stockport, and Wratz to Mr. Trotter, of Pulborough. Mrs. Kennaway is delighted with her latest acquisition, which takes the shape of a cream female kitten, of Mrs. D'Arcv-Hildyard's breeding, by Romaldkirk Admiral ex Josephine. The little lady is to be named Josepha.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
MRS. LEE POTTER. - rub a very little sulphur and vaseline ointment well into all the bare places every second day and feed the cat entirely on lean raw meat. Your description sounds more like eczema than mange.
LEO. - It would be quite impossible to drug the cat as you suggest. I can only suggest that his basket or box be made very warm and comfortable and quite dark, and that he should be placed, if possible, out of hearing of the voices of his friends. The majority of cats are quite quiet when travelling. If your cat were going on a short journey I should say feed him heavily before starting, but on such a long journey this is obviously inadvisable, though you might carry a little package of chopped raw meat, and give him some if he became very noisy. Two grains of bromide of potassium would do not harm, and calm him somewhat.
SAMBO. - Dissolve a teaspoonful of boracic acid powder in half a pint of water and bathe the eyes with this three or four times daily. You must keep the cats indoors and out of draughts till their eyes are quite well.
ROZELLE. - Rub well into the base places, every second day, a very little sulphur ointment, and feed the cat entirely on raw lean meat - about four ounces daily will be sufficient - and give every day a teaspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil.
MISS MUFFET. - I think you will find the trouble of rearing the kittens by hand very great, and they are not likely to repay it. If you decide to try, I think any good brand o baby food would answer the purpose. The great thing is to feed often, and give a very small quantity at a time, and always let the food be warm. Keep the kittens very clean and dry, and put a large earthenware hot-water bottle in their bed.
FIZZ. - A male cat will always stray and a female will do so frequently. A neuter will be most suitable for you, but you must be careful not to let him take to hunting, as this habit, once acquired, is incurable. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 6, 1901, pg 153

MRS MACKENZIE STEWART'S chinchilla, FitzEustace, seems to be an immense success as a sire, and I hear of many phenomenal kittens by this young cat. In a recent letter from Mrs. Stewart she says: "Fitz has paid for himself now; he sires the palest kittens I ever saw. One of his was handed on to the stage to the principal actress on the closing of the pantomime in Glasgow, and many enquiries as to his breeding were made - he was exquisite."

MRS. STEWART tells me that Mrs. Hawkins has sent her a very beautiful framed portrait of Ronald as a special offered at Westminster, and adds, "No wonder we love to win in London!"

I am exceedingly sorry to hear from Miss Fraser that her beautiful Siamese cats have been suffering from an outbreak of gastro-enteritis. Miss Fraser sent two cats to Reading Show, and on their return they sickened and died, and another cat and five kittens have since succumbed to the same complaint. Miss Fraser has only one chocolate male cat left. After every large show this winter a number of cats have died. Some of the exhibitors are inclined to blame the show authorities, but this is unjust, as nowadays cat shows are most sanitary and well managed, and it is absolutely impossible to ascertain that some cat, though healthy himself, may not have brought a germ of disease in his fur or in his basket

THE committee of the Siamese Club has taken a step in the right direction in publishing. In a contemporary, the following letter:-
The committee ot the Siamese Club wish to draw your readers attention to the unfortunate diversity of opinion concerning Siamese cate expressed in articles which appear from time to time , in some of the papers which devote a portion of their issue to cat news. One great object of the Siamese Club is to encourage the distinct breeding of the Royal cat of Siam, and also of the chocolate cat of Siam - both beautiful in their own way, but recognised as distinct breeds. The Siamese Club is young, and not infallible, but containing, as it does, most of the principal owners and exhibiters, its committees would like to record their opinion on some few points which have appeared in the Press, in order to avoid a silence whieh might be construed as consent.

With regard to colour, they cannot agree that a Royal can be too light in body colour: nor can they endorse such statements as: "We like a rich cream body, chocolate saddle, and the points glossy black, shading away to chocolate." Another paper advises the mating of Royal Siamese with the chocolate variety. It is true that the young kittens are very pretty, but after some months they quickly become dark and blurred. The great beauty of Royal Siamese is the contrast between the sharply-defined, deepest brown markings, and a body of as light a cream as possible.

A third paper gives the information that an exhibitor known to it has bred winning Siamese from a cross between a white cat with blue eyes and a Siamese. It also mentions another case where such crossing has produced good Siamese kittens, and thinks that many other people have with more or less success followed the same tactics. The above experiment has been tried purposely and accidentally, but no case is known to the writers where the result has been anything like a Siamese, the kittens always favouring the English parent. All Siamese are born white, and therefore, it the children of one white parent died quite young, such a mistake might be natural. It certainly would be very unfair to sell such kittens, as their progeny would inherit and might pass on and English parentage not even necessary white, as white is, or may be, merely an albino variety.
(Signed, A. FORESTIER-WALKER, MARY ROBINSON. S.E. BACKHOUSE, JEAN A. SPENCER. L. PARKER BROUGH, CONSTANCE CAREW COX.)

We may or may not agree with the opinions expressed in the above letter, but we certainty think that it is time some decision as to the essential points of a Siamese cat should be come to. In England the light-coloured cat is most admired, but in Siam the dark one is considered correct, therefore by all means let us have the two varieties and keep them entirely separate There can be no doubt that in both varieties points should be clearly defined, and not "shaded off" in any way. When will the Siamese Club give us its decision as to whether tails are to be straight or kinked?

With regard to the crossing of an English cat with a Siamese, it is, of course, right and natural that a specialist club should discourage cross breeding, and it would certainly be dishonest to sell cross-bred cats as pure-bred ones, though this is often done with long-haired kittens. Some breeders, however, like experimenting tor experimenting's sake, and to them I would give one item of information, The so-called Siamese cat which possesses one white parent does not darken in colour as it grows older, and it is not delicate. Of course, if the pedigree of such a cat was known, it would, if shown in a Siamese class, be disqualified. Query: Should it go in the short-haired A.O.C.?

THE Chinchilla Club is an accomplished fact, and Mrs. Balding has published her intentions with regard to this latest society, The object of the society seems to be, as far as I can make out, to produce cats of a more bluish or lavender tint of silver than has hitherto been seen. This object is no doubt a most laudable one, but one feels tempted to enquire: "Did it want a whole club to itself?" However, no doubt the promoters know their own business best, and possibly none of the existing clubs could be got to see the matter from the same point of view as the promoters of the Chinchilla Club.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has refused a genuine offer of £20 for Ayrshire Bluebell, who is the dam of Mrs. Brown's Ballingair Smut, which won first in the blue kitten class at Westminster. Bluebell is a very nicely shaped little cat, a daughter of old Bluejacket, and would be likely to win far more prizes than she has already done were her eyes of the correct colour.

THE HON. PHILIP WODEHOUSE has started in the cat fancy at an early age, and with conspicuous success. Silver Tom, the cat in the accompanying photograph, is a heavily shaded silver with a magnificent head, shape, and coat. He was bred by Mrs. Cubitt from Monk of Broomholme and Abbess of Broomholme, the latter being litter sister to the well-known chinchilla Dimity.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 13, 1901, pg 192

MRS. BALDING, in writing to FUR AND FEATHER, disclaims all intention of rivalry to the Silver Society on the in the formation of the Chinchilla Cat Club, and to the objects stated in the circular of the C.C.C. has been added the following clause: "That this be merely a specialist. club, with no intention of usurping the interests or duties of any existing club or society."

THIS announcement will be a relief to some members of the Silver Society, but I think that those who are in the know were not troubled by any serious anxiety as to what might be the result of a struggle for supremacy. Now, no doubt, things will go on smoothly, though I think Mrs Balding rather belittles the S. S. by her assumption that there is no specialist club to look after the interests of chinchilla cats.

A STARTLING announcement has been made to the effect that in future at Cut Club shows winners of three first prizes will be eligible for competition only in challenge classes. I fancy that this will be an unpopular move, as it simply means that there wail be no open classes at Westminster next year. An open class is essentially one in which all cats can compete, and when winners are excluded the classes cease to be open. At dog shows the difficulty has been met by providing novice and limit classes for the encouragement of young dogs, and this course has been followed by the N.C.C. and other clubs. Another plan which might be successful would be to divide the classes by age, but that would certainly give rise to complications.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART'S Ronald, having taken first at the Crystal palace and at Westminster, has established his indisputable right to be considered the best blue Persian male of the year. He is a huge cat, with grand head and limbs, and a magnificent pale blue coat. His daughter, Smut, created quite a sensation at Westminster, and won everything among the blue kittens. Ronald shows a very decided resemblance to his sire, Ch. Turkish Delight, who was, I believe, one of the first orange-eyed blues to be shown, and this very desirable point has descended to his offspring in the third and fourth generation.

MRS. ANDERSON LEAKE writes to tell me of her recent purchase of the beautiful silver tabby queen, Truelove. Truelove is a daughter of Ch. Felix and Sunshine, and was bred by Mrs. Turner. She took first, medal, and silver cup at the Crystal Palace in 1896 when five months old, beating all the grown-up cats. I had such a vivid recollection of writing a glowing report of Truelove after a Crystal Palace show when she appeared in a CAT class, that I turned up my notes for 1897 and found: "H.C. Mrs. Turner's Truelove; perfect silver tabby, lovely face, eyes, ears; colour very clear, with strong black markings. In my opinion and easy first."

MRS. PETER BROWN of Ballingair, Kilmarnock, asks me to announce that in future her address will be Woodfield, 59, Palace Road, Streatham, S.W. Mrs. Brown intends building a model cattery, and her hopes of future prizes are great, as she has already bred some excellent kittens.

I AM exceedingly sorry to hear of the death of Blue Robin, who was a well-known winner, and whom Mr. Witt had bought las summer from Miss Hester Cochran.

THE British Cat Club is giving substantial support to the N.C.C. Show at the Botanic Gardens, and offers cash prizes of 10s. each in all the short-haired classes except Siamese. This course is likely to popularize the club, for when medals or cups are given there is a decided inclination to "look the gift-horse in the mouth," and I grieve to say that the result has often proved the medals and cups to be in truth barely worth the winning. I understand that Mr. Welburn will judge all the short-haired cats at the N.C.C. Show.

THE disadvantage of there being two governing (or would-be governing) Cat Clubs is continually apparent. If all the specialist societies pull in opposite directions, as they seem disposed to do, who is to pull them together again? If there were one "International" Cat Club, whose duty was to govern the cat world rather than to hold shows, and which exercised some sort of authority over the smaller societies, things would be better. Of course, it would have to be a very powerful and representative body.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
POODIE DEE. - Really your questions, to be properly answered, would require a whole number of THE LADIES' FIELD to themselves! I hope that a little cat book will be issued from this office shortly, in which you will find all the information you want. In the meantime, I will answer briefly. 1. Mixed Persian ancestry. 2. Feed on raw meat once daily - about four ounces to a meal; give no milk, but water to drink. 3. Shape of head, ears, and body, colour and length of coat, brush, colour of eyes, and size. Colour is the most important point; it should be very pale clear silver, without markings; the eyes should be green, head broad, with short nose and small ears, body round and cobby, brush short and broad, coat and frill long. 4. The next large show is at the Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park. For particulars apply to Mrs. Stennard Robinson, 5, Great James Street, Bedford Row, London, W.C.
SIAM. - I cannot advise you to show a Siamese cat at any winter show, however well managed, but in June, July, or August, if you can yourself take your pet to a one day show, he may not suffer. A Siamese kitten should never be shown.
MUFFIN. - The owners of fawn cats showed a great objection to having their cats classified as such; why, I cannot think. They insisted that they were cream-colours. On the other hand, the owners of cream cats objected to being mixed up with the fawn. At the C.C. shows the two colours are, I believe, separated, but the N.C.C. call them all creams.
BLUETTE. - yes, there is a movement afoot to boycott all blue cats which have not got orange eyes. I really agree with you that green eyes should be a disqualification; the eye is such an essential point that it is a pity to see it ignored as it often is.
RUFFY. - Please write either to Mrs. Kennaway, Garboldisham Rectory, East harling, Norfolk, or to Mrs. Cartwright, Upwood, Sixpenny Handley, Salisbury, and ask if they have a kitten to suit you. I know Mrs. Cartwright has some young tabby cats to sell very cheaply. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 20, 1901, pg 258

IT is the opinion in many quarters that the perpetual squabbles in the cat world are due to the prevailing female element. If this is so, and, humiliating as it seems, I think it only too probable, it will be interesting to watch the progress of the British Cat Club, for in the rules recently drawn up by that body I find the following significant clause: "The members of the committee shall be gentlemen members of the club."

MISS WRITE ATKINS is rejoicing in the possession ot seven white kittens by The White Knight. Aisha. the little blue-eyed queen formerly owned by Miss Packham, has four, and Kinshah, a very handsome imported cat, three.

I HEAR of trouble in various quarters over cats which are unable to rear their kittens. Fortunately, cats are, as a rule, excellent mothers, and when they lose their kittens time atter time their health is usually at fault, and by altering their feeding and treatment matters can often be put right. The cat should be given about three ounces of raw meat twice daily, and, unless she is fat, a teaspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil once daily. She should be allowed absolute freedom, and encouraged to take exercise. It is a mistake to suppose that a cat requires milk food when nursing her Kittens, or that the kittens should be fed on milk when they first began to lap. Nothing is more likely to upset a kitten's digestion than to give it the milk of some other animal while it is still drawing nourishment from its mother.

I am exceedingly sorry to hear that Miss Jay has retired from the cat fancy in despair over the constant worries and annoyances connected therewith. Miss Jay will be much missed as an exhibitor and as a judge, for in both capacities she is deservedly popular.

THE newly-started Parkstone Canine Association intends holding shows for dogs, cats, poultry, and cage-birds as soon as it is in a position to do so, and, as the name of at least one well-known cat fancier is to be found on the committee, the cats will probably be given a good classification.

THE Dorsetshire Fanciers' Association, which will hold a show at Dorchester in November, also proposes providing classes for cats.

THE recent cold winds and severe weather have been trying for kittens, but there as no real danger to them if they are born as well as reared in outdoor houses. The risk lies in allowing a cat to have her kittens indoors and then removing them to a cold house, as the change of temperature is almost certain to give them pneumonia. It is not safe to move kittens which have been born in the house to an outside cattery before May.

MISS HESTER COCHRAN asks me to contradict the report that she now has no cats; on the contrary, she hopes to send at least one cat to the N.C.C. Show in June.

MRS. MARRIOTT has purchased from Mrs. Neild a lovely little chinchilla queen, by St. Anthony, called Bowdon Baby Queen. Mrs. Neild tells me that "Queenie" is a little beauty, with a perfect head and shape, and no markings. She is to be mated with Mis. Marriott's handsome young cat, His Majesty.

MRS. NEILD has been buying Siamese cats to send to South Arica, and is rejoicing in a litter of chinchilla kittens by Aramis ex Cikka, which, at the age of twelve hours, were almost white.

MRS. ROBINSON has bred a lovely litter of Siamese from Ch. Wankee and Ah Choo.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 27, 1901, pg 272

FROM Mrs. Barnett, of Birmingham, I hear most cheerful news. All her cats are well, and she has a magnificent litter from the parents of Ch. Mabel of Lozells, Moko and Sen Sen. Two other litters by Moko of five and seven respectively also promise well, and Blue Pads, the winner at Westminster this year, will have a family shortly, so with even ordinary luck Mrs. Barnett should account for plenty of prizes at the autumn shows.

IN that remarkably clever book, "According to Plato," by F. Frankfort Moore, I chanced the other day upon a paragraph full of interest to cat owners. In the midst of a dissertation on the value of a dog or other animal as an advertising medium occur the following words: "I believe that the Manx cat has a brilliant future in store for it, and the Persian - perhaps a common or garden-wall cat will do as well as any other - I wouldn't be bound with the stringency of the laws of the Medes and Persians as to breed. I'd just give the cat a chance. Properly run, I believe that it will give an author of distinction as good a show as his boasted bull-terrier." After this Manx kittens should sell like wildfire, and the future of this much discussed but little encouraged breed be assured.

WE are all beginning to look forward to the N.C.C. Show in the Botanic Gardens as our next great excitement. This is of necessity a show for kittens and short-haired cats. The Persians which put in an appearance are in a terribly dishevelled state, and give away "their own little failings, which in the winter are quite concealed by fur. A cat with large ears, bandy legs, or a snipy face may look charming when in coat, but to look well in June a cat must above all things be well shaped.

I CANNOT understand why the Botanic Gardens Show should not become the best show of short-haired cats in England, for there is but little risk to their health in travelling at that time of year, and, unless in the case of female cats which are actually occupied with family cares, they can be turned out in as good condition as in-the winter. I hear that great attractions are being offered to the short-haired breeders this year, and that the British Cat Club is enthusiastically backing up the N.C.C. in its efforts to have a good show.

A LADY, who invariably abstains from "taking a hand" in arguments and disputes over catty matters, suggests that the world is suffering from a superfluity of clubs and societies, and hat there is urgent need of one more - to be called "The Peace Society."

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 4, 1901, pg 272

M RS. MIX, of Akin, in the United States, last year purchased a number of beautiful cats through Miss White Atkins. Miss Atkins has sent me some photographs of these cats which she has just received from Mrs. Mix. King of the Silvers, by Silver Chieftain ex Blinks, was a well-known winner in England before he crossed the herring-pond, and is a very beautiful light smoke cat. Honey and Silver Rhyme are two very charming chinchilla queens by St. Anthony and Lord Southampton respectively.

AMONG the latest additions to the ranks of the British Cat Club are Lady Aberdeen, Mrs. H. C. Brooke, Mrs. Stennard Robinson, Miss Dresser, the Rev. J. G. Mackenzie, Mr. A. Gairn, and Mr. W. J. Nichols.

MRS. NEILD is in great joy at the reports she has received of two litters of kittens by The Absent-minded Beggar. The queens sent were a dark smoke belonging to Mrs. Dunderdale, and a blue belonging to Mrs. Cresswell, and each has four kittens which promise to be good chinchillas, as their faces and legs are very pale, and they are described as huge kittens with broad heads. Apparently the A.M.B.'s kittens take after their sire in colour and formation.

MISS BEAL'S cats are flourishing, and numerous good litters are expected. One little family of four blues and another of one orange and two creams by Romaldkirk Admiral ex Romaldkirk Garnet have already arrived.

I AM exceedingly sorry to hear that Mrs. Kennaway's young cream Persian male, Briton, has died of pneumonia. Briton had won a goodly number of prizes, and many people thought he deserved more than he got, so his loss is much to be regretted.

THE cat fancy rarely remains for long without a sensation, and the most recent Is the battle (I can call it nothing else) for the possession of the Blue Persian Society. It is difficult to separate facts from the mass of contradictory evidence before me, but, so far as I can judge of the matter, the truth is this: Miss Jay, finding that a great deal of unnecessarily bitter feeling was coming into play over the election of anew secretary, dissolved the club and returned all subscriptions. Miss Champion, the assistant secretary, immediately proceeded to reorganize the club, with Mrs. Strick as secretary. Whereupon Miss Simpson, the rival candidate, called a meeting of her friends and supporters, nominally also to re-organize the B P.S., but presumably really to form a new club, as it is surely impossible for two persons to reorganize the same club.

MISS JAY'S reasons for acting as she has done I do not know, though Miss Simpson has written to the Press indicating that Miss Jay's object was to make over the post of secretary to her. If this is so, Miss Jay could more easily have attained that object by remaining at her post and superintending the election of her successor It appears that Miss Simpson fears - surely unnecessarily - that the public is not aware that she is a candidate for the post of secretary to the B.P.S. To add to the general confusion, Mrs. Stennard Robinson announces that if Miss Simpson's efforts are unsuccessful she will herself take over the B.P.S. Whether we are to understand that Mrs. Robinson means to run a society in opposition to that of which Mrs. Strick is secretary is not explained, but perhaps she means to take both branches under her wing. By the time these lines appear in print I hope some definite conclusion will have been come to.

IT IS a significant fact that in every letter I receive from breeders of Siamese cats there is some reference to Ch. Wankee. A litter has just arrived or is expected by him in every cattery. So we may expect to see even more prize-winners appear in the future by this celebrated sire than in the past.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 11, 1901, pg 352

THE meeting called by Miss Simpson, with the object of reorganizing the Blue Persian Society, appears to have been a very lively one, but it was so far satisfactory that all parties seem to have got what they wanted, more or less. The meeting was well patronized by Miss Simpson's supporters, but a small number of Mrs. Strick's also attended, with the object of representing that the B.P.S. had already been reorganized. Some unnecessarily plain speaking was indulged in, with the result that Mrs. Strick was left in possession of the B.P.S., while Miss Simpson started a new club called the Blue Persian Cat Society, and immediately held a meeting to discuss rules, etc.

THE B.P.S., with Mrs. Strick as secretary, has started well with a list of over forty members, including Lady Marcus Beresford, Viscountess Maitland, Lady Alexander, Lady Decies, Mrs. Curwen, Mrs. Champion, and Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart, and a meeting is to be held immediately.

I HEAR from Lady Maitland that she is obliged to part with her blue male Persian, Nino, as she has no accommodation for a stud cat. Nino made his mark at the Botanic Gardens Show two years ago, when he appeared in full coat amongst his hairless rivals and carried all before him. He is litter brother to Mark Antony, and is a big, fine cat, with good eyes, while the quality of his daughter, Cheeky Blue, speaks well for his value as a sire.

EDINBURGH Show should be a great success, as the N.C.C. are offering championships in every variety for which separate classes are provided. The British Cat Club is offering a number of specials. By the way, the N.C.C. and the B.C.C. appear to be on excellent terms. which is remarkable nowadays, when it is a case of "every club for itself." Mrs. Stennard Robinson publicly holds up the B.C.C., the Siamese Club, and the Orange and Cream Club as examples to other specialist societies.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules seee last week's issue.)
PUNCH. - You are giving your cat a great deal too much to eat. If he is fed on meat, half the quantity you give will suffice, but as you find that he is so hungry that he is always stealing you must add to the bulk of his food, but not to its nourishment. Mix the raw meat with equal quantities of boiled rice or brown breadcrumbs, and I think you will find him much better then when fed on such enormous quantities of meat. You are giving him far more than he can assimilate, and he is naturally upset.
BRICK. - I have come to the conclusion that it is not good for either the kittens or their mother to leave them with her after they are eight weeks old. When the milk supply fails the kittens fill themselves wits wind, and get indigestion. I have known fanciers who took the kittens from their mothers at tour weeks old, and they did well, and many people consider that they should not be left together after they are six weeks old.
PAT. - If you want your cat to catch rats out-of-doors he must not be shut up before dusk; in fact, if he is left out all night he will have excellent sport. You must be sure that he knows of a comfortable, dry corer to retire to if he finds it too damp or cold outside for his comfort.
MINNIE. - As your cat frets so much I think you had better breed from her, though she is only nine months old. I have known young queens to die from being kept back too long. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 18, 1901, pg 432

I AM glad to say that there seems a fair prospect of an end being put to the blue Persian rows. Mrs. Strick has taken the dignified course of withdrawing from a very undignified contest. Of course, her numerous friends and supporters will regret her retirement, but I must admit that she has shown her usual good sense over the matter.

