THE LADIES' FIELD "CAT GOSSIP" COLUMNS

THE LADIES' FIELD "CAT GOSSIP" COLUMNS - 1902

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 4, 1902, pg 170

LADY ALEXANDER has been makings great additions to her cattery, and has in the last few weeks purchased three red tabbies - one of which, at least, is likely to make a sensation later on - a blue, a long-haired black queen with glorious eyes, and a very promising young brown tabby Manx tom.

I AM very sorry to hear that Mrs. Hill, of Tovil, has given up cat-keeping, and has parted with all her cats. Patrick Blue has been sold to "Salvo," of Hertford Heath, the well-known vendor of cat Medicines,

I WAS pleased to hear that the Cat Club had sent round circulars asking for the opinion of members as to the course they should take with regard to the new registration rule, but I think it would have been better to give members time to consider the circular and reply to it before delivering their proposal to the secretary of the N.C.C. This proposal is simply that there should be one register, to be called "The National Cat Register," and that it should be kept by some disinterested person. This insistence upon impartiality puzzles me exceedingly, for I do not see what possible opening there is for the registrar to show favour to one club or another. He or she merely receives, acknowledges, and enters every registration, and the accounts are checked by the number of entries.

THE general opinion was that The White Knight should have won at Manchester, but I am pleased to hear from Miss White Atkins that she is delighted he should have been beaten by his daughter, a kitten she bred her-self. Miss Atkins continues that she thinks Manchester must be a very smoky place, as Knight departed speckless, but returned of a uniform grey tint all over.

MIS COCHRAN, though she no longer breeds long-haired cats, feels considerable pride in the recent successes of her strain of silvers. Amongst the best-known winners bred by her are Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's FitzEustace, Lady Marcus Beresford's Dimity and Daisy, Lady Decies's Silver Charm, and Mrs. Neild's The Absent-Minded Beggar, while descended from the three cats are such promising youngsters as H.R H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein's Puck II., Lady Marcus Beresford's Stag-beetle and Cretonne, and Miss White Atkins's Silver Sprite, with Silver Tom, Silver Saint, Silver Tangle, Dewdrop, etc.

POOR old Timkins, the best blue sire that ever lived, is no more. I consider him the only cat I ever knew who could be depended upon to produce kittens with orange eyes, though even he failed when the dam's eyes were green, Timkins was breed by Mrs. Kinchant, and was a son of the celebrated Timothy Perkins.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 11, 1902, pg 210

THE schedule of the Westminster Cat Show, to be held on January 15th and 16th, reached me too late to be reviewed in last week's issue, but it is a most interesting programme and well repays careful perusal. Sixty-five classes are given, and 424 prizes are offered for competition, some of these being for members only; but it is well to note that if there are not five entries in any class only half the prize-money will be paid. Kittens will be admitted down to the age of four months, and the judges will not be allowed to exhibit. This last is a new, and certainly desirable rule. The classification is slightly confusing in places. For example, challenge and open classes are provided tor some breeds. The former are for cats and kittens which have won three first prizes under Cat Club rules, and such cats and kittens may not be entered in the open classes. The open classes are, therefore, not open but LIMIT classes. In the actresses' class, which is presumably copied from the L.K.A., I see that actors' cats are allowed to compete.

LOUD are the laments over the poor classification offered to short-haired cats, as, except in the case of Royal Siamese, the sexes are not divided, and I fear a poor entry will result. One class only is provided for Manx. The short-haired kitten classes puzzle me considerably. They stand as follows: 57, self-coloured; 58, tabby; 59, any other colour; 60, any other variety except Royal Siamese or Manx. From this it is fairly clear that the Manx and Royal Siamese kittens compete with the grown-up cats. Classes 57 and 58 are plain enough, and so is Class 59, but what is left for Class 60? The long-haired kittens are well provided with classes, so it cannot be intended for them; moreover, it comes under the heading of ‘‘short-haired kittens." Had the class been for "any foreign variety except Siamese or Manx" it would have been comprehensible, though unnecessary; but we already have a class for self-coloured, short-haired kittens, one for tabbies, and one for any other colour, the breed of these not being specified further than that they must be short-haired. Can anyone tell me of a short-haired kitten which is neither self-coloured, tabby, or any other colour?