MISS WINIFRED BEAL has two promising debutantes for the Botanic Gardens Show; one is a little blue queen, with orange eves and a good head, and the other is a cream named Flirt, by Romaldkirk Admiral ex Garnet. Miss Beal thinks that Flirt is better in colour than Canopus, and her eves are quite as good.

MISS DERBY HYDE writes to me on the subject of Siamese cats' tails. Some of her notes of information, supplied by the King of Siam and by his physician to Mrs. Sutherland and Mrs. Vary Campbell respectively, were published in THE LADIES' FIELD a year ago, and emphatically state that the tails should not be kinked. Miss Derby Hyde also sends me an extract from a letter written by a gentleman who has lived for many years in Siam and is a visitor at the Palace in Bangkok. It says: The kinks in the tails are caused by crossing with cats from the Malay Peninsula, which make their way even up to Bangkok (400 miles away), and these Malay cats all have kinked tails, whereas the pure-bred Siamese cats have not."

LADY MARCUS BERESFORD tells me that her well-known chinchilla queen, Dimity, has three nice kittens by Silver Starlight, and that she has numerous other promising families. Mrs. Doyle, of Brighton, has sold her blue queen, Hazel, to Lady Marcus Beresford. This is a cat I have constantly advised my friends to buy, but no one until now has cared to give the high price asked. She is a huge, heavily coated dark blue cat, with a fine head and good eyes. She is the dam of Ronald and is again in kitten to Waterloo.

I AM very sorry to hear that Southampton Duchess is dead. This old cats name will be found in innumerable silver pedigrees, because she was the dam of Ch Lord Southampton. She was bred by Mrs. Balding in, I believe, an attempt to get blues from Ch. Brindle and Beauty's Daughter. Mrs. Greenwood bought her as a kitten, and in her first litter by Silver Lambkin bred Lord Southampton. I believe that she had other, even better, kittens which died before reaching maturity. She was eventually sold to Miss Cochran, who had rather bad luck with her, and eventually became the property of Miss Bartlett, in whose hands she was at the time of her death.

I HEAR of numerous "arrivals "in the Manx world, and some of these kittens will probably put in an appearance in the show pen at no very distant date. Manx fanciers have so far frequently preferred to depend upon picking up good specimens, with the result that those shown have been very unequal in quality, but now that so many enthusiastic breeders have taken them up, we may hope to see a change. It is rather strange to note that the chances are very much in favour of kittens beings born with less tail than their parents, rather than with more. As an example I know of a Manx queen which has about half an inch of stump, and in her litter, by a long-tailed sire, were two tailless kittens, one with a stump, and one with a long tail. I have heard of several other similar cases.

A LETTER received by Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart just before Kilmarnock Show, where she judged, and published by her, reveals rather a terrible state of things in the cat fancy. It was written by a would-be competitor, and runs as follows: "Now, Mrs. Stewart, I am sending you my big blue gelding, never been beaten; also my blue kitten, first, second, and two specials at Dundee. I am going to send you the blue female that I sent you to mate. She will have her family in about a fortnight to mark. Now, Mrs. Stewart, I want an obligement from you. I want this blue female to win; her frill is not its best, but her size and colour and eyes should make her win. I will be only too pleased to oblige you again. Let me know by return it you can do this." Mrs. Stewart rightly placed this letter before the Kilmarnock Show Committee, and by their decision this owner's cats were not allowed to compete. The question arises in my mind how often he may have been successful in similar manoeuvres before he became sufficiently bold to address a lady of Mrs. Stewart's standing in such a manner.

MRS. CURWEN is contemplating a removal to the other side of Windsor - no light undertaking with her large family of cats. Orient Luna has six lovely blue kittens by Blue Boy II., and other litters are expected shortly.

MISS WHITE ATKINS has sold her handsome blue stud cat, Azure, a son of Blue Robin, to Miss Swain, and his place at Botley is filled by The Brushwood Boy, a large orange-eyed cat of Miss Bray's breeding.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
Pedro. - I do not think any bedding is necessary for a stud cat in the summer time. If he has a wooden shed be will be quite healthy and comfortable, and hay and straw harbour fleas, If you use woollen blankets for your cats beds they should be well shaken out every day and washed in disinfectant frequently.
MUSE. - I have found fir sawdust most excellent tor the cats' pans, and I have never had any trouble arising from its use even among tiny kittens. Of course, it gets into their coats, but shakes out again easily and at once. Do not use sawdust tor the indoor pans, as it makes the carpets look so untidy.
BUFF. - If a cat is carefully dried after being washed there is really very little risk. She should be washed in the morning and put in a basket near a good fire till she is absolutely dry. She should then be allowed to run about in the house for an hour or two before returning to her own quarters.
THOMAS. - I have frequently found young stud cats to be very vicious when about eighteen months old, and afterwards to become quite gentle again, A really vicious cat is by no means a desirable possession, and if in a few months' time yours gets no better you should part with him. With some cats petting is the only possible treatment, while the manners of others are vastly improved by a good smack. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 25, 1901, pg 457

I HAVE received a copy of that most interesting publication, OUR CATS Grand Summer Number, This little paper has improved greatly since its first appearance, and the number in question far surpasses anything of the kind yet produced. It contains several interesting articles by well-known breeders, and that on Siamese cats by Mrs. W. M. Neild is particularly bright and well written.

The article on "Pillars of the Stud-book," by Miss Frances Simpson, is excellent so far as it goes, but it is disappointing to find that many of the most important "pillars" are omitted; for example, Ch. Turkish Delight, Ch. Bundle, Silver Laddie, and Ch. Wankee. The three supplements are, as the advertisement says, magnificent. One is a reproduction of the photographs of twenty-seven well-known cats; one is a humorous drawing by Mr. Louis Wain; while the third contains the portraits of the committee of the Northern Counties Cat Club.

I HEAR from Miss Beal that the reason her kittens are advertised in our columns so cheaply is that she wishes to go from home for a short time, and cannot do so until some of her little families are disposed of. The cream male kittens are particularly good, and the blues are brothers and sisters to Romaldkirk Volage, the orange-eyed blue who did such a lot of winning a year or two ago. Volage, I hear, has three beautiful kittens by Roger of Lozells, and another promising litter is by Darius III. out of Iris, who is sister to Romaldkirk Flora.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has already twenty-two kittens, and two more litters are expected shortly.

MRS. BLUHM, of Kersal, Manchester, is, owing to a change of residence, retiring from the cat fancy and parting with all her chinchilla cats. Mrs. Bluhm is best known as the breeder of Ch. Fulmer Zaida and The Silver Sultan.

I THINK that, so far, we have had an unusually good breeding season. Large numbers of healthy kittens have been born, with the result that everybody has some to sell cheap because they are overstocked.

Late specials for the Botanic Gardens Show are offered by the Blue Persian Cat Society and the Chinchilla Club. It is not for me to criticise, but I cannot but marvel at the lightning growth of such societies nowadays. One week I write of their proposed formation, and the next I find that they are in a position to offer substantial support to shows. The cat fancy must indeed be flourishing.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
NEXT-DOOR CAT. - I am sorry you did not give me some details as to the appearance of your cat's skin, its general health, and how it has been fed and kept. Red mange is a form of eczema and not mange at all, and therefore, if this is what your cat is suffering from, he requires internal rather than external remedies Feed him on raw meat and give a dessertspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil every day, and every morning give him one grain of bicarbonate of potash. To the affected parts apply twice weekly a very little sulphur and vaseline ointment.
TOOTS. - Let the cat have his meat raw instead of cooked, stop the fish, and give a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil every day. If the remedies your vet. prescribes cure the actual places you cannot do better than continue using them, but as the cat's blood gets into better order his skin will get right.
BLUE-BLUE. - here is a popular delusion that all short-haired blue cats are Russian, but this is quite unfounded. There is a race of smooth blue cats in Russia, but these seem to stand little chance in the show pen when competing against English-bred cats. I bred a good short-haired blue from a long-haired silver tabby queen (with no blue relations) and a short-haired brown tabby sire, and I have known of others, prize-winners, which turned up in an equally unexpected manner. The cat does not seem, like the pigeon, to revert to the common ancestor, but moves forward quite on its own account sometimes. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 1, 1901, pg 496

THE cat world this week has been thrilled through and through by the following official announcement, which appeared in OUR CATS of May 18th:-
IMPORTANT DECISION. - The National Cat Club having come to the conclusion that it is detrimental to the cat fancy, a confusion to exhibitors, and that it opens the way to fraud that more than one register or stud book should exist, have decided to disqualify all cats that shall be registered at any other club on and after July 1st next. The word "disqualify" to mean that no cat whose name has been registered after July 1st, 1901, in any other register by or with the knowledge of its owner shall be accepted as an entry, or allowed to compete at any National Cat Club show or show held under National Cat Club rules. That on and after July 1st, 1901, the N.C.C. shall recognise no register but its own, but that the rule of disqualifying cats shall not apply to cats which may have been registered prior to July 1st, 1901.
(Signed), A. STENNARD ROBINSON, Hon. Sec. N.C.C.

I MUST confess that this announcement at this time of day came upon me as a startling surprise. For a year or two after the Cat Club register was started I expected something of the sort, but, like many other people, I had lately come to the conclusion that the N.C.C. doubted its own strength being sufficient to carry this rule through. There is certainly no exaggeration in the account of the mischief arising from the existence of two separate registers, and it was high time some steps were taken to improve matters. This I have always maintained. I think that the rule as published has not had sufficient consideration, and may require a little revising in detail. It will be difficult, in the face of the fact that the Cat Club register is published annually, to ascertain the exact date of registration, and assistance in this matter can hardly be expected from the Cat Club; also it falls a little hardly on novice exhibitors who may register and exhibit their cats under Cat Club rules before even hearing of the existence of the N.C.C. I think a rule somewhat on the pattern of Kennel Club rules would be more effective and simple, for cats could be disqualified if, after registration at the N.C.C., they were exhibited at any show for which separate registration was required,

THE question in all minds now is: What will the Cat Club do?" There are only two wise courses open to it. The first, and by far the best, is to approach the N.C.C. with a view to the amalgamation of the registers, and have a general peace all round. It is possible that the N.C.C. might not see its way to this, and it is hardly to be expected that it will, and, if so, it only remains for the Cat Club to shut up its register and stud book and hold shows without any of these troublesome regulations. If the Cat Club should do this it will gain in popularity what it loses in caste.

I AM informed on excellent authority that the Cat Club intends holding a show in Windsor in the autumn. No doubt this will be a charming show from the exhibitors' point of view, but whether the club will profit thereby is a question. I believe that the last Windsor Show was not a success financially, and I think that a show held in London would pay better, but we must hope for the best.

One of the latest additions to the N.C.C. committee is Sir Claud Alexander, and the club is to be congratulated upon obtaining his assistance in its management. Sir Claud is thoroughly well versed in all matters canine and feline, and it is quite certain that his name will not be a mere cipher. I believe I am right in saying that the only other committees to which he belongs are those of the Kennel Club and the British Cat Club. Other newly-elected members of the N.C.C. committee are Mrs. Herbert Ransome, Mrs. Collingwood, and Mrs. Walker, so it is evident that the N.C.C. is becoming more than ever ''a power in the land."

MRS. CAREW COX is advertising some of her well-known short-haired blue kittens for sale in our columns. These are bred from prize-winners, and are exceedingly promising.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 8, 1901, pg 534

THE N.C.C. Show at the Botanic Gardens was a most successful one, though the long-haired cats were, as was to be expected at this time of year, much out of coat. No stranger of unusual merit appeared, though there were some very promising kittens. Taking the long-haired classes first, I begin with the challenge class, where Ch. White Friar, the property of Miss Hunt and Mrs. Finnie Young, won. He is a beautiful cat, with grand head, shape, and coat, but his eves are far too pale in colour, and he must have had a hard fight with Romaldkirk Admiral, whose eyes are also his only weak point. White Friar also won in tie class for whites, beating Mrs. Maclaren Morrison's Musafer, a Vastly superior cat, but thoroughly out of form, and of him I shall have more to say next week. Aisha, the property of Miss White Atkins, a very nice little queen took third. In the black class no first prize-winner was to be found; Mrs. Walker's Leatherhead Lass took a second, and Lady Alexander's Ballochmyle Queen of Eyes, correctly named, third.

Blue males were led by Holmwood Lionel, looking well, with Mrs. Morris's pretty Blue San Toy second, and Miss Bennet's Peter of Tovil third. In blue females Miss Sangster was first with Royal Heather Belle, a nice cat, and Mrs. Boutcher's Blue Marguerite was second, with Romaldkirk Griffon third. I was sorry to see that Mrs. Brown's Smut was put down for her want of coat. Mrs. Sinkins's Teufel rightly won in the smoke class. He has a nice head and eyes, and is a good colour. Mrs. Little's Vesta I consider a better cat had she been in coat, and she has really good eyes, but she was quite out of condition. In the chinchilla class Mrs. Martin's Silver Squire's daughter won. She is good in colour. Rob Roy of Arrandale, second, is darker, and handicapped by his very small eyes, but he is a fine, big cat. Ameer, third, did not look well,

The orange male class contained nothing of merit, and in females the well-known Jael won, with Mrs. Vidal's Puma second, a very promising young cat with good eyes. Among cream males Romaldkirk Admiral was first, with Midshipmite second, and Mrs D'Arcy Hildyard's Matthew of the Durhams, a young son of Midshipmite, third. He is a promising young cat, good in colour and with nice eyes. Miss Beal won in the cream female class with Flirt, a nice young cat of her own breeding. Dr. Roper's Dainty Diana, a magnificent cat, won in the tortoiseshell class, with Miss Mildred Beal's pretty little Teesdale Pansy and Snapdragon second and third. Mrs. Herring's beautiful King Alfred won in the silver tabby class somewhat easily; he has good markings, and a nice face; he was followed by Lady Pink's Shrover II. and Miss Derby Hyde's Thames Valley Silver King

I saw no brown tabby winners, but thought there was nothing to equal Mrs. Herring's Floriana, whose colour is marvellous. In the self-coloured neuter class, I thought Miss Holmes's Blue Tut lucky to beat Madame Portier's well-known Blue Boy. Miss Sangster's Royal Prince du Congo won in the A O.C. neuter class. He is a good chinchilla.

My choice in the kitten class was Mrs. Baldwin's third-prize pair, which are good in all points and have glorious eyes. Miss Patterson took second with another pair of pale blues with nice eyes. Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard showed a charming litter of five fawns, which were placed first. I thought Mrs. Westlake's litter of blue-eyed whites might well have been higher than third, while Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart took V.H.C. only with the best-headed litter I have ever seen. A kitten from Mrs. Boutcher's litter of chinchillas by Lord Argent won the Lambkin silver trophy.

In the short-haired classes Lady Alexander swept the board, taking first in the challenge class for males with Ch. Ballochmyle Snow King, and in the female challenge class with Ch. Ballochmvle Goldfinder, Snow King also won in the white class, with Ch. Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes, a better cat, in my opinion, second, and Thames Valley Blue-Eyed Daddy third. Ballochmyle Black Bump, a huge cat with nice eyes, won in the black male class. In the red tabby class all the prizes went to the Ballochmyle team. Ballochmyle Perfect Still is one of the best-coloured reds I have ever seen. In the silver tabby class Mrs. Russell Biggs was lucky to win with San Toy.

In the blue class the glorious-eyed Ballochmyle Brother Bump was first, with Ch. Ballochmyle Blue King second. The Manx classes, as usual, caused some discussion. Miss Dresser's Bonhaki Junior, a nice tabby and white, won. He is marred by large ears. Miss Cochran's blue-eyed white, Ballochmyle Frost, was second. Ballochmyle Belle Stump. a charming spotted tabby female without a stump, took first and championship somewhat easily.

A good chocolate Siamese, Mr. Cooke's Zetland Wanzies, won in the foreign variety class, with Ballochmyle Bath Bun second. Zetland Wanzies won again in the Siamese male class, but was lucky to beat Mrs. Barnett's Royal Glympton Johnnie. Mrs. Backhouse's beautiful Eve won in the female Siamese class, with Mrs. Barnett's kitten second; and Mrs Backhouse won all the kitten prizes with some very nice kittens. In the litter class, Miss Hester Cochran won with a couple of unusually promising spotted tabby kittens, absolutely tailless and shown with their mother, a black Manx. Mrs. Robinson's five lovely little Siamese took second, and by some people were considered hardly used, but the judge was much attracted by the Manx babies.

The principal fault I have to find with the management of the show is that the new pens make a complete report impossible. The shy and cross cats retire into the private apartment where they cannot be seen, and refuse to come out. The judges complained of these pens greatly, so doubtless some improvement will be made for use on future occasions.

LADY ALEXANDER has returned triumphant from her visit to Edinburgh. Her blue cat, Brother Bump, took first and championship; Red Prince, a red tabby, first and championship; Samson, the tortoiseshell first and championship; Billie Blue Eyes, the white, first and medal for the best cat in the show; Mother Gush, a blue female, first; and Black Bump and Solomon, the tortoiseshell and white, each second. Lady Alexander has good reason to be pleased.

In the long-haired section Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart carried all before winning three firsts, two seconds, one third, and the Scottish Kennel Club Cup.

IT IS a curious fact that nearly all cat fanciers breed at least once a year from every queen they possess, instead of keeping one back so that she may come in coat early for the autumn shows. Dog fanciers are much wiser; they, as a rule, breed only for what they want, and do not indulge in "potboilers," and I think that is possibly why puppies are so much less trouble to rear than kittens. - DICK WHITTINGTON

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 15, 1901, pg 9

MUCH amusement was aroused at the Botanic Gardens Show by an extraordinary meeting held by a few discontented persons to consider the new N.C.C. rule. The meeting was an open-air one, and I heard the word "tub" mentioned. A number of ladies assembled at first, but the majority of these withdrew on being informed that the meeting was an illegal one. and had no power to make resolutions. Some members of the N.C.C. and of the Cat Club, and some who belonged to neither club, were there, and some resolutions were passed and papers signed, but the N.C.C. authorities took no notice, for I heard that they were convinced that no harm could be done; nevertheless, when two members of the N.C.C. committee casually strolled up the path, the meeting melted away as if by magic. Someone, presumably as a practical joke, circulated a report that all those persons who attended the meeting would be expelled from the N.C.C., and this report actually gained credence and caused much anxiety in the minds of the guilty persons,

Mrs. GRAVES'S cats were, unfortunately, too much out of coat to appear at the Botanic Gardens.

Mrs. CURWEN was studying Siamese in the cat tent with a view to purchase, but I believe she eventually decided to try and procure some from Mrs. Robinson, of Wankee fame. Ch. Wankee was not entered tor the show, which is the first of any importance at which he has not appeared since his debt.

ANOTHER well-known cat who was much missed was Ch. Katzenjammer, Mrs. Brooke's well-known Manxy, and general regret was expressed at the announcement of his death; nevertheless, the Manx section was full of interest, and the principal honours went to Lady Alexander's team of queens.

LADY ALEXANDER has another sensational red, short-haired cat coming on in Ballochmyle Perfect Still, who, though only a kitten, will, in another six months, get ahead of his sire, Ch. Perfection, who is at present the best short-hair in England. Perfect Still is even better than his sire in head, colour, and markings.

A CAT I much admired was Mrs. McLaren Morrison's Musafer, a long-haired, blue-eyed, white male. Musafer has a peculiar scar across his nose, which, I am informed, shows that he is one of the few animals which have crossed the great watershed or Asia. Whether the operation was performed to assist him in breathing, or "to keep the bogies away," the story does not say, but if the latter object it has apparently been unsuccessful, as Musafer is much troubled by ghostly visitors. Every night at 10.30 three taps are heard at the drawing-room window, and Musafer at once leaves his bed and flies to the window, where for a few moments he converses with "something" outside.

THE B.P.C.S. is now an accomplished fact. Rules have been passed and officers and committee elected. Some people seem to have an impression that the B.P.S. collapsed from lack of support, but I am in a position to state that this is not so. A large number of fanciers were anxious that it should be kept going, but Mrs. Strick, unlike most cat fanciers, was sufficiently public-spirited to put her own feelings behind her, and when she saw that a rival society was being formed she realized that the blue Persian cat would be none the better for the fierce battles which were raging among its admirers, and quietly withdrew from the contest.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 22, 1901, pg 49

MRS. COLLINGWOOD writes to tell me that her blue Persian male, Royal Bobs, was first at the N.C.C. Show, and not Holmwood Lionel.

MRS. RANSOME is now busy preparing for the kitten show to be held by the Northern Counties Cat Club on September 25th. Though one had heard much discussion as to the advisability of such a show, the N.C.C.C. was the first, and is still the only, club to try the experiment, and it proved remarkably successful last year, and will probably be even more so in the future. The N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace will be held on October 29th and 30th.

MUCH correspondence has appeared in a contemporary on the subject of the new N.C C. rule about registration, but it is a noteworthy fact that not one prominent fancier has expressed an opinion on the subject. Personally, I think that a peace will be made before long, and I am convinced that this would be for the good of the younger club.

CAT fanciers who wish for a charming picture of their pets should read Mrs. Bonny's advertisement of crystoleum paintings in our "Sale and Exchange" column. I have seen a specimen of Mrs. Bonny's work and thought it exceedingly nice, and the prices charged are very low, being from 5s. for a single cat or kitten to 10s. 6d. for a group. I am sorry to hear that one of Mrs Bonny's cats has not returned from the N.C C. Show, but hope that she may soon recover it.

I AM asked to announce the formation of a new club, to be called "The Manx Cat Club." Several breeders of Manx cats have been disgusted and disappointed by the small amount of encouragement offered to their favourite breed at shows, and the object of this club is to offer handsome money prizes for Manx cats at shows where the judge, classification, etc., are approved by the club. A ten-guinea challenge cup will also be offered for competition among the members. The annual subscription is one guinea, and the entrance fee half a guinea. The secretary is Miss Hester Cochran, Witchampton, Wimborne.

MRS. MARTIN'S Lambkin Queen took second at the Crystal Palace in 1897, only being beaten by Ch. Zaida, and at the time she was nursing three kittens, which took a second at the same show. She is the dam of St. Anthony, Ameer, Fascination, and innumerable other well-known winners. In her photograph, taken at the age of nine years, she shows a strong resemblance to Southampton Duchess. who was nearly related to her, for Lambkin Queen is by Nizam ex Beauty, and Duchess was by Bundle out of Beauty's Daughter, who was Lambkin Queen's full sister. Mrs. Martin has been singularly successful in exhibiting chinchilla kittens, and generally carries off all the prizes she competes for, but Lambkin Queen is her favourite of all her pets, and follows her about like a little dog and will fetch and carry.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 29, 1901, pg 89

MISS SNELL has recently purchased Mrs. Arthur Campbell's chinchilla male cat Tintagel. Tintagel is a very large pale-coloured cat with good green eyes, and has done a good bit of winning, though he has, on the whole, been unlucky in the show pen.

IN reading show reports I am often mazed by the criticisms published of short-haired cats. A most astounding ignorance is frequently displayed, which leads me to think that the short-hairs are considered unimportant, and are handed over to the tender mercy of the critic of long-hairs without enquiry as to whether he understands them or not. Nothing can be more erroneous than to suppose that a knowledge of long-haired cats fits one to write of short-hairs, though a good judge of a short-haired cat will not go far wrong in estimating the points of a long-hair.

FOR many years I was only interested in long-haired cats, and, though I always had a certain diffidence I passing an opinion upon them, I admit I suffered from a delusion that I had very little to learn about the short-hairs. A few years ago I took the trouble to study up every breed of cat commonly exhibited, with the result that I found the short-haired, so called, British cat was the most interesting of all.

AS an example of the errors referred to, I may mention a report of a large show which appeared recently. A self-coloured, short-haired cat, whose worst fault was that he carried too much soft coat was persistently complimented on his good coat and form generally - as a matter. of fact, he was not in good condition - while two magnificent males of the same colour, turned out speckless, and looking their best, from a cattery renowned for the perfect condition of its inmates, were accused of being dirty and out of form. It was certainly a libel to call them dirty, and as for the matter of form, methinks that reporter missed the ruff and frill, for both cats had better coats and were in far better condition than the one previously mentioned.

THE time of year has now arrived when it behoves all breeders to pay great attention to the coats of their cats and kittens in order to keep them tree from fleas. In the south of Englund these amount to a positive plague, and two days of neglect will cause a tiny kitten to be nearly devoured. It is obviously impossible that kittens should thrive when covered with fleas, so these should be carefully combed every day and occasionally powdered with whatever brand of flea powder the owner prefers. In the case of young kittens the powder should be very carefully brushed out again.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
BEBE. - The only black Persian male I know of with really good orange eyes is Dr. Roper's Dick Fawe, who took the gold medal at Westminster for the best long-haired cat in the show.
BOUNCER. - I advise you to be rather careful where you buy a long-haired brown tabby kitten, as quite a number of those offered for sale are not pure-bred, and one is rarely to be found which has not a white chin. This mars the cat's beauty, and is a serious fault in the show pen.
TRIXIE. - I advise you to mate your brown tabby queen with an orange or red tabby male, as the kittens will then be a tich sable in colour.
L.B. - 1. I most strongly advise the operation as otherwise you will not be able to keep the cat as a pet for various reasons. 2. It would only occupy a few moments if done during kittenhood, and he could return home at once. 3. There is practically no danger if done before the animal is full grown, and there should be no after suffering. 4. A similar operation can be performed on the female animal, but it is more dangerous, more cruel, and frequently only partially successful; that is to say, the animal may be as troublesome as ever, though there will be no results. Did you not write under a different pseudonym last time? I think you must have done so, as I cannot remember prescribing for your cat, and should like to know what I advised. I am glad it was successful. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 6, 1901, pg 159

IN the matter of cat news some weeks there is a feast and in others a famine, but this week I am glad to sav there is a feast. The Cat Club has announced its intention of holding a show at Slough on September 27th, and another at Brighton on November 12th and 13th. As the N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace is to be held on October 29th and 30th, some people imagine that the entries there will be affected, but I do not think there is the least chance of this. The Crystal Palace has always been, and, I believe, will always be, the leading show of the year; and a win at the Crystal Palace is of more account than at any other show.

THE Cat Club Show at Slough is likely to be a success if the registration rule is allowed to lapse as it did at Brighton last year, but if not I fear there will be a poor entry.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD informs me that her blue Persian cat, Royal Bobs, took first in the open blue male class and first in the kitten class at the Botanic Gardens. He was bred by the Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, and is a son of Blue Boy II.

THE cat world is sympathizing deeply with Mrs. Balding on the loss of her chinchilla male cat, Silver Tod Sloan, whose death has just been announced. Tod Sloan was one of the largest and best coloured silvers yet bred, and though but seldom shown he won both at the Crystal Palace and Brighton last year.

I AM pleased to hear that Mrs. Bonsey's tabby cat, Heather Belle, which was missing after the Botanic Gardens Show, has been returned to her owner,.

THE Silver Society has issued voting papers asking its members to pass the rules drawn up by the general meeting of the society, also the standard of points, and to confirm the election of Miss Anderson Leake and Miss Champion as delegates to the Cat Club.

FROM the wording of the voting paper I gather that the Cat Club first elects delegates from the specialist societies and then asks these societies to confirm their election. Surely this is an unusual method. I think it would be more satisfactory for the societies to elect their own delegates, and then ask the Cat Club tor confirmation.

HOUNSLOW Show on July 10th provides four classes for cats which will be judged by Mr. T. B. Mason.

SEVERAL really good cats are advertised in our Sale and Exchange column this week. Mrs. Sinkins's Teufel is a very fine young cat, and I admired him greatly at the Botanic Gardens Show, where he took first and championship. He would be an excellent investment for anyone desirous of breeding smoke cats, as his value as a stud cat has already been proved. Mrs. Sinkins is parting with him as she can only keep one stud cat.

MRS. KENNAWAY is advertising some excellent breeding queens - a well-bred young blue, and Susan, a magnificent sable -both in kitten; and a blue tortoiseshell male kitten, at which I am surprised, as I thought such a curiosity would never change hands. There are several tortoiseshell short-haired males, but I have never seen a long-hair, though I have heard of nine which died in infancy. A blue tortoiseshell is certainly a step in the right direction, and no doubt this kitten will be promptly snapped up.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
PUNCH. - Lice in cats usually show that they have been kept in a very dirty place or that they are in poor condition. Rub some powdered camphor and sulphur into the skin every other day and comb frequently with a fine toothcomb.
PUSSY. - These terrible swellings in the ears are fairly common amongst cats, and if not properly treated may result in the cat's disfigurement for life. Take him at once to a clever veterinary surgeon tor treatment.
DAFFODIL. - Boiled lights may be given to cats regularly if they like them and they do not make them sick. Raw liver is too relaxing to be given regularly, and some cats are violently upset by a single meal of it; but, as a rule, it may with advantage be given once or twice a week.
TAFFY. - I am inclined to agree with the paragraph to which you refer, as the animal certainly was not a typical specimen of the breed to which it belonged. I have been told that the common cat of Siam is black, with blue eyes; but I have never seen one or met anyone who has. They would certainly be pretty, uncommon, and valuable, but not as Royal cats of Siam. I once owned a so-called black Siamese kitten, but her eyes were green. Her sire was a Royal Siamese, and her dam a blue short-haired cat which was supposed to be a Siamese.
PERPLEXED. - Your cat's case is a little puzzling. The state of his body clearly points to eczema, while the sores on his leg indicate mange. Can you not get your vet. to take a scraping from the affected part and make a microscopical examination of it? You must stop giving him milk or porridge, and feed him twice daily, giving not more than two ounces of raw beef or horseflesh at each meal. Give him also a teaspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil once daily. Do not put sulphur in his food but continue dressing the sore place with sulphur and vaseline twice a week; use a very small quantity of the ointment, and rub it well in. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 13, 1901, pg 169

A RETIRED cat fancier recently lent me a copy of a little paper published in New York, and called MAN'S BEST FRIENDS, in which he said I should find, in an article entitled "All-American Setter Club," much that was applicable to ''all English cat clubs." The writer proposes to form a new setter club, because those in existence do not meet with his entire approval, though he says:-
I am obliged to admire the standard of the American-English Setter Club, solely on account of the "make-up" of the committee who framed it. It is always nice on a committee of this kind to have men whom a fellow sometimes reads about in the dog papers.
In speaking of the club he proposes to form, he says:-
I have a standard that I have just written, and three or four friends who would make a good committee. First, Major Shoemaker. He is a real soldier, having volunteered when the Spanish War broke out, though he failed to pass the examination on account of his eyes. He is so tall he can only see things when they are held up to him, Second, Dr. A. Pink Clover, a specialist on diseases of dogs. Third, Lawyer Shoemaker (no kin to the Major), who is a fine fellow and a true sport. Then I could get one or two more, who don't amount to much except to fill up. For judges we could have me and you. I am quite sure that that would be better than a longer list, because other men might want to use their own judgment, and the high excellency of the standard would then be lost.
The whole plan of campaign bears a striking resemblance to the manner in which the majority of cat clubs are formed.

I RECENTLY had the pleasure of seeing the very handsome challenge cup presented to the Siamese Cat Club by its president, Mrs. Vary Campbell, of Edinburgh. On the front of the cup is a most charming miniature, painted by Miss Derby Hyde, of the head of a Siamese cat. The original of this portrait was Juliette, an unusually handsome cat, imported by Mrs. Vary Campbell and much loved by her. Her mistress, being unable to keep cats for a time, sold Juliette to Lady Marcus Beresford, but she very soon caught cold and died. The abovementioned cup was offered for competition for the first time at the Botanic Gardens Show and was won by Mrs Backhouse's Eve, a handsome cat, bred by Mrs. Vyvyan from Tiam-o-Shian and Polyphema.

It is rather a curious fact that many of the best short-haired blue cats I have seen have been bred from parti-coloured parents, while I can hear of no case in which a blue has been the parent of an exceptionally good short-haired kitten of any other colour, though in long-hairs, of course, the case is different. I daresay the explanation is that the variety kittens are regarded as a blot upon the family escutcheon and promptly destroyed.

TO put it mildly, there seems, judging from the letters which appear in a contemporary, to be a "dryness " between the Silver Society and the Chinchilla Club. This, I think, was inevitable when two clubs were working with practically the same objects but under different management. There is no doubt that the Silver Society has done great things, but when it became evident that it intended to support the Cat Club at the expense of the N.C.C., some staunch supporters of the latter club started the Chinchilla Club, which appears to be doing well. It was hardly to be expected that a club which had only been in existence a few weeks could give very substantial support to the Botanic Gardens Show, but the Chinchilla Club, as I remarked at the time, did remarkably well for its age.

SILVER STARLIGHT is a beautiful young chinchilla, the property of Miss Snell, of Wimbledon. He has been the most successful cat of the year, winning second to Silver Tod Sloan at Brighton in the class for shaded silvers or chinchillas, and carrying off all the Silver Society's specials for the best chinchilla. At Westminster he took first and innumerable specials, and also at the Crystal Palace. He is the best coloured chinchilla male cat I have seen in the show pen.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
CHICK. - Your kitten shows its sense in declining to eat porridge and milk. You could find no more certain way of killing it, I never yet met with a kitten that could eat oatmeal without disastrous results. Give your kitten, every morning and evening, half a teasaucerful of arrowroot, and at midday let it have a tablespoon of scraped raw beet. You can gradually decrease the arrowroot and increase the quantity of meat given, until, when the kitten is six months old, it is ted entirely on meat.
CUPID. - I am sorry I can teil you of no sovereign cure tor fleas. Keep the houses well washed and swept out, and use disinfectants freely, Comb the cats frequently, and use any of the advertised flea powders, being careful to brush all powder out of the fur after using, and you will be able to keep the plague in check, at any rate.
BOUNCER. - Do not mate your blue-eyed white queen with a male of any other colour, or you will probably get a few tabby kittens and some whites with black smudges on their heads.
META. - If you buy a good blue queen and mate her with a really first-class male, you should certainly be able to make a small sum, say £20 of £30, annually by the sale of her kittens, if you have good luck in rearing them, but you will have to pay about £10 for the queen to start with.
ELAINE. - I know of no prize-winning cat of the name you mention, but if you will write and tell me the name of his owner I will find out about him for you. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 20, 1901, pg 240

I AM sorry to hear that Mrs. Kirk, of Leamington Spa, has decided to give up cat breeding because she finds so much difficulty in disposing of her kittens. Mrs. Kirk is unable to attend shows and does not care to send her cats to them alone, and so, of course, they are not known to fame. The gems of the collection, Edelweiss and Snowbelle, two blue-eyed white queens by White Friar ex Crystal, have already been disposed of - Edelweiss to Miss Kerswill and Snowbelle to Miss White Atkins, who now has quite a number of white Persians and is most enthusiastic over her new purchase. Another recent purchase of Miss White Atkins is the young chinchilla male, Tintagel, whose sale to Miss Snell I recorded a week or two ago. Tintagel's temper was somewhat upset by the discovery that he was not the only gentleman in the cattery, and as, of course, Silver Starlight is Miss Snell's favourite, she decided to part with the newomer, who will take up his quarters at Botley shortly.

LADY ALEXANDER has recently had large additions to her family of short-haired blue cats in the shape of sundry promising families of kittens. As these kittens are all bred from parents which possess the deepest orange eves I have ever seen, the Faygate cattery should in future be thoroughly stocked with cats possessing this desirable point.

WHEN the Silver Society was formed a great point was made of the fact that it would have no committee, and that it would be managed entirely by general meetings and voting papers. This plan appeared to work excellently, but at a recent meeting it was proposed and carried that a committee should be elected. Whether this alteration in the management will be a success or not remains to be proved.

A CONTEMPORARY deplores the lack of interest taken by members in the doings of the society, as shown by the fact that less than one third of the voting papers sent out were filled in and returned. I am inclined to think that this shows not so much a lack of interest as an awakening sense of responsibility in the minds of the members. In every club and society there are, no doubt, a considerable number of people who know nothing of the other members or of catty matters in' general. In days gone by these people would cheerfully have voted upon any subject which was brought up, whether they had an opinion on the matte: or not. This happy-go-lucky way of settling a question did untold harm, and I hope it Is becoming a thing of the past, and that people will now refrain from voting on a subject of which they know nothing merely because "it's a pity to waste a vote."

THE Manx Club seems determined to make itself a power in the land, and I hear that the secretary has approached Mrs. Stennard Robinson with a view to guaranteeing some of the Manx classes at the Crystal Palace Show, and also offering its challenge cup and specials. The Manx cat is rapidly gaining in popularity, and all that it now needs to establish it firmly as a general favourite is an improved classification at the big shows. Unfortunately, breeders of Manx cats are but few; Mrs. Brooke was an enthusiastic supporter of the breed, but all her best cats are dead. Lady Alexander has some beautiful queens, but has not as yet exhibited a tom of equal merit. Miss Jay has some good Manx cats, but has given up exhibiting. Mr. Gambier Bolton made a small sensation at Westminster, where he was almost the only Manx exhibitor, with a queen of nondescript colour which afterwards turned out to be a tom! Miss Dresser possesses some really good tabby and whites, and Miss Cochran has a varied collection of typical cats and kittens, while Miss Samuels has bred a number of good blacks. There are, of course, a number of people who own one or two Manx cats, but I know of no one else who breeds them extensively.

OF all catty disorders I think eczema is the most common, and rarely a week passes that I do not receive at least one enquiry as to its treatment. Improper feeding is almost invariably the cause of the complaint, and I do not believe that it is hereditary, though, of course, if a cat has any skin disease while she is nursing her kittens, they are practically certain to get it, and under these circumstances they had better be destroyed, as they with not repay treatment. A cat which is regularly fed on a small quantity of raw beef or horseflesh will almost invariably be free from eczema. I do not say invariably, because if I did so someone would be certain to prove to me that I was wrong in at least one instance, but I can say that I never saw or heard of that one instance.

We must, however, suppose that a cat fed on raw meat has developed a skin disease and requires treatment. The first thing is to request a veterinary surgeon to make a microscopical examination of a scraping from the animal's skin, so as to decide whether it is suffering from mange or some other parasitical disorder. If he pronounces the disease to be eczema, the patient's diet must be changed. Let it be fed twice a day on arrowroot, rice pudding, fish, chicken, or small birds, and give it' a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil twice daily. If, however, the patient has been fed on a mixed diet, or on fish or on farinaceous food, the change to raw beef or horseflesh will be all that is necessary, but I wish I could make people understand what a small quantity of meat is sufficient for a cat. Raw meat is to the cat such a concentrated form of nourishment that even a large tom cannot assimilate more than three or four ounces daily, and this may be given either in one meal or two. If the cat is a house pet and does not seem satisfied with this quantity, but makes himself troublesome by begging for more, the bulk of his food may be increased by adding white breadcrumbs, which will satisfy without nourishing.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 27, 1901, pg 265

THE N.C.C. Show at Harrogate on August 14th and 15th should be well supported by northern fanciers. Unfortunately, it is too early for cats to be in coat, but I expect to see a large turn-out from those catteries whose excuse for their non-representation at the London shows is that the journey from the north of England is too long. It is announced that there will be nineteen classes for long-hairs, ten for short-hairs, and two for local exhibits. Four prizes will be given in each class, and a large number of classes are guaranteed.

SANDY SHOW, which takes place on August 29th, appears to occupy the unenviable position of a bone of contention between the two cat clubs. It appears that the secretary applied for support to both the N.C.C. and the Cat Club. Both clubs gave specials, but the latter made the condition that all cats should be registered in their books, and this rule was accordingly printed in the schedule. To this the N.C.C. could not be expected to submit, and, indeed, since the passing of the new registration rule, it was, I think, out of its power to do so, and all specials, etc were withdrawn. I think it more than likely that all this unfortunate disagreement will have a disastrous effect upon the entries at the show.

MISS DRESSER, of Bexley Heath, is a very faithful admirer of the Manx cat, though she has been unfortunate in the matter of rearing kittens; she has, however, procured a couple of nice kittens, and hopes to make a good entry at the Crystal Palace Show.

MRS. BALDWIN, whose name is generally associated with sensational long-haired kittens, is spending a holiday in the Isle of Man, and seems to be laying in supplies of Manx kittens.

MISS PARR writes to tell me that she has discovered an excellent safeguard against fleas in the kitten nurseries. When a little family of kittens were two days old she noticed a flea on one of them, so she slipped a bar of naphthaline under the top blanket, and not one single flea has been seen since, though the kittens are now running about. These kittens are kept in the house and are never given straw for their beds, but, instead, they have two or three folded newspapers, on the top of which is laid a piece of house flannel carefully tucked in at the edges. Miss Parr has now four exquisite kittens, which she hopes shortly to advertise for sale; one is a pale silver, one a smoke, and the others are blue.

MISS HARPER has long been known as a good Samaritan in the cat world. For some years she kept a cats' home int Brighton, but for various reasons she was obliged to give up this excellent and charitable institution, and now lives at Briarlea, Hayward's Heath. The house stands in the midst of beautiful country, and adjoining it is an acre of land well suited for the accommodation of a colony of cats. Miss Harper makes a speciality of taking in cat boarders for change of air, or while their owners are away from home. The cats are fed according to the wishes of their owners, and there is a daily cooking of sheep's heads, hearts, etc., and a weekly supply of raw beef, tripe, and fish. New milk can be obtained from a neighbouring farm if required, and fresh water is left in every pen.

THE catteries consist of a number of detached houses and runs, so that, when necessary, the cats may be isolated; but, as a rule, they all have complete liberty in the garden, as the outer hedges have been carefully wired in. Awnings are put up during the heat of the day, and the cats thoroughly enjoy scrambling about among the trees. Miss Harper's own cats are principally blue-eyed whites, of which the best is the Blue-Eyed Wanderer, a very handsome cat with glorious deep blue eyes. He took first Crystal Palace, second Brighton, and first, silver challenge cup, and three specials at Westminster. Other beautiful cats are White Violet, White Crystal, White Myrtle, White Marguerite, White Lily, and White Elfrida. Waterloo is a large, handsome blue, son of the old Ch. Turkish Delight, and sire of many winners, the most notable being Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's Ronald. - DICK WHITTINGTON

DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
DREYFUS. - I think from your description that the cat is suffering from mange, You had better take it to a good vet. and ask him to make a microscopical examination of a scraping from the cats skin, as this is the proper method of deciding the point. The cat must be completely isolated, and great care should be exercised in handling it, as the disease may easily be communicated to human beings. It should be fed on raw meat and have a teaspoon of cod-liver oil twice daily, and the skin should be dressed all over twice a week with sulphur and vaseline ointment, of which only a small quantity must be used, and which must be well rubbed into the skin. If the cats a long-haired one it will be as well to clip it.
MOUSE. - There is, I believe, an old fable to the effect that rats and mice are poison to cats it eaten in their entirety, though historians differ as to whether it is the brain, the tail, or the liver which is dangerous. Of course, this is all nonsense. All my cats, and even tiny kittens, eat as many rats and mice as they can catch, and they have never been the worse for them - in fact, there is no better or more natural food for cats.
PINCHER. - Sponge the ear out very carefully with warm water to which a few drops of Condy's fluid have been added, then dry carefully with cotton-wool, and drop in a pinch of boracic acid powder.
PETER. - For the brown scurf on the cats' tails the following dressing is a certain cure: Mix equal parts of paraffin oil and sweet oil, and thicken with sulphur. Apply freely to the tail once a week until a cure is effected.
BRUNETTE. - The tortoise-shell cat should have three decided colours red, yellow, and black in patches. The tricolour, Frequently called tortoise-shell and white, is patterned with red and black and heavily marked with white,
MEG MERRILEES. - 1. Watch this column, and you will see the information you want very shortly. 2. In regard to your second query: Yes, by all means. It would be a great mistake to allow such a valuable cat to come to any harm for lack of such a simple precaution. But be sure the travelling basket is big enough.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 3, 1901, pg 305

THE National Cat Club held a committee meeting on July 12th, and it appears that the new registration rule was discussed, for in the official account of the meeting it is announced that "it was decided to substitute a simpler, yet more effective, regulation for the one now in force." This, as I pointed out some time ago, is a necessary step, owing to the difficulty of enforcing the original rule, but fanciers will anxiously await further information, as the above statement conveys absolutely none, though suggesting a great deal to follow.