AN interesting item is that an auction sale of cats and kittens will be held on the second day of the show. For particulars we are referred to "the back of entry form"; but on looking there I can only find that "Spratt's Patent supply Pepsinated Cat Food to the N.C.C.," so I conclude that there is some other entry form which I have not received. A new rule states that no cat or kitten may be claimed before 2 p.m. on the second day of the show. I fear this rule will greatly interfere with sales, and will not be popular with exhibitors, as people who come on the first day will not be able to make purchases.

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."
MOUSIE. - There is no reason why you should not be able to rear your kitten quite well, even though it is taken from its mother at four weeks old. Some people maintain that kittens feel the change less it taken away at this age than if left till eight or nine weeks. I certainly have reared several large, strong cate which came to me before they could eat and had to be fed with a spoon for a week. Let the kitten have about a teaspoonful of minced raw meat once a day, and let its other meals, which should for the first few weeks be three in number, consist of arrowroot, cornflour, or any prepared baby food. Well-boiled Quaker oats or brown bread and milk may also be given. I always give kittens and puppies plenty of brown sugar in their food, as I think i makes them fat and sleek. As the kitten gets older it may be fed twice a day on any table scraps, bits of meat, fish, milk puddings, etc.
GYP. - I am afraid it is beyond my power to prescribe for an injured limb through the paper. Your cat has evidently been caught in a trap and his foot badly crushed; probably some bones are broken, and he should be taken without delay to a veterinary surgeon.
TIM. - If there are no big coverts near there is no reason why your cat should be shut up at night. It is far the best time for rat catching, and as you say there are plenty of outhouses where he can shelter from cold and wet I should certainly let him run loose. The danger is when there are big woods where a cat can take to poaching, as he is pretty sure to get trapped of shot sooner or later,
SIXPENCE. - Your cats are evidently suffering from distemper. Keep them in a warm, well-ventilated house, and let them have raw beef to eat, or indeed anything they fancy. If their noses are much affected, you must steam them with eucalyptus. The simplest way to do this is to put a few drops of eucalyptus oil into a large jug three parts full of boiling water, then wrap the cat in a blanket and hold its head over the jug for ten of fifteen minutes twice daily. If the cats will not eat they should be fed frequently with Valentine's meat juice or milk and whisky.
GIRLOCH. - I do not at present know of a kitten likely to suit you, but if you will put an advertisement in the private sales column of this paper, you will be sure to hear of one at once. Lady Alexander does not breed long-haired cats, and she does not sell either cats or kittens.
MRS. BARCLAY. - Many thanks for your kind letter. I am always delighted to hear that my prescriptions have been successful. A pinch of sulphur in the food once a week would do no harm, but if the cat is perfectly healthy it is unnecessary. It was a pity you lost your other cat, but you know one must buy one's experience, and these old-fashioned ideas about the dangers of a meat diet die hard. The other cat will probably be all right soon under your treatment, but you might give her a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil every morning till the cough goes. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 18, 1902, pg 250

THERE is no prettier sight to be seen anywhere than the blue-eyed, white-haired beauties at Miss Harper's catteries at Hayward's Heath, as sleek and well looking as good care and judicious food can make them. This particularly happy family, whose members have won much distinction in the show-ring, are the admiration of all who see them. Miss Harper for some years kept a home for stray cats in Brighton, and the highways and hedges of "London-by-the-Sea" supplied her with all sorts and conditions of the feline race, who found a haven of refuge from their troubles with their kind benefactress. Since she has moved to Briarlea, Hayward's Heath, however, she devotes her attention to breeding, and has a charming collection of blue-eyed white cats, and has been very successful in exhibiting them.

"ZAIDA," in FUR AND FEATHER, asks for information about a breed of chinchilla Abyssinian cats, and I am pleased to tell her that such a breed is in existence, and that there are some specimens now in England, though I am not at liberty to say where they are to be found, as their owner is not at present inclined to exhibit them. These cats are, except in colour, exactly like the ordinary Abyssinian or Bunny cat; they have the same narrow head, attenuated body, and thin tail, and their coats are similar. In colour they are dark chinchilla, free from any tinge of brown, but, like the Bunny cats, they have a tendency to show stripes on the legs.