FOR Harrogate Show on August 13th and 14th, the N.C.C. has struck out a new line by providing a novice class tor long-hairs and one for short-hairs, in which the prizes will be £2, £1, 10s., and 5s., for a 5s. entrance fee. The judges appointed are Mr. Astley for long-haired blues; Mr. House for long-haired chinchillas, shaded silvers, smokes, creams, oranges, neuters, novices, and Siamese; Mr. Townsend for the remaining long-hairs and the local classes, and Mr. Wellburn for all the short-hairs except Siamese.

AT a recent committee meeting of the Cat Club it was resolved to bow so far to public opinion as in future to print in show schedules not only the names of the judges but also the classes which they will judge. It was also decided to hold the Brighton Show on November 12th and 13th in Mellinson's Hall, West Street, instead of in the Aquarium as usual.

Mrs. Baldwin has returned from the Isle of Man accompanied by two Manx cats and ten kittens of various ages and colours. A handsome red tabby tom cat has gone to Miss Cochran, who has great hopes of breeding invincible Manx in the future by this infusion of genuine Manx blood into her strain. Witchampton Dandelion, as he is named, is a large, handsome, well-marked cat, with a little patch of white on his throat, and has a capital head and eyes. His hind-quarters are all that is to be desired, and he has no tail at all, only a little piece of loose skin to indicate where it might have been.

"Zaida," of FUR AND FEATHER, has become alarmingly accurate, and finds fault with my remarks about the Chinchilla Club. It appears that I congratulated the club on its performances at the N.C.C. Show, which I thought very creditable considering its few weeks of existence. '"Zaida" announces that the club was first suggested ten weeks before the show, and maintains that ten is "more than a few." "Zaida" also calls me to order for saying that the Silver Society supports the Cat Club in preference to the N.C.C. In proof of my statement, I need only refer to the published list of specials given by the Silver Society to the Cat Club Show at Slough, which number eighteen, the society guaranteeing three classes, whereas to the N.C.C. Show at Harrogate four silver medals are given, and these only on condition that the show executive provides an extra kitten class. Far be it from me to blame the S.S. for taking this course - I merely wish to justify my remarks; and this result was to be anticipated, seeing that of the twelve members of the S.S. committee five are also members of the Cat Club committee, and there is only one prominent member of the N.C.C. included.

MRS MACKENZIE STEWART informs me that her blue male cat Ronald eats 1lb. of steak and half a cupful of cream every day. It is extraordinary to observe what a quantity of food a popular stud cat can dispose of, and I well remember the huge platefuls of fish, etc., and the great bowls of milk which were constantly being demolished by Lord Southampton when he was in Mrs. Greenwood's hands. I suppose it is all a matter of habit, but 1 am inclined to think that these cats would be quite as well and live longer if they had only halt the quantity of food. Ronald, by the way, is the sire of 150 fine kittens, born this spring.

A cats' home is being started in Parkstone, and Mrs. Badely, of Pinecroft, is the secretary. All cats will be received into the home, and those suffering from disease or injuries will be immediately destroyed by chloroform. Healthy cats will be kept ten days in the hope of their owners claiming them or of a home being found for them. Anyone wishing to dispose of her cats is at liberty to take them to the home, and no charge is made, though, as funds are urgently needed, it is hoped that everyone who can afford to do so will give a small sum to the home. This home is urgently needed, as in a town like Bournemouth, where people come and go so much, numbers of cats are daily left to starve.

DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
MISS NUGENT. - If you will advertise your kittens in our Sale and Exchange column, I will do what I can to help you, but I am sure you will understand that it would not be fair to our regular advertisers were I to recommend unadvertised kittens in preference to theirs, as they, of course, have the first claim to my assistance.
JIMMY. - Certainly take the thick flannel lining out of your cat's travelling basket in this weather, but I think you will find it best to put in a thin linen lining round the sides half-way up, and also across the lid, in case the basket should be left in the sun. I always like animals to travel at night in hot weather, if it can be managed.
PIPPA. - The more the kittens can be out of doors in this weather the better, and sleeping on the grass will never do them the least harm unless it is soaking wet. Shut the cattery kittens in before the dew falls, but the house ones may be allowed to run in and out until the doors are shut.
PUSSY. - You are quite right. Cats require less to eat in hot weather; that is only natural, is it not? On no account increase the number of meals you give to your stud cat, or you will find that he will go thoroughly out of condition, and it will be late in the season before he picks up again. Give him his one meal as late in the evening as possible, when it is cool.
PRACTICAL. I do not believe in bedding down kittens' houses. I much prefer a bare, clean floor and a pan of mould or sawdust, which can be frequently changed. This is a very much simpler and cleaner plan than the other, and better tor training the kittens in tidy habits.
PERPLEXED. - It certainly seems as if your cat had got blood poisoning. It might be caused by the bite of a rat which had been eating some decayed matter. I think it is quite worth while to try and pull him round, but it will take time, and you must continue the diet recommended for a month of six weeks at least before you can expect to see much improvement. Let him have cod-liver oil as advised, and twice daily he should have 1 grain of quinine in a pill. The sores should be bathed with boracic lotion. Let me hear how he goes on.
DAMARIS. - The extreme heat we have recently endured would fully account for the cat's somnolence. The amount of food you give him does not seem too much, but if he remains habitually dull and listless, and you think his coat and general appearance are not what they should be, perhaps you will write again in a lew weeks. Of course it does not do to worry, as you say, but it is natural that you should be anxious about a pet with such an interesting history. DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 10, 1901, pg 345

THE officially authorized statement which appears in OUR CATS will, I imagine, convey all that anyone wants to know about the new N.C.C. rule, which, it seems, is to be ''a more practical and simpler form of disqualification, to take effect at all shows where registrations other than those of the N.C.C. are in force." This, of course, is the only rule of the kind which can be enforced, as any milder regulation gives great opening for fraud.

LADY ALEXANDER has acquired one of Miss Cochran's spotted tabby Manx kittens which appeared at the Botanic Gardens Show in the winning litter. Mr. Welburn, the judge, thought exceedingly well of these kittens. Lady Alexander has also purchased a red tabby Manx kitten, which, if he fulfils his youthful promise, should ere long develop into yet another Ballochmyle champion.

PARKSTONE CANINE ASSOCIATION held a members' show the other day, and gave three classes for cats, which were judged by Miss Hester Cochran. The entries were exceedingly poor, and the class for short-hairs had to be cancelled. Mrs. Milner, of Parkstone, took first and silver medal for the best cat in the show with a pure, heavily-coated blue, spoilt by green eyes. In his pen to keep him company, but not for competition, was a charming little black short-haired queen with orange eyes. Second went to Mr. J. S. Woods's brown tabby with a white chin, and third to Mrs. Cartwright's cream, Junket, who was quite out of form. Mrs. Cartwright won in the litter class.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has sold her blue-eyed white Persian queen, White Nun, to Miss Simpson. Mrs. Stewart tells me that she never has any luck with kittens that are not by her own stud cats, but really I think there is little need for her to go beyond her own cattery in search of good blood, for with such sires as Ronald, Florian, and Darnley on the premises, what mcre can be desired?

MISS DRESSER'S Moonlight is a charming silver tabby Manx queen, and though she has taken a number of prizes she may be considered unfortunate, inasmuch as, though she is one of the best Manx cats ever shown, she has frequently been passed over in favour of less typical specimens. Now that the Manx cat has been strongly taken up we may hope in the future to see them judged by competent persons.

THE HON. PHILIP WODEHOUSE'S Silver Tom is undoubtedly the best shaded silver cat of the day. He has a magnificent head, a coat like a sheep, and he is not, like most so-called shaded silvers, merely a dark chinchilla. Silver Tom took first and six specials at Westminster.

CAT fanciers in general suffer from a delusion that when their cats' appetites flag during extremely hot weather they should be tempted to eat with all kinds of dainties. Nothing could be more unwise than such treatment, for the animal refuses food simply because it does not require it, and to persuade it to eat more than it wants is to ensure its going thoroughly out of condition. An excellent rule during hot weather is to feed the cats as late in the evening as possible, and certainly not before six o'clock, and to cut down their meals by one-third before they show symptoms of loss of appetite. If the saucers are not quickly cleaned up a further reduction in the quantity offered may be made, and all food not eaten within half an hour of feeding time should be removed. These remarks, of course, do not apply to kittens or to their mothers.

A CAREFUL watch must be kept for any small, hard spots about the head and neck, and when they appear they should be daily anointed with sulphur and vaseline. Eczema appears among cats most frequently during the summer, and if it is not promptly checked the cats will not be in coat in time for the autumn shows.

DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
PUSS. - I advise you to cut the long grass in the centre of your kitten runs, but to leave a good border in which they can play hide and seek. Leave it long in the stud cat's run, as that will give him some shade. I plant Virginia creeper outside my runs, and let it grow all over the roofs, and it makes them look pretty as well as keeping them cool,
PATCH. - Yes, there are still a number of people who rear kittens on milk food, and rear them very successfully, but they would have less trouble if they would condescend to try raw meat; but, you know, it is quite easy to say a thing is wrong, and stick to it, so long as you have never tried it.
TWINKLE. - The best and strongest kittens are those which are allowed to run about out of doors. Cattery kittens are generally somewhat fragile and liable to take cold.
BRUCE. - If you want to rear show cats, two kittens are quite sufficient to leave with the mother. I should advise you to drown the rest, as every additional inmate of your cattery increases the risk of epidemics, but if you cannot bring your mind to do this you must get a foster-mother. Don't attempt to rear them by hand, as this is almost impossible to do successfully and is a terrible worry.
RONALD. - The sire of Ronald is Miss Harper's Waterloo, who is a son of Ch. Turkish Delight, a well-known winner but without a pedigree.
MARGARET. - Your best plan is to advertise in our Sale and Exchange column for what you require, and I think you are quite certain to obtain what you want without any difficulty. In the meantime, it I hear of a large grey and white neuter cat I will let you know. I think you had better have one about eight or ten months old.
MRS. CRAMPTON. - Photograph safely received. It shall appear in an early issue, probably next week.
LOUIE. - 1. The difference in eyes would certainly detract from the animal's chances. 2. The sore place should be bathed with boracic lotion,
KATINKA. - It is rather a distressing account, certainly, but I think you need not despair, as the authority you mention is quite trustworthy, and would have advocated "euthanasia" if he did not see any prospect of recovery. When your pet returns you will, of course, be more particular, and in all probability she will be less inclined to stray.
MRS. F. - Please note rules for "Sale and Exchange."
CLARIBEL. - The idea about cats not accustoming themselves to new homes is pretty well exploded. You would be much wiser in taking such a handsome creature away with you than in sending him where he would be kept in a cage. Of course, the risk of leaving him with the caretaker whilst you are away would be much too great. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 17, 1901, pg 405

MRS. NEILD has had a terrible piece of bad luck. Her beautiful young smoke male, Silver Soot, who has won a number of prizes, was sold to Mrs. Western, but the following day he died of strychnine poisoning, and Mrs. Neid returned the cheque she had received for him. Mrs. Neild is going from home, and is therefore parting with several of her beautiful silver cats and kittens.

A GREAT consolation to cat owners whose stock is suffering from influenza is the fact that this complaint is by no means so fatal as distemper, and does not leave such serious after effects, An influenza patient's appetite is generally good except during two or three days when the disease is at its height, and there is not as much danger of complications as in distemper. The patient should be fed three or four times daily on any food it most fancies, but some kind of raw meat for preference, and when its appetite fails it may be fed five or six times daily with a teaspoonful of milk and meat juice. It should on no account be allowed to go out of doors till all running at the eyes and nose has ceased. A grain of quinine night and morning may be given to kittens of three or four months old, and I have pulled numbers through influenza by this treatment.

There is a terrible lack of news in the cat world during the intervals between the big shows, and there is a certain amount of monotony about the constant announcement that such and such a cat has had four kittens which were born black and turned silver, while last time the same cat's progeny were born silver and turned black. This, no doubt is of interest to the cat's owner, but not to the general public. At present the only excitement in the cat world is caused by anxiety regarding the new rule. Disguise it how they will there is no doubt that leading spirits in both clubs, but more particularly the younger one, are awaiting, with bated broach, the outcome of the struggle.

MRS. CRAMPTON, 36 Esmond Road, Bedford Park, is offering for sale the two beautiful kittens whose portraits appear on this page. Both the chinchilla, Silver Brilliant, and Silver Ripple, who is a silver tabby, were sired by Silver Flash, Mrs. Champion's beautiful cat, and their mother, Silver Foam (the property of Mrs. Crampton), was a prize winner at the Crystal Palace in 1899.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 24, 1901, pg 423

HARROGATE SHOW.

THE Cat Show at Harrogate was a small one in comparison with others held by the N.C.C., but the quality throughout the long-haired classes was excellent. In blue males first went to Mrs. Collingwood's Royal Bobs, who is smoky in colour; second to Mrs. Finnie Young's Bonnie Prince Charlie, a magnificent young cat, having the best eyes in the show; and third to Mr. Cosway's Rupert, who is heavily coated, but has large ears and pale eyes. The female class was disappointing. Miss W. Beal took first with Romaldkirk Flora, who is mixy in colour and has green eyes; second went to Mr. Cosway's Angela, a fine big cat; and third to Miss Bushell's Reine Twilight. Miss Dresser's Silver Swallow won in the silver female class, and the Hon. Philip Wodehouse's well-known Silver Tom in the male class. Mrs. Stead's Ranji had a bloodless victory among the smokes, as had Miss Derby Hyde's Thames Valley Silver King among the silver tabbies. Miss Harper's Blue-eyed Wanderer headed the white class, and was well shown; second going to Mrs. Tootill's Purity, a nice little cat, but weak in head; third to Mrs. Nott's Bobs Lord Roberts, a very fine cat but pale in eyes; while poor old Ch. White Friar had to be content with reserve. One class was provided tor orange and cream cats, and Ch. Romaldkirk Midshipmite won, while his son, Matthew of the Durhams, took second; he is a magnificent young cat with good amber eyes. Miss Beal showed a beautiful novice in Romaldkirk Minotaur, who might have won but for its colour, which was self orange on the body but marked on head and legs. The brown tabbies numbered but three, and all had light chins. Miss Simpson's Persimmon won in the male class, with Mrs. Stead's Timber, a better-marked cat, second. Miss Higgs's Highfield Pamela carried off first in the female class. In the class for tortoiseshell, with or without white, Miss Beal's Wallflower took first, with Mr. Wodehouse's Wild Woodbine second.

The blue kitten class was well filled, but there was nothing of startling merit. Mrs. Baldwin's Lass of Richmond Hill is a big kitten, with a nice face and eyes, but fails in colour, as does the second, Mrs. Edmondson's Lady Lobelia, who is a charming kitten. Miss Cope's Beaumarchais, third, loses in eyes. Miss Cope carried all before her in the class for silver or chinchilla kittens with a trio showing plenty of quality, and she also won with a silver tabby kitten in the class for silver tabbies or smokes; second going to Mr. Hugh Maxwell's Fluff Boy, who is better in markings; and third to Mrs. Oliver's Danefield Valentine, a green-eyed smoke. Mr. Collison won in the brown tabby kitten class with Francesca, a nice kitten. Mrs. Tootill's Purity won in the variety kitten class, with Miss Turner's General White (who was out of coat) second, and Miss Mortival's perfectly marked and fascinating black and white third.

Mr. Coswav's smoke, Iron Duke, headed the neuter class; he is a magnificent cat, failing only in eyes. Matthew of the Durhams won in the novice class. The short-haired classes were shorn of much of their glory by the absence of the Ballochmyle cats, but as Lady Alexander is at present in Scotland she was unable to exhibit. There were but two Siamese entries, and Miss Cartwright's Meline won somewhat easily from Mrs. Barnett's Glympton Johnnie, whom she beats in eyes and colour. She was sold by auction for 55s. Miss Cochran's cats were the only entries in the Manx class, and first andchampionship went to her Ballochmyle Bell Spitz, a good tabby and white, and second to Witchampton Bob, a good spotted tabby kitten. In the black or white class Mr. Wodehouse's White Devil won easily. He has improved enormously, and his glorious eyes will always help him to win. Second went to Thames Valley Blue-eyed Daddy, who did not look his best, and third to Mrs. Collingwood's Collingbourne.

Mr. Kuhnel won in the tabby class with St. Grizilda, a nicely-marked silver tabby spoiled by yellow eyes and a long nose; second went to Mr. Phillips's Thomas Cat, a poorly marked brown tabby. Mrs. Pratt's tortoiseshell, Tib of Rochdale, won well in her class; she has a nicely broken colour, and so got ahead of Mrs. Walker's Mother Shipton, a large, fine cat. The short-haired self-coloured kitten class was won by Mrs. Tootill's Snowflake, a nice little kitten; second and third going to Mrs. Hughes's blues - good kittens, only spoiled by having too much coat. In the variety. kitten class Mr. Charnley's Revidge Silver King, a very dark silver tabby, was first; with Mr. Foster's dark-brown tabby Dossie second, and the Manx Witchampton Bobs third. Mrs. Edmondson's charming blue Persian, Lady Mona, won the local clss somewhat easily.

MISS WINIFRED BEAL has long been known as a most consistently successful exhibitor of fawn Persians. Her glorious pair, Romaldkirk Midshipmite and Admiral, take first and second every time they are shown, and her blue queens have also taken a number of prizes. Miss Beal is the second daughter of the rector of Romaldkirk, and she and her elder sister are both enthusiastic cat fanciers, and the garden at Romaldkirk is always literally swarming with beautiful kittens.

MRS. ROBERT LITTLE'S smoke queen, Namoushka, is one of the best smoke cats ever benched and has won a number of prizes, though, perhaps, not all which she was entitled to expect. She is one of the very few surviving children of Mrs. Brydges's celebrated Tuan, and her dam is Miss Gardiner's Mimi, who, I believe, is also the dam of Miss Anderson Leake's celebrated Abdul Hamet of Dingley.

LADY MARCUS BERESFORD is busy organizing a one-day Cat and Kitten Show, to be held on September 27th at Slough. It is under the patronage of Princess Christian, and the proceeds are to be given to the Princess's Nursing Home.

DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
PLUCKY. - As regards hunting instincts, there is the greatest difference in cats, but a love of sport appears to be hereditary. I have known tom cats which would let a mouse run over their paws, and I have seen a three months' kitten kill a half-grown rat. Siamese and Manx cats are almost invariably good hunters, and many Persians and English are the same. You should select a kitten whose mother bears a good reputation, and let him remain with her till he is three or four months old, when he will be thoroughly imbued with her tastes.
M. P. - You should take the cat to a vet. Do not give the two medicines together. It is possible her condition may account for much, but without a personal examination it is impossible to tell.
PIGEON. - I think you had better get rid of the pigeon-killing cat. He might be temporarily cured, but would be apt to break out again if your eye was taken off him; and, besides, he will teach the others to do likewise. Kittens brought up amongst pigeons and chickens rarely touch them, but full-grown importations must always be regarded with suspicion.
BOUNCER. - The age at which kittens cease to be eligible for kitten classes varies at different shows. Sometimes eight months is the limit, but that is most unsatisfactory, as there is no method of ascertaining if the kittens are seven or nine months of age. Six months is the usual and most satisfactory limit, as, roughly speaking, a kitten which has changed all its teeth is more than six months old. .
BRONCHO. - Your kitten is not suffering from ringworm, but from Pityriasis versicolor, which is somewhat similar in appearance. Paint the afflicted parts with a small paint brush dipped in paraffin oil. No other treatment is necessary.
BRUNETTE. - A white chin is the most common and fatal of faults in a longhaired brown tabby. On no account mate your queen with the cat you speak of, as it his chin is light his kittens will all have the same fault. Send her, for preference, to a good red or orange cat, or even to a black. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 31, 1901, pg 463

I HEAR that none of the judges for the Crystal Palace Show have yet been appointed, nor have any of the other arrangements yet been taken in hand, but now that Harrogate Show is safely over no doubt matters will soon be put in train. I thought it a great pity that Mrs. Ransome was not in charge of the cat tent at Harrogate, as a capable manager was badly wanted. Mrs. Ransome was very busy hanging up advertisements of her kitten show, and hopes to have the schedules ready shortly.

MUCH amusement was caused by some of the awards at Harrogate, and the Hon Philip Wodehouse, in particular, had much cause for annoyance. His shorthaired cat, the White Devil, was awarded the special as best shorthair present, but in judging the novice class Mr. Astley placed him second to Mrs. Oliver's Danefield Pat. There could be little doubt that the white cat was the better of the two, but apart from the merits of the animals such a reversal was manifestly absurd. An attempt was made to get the matter set right, but eventually it was allowed to stand. Owing to a sight: mistake on the award board, I credited Mr. Wodehouse's Silver Tom with winning first in the shaded silver class at Harrogate. Instead of this, it appears that the judge marked him "wrong class," a decision condemned by everyone present. On what grounds it can possibly be affirmed that Tom is not a shaded silver is a complete mystery to everyone who understands silver cats. and the greatest sympathy was expressed tor Mr. Wodehouse. This incident reminds me that another cat, whose colour has been much discussed, has recently changed hands. I refer to the light smoke cat, Lord Sylvester, which Mrs. Champion has purchased from Mrs. Boutcher. This cat has been the object of many heated discussions, as one judge maintains that he is a smoke while another maintains that he is not. The only way to have these vexed questions settled is for the owner of a disqualified cat to appeal to the committee of the N.C.C., which will then have to decide the matter once for all.

WAR is being waged at present between the fanciers' Press and the Cat Club and sundry specialist societies. It appears that some members of these clubs are for some reason determined to exclude the Press from their general meetings. The editor of a contemporary devoted to feline matters offered to send a representative to the general meetings and to submit the report for the secretary's approval, but this offer was declined. What reason there could possibly be for refusing an offer so obviously to the advantage of the club it is difficult to imagine, but, unfortunately, it is hard to get together a committee who will work entirely for the general good of a club without consideration of their own private and personal ends.

MRS. FINNIE YOUNG has not been long in replacing Bluejacket III., who died recently. Her new purchase, Bonnie Prince Charlie is one of the best blue males I have seen, being a very sound light blue, with a good head and deep orange eyes.

MRS. DARCY HILDYARD has only recently taken to showing cats, but has been, so far, singularly successful. She goes in entirely for cream and fawn cats, and her best ones came originally from the same source as Miss Beal's cats. Josephine, Miriam, and Matthew of the Durhams are perhaps the best cats Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard has yet shown.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 7, 1901, pg 528

AN AMERICAN LADY'S CATTERY
THE honour of owning the most valuable collection of prize-winning cats in existence belongs to Mrs. (Kate) Cratty, of Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.A. At recent shows her cats have reaped a lion's share of the medals and honours. Mrs. Cratty possesses a prize-winner which is the only one of its kind in the country - a long-haired Swiss Angora; valuable blue Angoras are also members of her large family. The raising of cats is her great fad, and she has one of the finest and best kept catteries in America. Her inmates are all of the bluest blood, and nearly every one of her large collection is a prize-winner of some note.

Angoras are her speciality, and the pure whites and blues of this species that are to be found in her family are the envy of every cat fancier. Bartimeus and True Blue are two cats known to almost every expert as animals of remarkable beauty and perfection; they are direct descendants of the famous Lord Gwynne, who was for so long the star cat of the United States, and are two of the show animals of the cattery. Bartimeus is a coal-black cat with an unusually long, thick, black coat. It is his perfect coat that makes him so valuable, as it is a remarkable thing for a pure black cat to have such beautiful fur after it passes the kitten stage. These cats may keep their beauty until they are about one year old, and then the older coat begins to turn rusty or becomes very thin in places. Bartimeus, however, is the exception to this rule, and for that reason, at the age of three, he carried off a handsome gold medal in a context for beauty. True Blue, as his name indicates, is a blue Angora; one of that rare species so seldom seen now, with a bushy tail, well-formed pointed ears, a luxuriant growth of hair, and an intelligent face. The colour of this cat is what makes it so valuable. Its fur is the most delicate shade of blue, not a grey like so many Angoras. There is no mistaking True Blue for an ordinary Maltese.

Mrs. Cratty exhibited these two prize-winners proudly when showing a visitor through her cattery, and carefully explained how each cat had to be studied and cared for separately. "They are just like humans," she remarked, "and each one has his especial likes and dislikes. In order to bring them to any state of perfection I have to give in to these whims, for unless a cat has a contented mind it will not thrive properly. Here," she said, pointing to a superb Swiss Angora, "is the star of my collection. Jungfrau, as we call him, has won more prizes than any other cat in the United States. His lineage is royal on both sides, and hie is a true aristocrat in both appearance and disposition. His pure blue coat is untouched with any other colour, even white, from nose to tail, and for glossiness it excels that of any other cat in the country. I am very fond of Jungfrau, as he was the founder of the cattery and was the first of my collection to win a prize; for that reason I have given the cattery his name. A great many of my finest cats are imported from England, and I had to be extremely careful with them for the first few months of their stay in this country. When once acclimatized they seemed to thrive better here than in Europe.

"My love for cats has by a great many been termed a fad, but it is more than that with me. I have gone into the subject of cat raising scientifically, and have devoted a great deal of study to a consideration of the best means of rearing them successfully. My cattery has been termed a model home from a sanitary point of view, and I think it deserves the name. Although the cat is such a very common domestic animal, very little is really known in this country about the proper and best method of caring for puss. A cat coming from a first-class stock, and possessing qualities of great worth, is often ruined by neglect. Perhaps it is owing to their delicate organization that cats are peculiarly liable to diseases of various kinds, and certainly owing to their uncommon independence of character it is extremely difficult to doctor them. They will stay indoors for neither cold nor fever unless they choose to do so, and unless tricked into it will often refuse to take the simple remedies offered them for their relief. Colds are almost as frequent among cats as among humans. Sometimes asthma follows as a result of long exposure to the weather.

"One winter, when 'Grip' [influenza] was unusually prevalent, one of my finest prize-winners took it, and before I discovered what the trouble was nearly every cat in the cattery was down with the same disease. Such a sick lot of cats you never saw, and after much trouble I succeeded, or thought I did, in restoring something like good health to my little family, but alas! for my hopes, they soon began sneezing and coughing again as badly as ever. It didn't prove fatal to any of my pets, I am happy to say, but they certainly were a miserable and dejected lot of prize-winners for about three weeks.

"In all cases of colds or feverish conditions which o not seem to indicate any particular disease, I find that the homeopathic pellets of aconite and belladonna, given alternately about once an hour, are the best and safest remedies. The cats will take these very nicely too, because they are sweet, and nearly every puss is a candy fiend. A sick cat cannot bear to be handled, and therefore I never allow anyone to go near my pets when they are ill. I feed and care for them myself, and never pick them up unless it is absolutely necessary. Careful nursing, warmth, and thorough diet are of the greatest importance, and it, after seeing to these things, the cats are left alone, nature and instinct will finish the cure. Sometimes even with the best care a cat will be troubled with fleas, and, as this will ruffle a cat's temper more than anything I know of, it is always advisable to get rid of them as soon as possible. An excellent way is to secure a piece of cotton batting and one of cotton cloth, place the batting on top of the cloth and put the cat on this, then rub strong spirits of camphor quickly into the fur and gather up the corners of the batting and cloth tight around the animal's neck. The little torments detest camphor, and will run to the cat's head. A fine tooth comb and a dish of hot water will finish the work. The scent of the camphor clings to the cat for a long time and acts as a preventive. A whole cattery may be cleansed in this way.

"Nervous diseases are not uncommon in cats. They are frequently frightened into species of insanity, and there are numerous cases on record where cats have become almost imbecile from fear. A young cat, specially a highly bred one, will sometimes become so excited at play that for half an hour afterwards nervous tremors can be felt by the hand of the owner. Cats are liable to apoplexy, and even paralysis. They die in their sleep, too, which would seem to indicate heart disease. Thos most humane way to ill a cat is to chloroform it. Put the cat in a small, tight box - or better still, into a tin washboiler, closely covered - in which you have first placed a good-sized sponge wet with chloroform. In a few moments the cat will become insensible, but do no take her out of the box for at least thirty minutes, and then put her in a pail of water, head downward, for another half hour. A cat apparently dead from the use of chloroform may revive in the fresh air. This should be done by some person of judgment, and never by a child. You will in most large places find an agent of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who can attend to the matter if you cannot.

"I have never had to get rid of any of my cats, fortunately, and I attribute the fact to the good ventilation of my cattery and the careful manner in which I attend to my cats' diet. I never give them meat more than once a day, and some of the best prize winners I feed only twice a day, morning and night. I have been offered fabulous sums for some o my beauties, but they are not for sale."

"ZAIDA," in FUR AND FEATHER, takes great exception to my remarks upon feeding cats during hot weather, and inveighs strongly against any reduction in the quantity of food to be given. I would reply to "Zaida" as I replied when she argued against a meat diet - "Try it." It is so fatally easy to see the errors in at system which we have not tested that many of us fall into the mistake of criticizing them without making a practical experiment. "Zaida" takes it for granted that a cat will be greatly lowered in condition by the reduction of its food supply, but if she will read my remarks again she would see that I particularly stated that a cat would keep in better form during hot weather on a small quantity of his usual food than he would do if constantly tempted to eat more than he wanted by a succession of dainties.

"DICK WHITTINGTON" has an experience of many years' standing in breeding cats of various kinds, and with a view to noting the success of his system he has carefully gone through his cattery note-book to ascertain how many among the several hundreds of cats he has possessed have died in his hands. He finds that that in thirteen years he lost in all ten full-grown cats. Of these three were, when purchased, so diseased that they had immediately to be destroyed, two were poisoned, two died in kittening, two died of hairballs in the stomach, and one met with an injury. Thirty-three kittens of over a week old have died, but some of these were recent purchases. Twenty-on succumbed to distemper, but six of these died within a few days of their arrival from other catteries, three to inflammation of the lungs, one died from convulsions, one from an injury, and seven from diarrhoea. "Dick Whittington" thanks that his record is, on the whole, an excellent one; and though he no longer rejoices in a cattery, he feels that his opinion is not to be despised. He would much like to show "Zaida" a little colony of cats he knows of, belonging to a breed usually considered delicate. There are five cats in all, and two of them live indoors, and are fed well and frequently. The other three are essentially cattery cats, and their diet is regulated with almost brutal severity. If a cat refuses its supper it gets nothing until the following evening, and the bones of a single grouse frequently make a meal tor the three. I do not think "Zaida" could at any period of the year produce a trio of fatter, sleeker cats than these are, and, though the two house pets also look well, they are not a patch on their outdoor relations, who have no opportunities of foraging tor themselves.

The entries in Persian and Siamese cats at the Melbourne Cat Show were few in number, the most taking being Mikado, a large chinchilla, shown by Mrs. Austin Embling. He is now three and a half years old, and of large size, and is the son of Mrs. McLennan's imported Wanda. He is one of the animals who enjoy shows, and are ready to absorb any amount of petting by strangers.

DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
PATRICK. - For a cheap good kitten please write to Mrs. Kennaway, Garboldisham Rectory, East Harling, Norfolk.
THE BUNGALOW. - If the photographs were thought by the Editor to be of sufficient interest to readers for publication no charge would be made. It is impossible to state the length of time that would elapse before it would appear - probably about a month.
WHITELEY. - The cat should be combed every day during the hot weather with fine-tooth comb, which will prevent the fleas from accumulating to any extent. Any dressing would be rather risky for the cat which, as you say, is always licking herself.
L. COURTHOPE. - If you had the kitten on approval, or if you received any assurance as to its being clean and in good condition, you could have returned it at once, but as you have kept it and treated it I fear you now have no redress. I rather wonder that there is any kitten left after the rather heroic measures you have taken. Please do no wash it again, but rub a little powdered camphor and sulphur into it coat every second day. Feed it three times a day on minced raw beef, and give it every night and morning a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil. Delicate kittens are often afflicted in this way, even when kept scrupulously clean, but they should certainly not be sold in such a state.
MOUSMEE. - From your description your kittens must, I think, be smokes. The green eyes and the tiny marks on the face are very serious faults, and would certainly prevent their winning under a competent judge, but competent judges are few and far between, unfortunately.
CHERUB. - Mating a black queen with a blue tom is not, as a rule, successful if it is desired to get blue kittens. The kittens are almost invariably all black, but if THEY were mated with a blue their kittens would very likely be blue.
DANCING GIRL. - A cattery 6ft. by 4ft. would be quite large enough to keep a cat in out of doors if it was movable and could be frequently changed on to fresh ground, but if you are referring to the dimensions of the pens of your indoor cattery, I can only say that I think it is cruel to keep any cat penned up indoors in so small a compartment unless you can let her out to run about every day.
FAUCHETTE. - If your Manx cats are really well-marked tabbies they are valuable as there is always a demand for a good tabby cat. The white ones are of no especial value if their eyes are not blue, so I advise you to devote your entire attention to the tabbies. Don't keep any kittens which have the least sign of a stump.
THE NOO. - From your description it seems that the cat is shedding its coat in the ordinary course of nature, but possibly doing it more thoroughly than usual. If, as you say, the skin is absolutely healthy no medical treatment is required, but the cat should be well fed, and if he is thin he may have a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil twice daily. An occasional application of sulphur and vaseline to the bare parts will encourage the growth of the new coat. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 14, 1901, pg 33

THE schedule of the N.C.C. Kitten Show has come to hand. The show will be held in the Chorlton Town Hall, Manchester, on September 25th. Fourteen classes are provided for long-haired kittens, which are to be shown singly or in pairs, two for British kittens, one for Siamese, and one for Manx. There is also a litter class. The National Cat Club offers two championships and nineteen special prizes, and various specialist societies and private individuals offer specials. Mrs. Ransome is such an adept in the management of shows that, no doubt, this one will be as great a success as its predecessors. Mr. Welburn will judge the short-haired classes, and Mrs. James and Mr. House the long-hairs.

LADY MURIEL FOX-STRANGWAYS has purchased from Mrs. Cartwright a very beautiful blue Persian male kitten, with deep orange eyes. Lady Muriel is exceedingly particular on the point of eyes, and will not keep any cat which fails in eye colouring.

THE NEWS that Miss White Atkins has sold Silver Chieftain will come as a shock to those breeders - and they were many - who maintained that Chieftain was unequalled as a sire of silvers and smokes. Certainly his kittens did remarkably well in the show-pen, and though Chieftain was only shown once, at the Crystal Palace, he on that occasion won a first and a second prize.

THE second and third parts of "The Living Animals of the World" are of much interest to cat fanciers, for they treat of the whole race of cats, from the lion and tiger to the bunny cat. The female puma bears a terrible likeness to an old Persian queen in the month of June, and the ocelot, in shape, appears to resemble exactly the British cat. The American Pampas cat favours a half-bred Persian in its photograph, and is apparently striped on the head and legs and ticked on the body. Unfortunately, the article on the domestic cat contains nothing very practical, though some quite original information is given. We are told that blue is one of the least) common colours among Persian cats, and that the smoke Persian is a new breed. Lady Alexander's celebrated red tabby, Ch. Ballochmyle Perfection, is called "an orange tabby," and the Duchess of Bedford's silver Persian, Fritz, is illustrated as "a beautiful variety of the typical British cat." Other well-known cats whose portraits appear, though their names are not given, are Ch. Ballochmyle Snow King, Miss Kirkpatrick's Chili, Lady Decies's Ch. Xenophon, Miss Cartmell's Lifeguard, Mrs. Wellbye's Dossie, and some of Mrs. Champion's cats. We are informed that in their native land Siamese cats are highly cultivated and intelligent, and can think out ways and means to attain an end!

Cat fanciers are awaiting with anxiety the appointment of the judges for the Crystal Palace Show. To all true cat fanciers this is the event of the year, and one win at the Crystal Palace is worth a dozen at any other show. From all I can hear this year's show is likely to be an improvement upon all others, both in point of numbers and quality. Far from the recent dissensions decreasing the entry and spoiling the success of the show, fanciers are determined to rally to the flag, and not give their enemies an excuse for saying that they are afraid to face the competition at the Crystal Palace. A glamour seems to hang around the Crystal Palace, which includes all the shows held therein. Doggy people cannot afford to absent themselves from the Kennel Club fixture any more than catty people from the N.C C. Show, as a non-appearance at either of these events, unless some very good excuse is offered, is regarded as an admission of "funk."

MISS CARTWRIGHT appears to possess some secret for the production of blue cats with orange eyes, and a litter I recently saw by Timkins ex Ceanothus surpass all previous records being of the palest possible blue, with eyes of a deep brownish orange. Sad will be the day when old Timkins departs this life, for no cat that I know of has so regularly produced a series of families which, be the mother of what colour and quality she might, were so uniformly good in colour and in eyes as Timkins's children.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 21, 1901, pg 48

A COMMITTEE meeting of the N.C.C. was held on September 6th, to make all arrangements for the Crystal Palace Show on October 29th and 30th, but at the time of writing no official announcement has been made as to its decisions. A contemporary suggests that the N.C.C. should publish some notice with regard to the new registration rule in the schedules of their shows, but I think fanciers may make their minds quite easy over the omission, as, when the rule is in force, no doubt due notification of the fact will be given to all whom it may concern.

MISS PARKER BROUGH informs me that Miss Forestier Walker has made her a present of the handsome young Siamese male, Tiam O Shian IV. I think the statement in a contemporary that Tiam O Shian IV. is the first Siamese cat to win a special as best cat in the show, which he did at Sandy, is incorrect. Without searching out a number of old catalogues I cannot speak with certainty, but I fancy Miss F. Moore's Siam performed the same feat on more than one occasion, and he was the runner-up for the gold medal at the Crystal Palace in the year when Chicot won it.

THE schedule of the Cat Club Snow at Slough on September 27th is now out. The show is to be held under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and the proceeds are to be given to the Princess's nursing home in Windsor. The judges appointed are Mrs Vary Campbell, Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart, Miss Champion, Mr. Wellburn, Mr. House, and Mr. Mason. The Cat Club has, as ona previous occasion, overridden its own rule, which, if I mistake not, was one of the primary objects in the formation of the club, with regard to the exclusion of your kittens, and classes will be provided for kittens of four months old. An enormous classification is given, and over a hundred challenge and special prizes are offered for competition. The rule which forbids owners to pen and attend to their own exhibits is apparently to be enforced at Slough. I think a relaxation of this rule would be of infinitely greater advantage to the club than th admission of kittens.

I HAVE recently received a copy of the CAT JOURNAL, published in New York, and exceedingly well got up monthly magazine, with splendid illustrations. Searching through the pages for "something new," I was not disappointed in my wuest, for I read of a lady who had cured her kittens of distemper by dosing them with kerosene and milk. The lady is congratulated on her courage, but advised not to do it again. I am reminded of a cure for distemper recommended to me many years ago by a leading light of the cat fancy, and which consisted of a mixture of carbolic acid and spirits of wine. I tried it on one kitten and it died, but I still have the receipt.

THE advice given to a lady whose cat suffers from fits is of doubtful value. She is informed that a cat in a fit is perfectly harmless, and that she is therefore to hold it wrapped in a dress or apron and dose it with homeopathic belladonna every ten minutes. Now either a cat of dog in a fit is almost certain to struggle and will bite badly if held, and dosing it is dangerous for that reason, and also because it is very probable that it will be choked. A cat or kitten in a violent fit should be put in a basket and left quiet in a dark corner for half an hour, as the principal risk is that it may injure itself in rushing about. If the fit is not a violent one it may be immersed in hot water, and ice should be applied to its head. A dose of castor oil should be administered as soon as the patient recovers, and it may have small doses of bromide of potassium for a week or ten days.

Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard informs me that Matthew of the Durhams was sold last week to Mrs. Western, of Sandy. It will be recollected that Matthew was placed second at Harrogate, while Romaldkirk Midshipmite was first, and Admiral reserve. It was generally conceded that this placing was a mistake, and that Admiral and Midshipmite, however placed, should have been together. Both cats have the same fault pale eyes - but Admiral is more level in colour and shorter in face than his brother, though, possibly, not quite so heavily coated. If, therefore, Admiral's faults were such as to put him at the bottom of the class, Midshipmite should have followed him there, and vice versa. Matthew beats both the older cats in eyes and colour, and a day may come when he will get ahead of them both, though I am not sure that his sister Miriam is not a better cat than he.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 28, 1901, pg 114

OF vital interest to everyone interested in cat shows is the new N.C.C. rule which decrees that "all cats registered at the National Cat Club shall be disqualified from competing at any show held under N.C.C. rules if shown at any show held after January 1st, 1902, where registrations other than those of the N.C.C. are made compulsory." It is impossible to see what course was open to the N.C.C. committee other than the passing of this rule. Everyone knew that the existence of two registers and stud-books was fatal to straight dealing, but nothing had been done or seemed likely to be done in the matter, and many people accused the N.C.C. of shirking its responsibilities. Suddenly the Cat Club, made bold by the seeming indifference of the N.C C., rose up, and insisted upon registration in its books being enforced at Sandy Show. This was the first occasion upon which registration had been made compulsory at an outside show, and had the Cat Club been able to go on as it began its sources of revenue would undoubtedly have been substantially increased; but the fire which had long been smouldering in the N.C.C. burst forth, and I think the Cat Club must now wish that it had recollected that "discretion is the better part of valour." Most people will be glad to know that the new rule does not come into force until next year, and that they can therefore safely exhibit at Slough, the Crystal Palace, and the N C.C.C. Kitten Show.

THE judges who are to be invited to officiate at the Crystal Palace are Miss Harper, long-haired blacks and whites; the Rev. Mr. Maynard, long-haired silver tabbies; Mr. Silk, all other tabbies; Miss Jay, long-haired blues, tortoiseshells, and creams; Mrs. McLaren Morrison, chinchillas; Mrs. M. Robinson, Siamese; Mr. Welburn, short-haired red tabbies, all neuters, all litters, teams, and braces; Mr. Jung, all other tabbies and tortoiseshells, short-haired; Mr. S. Woodiwiss, all other colours; Mr. H. C. Brooke, Manx.

WE give photographs of some lovely cats belonging to H.R.H. Princess Christian and her daughter. Princess Christian has never exhibited, but possesses several cats, one of the best of them being Puss, a blue Persian, purchased at a bazaar in Yorkshire. H.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, who is patron of the National Cat Cub, first exhibited two years ago, and is now the owner of seven cats and kittens, two of them being chinchilla Persians and the rest blues. Puck II. is a fascinating young chinchilla male of decided character who is entered for the Manchester Kitten Show on September 25th; Imp II., his cattery companion, an unrelated female, will also be exhibited. Blue Girl is a very fine blue Persian, with deep orange eyes, but the photograph does not show the beauty of her coat, as it was taken at the wrong time of year. Blue Girl was presented to the Princess by Mr. Ward, of Manchester, and has not been exhibited since coming into his possession.

MISS WHITE ATKINS is buying a large number of cats and kittens for exportation to America.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
For Rules see last week's issue.
A WOULD-BE EXHIBITOR. - The nest important London show will be held at the Crystal Palace, October 29th and 30th. For particulars apply to Mrs. Stennard Robinson, 5, Great James Street, Bedford Row, London, W.C.
BOUNCER. - I think your cat has got thoroughly run down and is too weak to completely throw off her cold. Feed her twice daily on raw beef and let her have a dessertspoonful of cod-liver oil every morning, also give her two grains of sulphate of quinine daily.
JESSICA. - From your description of the symptoms, laboured and painful breathing and evident craving for fresh air, I should say the kitten died of pneumonia, but I think it would have been more satisfactory had you had a post-mortem examination made of the body.
MOUSE. - It is too late now to do anything to your cat's leg, and I am strongly opposed to any attempt at amateur surgery. The cat should have been taken, as soon after the accident as possible, to a skilful veterinary surgeon to have its legs set properly, and it might then have made a good recovery, but now I fear, it is maimed for life.
JEFF. - If your cat caters for himself to the extent of three or four birds or mice in the day he certainly does not require other feeding. No doubt he will mention it to you when he has had poor sport and requires a little assistance from you.
DICK. - I read that paragraph upon the use of alum in skin disease, and intend to make an early experiment on its value, and will let you know the result; but, you know, many thing which are suitable for dog-skins are fatal to cats.
JULIA. - It is quite impossible for me to say what is wrong with your cat unless you give me some more particulars. Please write again and tell me how you keep and feed him, his age, and how long his skin has been out of order; where the sore places are and how large they are, and if his coat and condition are otherwise good. He seems to be suffering from some serious form of skin disease.
H. WALLER. - I do not think your cat's cough is caused by worms, but if you think he has worms let him fast twenty-four hours, then give three drops of oil of male fern in a gelatine capsule, and after one hour a dessertspoonful of warm castor oil. For the cough give a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil or extract of malt and cod-liver oil twice daily. If you comb the cat every day his coat will not get matted. Use a wide-toothed comb and a very soft baby's hairbrush.
MR. M. WAGNER. - The black specks are the traces where fleas have been, and now that the daily brushing and combing are resumed they will soon disappear. Use a small tooth comb for pussy's toilet for a day or two, and pay special attention to the parts below her chin and fore legs. An occasional rub with flowers of sulphur before brushing will assist matters. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 5, 1901, pg 159

MANCHESTER KITTEN SHOW
THE Manchester Kitten Show took place on September 25th, and, as was to be expected, under the able management of Mrs. Herbert Ransome all the arrangements were most carefully carried out. Over 100 entries were received, and the quality of the exhibits was excellent. Miss Cope took first in the hitter class with a charming little family of silvers by Abdul Hamet of Dingley, Mrs. Gill's blue kittens being second, and Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard's creams third. In the chinchilla pair class first went to Miss Simon's Silver Knight and Marquis Argent, second to a beautiful pair shown by H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, and third to Mrs Tyrwhitt Drake. The Silver Knight also won in the chinchilla male class, while Mrs Martin's exhibits took second and third. In the female class Miss Meeson, Mrs. Tyrwhitt Drake, and the Princess Victoria won. The Rev. P. L. Cosway took first in each of the three blue classes, Miss Cope and Mrs. Goodall taking seconds. Mrs D'Arcy Hildyard took first in the cream pair class with a beautifully-coloured pair by The King's Own, and in the single kitten class Mrs. Neate's Evening Primrose won. Blacks and whites were poorly represented, but Mrs. Gregory and Mrs. Roberts won with promising black kittens, while Mes. Walker's Pharaoh VI. of Winterfield, a charming white, had to be contented with second place. Miss Gray won in the tabby class with a well-grown pair of browns by Persimmon, while in the class for single tabby kittens was Miss Cope's lovely silver, Edgbaston Don Pedro, which took the long-hair championship.