MRS. KENNAWAY is delighted that her blue male Criquet's value is at last being recognised; his kittens have during the past twelve months taken first litter, second tortoiseshell, and first novice at the Crystal Palace, and first and second at Edinburgh, while Criquet himself won first at Cambridge in a strong class.

IT IS all very well for people who possess a sleepy good-tempered tom cat to suggest that championships should be judged in a ring and the cats shown on leads, but these people are surely unaware of the fact that many tom cats become positively dangerous as soon as they view a rival, and will fly at the nearest object, human kr feline, in blind fury. I have had cats which I could lead all round the garden on a string, but the moment they saw another tom cat they bristled all over like a hedgehog, and if touched would bite and scratch like fiends, though at other times were quite gentle. A few animals such as these would no doubt enliven the proceedings, but if they got loose it would be rather disastrous. Moreover, their owners might, supposing they only kept one stud cat, be quite unaware of their cats' latent savagery.

I HEAR from the owners of Dick Fawe and of Blue San Toy that, though these cats were entered for the Manchester Show, they were not present, and I regret that my representative omitted to state these facts when sending me the report, as I was unable to be present personally at the show.

A CURIOUS clause was inserted before the list of special prizes at the Westminster Cat Show, to the effect that "should any first prize-winner be disqualified the challenge cups and special prizes awarded to such exhibit before disqualification would not be passed on to the next exhibit in order of merit." This seems a little hard on the "next exhibit." To take an entirely suppositious case, let us imagine that A has a very beautiful white cat which is practically certain to win first prize, while B has one which is even better except for a black mark on its head, which, of course makes it valueless for show purposes. A and B both enter their cats for Westminster Show and B by "faking" removes the mark on his cat's head and it wins first, challenge cup, and five or six handsome specials, while A's cat wins second prize. B's cat is objected to and disqualified, and A's ct takes his place in the prize list, but is not allowed to take the challenge cup and specials. This is manifestly unfair, as when the two cats are shown in their natural condition A's cat is the better, and when a first prizewinner is disqualified matters should stand with regard to the awards, as if such a cat had never existed. Why A should suffer for B's crime I fail to see.

We may presume that the Silver and Smoke Persian Cat Society intends to encourage dark smokes, as I see that it offers a special for the darkest smoke cat.

THE name of Miss Derby Hyde is given as the secretary of the Short-haired Cat Society, and not that of Mr. Gambier Bolton.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART tells me that she has sold Silver Robin and her short-haired silver tabby queen, and that they have gone to Barrmill, where they give great satisfaction, and have won prizes all over the country for their new owner. Mrs. Stewart intends to take "Dick Whittington's" advice and mate a chinchilla queen with Dick Fawe, in the hope of breeding well-marked silver tabbies. Mrs. Stewart is going to judge the cat classes at Greenock; she was invited to judge at Arbroath, but was obliged to decline.

THE meeting of so-called "Independent Cat Fanciers," which was held in London recently to discuss the new registration rule, was a very stormy one, but matters cannot be said to have been much improved thereby. The independence of some of the fanciers present is, I think, open to question, and the significance of the meeting was rendered nil by the fact that, though it was announced that circulars inviting them to attend the meeting had been posted to every exhibitor at the last Crystal Palace and Westminster shows, a large number of exhibitors received no such circular.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, January 25, 1902, pg 290

WESTMINSTER CAT SHOW.
THE fourth Westminster Show may, contrary to the expectations of miny people, be numbered as one of the successes of the Cat Club, The number of cats entered was not so great as last year, and many well-known catteries were not represented, but in the long-haired section both the number and quality were satisfactory. The attendance on the first day was good, but on Thursday - owing, probably, to the opening of Parliament - the show was deserted.

In the white male class Miss Harper's Blue-eyed Wanderer won; he is a good cat, but coarsening slightly, and I preferred Mrs. Westlake's Choir-boy, who no doubt lost first place through suffering from a bad cold. In black males Mrs. Lenty Collins's Forest Beauty took first, with Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's grand-eyed Dick Fawe second. Black Maria, Mrs. Fellowes's first-prize female, was spoiled only by her eyes. In the blue male class Mrs. Gregory's Skellingthorpe Patrick won; he is a grandly made cat, with good coat and colour, but fails utterly in eyes. Miss Bennett's Peter of Tovil, second, is a fine cat, but poor in colour; while Miss Goddard's Yani, which took third, is good in coat and colour, though again weak in eyes. "Salvo's" Patrick Blue was shown not for competition. Mrs. Hill asks me to state that this cat was not SOLD to "Salvo." Lady Marcus Beresford's Windsor Goliath II. and Blue Boy II. were unfortunate in taking only V.H.C.'s. Miss W. Beal's Romaldkirk Vic rightly won among the blue females; she has a beautiful shape and face and glorious orange eyes.

Mis. Sinkin's Teufel had an easy victory among the smoke males while the female class was headed by Mrs. James's Backwell Juno, a good cat but for her green eyes. In the chinchilla male class Mr. Dewar won with Father O'Flynn II., a huge cat with a magnificent coat of pale colour; second going to Miss Simpson's Cambyses, who, I thought, rather lucky, as he shows stripes on head and legs and is long in face. Miss Horsman's Aramis, which took third, is an attractive cat. In the female class Lady Marcus Beresford's Windsor Dimity carried all before her; she is a beautifully shaped and coated cat, and of a very pale, clear shade, and loses only in the colour of her eyes; second went to her daughter, Windsor Daisy, a charming little cat but out of coat. The shaded silver classes were unsatisfactory and confusing. First in the male class went to Miss Lister's Tristram, a really grand, heavily shaded cat, and in the female class to Miss Dell's Miladi Silverkins, .

Mrs. Vidal's Torrington Sunnysides, who won in all eight prizes - first, challenge cup, breeders' cup, silver medal, and four Specials - is a truly magnificent fellow, good in coat, colour, shape, and eyes; and Mrs. Neate's The King's Own, who followed him in the orange male class, is another grand cat. Miss Beal's Romaldkirk Garnet, who won the female class, is a capital dark orange. The cream classes were won by Miss Beal's Romaldkirk Admiral and Calliope, and Miss Mildred Beal's Pansy was first in the tortoiseshell class, but I heard some discussion as to whether an injury to her leg should not have put her back.

In silver tabby males Miss Anderson Leake's Marquis of Dingley took first. He has a sweet face, good shape and coat, and is fairly well marked. Second went to the well-known Thames Valley Silver King, a good cat, who fails utterly in markings; and third to Lady Pink's grandly barred Shrover II., who, but for his sharp nose, must have won, and should certainly have been second. Lady Pink's nicely marked Seabreeze won the female class. In brown tabby males Mrs. Tootill won with Horsforth Hercules, a magnificent cat of a grand tawny colour, but a bit light on the chin; second went to Miss Simpson's Persimmon, a cat with good head and bone, but wanting richness and warmth of colour, and having a white chin; third was Mrs. Raven's Prince Royal II., another good cat, and quite free from white. The female class was headed by Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard's Susan of the Durhams, a capital sable cat, but light on chin.

In the self-colour neuter class first went to Master Tom Stevens's Joseph, a grand, big blue, with capital eyes; and second to Mrs. Jones's well-known Kushi. Mrs. Wells took first with a capital blue kitten in Blue Laddie, and Mrs. Kennaway with the fascinating Jolly Girl, while Mr. Coglan's chinchilla showed great promise, and had an easy win, though Mrs. Poole's kitten, which took second, was a good one.