ONLY two classes for British kittens were provided, and in the self-coloured class Miss Dresser's Rory, a black, and the only entry, took reserve. In the A O.C. class Mrs. Joan Woodcock took first with a nice brown tabby by Flying Fox. Mr. Peter Charnley took second with a well-marked silver tabby in Revidge Silver King, and Mrs. Tate third with another good silver tabby. The Manx class contained but two entries, Miss Cochran's Witchampton Bob and Miss Dresser's Cuy Cusi taking first and second. Miss R. Armitage took first and championship with Chaseley Robin, a beautifully-marked Siamese by Ch. Wankee, while Mrs. Neild took first and third with a fascinating pair by the same sire. A slight mistake arose as to certain specials, the hon. sec. having interpreted Miss Simpson's letter, "The B.P.C.S. will give special prize for the best blue kitten in all Classes." to mean in "each class," as the Chinchilla Club were doing. This, however, Miss Simpson says, only meant one medal for the best blue kitten in the show. These specials have been made up by Mrs. G. H. Walker giving two lor best blue male and female, Mrs. Earwaker for best blue pair, and Mrs. Herbert Ransome for best blue litter.

LADY ALEXANDER'S Ch. Ballochmyle Otter, whose photograph we give, is undoubtedly the best female short-haired cat ever exhibited. She is a brilliantly-marked tricolour, sometimes called tortoiseshell and white, and in her colouring lies her principal charm, for her saddle mark consists of small red and black patches, as decided and clearly marked as a chessboard. She has also an excellent head, and in all other points is everything that a short-haired cat should be. She is the winner of eight championships, the most recent of these being at the Crystal Palace in 1900, and at the Botanic Gardens in 1901.

CH. BALLOCHMYLE BROTHER BUMP, the well-known blue short-hair, holds an unbeaten record, having taken first and championship, Botanic Garden, 1900, first and challenge cup, Westminster, 1900, first and championship, Edinburgh, 1901, and first and championship, Botanic Gardens, 1901. Brother Bump holds undisputed sway as the best: blue short-hair ever seen in this country. He is a big. broad-headed cat, with the best of coats, but his eyes are so extraordinary that on seeing them one looks no farther, They are large and of a brilliant orange colour, so dark as to appear red at times, and luckily his kittens appear to inherit this most desirable point.

I HEAR from Miss Phayre that she has two magnificent young chinchilla toms, now about a year old, by Mrs. Neild's Absent-Minded Beggar. They are very pale in colour, with magnificent heads and green eyes, and are to be registered as Lord Annesley of Ormond and Lord Nelson.

MR HOUSE has written a most able letter on the burning silver question to a contemporary, perhaps the most intelligent which has yet appeared upon the subject, for he points out clearly the chief reason why the production of chinchilla cats has been the absolute ruin of the old-fashioned silver tabbies. He explains that in founding a new variety of any breed a commencement is made with a so-called "sport," but that cat fanciers, instead of using their sports for the advance of the fancy, do so for its retrogression, as the sport is frequently crossed back into the original stock instead of being kept solely for the production of the desired new variety. This contention of Mr. House's is undoubtedly correct; people have again and again mated a silver tabby queen with a chinchilla tom, the result being a family of poorly-marked silvers. The lightest of these are generally kept for breeding chinchillas, but the darker ones are classified among the silver tabbies, and are mated back to silver tabby stock, with the natural result that the ae strongly-marked silver tabby cat has absolutely died out, and the only specimen I know of at present is Lady Pink's Shrover II.

EXHIBITORS of Manx cats will have a good time at the Crystal Palace, as I hear that two championships will be offered for this breed. The Manx Cat Club has guaranteed a number of classes, and there is a rumour that the specials for Manx cats will be unusually desirable.

THE Slough Show, which was held under the patronage of Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and in aid of Her Royal Highness's Nursing Home at Windsor, was hardly the success that might have been anticipated. When 250 prizes are offered for competition, and only 234 Cats are entered, someone must be considerably out of pocket, even when, as at Slough, amalgamation is the order of the day. There was much grumbling over the amalgamation and the awards. In the black or white male class Mrs. Nott's Bobs, Lord Roberts, a fine, big, blue-eyed white, won, with Blue-eyed Wanderer second. In the female class, Mr. Little's black, Colleen, won, Miss Champion taking second with White Witch, a fine, big cat, with rather a long nose; and Mrs. Cartwright's yellow-eyed black, Upwood Dinah, third. H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein was the only exhibitor in the blue challenge class. Her Blue Girl is a fine, well-made cat, only spoilt by her pale eyes The Rev. P. L. Cosway was again successful in the blue male class, his Rupert taking first, while Angela was second in the female class, in which Miss Gant's Blue Maiden Queen, a golden-eyed cat, won. Mrs. Tyrwhitt Drake won in the chinchilla class with Musa, a lovely pale-coloured cat, whilst Lady Marcus Beresford took second with a charming little cat, Daisy, shown almost bare of hair. The shaded silver class was won by Miss Dell's Miladi Silverkins, a cat with a grand short face.

IN the silver tabby class Lady Pink's Shrover II. and Mrs. Herring's King Alfred, both well-marked cats, were first and second, Miss Anderson Leake's exquisite True Love, who must surely have won, being disqualified because she was accompanied by two tiny kittens. Mr. Cosway won the smoke class with a good-coloured, sweet-faced cat in Maritana, Mrs. Sinkins's handsome Teufel being handicapped by his green eyes. Mrs. Davies's Hamish, a grand-eyed orange, took first in is class. The kitten classes were most disappointing, orange eyes beings for the most part wanting among the blues, but Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein took first with a lovely chinchilla in Puck 1II. Thames Valley Blue-eyed Daddy held his own among the short-hairs, while Mrs. Lenty Collins's silver, James II., headed the short-haired tabby class. Poor Ch. Wankee was placed third in the Siamese class, as he was suffering: from a slight bilious attack, first going to Lady Marcus Beresford's King: of Siam.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has bred a beautiful litter by Ronald from a tortoiseshell queen. In the litter were two grand red tabbies and one exquisite pale cream kitten, which Mis Stewart meant to show at Manchester, but a tempting offer induced her to pack him off to Cairo instead.

DENTISTRY as applied to cats is certainly advancing by leaps and bounds. From an American source I learn that our home pets need not become victims of dyspepsia owing to imperfect mastication of their food, for an enterprising surgeon of Clyde, Ohio, has successfully stopped a front tooth of a favourite cat by placing a gold crown over it. The animals appears to be very proud of her golden fang.

RESIDENTS are coming back to London every day, and the miserable period when cats - household cats, that is to say, not, of course, the valuable specimens - are left to the noy invariable 'tender' mercy of the caretake will soon be over. Still, there are many unhappy pussies to be seen disconsolately wandering about the streets, or imprisoned in areas from which tjey have no means of escape, whose lamentable condition makes one wish that some law could be enforced to destroy all such unhappy victims of neglect and thoughtlessness. The somewhat erroneous idea that cats, unlike the more appreciated canine race, attach themselves to places rather than to people is the excuse for householders when migrating with children, dogs and canaries, for a six weeks' sojourn by the sea, or to some country place, to leave the domestic mouser behind. It is a mistake to suppose that cats are unhappy in a strange place. This is only the case if they are teased, or not made comfortable. Let the cat have its favourite food, and a warm corner in which to curl itself up and go to sleep, and the natural independence and philosophy of its character will assert themselves by the creature become perfectly reconciled to existing circumstances. If it is not possible to take the cats away, there are many institutions to which they might be sent during he absence of the owners.

CONTRARY to its usual habit of rushing into print upon the slightest excuse, the cat fancy seems to have no word to say about the new registration rule. Much speculation is abroad as to the reason of this silence, but I fancy the truth is that the war between the Cat Club and the N.C.C. is so very bitter that almost every exhibitor of importance is a staunch partisan of one club or the other, and but a very small number are "sitting on the fence." When one has absolutely no reply to make to an argument a dignified silence no doubt lends to one a spurious air of superiority, but there are times when such a silence is a great mistake, and I think the Cat Club would be well advised to climb down from its self-erected pedestal and see if it cannot do something to ease the situation. The unfortunate part of the business is that the Cat Club committee appears to think that it cannot, without loss of dignity, give way to the N.C.C. I have said before, and I still maintain, that if the Cat Club gave way on this point it would gain the respect of the whole cat community and add enormously to its popularity; moreover, it would have the satisfaction of knowing that it gave way for the good of the fancy and for the cause of law and order. Registration is enforced solely to prevent fraud, but when two registers are in existence direct encouragement is given to dishonesty. The N.C.C. endeavoured to put matters right in a friendly way, but the Cat Club did not respond in kind hence the present warfare.

WHY will cat fanciers always try to give their cats pilis when liquid medicines are so much easier to administer? A cat is a difficult animal to hold even when wrapped up in a blanket, and a pill must be poked down her throat by some means, and there is considerable risk of being bitten, and a certainty of annoying the cat considerably. If a dose of castor oil is to be given, take the cat firmly by the skin at the back of its neck, raise it off its fore feet, and tilt the head backwards; the mouth will then open easily, and the physic can be poured down the throat from a spoon or small bottle held in the righthand. If by chance any oil or grease is spilt on the coat it can easily be removed by rubbing with prepared white fuller's earth. If it is absolutely necessary that a pill should be administered a good-tempered cat may be held in the same manner as described above, and the pill may be dropped to the back of the throat and then poked down with a spill of stiff paper. A cross cat should be wrapped up in a thick cloth or blanket before any attempt is made to physic her.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
GILLIEFLOWER. - Kittens, as a rule, commence changing their teeth when five months old, andy by the time they are six months old they should have a complete new set.
BRICKETTE. - I am afraid the lady who advises you to mate your blue queen with a brown tabby has some personal interest in the matter. Such a cross would be most undesirable, for a brown tabby cat possesses many points which would completely spoil a blue, and I should certainly never breed from a blue cat which had a tabby parent, or from a tabby cat which had a blue parent.
JOYCE. - Rub the kitten's coat thoroughly with prepared white fuller's earth, and then brush well. You may do this as often as you like - every day, if necessary, as it will not hurt the kitten.
MANXER. - The person who told you that all Manx cats were docked was quite mistaken. I have seen numbers of kittens which were born absolutely tailless, and sometimes these appear in litters of Persians when both parents have long tails. I know of one authentic case in which the cat lost her tail and thereafter produced a family of tailless kittens! Unfortunately, the story does not say what the sire of these kittens was like.
JOKER. - The most important cat show of the year is at the Crystal Palace on October 30th and 31st.
FLUFFY. - Your cat is certainly not too old to be operated upon, but he must be sent to a qualified veterinary surgeon. I certainly advise you to have the operation performed. I cannot Say definitely what the charge would be, but certainly not less than 2s. 6d., and probably not more than 7s. 6d. The operation is really a trifling one, and there is little risk. A little book about cats and their ailments, which I think would help and interest you, will shortly be issued from this office. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 12, 1901, pg 198

AT last a full account of the meeting between certain members of the N.C.C. and the C.C., last November, to discuss a possible amalgamation of the two clubs, has been published. Personally, I have always felt that the N.C.C. made a mistake in not letting the public know that the continued ill-feeling came from no fault of its own, but that it, on the contrary, had been perfectly willing to make friends. Mrs. Robinson's account of the meeting, which is, I believe, an absolutely correct one, will do much to further the interests of the N.C.C. in the present crisis, and the committee thereof may now look forward with perfect confidence to the result of the general meeting at the end of this month.

As many persons seem unable to arrive at the meaning of the new registration rule, I will endeavour to explain it. Exhibitors may do exactly as they please until the end of December, 1901; they may enter their cats in either or both registers, and show them at shows held by either club, but after January 1st, 1902, cats which are registered in the N.C.C. books may not be entered in any other register, or exhibited at shows where a different registration is enforced. If any cat is so registered or exhibited it will thereafter be disqualified from competition under N.C.C. rules. This is practically the same rule as that enforced by the Kennel Club; that is to say, before your cat is registered with the N.C.C. he is a free lance, but after registration he must conform to N.C.C. regulations, and if he does not do so he becomes an outcast.

My notes on Manchester and Slough shows were necessarily somewhat hurried last week, and I was unable to criticise the exhibits so fully as I should have liked to do. I notice that at Manchester Mrs. Michael Hughes's blue kittens took first, second, and third in the self-coloured short-haired class, but as they were entered too late for their names to appear in the catalogue, I overlooked them when writing my report.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
For Rules see last week's issue.
CHOW CHOW. - The symptoms you describe are those of external, not internal, parasites, and point to the kitten's general health having got very low. The treatment you have been carrying out is calculated to make matters worse rather than better. In the first place, you give me no information as to the kitten's diet, and, in the second, you do not mention its age, so I am working rather in the dark. Let it have three meals in the day of scraped raw beef, and if it likes it, it may have a little arrowroot twice a day. Little and often mast be the rule in feeding it. Every morning give it a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil, and once daily let it have one grain of quinine in a pill. Rub its coat well with powdered camphor and sulphur every other day, and afterwards brush thoroughly. its sleeping box should be washed out with strong disinfectant and the bedding changed frequently.
BUNCH. - You do not say if you wish to breed light or dark smokes. The former are among the most beautiful of our cats, though a somewhat ill-advised and ludicrous attempt was recently made to decry them. For exhibition the dark smokes are the more popular, but they have not the same magnificent appearance as the lighter cats, whose popularity is greatly on the increase. If you wish to breed dark cats and do not care for any of the smoke cats you have seen, I advise you to send your queen to a good orange-eyed black, while if you prefer light smokes you might try her with a good orange-eyed chinchilla. There can be no question about the colour a smoke cat's eyes should be, as deep orange is the correct shade.
BLINKS. - From your description, I think your kittens must be smokes; but if so, the markings on their faces spoil them for show, and you had better sell them at once, cheaply, as pets. Smoke cats should be shaded, not striped. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 19, 1901, pg 237

THE schedule of the Crystal Palace Cat Show has been issued, and, as usual, great attractions are offered to the exhibitor. There are 106 classes and 250 special prizes. The judges who will officiate are the same whose names were announced a few weeks back, with the exception of Miss Jay and Mr. Woodiwiss. Mr. T. B. Mason takes Miss Jay's classes, black, white, and blue long-hairs, and Mr. Wellburn takes the; self-coloured short-hairs, which were before apportioned to Mr. Woodiwiss. In one respect I think the schedule might be vastly improved - if the special prizes were arranged in proper order, instead of being so mixed up that it is necessary to hunt through the whole list to find out what any one cat is eligible for.

THE Manx Cat Club is offering a £10 10s. challenge cup, and also a £5 special prize, for competition amongst its members at the Crystal Palace Show.

LADY ALEXANDER has purchased from Miss R. Mortivals the lovely short-haired white queen, Blue-eyed Bess, by Master Billie Blue Eyes, which took first at the Crystal Palace last year.

Mrs. PARKER BROUGH keeps a small but very select stud of cats, and of these the Siamese, Jim, is the only one known to the show world. Jim was bred by Mrs. Sutherland, and caused quite a sensation when exhibited by Miss Sutherland.

TIGER, a great cat, the property of Miss A. N. Cunningham, Marnham Vicarage, Newark-on-Trent, has very well-defined thumbs on each fore-paw. He is one of a family most of which also possess this uncommon appendage.

DICK WHITTINGTON is anxious that all his readers should understand clearly that he takes the side of no one cub or individual in the party disputes that shake the cat fancy. Of course, in this column it is necessary to comment upon all matters of interest, and this "Dick Whittington" endeavours to do in a fair and unprejudiced spirit. Where he has considered the N.C.C. at fault he has not hesitated to say so, and the same with the Cat Club. Both clubs have their faults and their good points, and it. is not fair to readers to draw attention to the one without mentioning the other.

Like the sea-serpent, the Chinese cat with pendulous ear crops up annually. I am pleased to be able to announce, on the best possible authority, that such an animal does not exist, and that the common cat of China is similar to the common cat of London.

IN a contemporary I find the extraordinary advice given to mate a cat with pale yellow or green eyes to an orange-eyed one in preference to mating two cats with orange eyes, "as many if not more" of the kittens will have orange eyes! I wonder where the writer acquired this very extraordinary theory. It is, alas! so difficult to find Persian cats with really deep orange eyes that a pair having this much-desired point can rarely be mated together, but when this has been done, and when both cats have come from an orange-eyed strain, the kittens almost invariably excel in eyes. When one of the parents fails in eye-colouring it is usually that parent which the kittens elect to take after. With regard to breeding blue-eyed whites, the same writer states that one of the parents should be odd-eyed. I believe I am correct in stating that Mrs. Champion, Miss White Atkins, Miss Hunt, Miss Pettitt, and Miss Harper, all successful exhibitors of blue-eyed whites, prefer that both parents should have blue eyes.

PETER. - Sulphur is a most valuable remedy in most cases of skin disease, but when applying it to cats' skins it should be used very sparingly as, if the patient licks any considerable quantity of it, it will cause diarrhoea.
CHAFFINCH. - Certainly let you cats have water if they want it, but I do not think they will drink much at this time of year. The practice of putting a roll of sulphur in the water has, I think, died out, as everyone now knows that it does not dissolve, and that an old marble would be quite as likely to improve a cat's health.
HEDGEHOG. - I have found quinine an excellent tonic for cats. Let yours have one grain, in a pill, twice daily for about three weeks. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 26, 1901, pg 257

T HE autumn number of OUR CATS is to hand and is a most interesting publication; but perhaps the most exciting piece of information contained therein appears incidentally in a paragraph referring to Lady Marcus Beresford, which says: "Between the National Cat Club and Lady Marcus there is at present only one point of disagreement, the existence of a separate register for the cats shown at her shows, and this, fortunately, shows signs of being settled, for on the suggestion of Lord Marcus, the president of the Cat Club, the N.C.C. has been approached by the C.C. with a view to amalgamating the two registers." This will be good news to the cat world generally, and it is to be hoped that some amicable arrangement may be quickly come to. It is the course I have always advocated, and my advice now to everyone interested in the matter is that they should immediately join one or both of the clubs in order that their votes may be given in favour of a united register.

MANY excellent illustrations appear, and some really admirable articles on various breeds of cats, but I cannot quite subscribe to the editor's opinion of an article on the Siamese cat, which he entitles "a final pronouncement." The information given is supplied by the chief secretary at the Siamese Legation, who, however, on his own showing, is not a connoisseur in cats. He states that the Siamese cat as shown in England is not the common cat of Siam; this we knew before, also that it is not a Royal cat. The kinked tail he appears to consider an unimportant matter, but says that, in the absence of the kink, the tail should be long and full. My reasons for not accepting this information as entirely convincing are that Mrs. Sutherland obtained information personally from the King of Siam, and that Mrs. Vary Campbell had a correspondence on the subject with the King's physician, and I consider this to be sufficiently good authority for my opinions on the subject.

MRS. AND MISS HASTINGS LEES, of Bournemouth, possess some really magnificent long-haired neuter cats, two of which took first and second at Poole Show last week, One is a capital red tabby, well marked, with a deep red chin, a good head. and orange eyes; a blue is a descendant of old Ch. Woolloomooloo, and is a large, heavily coated cat, with good orange eyes, but slightly shaded in frill; and a very handsome chinchilla by Lord Southampton makes up a grand trio.

WHITE Persian cats are daily becoming more popular. Perhaps the most successful breeder of blue-eyed whites in England is Miss White Atkins, the owner of that magnificent cat The White Knight. Mrs. Champion has owned some splendid whites, but has parted with many of her best. Miss Harper has the Blue-Eyed Wanderer and some excellent queens, as have Miss Hunt and Miss Kerswill.

FROM Lady Muriel Fox-Strangways I hear that she is delighted with the blue Persian male kitten which she purchased a few weeks ago from Mrs. Cartwright, and that she has never seen such exquisite eyes; in fact, that he is the loveliest kitten she has seen for a long time. Blue Turk, as the young gentleman is named, is a son of Upwood Timkins and Upwood Ceanothus. Ceanothus being a daughter of Timkins, there is thus a double cross of this strain, which is daily becoming more celebrated, as the kittens from it possess eyes such as have never before been seen in the cat world. Lady Marcus Beresford showed a little daughter of Timkins at Slough, and though she was only awarded v.h.c. her eyes created quite a sensation.

EXHIBITORS will regret to hear that the services of Mr. Garrow will not be available as a judge before next summer, as he has obtained an engagement to go on tour with a theatrical company.

A STRONG MINDED young tom cat has recently bested me and had his own way in the matter of diet. He came to me from a farmhouse, and had, presumably, been fed principally on milk. He was rather thin and poor, and I promptly put him on a meat diet. For a few weeks he did well, and then he began to sulk, and no amount of stern treatment availed to make him eat his food. At last I discovered that if he was allowed to commence his supper with half a saucerful of milk he would thereafter polish off anything else that was given to him, and since then Master Tom has had his own way and has grown fat and cheeky.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 2, 1901, pg 319

AT the Crystal Palace Dog Show many well-known cat fanciers were to be seen. Mrs. Herring. showing her toy spaniels, was still regretting her reverses at Slough, but she told me that her beautiful long-haired brown tabby, Ch. Floriana, had been sold for a high price to go abroad. Lady Alexander was eagerly looking forward to the Crystal Palace Cat Show, for which Mrs. Stennard Robinson was busy sweeping in entries. By the time these lines appear in print that show will be over, as will be the much-talked-of general meeting of the N.C.C. A significant fact is that the N.C.C. membership has increased enormously during the last few weeks.

THERE seems to be trouble in the Siamese Club, but whether the hon. sec. is wise or not in circularizing the members thereof and dilating upon her grievances is a matter of opinion. At any rate, Miss Derby Hyde has sent in her resignation, and Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Parker Brough are candidates for the vacant post.

AT Glasgow Show, on December 19th or 25th, Lady Alexander will judge all the cat classes, and I expect to hear that she has a record entry, as Scottish fanciers will naturally be anxious to obtain such a valuable opinion of their young stock.

NOW that the show season is in full swing, the distemper fiend has, of course, descended upon our catteries, and everyone is seeking some sovereign remedy for this dire disease. I may as well say at once that no sovereign remedy exists; the disease may attack the head, the lungs, or the stomach and intestines, and in each of these cases different treatment is required. The most common form is when the head is attacked, and nose and eyes stream with matter. If the kitten has been accustomed to an outdoor life it is more likely to pull through without further complications if it is not brought into a warm room. The reason for this is, I believe, that the fresh air prevents the appetite from failing, and we all know that if a distemper patient will eat his case is not hopeless. His diet may consist of raw meat, and, if he will cat them, raw eggs and milk. When a kitten which is kept indoors gets distemper it usually refuses all food, and it should then be fed with very minute quantities of Valentine's meat juice, and every night and morning it should have one grain of sulphate of quinine. If it develops a cough I strongly recommend cod-liver oil, and for diarrhoea there is nothing to equal carbonate of bismuth. Kittens suffering from distemper cannot attend to their toilets, and so it is necessary for their comfort that they should be frequently tidied up. Combing and brushing are absolutely necessary, and the eyes and nose, and especially the forepaws, should be frequently washed with boracic lotion. If there is any soreness about the hindquarters they should be sponged with Condy's fluid and water, well dried, and then powdered with fuller's earth.

MRS. CHAMPION having given up her post as hon. sec. of the Silver Society on her departure, with her family, tor America, that post will be filled, until the new year, by Mrs. Simon.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
DUCKINA WURNZA. - Many thanks for your kind remarks. I am always delighted when my correspondents take the trouble to inform me that my prescriptions have been successful. What you describe are segments of tapeworm, and though they may, and probably will, never harm the cat, it is better to at any rate reduce their numbers. Shut the cat up after his morning meal, and do not let him have any food for twenty-four hours. At night, instead of supper, give him a dessertspoonful of salad oil. In the morning administer five drops of oil of male fern. This had better be gives in a gelatine capsule, as it is horribly dirty stuff to work with. After an hour let him have a large teaspoonful of castor oil, and as soon after that as he likes he may have a light breakfast - a saucerful of warm milk is best. This process may seem to you a lengthy and troublesome one, but I assure you that it is necessary that all the details should be carried out, as tapeworms are exceedingly difficult to get rid of.
SMUT. - Sponge the cat's ears out carefully with warm water and carbolic - about one part carbolic to sixty of water - dry carefully and thoroughly with pieces of clean cotton-wool, and then drop in a pinch of dry boracic acid powder. This should be done every day until a cure is effected, and then once a week for a month or two, or the trouble may reappear. Do you over-feed your cats? - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 9, 1901, pg 369

THE CRYSTAL PALACE CAT SHOW
THE N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace, on October 29th and 30th, was an even greater success than usual. The entry was, I understand, a record one, 601 cats being shown, and 1,021 entries made. The quality throughout was far above the average. In long-hairs Miss White Atkins's magnificent White Knight as usual headed his class, followed by Mrs. Nott's Bobs, Lord Roberts, who loses in size. In white females Mrs. Pettit's Piquante Pearl won easily; she is a beautifully-shaped cat, with a capital coat and eves. Lady Decies's well-known Fulmer Powder Puff was first, and Miss Kerswill's sweet-laced Blue-eyed Edelweiss third. In black males Mrs. Lenty Collins won with Forest Beauty, whose otherwise charming appearance is spoilt by his huge ears; Dick Fawe (second) I thought might well have won. In black females Lady Alexander scored well with Queen of Eyes, a heavily-coated cat with a nice face and orange eves, second going to Mrs. Wests Grange Chloe, who was out of coat, and third to Mrs. Herring's Madame Freda. Mrs. Beavis took third in the black male class and first in the kitten class with Othello, a good-coloured black with a capital head; while in the pair kitten class Mrs. Pettit took first with a fascinating pair of blue-eyed Whites.

The blue male class produced nothing of great merit, first and the special for best long-hair going to Mesdames Bartlett and Lemmon's Oliver Woollerpug, a large cat, short of coat, and having green eyes; second went to Mrs. Herring's King David, and third to Mrs. Collingwood's Royal Bobs. The blue female class was won by Miss Beal's Romaldkirk Vic, a perfect gem, with a sweet face and glorious orange eves. Miss Patterson's handsome Sussex Golden Eyes took first, and Mrs. Bonar's prettily-shaped Delia third. Mr, Cosway's kittens won first in the pair kitten class, and in the single kitten class Mrs. Jones took first with Jock, a magnificent kitten with a grand head, shape, and eyes, second going to Miss Simpson's Bonnie Boy, who promises well and has good eves.

The first and second prize smoke males, Mrs. James's Backwell Jogram and Mrs. Sinkins's Teufel, were, though otherwise good, spoilt by their green eyes, and I thought Ch. Ranji might have won. The smoke queens were good, and the winner, Mrs. Stilwell's Lady Victoria, is not far off perfection. In Chinchilla males Miss White Atkins's Tintagel won, He isa good colour, and has a grand face ang eyes. Rob Roy of Arrandale is spoilt by bis small eyes. In chinchilla females Lady Decies, as usual, won with Ch. Zaida, who also took innumerable specials, and might well have had more. Mrs. Midwood's Lady Fair, which took second, and also first in the kitten class, is an exquisite colour, with a lovely face and eyes.

Miss Beal took first in both the orange classes, and first and second in cream males, but the first in cream females was easily won by Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard's Miriam of the Durhams, who improves with age. Lady Pink's grandly-marked Shrover II. won the silver tabby male class, with Mrs. herring's King Alfred second. Mrs. Herring's Bangle won the female class and Dr. Roper's lovely Dainty Diana the tortoiseshell class. The litter class was headed by Mrs. Kennaway's daintily coloured little family of chinchillas by Garboldisham Criquet.

To turn to the short-hairs, the quality here was even better than in the long-haired classes. Mr. Inman's Woodsley Pongo, who won in the male class, is a grand colour with clear markings. Mrs. Vyvyan's Tiam O'Shian IV. shows markings. The Manx classes were well filled. The male championship went to Miss Cochran's red and white Strathcona, a most typical cat, and the female championship to Lady Alexander's well-known Ballochmyle Bell Stump. Miss Samuel's smoke, Golfsticks, won the variety class, and Miss Cochran's well-known Witchampton Bob the kitten class. Lady Alexander won the tortoiseshell male class with Ch. Ballochmyle Samson, second going to Mrs. Herring's King Saul, while first in the queen class went to Lady Decies's Fulmer May. In the class for red tabbies Ch. Ballochmyle Perfection won easily, also scoring as the best short-hair in the show; second went to his son, Ballochmyle Perfect Still, who is not far behind his father, and is even better in colour.

Lady Decies's Fulmer Xenophon, terribly out of form, won the brown tabby class, and in black males Lady Alexander won well with Ch. Ballochmyle Black Bump. a huge cat with orange eyes. In white males Ch. Ballochmyle Snow King won (he also won the challenge class), looking his best, but close pressed by Ch. Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes, who beats him in colour of eyes and shape of face. In the female class Mrs. Herring's Biddy Blue Eyes won. The blue male class was headed by Ch. Ballochmyle Blue King, and the female class by Ballochmyle Sister Goose. Ballochmyle Brother Gamp won the neuter class - he is another handsome blue and second went to Mr. Colin Campbell's Oakdene Snowflake, a good blue-eyed white.

As a result of the general meeting of the N.C.C. certain proposals as to a united register were made to the Cat Club. If these proposals are not accepted the N.C.C. registration rules immediately come into force.

Miss Cochran was so much attracted by Lady Alexander's Manx queen, Ballochmyle Bell Stump, that she was anxious to possess her, but as Lady Alexander would not break up her team all the four cats are now going to Witchampton.

Will my readers and correspondents help a thoroughly deserving fund - the Girls' Field Hospital Cot Fund - particulars of which are given on the Girls' Field page, by ordering the lovely Kitten Cards being sold for Christmas greetings on behalf of the Cot Fund.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 16, 1901, pg 382

A FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN CATTERY
I DON'T know when I had such a pleasant afternoon as the one I spent with Mrs. McLennan, of Khio, Moonee Ponds, admiring and petting her lovely blue Persians. They live in an asphalt-paved courtyard, with their little houses all round, and what the uninitiated would call an aviary attached. The breakfast room looks on to this, so when the pussies have a mind, and their mistress is agreeable, they come jumping in through the open windows, a select few of them at a time, much to the children's delight. A fine big blue fellow of stately carriage, who seems to know that his ruff is something to be proud of, is Don Juan, son of Socrates and Ixie. He is a much-travelled cat, tor he was bred by Mrs. Harold Foote, of Albert Hall Mansions, and came across the world to Adelaide to Mrs. Morgan, and after a while settled in his present home. With him came Wanda, daughter of Herod and Dame Wanda. Wanda was not quite so large a cat and a chinchilla. I give you her picture. I never knew Wanda myself, for she was no more before I made the acquaintance of her family. Indeed, to this photograph attaches quite a melancholy interest, for the subject died very unexpectedly only two days after it was taken She left a number of kittens, who have been distributed all over the colonies. Three are retained by their mistress tor breeding - Violet, Pansy, and Clem (Clementina) - the last chinchilla, the others real London smoke. Of the younger furry pets, offspring, of Don Juan and Pansy, an elder daughter of Wanda's, Mirza, nine months old, is about to start by next boat for a home in the Fiji Islands.

When the cattery, was well established and kittens were flourishing and departing to only too readily found buyers, Mrs. McLennan imported two direct from Mrs. Foote - blue Persians these, Xerxes and Dido, both, grandchildren of Darius, once a winner of the 25-guinea challenge cup at the Crystal Palace. Sylvia, a chinchilla queen, is the latest addition. She arrived from London only a short time ago by the 'Wilcannia,' a boat which seems a favourite on account of the care, perhaps the extra care and petting given by two cat-lovers among the crew to the furry passengers. If anyone is curious to know, a cat's passage-money to Australia is £2, besides a fee for attendance. Sylvia was a saloon passenger, and spent her tine mostly in the chief officer's cabin, because the deck box did not please per ladyship; her pedigree and letters of credit had not arrived when this was written.

Persian cats stand our rather changeable climate very well, and seem to enjoy the hottest weather, though their coats suffer some diminution of beauty thereby. In the hot nights they desert their boxes and lie about practically in the open. They are fed on meat and fish and as much milk as they can be induced to drink, but they are not at all heavy eaters, and never seem to have any ailments that grass or a little castor oil will not set right. Mrs. McLennan's chief worry in connection with their house-keeping is the obtaining of a supply of foster mothers to help in rearing the valuable babies. As she remarks herself she has not as yet a sufficient "connection" in that line. The cats are all (eleven of them) good friends, being let out by detachments into their runs as circumstances permit, and know no fear of strangers, whom they sum up as likeable, or otherwise, pretty smartly. Never still for a moment, it is no easy task to take their pictures, and the one I have called a double quartette is really a masterpiece in the way of posing such restless sitters. - A. H.

MRS. NEILD is beginning to think that the long price she paid for the chinchilla cat Lord Hampton was well expended, for his name as a stud cat is now made. Mrs Midwood exhibited a pair of his kittens, aged only four months, at the Crystal Palace, and they won first and second in the single kitten class, first in the pair kitten class, and in the open classes, competing with full-grown cats, the male won reserve and the female second prize.

LADY ALEXANDER has added yet another magnificent cat to her already invincible team of short-haired red tabbies, for she has purchased the well-known winner, Perfection Junior.

THE MANX classes at the Crystal Palace aroused much general interest, and since the show several offers have been made for the winning cats. In sending the report of the show to a contemporary, Mr. Brooke expresses the opinion that the time is not yet ripe for Manx cats to be classified according to colour. Mr. Brooke does not suggest an alternative, but it would be interesting to know what his ideas on the subject are. Personally, I am of the opinion that colour classification is necessary for the improvement of the breed, as until now it has been absolutely ignored, with the result that an "off-coloured" cat frequently beat a good-coloured one which was not so good in shape. It is, of course, perfectly right that it should do so, but it prevented great improvement in colour from taking place. Where classes for different colours are given, some inducement is held out to the breeder to try and get cats good in colour as well as in shape.

SOME attention should be paid to the teeth of long-haired cats, as the loss of the front teeth will give a cat a prematurely aged appearance. Long-haired cats when moulting are constantly licking themselves, and the hair gets tightly twisted round the roots of the front teeth, eventually causing a thick wad, the gums become spongy and diseased, and the teeth rot and fall out. An occasional examination of the mouth should be made, and any hair can be removed with a toothpick, and the mouth rinsed with Condy's Fluid and water. If the gums seem very soft and unhealthy they may be painted with iodine.

WHEN exhibiting cats a careful owner generally goes supplied with sufficient food to keep his or her cats going during the show. The food provided by the show authorities may be, and probably is, perfectly good, but any sudden change of diet will upset most cats tor a few days, and when there is added to this the worry and excitement of a railway journey and two or three days in a show pen a severe illness may be the result. While at a show it is advisable to strictly limit the amount of food to be given. About half the amount allowed at home will be sufficient.

THE troubles in the Siamese Club seem to have been smoothed over. A meeting was held at the Crystal Palace last week, with the result that Miss Derby Hyde retains her position as secretary for another year.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
PRAIRIE FLOWER. - The loss of teeth is not necessarily a sign of age, especially when, as in the case of your cat, they have been removed by an accident. They may have become loosened after a bad attack of distemper. The appearance of the teeth themselves would be a guide to the cat's age. If they are very long and yellow, I should say that the cat was more than eighteen months old. Unless you could actually prove that the cat's age was misrepresented, you could not get your money back. A veterinary surgeon might help you in this, but after eight months I doubt the success of an action.
PAPAGEI. - 1. Absence of tail is the most essential point, but the exact appearance of the hair on the hind-quarters is immaterial so long as there is no scar to show that the cat is a docked specimen. 2 Extra claws are a disadvantage rather than an advantage to any breed of cats; they are a deformity and as such should be discouraged. 3. Quick, rabbit-like action is a most desirable point. 4. It would certainly be better or your cat to be shut up occasionally. The period varies with individuals, but probably from a week to a fortnight would suffice.
MRS. BARCLAY. - I am sorry, but no postal replies can be given unless a fee is enclosed with the query. A little book on the ailments and general treatment of cats will be issued from this office shortly. Any preparation of carbolic or spirits of tar is dangerous to cats, and I therefor never recommend either. You must rub the cat with sulphur and vaseline ALL OVER twice a week, using as small a quantity of the ointment as possible and rubbing it well in. Feed the cat twice daily on raw shin of beef, and give her a dessertspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil every morning. If she suffers from diarrhoea let her have a pinch of carbonate of bismuth over her food. Soap suppositories are excellent, but I have found the small glycerine ones even more satisfactory, but, except in cases of severe illness, a dose of castor oil and proper feeding are more to be recommended. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 23, 1901, pg 425

MUCH trouble has been caused over the awards made at the Crystal Palace for the best long-haired and the best short-haired cat in the show. As far as the matter can be understood, it appears that some of the judges made the awards without consulting their colleagues, who promptly showed their indignation at this course by giving their votes to other cats, and as the matter now stands there appear to be four claimants for two prizes. As a matter of fact, there is only one way in which such specials can be fairly awarded, and that is for each judge to select the best cat in his or her classes, the selections to be judged by all the judges together.

THE NC.C.C. Show in Manchester bids fair to be a great success, and is receiving warm support from the various specialist clubs, though there are the usual difficulties over the Silver Society's specials. It is a pity that this society, which was started so brilliantly and on such excellent principles, should not have continued upon the same lines.

I THINK a great deal too much fuss has lately been made about powdering cats' coats before a show. Of course, it is not desirable that a chinchilla cat should be shown with powder in its coat, because it can thereby be made to look paler in colour than it really is, but with a blue, or more particularly a white, this argument does not hold good, for there is no object other than cleanliness in view where these are concerned. The result of all the talk, and a recent rather unnecessary disqualification, is that long-haired cats are frequently shown in an exceedingly dirty condition, because the owner does not wish to wash them, and is afraid to powder them for fear of being unable to get the powder out. A little advice on the subject may not come amiss. The best powder to use is prepared white fuller's earth. Stand the cat on a sheet and fairly smother her with powder, which must be rubbed well in for about ten minutes, and then brushed out again. Two or three good brushings will be necessary before the job is completed, and the sheet should occasionally be shaken, or the powder may be stirred up and settle on the coat again. The corners of the eyes and the nose should be carefully sponged, the metal tally attached to the cat's neck, and she is then ready to be popped into her basket and despatched to a show. For tabbies and dark-coloured cats powder should not be used. If cleaning is absolutely necessary, a bath of hot bran is the best thing to use.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
For Rules see last week's issue.
TIBBLES. - I am more than pleased to hear that my advice has helped you so much. Your pet must be a most intelligent and interesting cat, and is a living contradiction to the common assertion that cats love places more than people. I hope you will write again if at any time you want further advice.
PUFF. - In the case of weak eyes what suits one case may not suit another. I generally pin my faith to boracic lotion, but alum and water or strong tea may be used if this fails. Singleton's golden ointment, made to the same strength as for a baby, sometimes has an excellent effect.
JASPER. - I am sure you are overfeeding your kitten, and his extremely ravenous appetite shows that his digestion is out of order. I should recommend about a tablespoonful of arrowroot in the morning, and at night about the same quantity of minced raw beef. It he is thin he may have a teaspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil every day. The quantity of food may be very gradually increased as you find his health improves, but at present his digestion certainly requires a rest.
MOUSE. - I [know of nothing that will keep fleas away. I wish I did, as then my fortune would be made. Any of the patent powders advertised will drive them away temporarily (powdered camphor and sulphur will have the same effect), but they cannot be left in the coat for fear of the cat licking them, and even the non-poisonous ones may cause indigestion. As soon as the powder is brushed out the fleas will return, and the only thing is to attack them again. When you remove to the North of England you will not have nearly so much trouble with them.
PICKET. - There is a very decided opening for anyone who cares to take up brown tabby cats, long or short haired, and show them, as they are at present practically without supporters, and there are very few good cats of this colour shown nowadays.
MISS GORTON. - Will you write to Miss Cartmell, The Lodge, Barham, Canterbury, mentioning THE LADIES' FIELD, and ask for terms? These I am sure will be reasonable, and you can rely upon her in every way. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 30, 1901, pg 465

THE news of the unqualified refusal on the part of the Cat Club to accept the proposals made by the N.C.C. with regard to an amalgamated register will come as a thunder-clap to those persons, and I fancy they include the greater portion of the cat world, who thought that the solution of the question had been found. According to the decision of the general meeting of the N.C.C., the new registration rule must now come into force on January 1st, 1902, without further discussion. The general opinion is that as the N.C.C. proposals were made at a general meeting they should have been discussed at a general meeting of the Cat Club, and I am inclined to think that, had this been done, the result might have been somewhat different. A great outcry was made by the members of the N.C.C. when this important subject was discussed in committee, and many members of the Cat Club would like to air their opinions and record their votes at a general meeting.

THE CRVSTAL PALACE judges have been writing letters to the press complaining of the difficulties of judging novice, limit, and challenge classes at the N.C.C. Show, and they disclose a state of affairs which is surely not to be desired. It appears that in the case of repeat entries, and these are numerous in these classes, the judge who is to officiate, instead of inspecting all the entries, gleans information from the other judges as to what the position of these cats in previous classes has been, and, according to Mr. Wain, gives the "prizes to the cats with the most cards." Surely this is not as it should be, for one cat may take several firsts in poor and badly filled classes, while a far better cat has met with keen competition and failed to get higher than third place. No doubt these classes are exceedingly difficult to judge, owing to the fact that the cats entered therein are scattered all over the show; but it is only fair to the executive to point out that the judges, as a rule, know what classes they are to undertake some time before the date of the show, and if they do not feel equal to the task they are at liberty to decline to judge. Mr. Wain also takes great exception to the habit of specialist clubs of offering specials tor the best cat of any breed owned by a member of that club. He complains that these specials are awarded in the office and not by the judge. Surely this is quite correct, for the judge places the cats in order of merit in their class, and the special then goes to the highest placed cat owned by a member.

MISS WRITE ATKINS has received excellent accounts of the cats which she exported to Mrs. Neel, of Urbana, U.S.A. They arrived in splendid condition, looking as if they had been groomed daily. The pair - a blue-eyed white tom and a brown tabby queen - give their new owner such satisfaction that she says one hundred dollars apiece would not buy them. Miss Atkins is still looking for a brown tabby male to send out, but cannot find one good enough.

CHANGES seem to be the order of the day in the specialist clubs. The Silver Society starts afresh under a new name - the Silver Persian Cat Society - a new secretary, Mrs. Simon, and a new committee.

SOME cat fanciers are great believers in a change of diet tor their pets, and no doubt there is something to be said in favour of their views, but when a large cattery is in question a regular supply of food must be ordered, and it is simpler and more satisfactory if the same diet can be indefinitely continued. Or course, when this is the case, great care must be taken to avoid overfeeding, and only the best of food must be given, or dainty cats may tire of such monotonous fare. Raw beef, mutton, or horseflesh cannot be improved upon, and an occasional meal of fish is much appreciated. Raw liver, when cats are used to it, is good feeding, but at first it is almost certain to upset them, and some cats never do well on it. Tripe boiled and mixed with bread is excellent for cats that will eat it, and chicken, game, and rabbit bones should all be set aside for the cattery. If milk food is given it is best boiled with arrowroot or Quaker oats; but milk food if given occasionally is likely to cause some temporary derangement, though once accustomed to it may cats can digest if all right. In case of illness raw eggs are invaluable, and most cats are fond of them, especially when beaten up and mixed with a little warm milk. Vegetables I consider to be quite unnecessary and valueless as food. The best I can say of them is that they are harmless. Some cats are very fond of them, and when this is so they may be allowed to indulge their tastes in moderation. I have known cats which would steal boiled cabbage, carrots, or beetroot, and I had one once which would eat any quantity of raw potato peelings. Most cats are fond of asparagus, and I once had one whose first meal atter a severe illness consisted of a plate of asparagus stalks.

CORRESPONDENCE.
To Dick Whittington
DEAR SIR, - Referring to your article on "Cat Gossip" in THE LADIES' FIELD of October 19th, tempts me to communicate with you, and send a photograph of the cat, Briton. He was a year old when this was taken (December 2nd, 1900), and almost from that date he had been getting miserable looking, constantly picking and scratching, and his coat seemed in a thoroughly bad condition, eventually coming out in scabs. We consulted a veterinary surgeon, and he pronounced it eczema. We tried many things, and it was a most obstinate case, but our last remedy has been most effectual. I give it you for the sake of other such cases, should you care to try it. One pennyworth each of black brimstone and train oil, well mixed, and dabbed anywhere so the the animal can lick it. The result in this case is surprising; you can hardly believe Briton to be the same cat he was in the summer. He hardly had any hair around his neck, now we can gather it up. He is looking a picture again! His mother was a smoke-blue Persian cat. If you consider this photograph worthy of insertion in your interesting paper, I shall be most pleased. Faithfully your, E.J. WELCHMAN.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
MOUCHE. - When your cat seems dull and sleepy and refuses his food, as you say he does, every six weeks or so, let him have a Carter's liver pill or a teaspoonful of castor oil, and let him miss a meal and he will be all right. I think he eats too much, and does not take enough exercise to work it off.
BLACKIE. - The white star on you black cat's chest would handicap it very considerably if you showed him.
TRINKET. - A smoke cat should, most decidedly, have orange and not green eyes.
ORANGE LASS. - A cream cat mated to a cream will most probably produce cream kittens; an orange, or a tortoiseshell, or a blue tortoiseshell will also probably have some cream kittens if mated to a cream male, but the latter colour is quite useless for exhibition purposes.
JAMIE. - I gave the address of a reliable home in last week's Answers, please refer to that.
CHAFFINCH. - I cannot tell you of any means of curing your cat of hunting. Once the taste is acquired it cannot be eradicated. Some people hang a bell round the cat's neck, but this has the disadvantage of serving as a mark of identification when keepers are on the look-out for poaching cats, and, though it may spoil the cat's sport a bit, it will not keep him at home.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 7, 1901, pg 549

CAT breeders in general, and particularly fanciers of chinchillas and Siamese, have a rooted objection to fresh air in their catteries. They shut and hermetically seal the windows, and then light a stove about three times too large for the room. The dryness of the atmosphere irritates the noses and throats of the kittens, who are promptly sewn up in flannel jackets and dosed with all manner of patent drugs, which may or may not be suitable to the case. To add to the difficulties the kittens are fed three, four, and even five times a day, and, consequently, suffer from diarrhoea. My advice in these cases is that the stoves should be removed and the windows left open at the top night and day. Flannel jackets and drugs of all kinds should be forbidden, and not more than two meals a day should be given. Under this regime larger and very much healthier kittens will be turned out than under the coddling system. A lady told me only the other day that she was giving up cat keeping because she did not care to have an indoor cattery, and it was too cold in London to keep kittens in an outbuilding!

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has made another sensational purchase, having bought from Dr. Roper the long-haired, black stud cat Dick Fawe. It will be remembered that this cat took the gold medal for the best long-hair in the show at Westminster last January, and though at the Crystal Palace he was placed second most people thought he might have won. He is a very large cat, with a wonderful trill and chest coat, and glorious deep orange eyes. Mrs. Stewart intends mating him with some of her blue queens

MRS. HERRING'S long-haired blue, King David, is one of the largest and handsomest cats ever exhibited. He was bred by Mrs. Herring from her Ch. Beauty Boy, and Doris, a daughter of Bue Jack. He has won a challenge cup and a number of other prizes and medals, and Mrs. Herring considers him to be her best cat. The photograph, which is taken from a painting by Miss Ada Tucker, hardly shows his massive limbs to advantage, though his coat appears in its usual faultless condition. King David is a very sound level blue in colour.

I AM exceedingly sorry to hear of the death of Mr. Cosway's exquisite little smoke queen Maritana. Good smoke cats are few and far between, and she was one of the best I have seen for years.

SOME very unpleasant things have been said and written lately about officials exhibiting at cat shows, and a suggestion has even been made that the clubs should legislate in the matter. Surely this course is unnecessary, and I am convinced it would be ill-advised, for when, as is frequently the case, the officials give their services gratis, to forbid them to show would be a piece of discourtesy. It is all a matter of taste, which should be left for individuals to decide for themselves. When the officials are paid it is of course easy to make some special agreement on the matter, and therefore here, again, club interference is unnecessary.

A MATTER upon which I feel much more strongly is the loyalty of members of committee to the club to which they belong. Surely it is not loyal for the members of any club committee to draw attention through the press to errors in the management of shows held by their own club. We have lately been treated to the views of a Cat Club and of an N.C.C. committee member on the weak points of shows held by each club. Surely these members do not realize that they are themselves to some extent responsible for the very points they deprecate. Every committee member is responsible in a greater or a less degree, and, for the honour of the club, should endeavour to gloss over rather than expose its failings. Mistakes should be discussed either at committee or a general meeting of the club, and as far as possible rectified there.

THE new N.C.C. rule appears to have at last penetrated to the minds of all cat fanciers, and some are wrathful and some are not. A well-known writer in a contemporary launches into a tirade against the N.C.C., its officials and their motives, which may or may not be justifiable, but is certainly frank. She draws a harrowing picture of the cat world of the future, and prophesies that fraud, or worse, will be the order of the day. This certainly sounds very dreadful, and it is a pity a few other members of the Cat Club Committee did not see the matter in the same light, as they would then surely have accepted the N.C.C.'s offer of amalgamation of registers, no matter how little they might like it.

IT IS rumoured that the N.C.C. will hold a dare show in London in January. Whether it will take place or not I cannot yet say for certain, but the matter is receiving consideration at headquarters.

I WAS sorry to hear from Mrs. Graves, at Earl's Court, that she was not showing her dogs because her cats had all been ill. The latter are now happily quite convalescent.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
MRS. SPENCER. - I shall be pleased to mention your cats, should occasion arise.
MRS. NORTON. - I fear the turpentine you gave your cat has very nearly finished him off and it will be a long time before he is himself again. I am afraid you could not manage to paint the inside of his throat without getting bitten, and as he is in such a very unhealthy state it will not do for you to run this risk. If the previous treatment I advised has not quite cured his throat, try a pinch of chlorate of potash, dry, twice daily. Continue the cod-liver oil, the quinine, and the raw beef. A little new milk of cream will not hurt him, if he likes it. Pray be careful in handing him, and do not sit much in the room where he is or hold him on your lap, as sore throats may easily be communicated from cats to human beings. To clean his fur use prepared white fuller's earth, which should be rubbed in and then well brushed out. Sponge the ears out carefully with Condy's fluid and warm water, and afterwards put in a pinch of dry boracic acid.
MOUSE. - The person who told you that game bones always perforated cats' stomachs, and that she had seen the stomachs after death perforated in dozens of places, was talking nonsense. One perforation would kill a cat very rapidly, but cats do not eat so greedily as dogs, and, therefore, for a cat to swallow a splinter of bone is such a very rare occurrence that you need not have much anxiety on the matter. Moreover, even if swallowed, it would not necessarily cause perforation. All my cats and kittens have game bones whenever I can get them. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 14, 1901, pg 10

A THRILL of excitement passed round catty circles when it was announced that at Westminster Show on January 15th and 16th exhibitors will be allowed to pen their own cats. It will be remembered that I prophesied some time since that the Cat Club Committee would shortly be obliged to give way on this point, and I think they are exceedingly wise to have done so, for, at this moment especially, they cannot afford to risk any of the popularity for which they have worked so hard. The Cat Club, by the wav, seems to have quite abandoned the "one day show," which used to be its speciality. I see that the judges invited to officiate at Westminster are as follows: For long-hairs, blues, Miss Jay; smokes and blacks, Mrs. Strick; silvers, Mrs. Wellbye; all other colours, Mr. House. For short-hairs, Manx and blues, Mr. Brooke; all other classes, except Siamese, Mr. Mason.

EVERYTHING promises extremely well for the success of the Northern Counties Cat Club Show at Manchester. This club, as is well known, is affiliated with the N.C.C., and its shows are held under N.C C. rules. It has already held one cat and two kitten shows, all of which have, under the able management of Mrs. Herbert Ransome, the popular honorary secretary, been brilliantly successful. The judges on this occasion are Mrs. Martin, Miss Simpson, Mr. Welburn, and Mr. Mason. Or course, there will be a large entry from the north of England and Scotland, and I understand that many of the most important southern catteries will also be represented.

A NEW cat club, to be called the Midland Counties Cat Club, has just been started, and Miss Cope, of Birmingham, has kindly consented to act as honorary secretary, and Mrs. Barnett as treasurer. The club is to be run on independent lines, without affiliation with any other club, and it is proposed to hold a large show towards the end of next year.

MISS WHITE ATKINS has just despatched her pretty chinchilla queen, Clytemnestra, to Mrs. Neel, of Urbana, New York. It seems that it is impossible, or nearly so, to buy healthy American-bred cats and kittens, and this, no doubt, accounts for the constant demand for cats from this country. I imagine the difficulty must arise from the use of too much artificial heat in the catteries, as, I believe, in America the cats are kept even warmer than in the most luxurious of English catteries. Nothing that can be said or written upon the subject will make breeders believe that cats can stand cold to almost any extent, and thrive in it so long as they are well fed and kept clean and allowed plenty of fresh air. I fancy I can hear some of my friends saving: "Oh! that may do very well for short-haired English cats, but Persians and Siamese can't stand it." I know better, for at this moment I know of a goodly number of long and short-haired cats which live, year in, year out, in small movable chicken coops and runs, and are fed once daily on a small quantity of suitable food, and have never had a day's illness in their lives, and amongst the number may be included one or two, so-called, delicate chinchillas. A tom-cat of my own lives in one of these houses, and all through the recent frosty weather he would sit in his run up till eleven o'clock at night gazing at the moon.

ANSWERS TO CORRBSPONDENTS.
For rules see last week's issue.
MISSIE. - For the lice in your cats coat rub powdered camphor and sulphur well into the skin every day for a week, and then every second of third day for a fortnight. I could tell you of plenty of washes which would remove them, but tor cats, as a rule, and particularly at this time of the year a dry remedy is safer. The presence of lice usually indicates that a cat is out of condition, and a course of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil would be beneficial.
PERPLEXED. - On no account blow either powdered glass or sugar on your cat's eye; whoever told you to do so displayed a lamentable state of ignorance. Gamekeepers used to, and I believe still do, recommend this treatment for dogs' eyes, and I believe their idea was that when the surface of the animal's eye was blue and opaque a skin had grown over it which had to be cut through and removed. As a matter of fact, this appearance is caused by inflammation, and any foreign substance introduced into the eye is much more likely to increase than allay the irritation. Keep the cat in as dark a room as possible, and bathe the eye well four or five times daily with boracic lotion, warm one teaspoonful of the powder to halt a pint of water. Let the cat also have a little fluid magnesia in milk every day.
MRS. DEANE. - I am delighted to answer your questions. Unless cate are groomed daily when moulting they cannot be prevented from swallowing a certain amount of hair, and there is nothing better than an occasional good dose of castor oil to get rid of it. Let the cats have access, at all times if possible, to plenty of coarse dog grass, which will help them to get rid of the hair. I advise you to stop the vegetables and give each cat about 3oz. of raw beet daily. Instead of the cod-liver oil try the effect of about i tablespoonful of cream or half a saucerful of new milk every day. The effect must be noted carefully, as cream upsets some cats' livers. For the constant shedding of coat try a course of arsenic. This must be used in the proportion of one drop of Fowler's solution to a teaspoonful of milk every day; at the end of a week increase the dose to two drops, which may be continued for a week, and during the third week one drop only should be given. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 21, 1901, pg 91

DICK WHITTINGTON greatly regrets that, owing to the telegraphic breakdown caused by the recent severe storms, his report of the Manchester Show has been delayed, and was not received in time for this week's issue. The show was, as anticipated, a brilliant success, and upwards of 400 cats were entered.

HE HON. PHILIP WODEHOUSE has had bad luck with his cats, only five being left alive out of seventeen, but these include two good silvers from Silver Saint and one cream male. The White Devil distinguished himself by winning the cup for the best self-coloured short-hair at Brighton.

LADY MURIEL FOX-STRANGWAYS has had the misfortune to lose Blue Turk, the most promising and cherished of all her cats, from double pneumonia. Blue Turk, a son of Mrs. Cartwright's old Timkins and Ceanothus, was a magnificent young cat, and his eyes were such a wonderfully deep, brilliant shade of orange that I was looking forward to the day when he should make his debut, and appear in the show-pen beside all the other cats which claim to possess orange eyes. I think he would have made them wish themselves at home.

IT IS NOW announced that the N.C.C. will hold a grand show in London in February; the show will be held under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Christian ot Schleswig-Holstein, and in aid of the Princess's Nursing Home at Windsor. No doubt this show will be a great success, and as it is apparently intended as a reward to those who have stood by the N.C.C. in the recent struggle, it deserves hearty support. It will have the effect of bringing a number of waverers into the N.C.C. camp. _

ONCE more the Silver Society has changed its name, and it is now the Silver and Smoke Persian Cat Society. It is to be hoped that the identity of this successful little society will not be lost among all these changes, but, if rumour speaks correctly, it is by no means so popular as it was when it was first started.

I CANNOT speak too strongly of the bad taste shown by those persons who have recently written to the fanciers' papers complaining of the low value of certain special prizes won by their cats. Surely the value of a special prize is a matter for the donor to decide, and there is a very old proverb which tells us not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Cat shows have increased greatly in number of late years, and there is a constantly increasing demand for special prizes, but persons who are not well off cannot afford to pay more than a shilling or two, and yet they wish to show good will towards the show and do not like to refuse to give something. The honour and glory of winning a special are always something, and even if I received a penny toy I should not consider myself justified in writing a serious complaint to the papers, though I might laugh over the matter with my friends. As a matter of fact I think far too many special prizes are given nowadays, and they give the judges endless trouble, and are generally wrongly awarded. A few half-sovereigns offered to the first prize-winners in different classes would be far more welcome both to judges and exhibitors.

I HEAR that Mrs Neate has sold her short-haired brown tabby cat, Flying Fox, to Messrs. Ainslie and Grahame. This is the cat about which there was such an uproar at Westminster when he was put over Lady Decies's Ch. Xenophon.

THE question which I am most frequently asked is how to treat cats suffering from eczema and mange. The first point is to decide from which complaint the cat is suffering. If its head and ears are affected, and the disease spreads down the neck and back, eczema is usually the complaint, but it there are sore places on the head. nose, and fore and hind feet, mange may be feared. The only was of making certain on this point is to get a vet. to make a microscopical examination of a scraping from the skin, and this will put the matter beyond question, as mange is parasitical and eczema is not. In both cases the patient must be fed up on plenty of raw meat and cod-liver oil but, while in mange external applications may be chiefly relied upon, they are in eczema practically useless if used alone. First of all, the skin must be cleaned by soaking in a solution of carbonate of soda and hot water, which will remove the grease and scales. After this the skin must be dressed with a suitable preparation. Avoid any mixture containing either carbolic or spirits of tar, as these are deadly poison to a cat. Possibly the safest and most rapid cure is effected by a mixture containing one part of paraffin oil and two parts of olive oil, slightly thickened with sulphur. This may be dabbed on the sore places. If the cat is suffering from eczema, he should also be given one grain of bicarbonate of potash daily, and the more exercise he can take in the fresh air the better. On the other hand, if he is suffering from mange he must be kept in durance vile, as he will certainly communicate the disease to any other animal with which he comes in contact, and cases have been known of human beings contracting mange from dogs and cats. Let him be given a daily supply of coarse dog-grass to nibble at.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS
DICK WHITTINGTON will be pleased to give advice on all matters concerning cats and their ailments, and will be glad to receive for insertion any interesting items of cat news that her readers may send. Queries must be written on one side of a separate sheet of paper, and must be signed with a pseudonym for publication. Letters should be addressed, "DICK WHITTINGTON, care of Editor, THE LADIES' FIELD."
BAGSBY. - Your cat is evidently a short-haired blue, sometimes erroneously called "Russian." These cats are not necessarily Russian, but may be bred from pure English parents. I do not know of a dog of of either of the breeds you mention to be given away, but I am sure you could buy a fox-terrier puppy very cheaply through the private advertisement column of this paper.
FLUFFIE. - Two or three kittens are as many as most cats can rear satisfactorily, though there are many cats which can manage a larger number, and I knew of one cat which brought up nine well. The diarrhoea from which your cat is suffering is caused by the strain on her system through rearing so large a family, and, of course, the kittens have taken it from her. She must be separated from them at once and given a dose of castor oil with a few drops of brandy in it, and in a few days she will be all right. Feed the kittens on arrowroot and finely minced raw beef, and let them have two or three times a day, until a cure is effected, five drops of Symes's lac bismuthi.
CHAFFINCH. - From your description the cat is apparently a short-haired smoke. At the present time these cats are practically valueless, as they do not belong to any recognised breed, but are the result of various crosses, Their place is in the variety classes,
SPOOK. - A cat with odd eyes should stand no chance in competition with a blue-eyed one, but it will be more valuable tor breeding from than the one with yellow eyes, which is only valuable as a pet.
TRIXEY. - Mate your brown tabby queen with an orange tabby male, and you will get back the warm ground colour. Select a male which has no tortoiseshell relations, as otherwise some of the kittens may be patchy.
MRS. E. BIRD. - I think the paragraph above on eczema and mange will answer your queries; it not, please write again. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 28, 1901, pg 131

I REGRET to say that, owing to the severe gales, I was unable to get my account of the Manchester Show through in time for last week's issue. It was remarkable, if for nothing else, for the downfall of a number of well-known cats. The incomparable White Knight took second only, while his son, Mrs. Robinson's Zephyrine, a nine-month kitten, was first. In the black class, Lady Alexander's grandly-coated Queen of Eyes rightly won, but it was a little hard that Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's recent purchase, Dick Fawe, should go unnoticed. In the blue male class Mes. Collingwood's Royal Bobs won, with Mrs. Longwill's well-known Mark Antony second, and Mr. Cosway's Imperial Blue, Rupert, Blue San Toy, and Oliver Woolleepug all had to stand down. In the female class first went to Miss Gant's Blue Maiden Queen. I preferred the second, Miss Beal's Romaldkirk Vic, truly a gem in eyes, shape, and coat. The blue male kitten class was won by Mr. Cosway's Blue Knight, a well-grown and remarkably promising kitten, while the female class was headed by Mrs. Swanson''s sweet-faced My Lady, who also won the novice white, black, or blue class, in which Zephyrine was second, the latter being first in the black or white kitten class. In the smoke class Backwell Jogram won, as usual, followed by Mrs. Sinkins's Teufel; both are poor in eyes.

The chinchilla male class brought out two notable debutantes. Miss Anderson Leake's Pathan of Dingley is a beautiful cat, clear and pale in colour, with a grand head and capital shape. He was closely followed by Mrs. Neild's The Absent-Minded Beggar, a wonderfully-shaped cat, with a good head and tremendous coat, and as free from markings as anything yet shown. The chinchilla female class was, of course, a gift to Lady Decies's Zaida, second going to Mrs. Tyrwhitt Drake's Musa, who is a nice colour, and third to Miss White Atkins's Silver Sprite, who loses only in head. The kitten class was headed by a well-grown youngster in Mrs. Evan Humphrey's Lord Clive. Miss Beal was, as usual, invincible in the cream male class, while Mrs. D' Arcy Hildyard accounted for first in the female class with Miriam of the Durhams.

In the orange male class Mrs. Neate's The King's Own was, I thought, lucky to win from Mrs. Davies's Hamish, the best orange I have seen. Thames Valles Silver King won in the silver tabby male class, with Mrs. Siingsby's Don Pedro, handicapped by his extreme youth, second. In the female class Mrs. Mosely's prettily-marked Marceline was first, with Miss E. M. Cope's well- known Dewdrop second. We published the photographs of Don Pedro and Dewdrop last week.

To pass to the short-haired classes. Mrs. Inman's Woodsley Pongo and Mrs. Robinson's Ah Choo accounted for the firsts in the Siamese classes; both are grandly-marked cats, and clear and pale in colour. Miss Cochran's handsome red and white Strathcona was first in Manx males, whilst the first in the female class went to Mr Foalstone's Manx Silverwing, who was somewhat lucky. In the other short-haired classes Lady Alexander, of course, held sway. She won first in the silver tabby male class with Ballochmyle Tab Bump, a grand-headed cat, who might be denser in markings; first and second in ted tabby males with Ballochmyle Perfect Still, the best-coloured red yet shown, and Ballochmyle Red Prince; first and second in red tabby females with Ballochmyle Goldfinder and Ballochmyle Mother Pop; first and third in the white class with Ballochmyle Snow Bump and Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes; and first in the blue class with Ballochmyle Blue King - altogether a notable performance. Lady Decies took first with a nice black in Fulmer Shamrock; and Mrs. Bonny's well-known silver tabby, Heather Belle, also won a first.

One of the most charming "animal" books I have read is "The Soul of a Cat," by Miss Margaret Benson. That the writer is a true lover and observer of animals is betrayed in every line. Persis, the cat who so quickly tired of her children, is a fascinating person, and which of us has not suffered from "the ill-bred cat who will not take offence"? The question as to whether it is human beings who domesticate cats, or cats who tame human beings, is a delicate one, and many devoted cat-fanciers will find difficulty in answering it. There are numerous charming sketches of cats by Henrietta Ronner, and some excellent photographs, and altogether the book is one I can strongly recommend to all animal lovers, and cat lovers in particular.

I am sorry to hear that there have been cases of distemper and a few of gastro-enteritis in several catteries lately. The latter complaint is most horribly infectious, and it would be true wisdom promptly to chloroform any kittens attacked by it, and anyone who has been near the invalids should not touch other kittens before undergoing a thorough disinfection.

MESSYBEAST - OLD CAT BOOKS

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