The entries in the short-haired Classes were exceedingly poor, and the Siamese classes may be passed without comment Three good Abyssinians belonging, to Mr. Pitkin appeared in the variety class; and in Manx Mr. Bolton carried all his own way with D'tail and Manx Primrose. In white males Mr. Western's Pearl, a cat with good eyes, won; in blues Mr. Crowther's Tiney, who is good in colour and eyes; and in tortoiseshells Miss Derby Hvde's well-known Shady was first. Mr. Harold Blackett's well-known Silver Queen was an easy first in the silver tabby class, and in brown tabbies Mr. Newland's huge, rich coloured Jim Shelley won. The red tabbies were classed an orange tabbies, and the prizes went to orange-coloured cats in Belle [Bell] of Bradford and Clem, but I made Bradford Perfection the best cat in the class, and, though out of condition, he was a long way the darkest coloured.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 1, 1902, pg 332

IT will be good news to the cat world in general that such good fanciers as Lady Alexander of Ballochmyle, Mrs. Robinson, best known in the cat world as the owner of Ch. Wankee, and Miss Hamilton, of Bath, have been elected on the N.C.C. committee.

I WAS sorry to find at Westminster Show that some persons showed such bitterness on the subject of the registration rule, A display of personal animosity, with an inclination to make wild accusations which are not borne out by facts, is certainly not the best way of bringing about that peace for which we all long. Members of the Cat Club express a great regret that a general meeting of that club was not called to consider the proposals made by the N.C.C.

I AM glad to hear that Mrs. Hill's retirement from the cat fancy is only temporary, and that when the present disputes between the clubs are at an end she is likely to take up cats once more.

LADY MARCUS BERESFORD seems to have a great liking for short-haired cats, as, besides her Siamese, she has in the last year or two taken to showing Manx and short-haired brown tabbies, though not as yet with great success. This is probably due to the fact that long -laired cats are still in the majority at Bishopsgate

LADY ALEXANDER claimed at Westminster Show the long-haired smoke queen, Brenda, shown by Miss Goddard, which possesses that most rare, but most desirable, point on a smoke - good orange eyes,

SKELLINGTHORPE PATRICK, the hero of the last Westminster Cat Show, is an enormous light blue cat, with a huge fluffy coat He has, though seldom shown, been remarkably successful in the show pen, winning first as a kitten at the Crystal Palace, and first at the N.C.C.C. Show at Manchester in 1900, while at Westminster he won first and challenge cup for the best blue male, breeders' cup, and three specials. He is a son of that notorious cat, Roy, and is therefore a grandson of Kingfisher, who appeared at Westminster in the same class! Patrick's kittens have done well, and one of them won first and two specials at Brighton Show.

THE N.C.C. has announced that it will hold a show in February, in the Victoria Hall, Westbourne Grove, under the patronage and support of H.R.H. Princess Chistian, in aid of the Crippled Boys' Home at Egham. Rumour has it that Me Gresham and Dr. Roper are amongst the judges appointed. This show will be awaited with keen anxiety by all who are interested in club matters. A significant fact was that though a number of beautiful cats appeared at the Cat Club Show a large proportion of these were debutantes, and are therefore presumably sill eligible for the N.C.C. Show, and also that some of our largest exhibitors, whose sympathies are known to be with the Cat Club, had divided their teams and kept some of their best cats at home. For this reason I think the N.C.C. may reasonably expect to have a good and representative entry, and there is no doubt that exhibitors of short hairs will support the show well.

MISS SHAPCOTT'S Queenie of Thanet, which took first and special at Westminster, is a very handsome tortoiseshell and white, or tricolour, cat. She is well patched in colour, with no suspicion of tabby markings, and had she a little more white would be hard to beat. Her daughter, Princess Flavia, did well at the Crystal Palace.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 8, 1902, pg 369

MANY important sales have taken place in the cat world during the last week, and amongst the well-known cats which have changed hands are the blues Moko, Blue Pads, and Mabel of Lozells, which have gone from Mrs. Barnett's cattery to that of Mrs. Singleton, of Yeovil; Lady Marcus Beresford's Goliath II. and the orange-eyed Periwinkle have been purchased by Mr. Witt, who has sold the chinchilla Whiskerandos to Mrs. Wilson, of Arrandale. Lady Marcus Beresford has, I understand, bought Mr. Dewar's black kitten, Zwarte, which was much admired at Westminster, where it was first in its class.

ADMIRERS of blue-eyed white Persians have long lamented that no society exists for the encouragement of their favourite breed of cat, and to their exertions may be attributed a motion which is now on foot to start a "black and white" society for long and short-haired cats. As one of the prime movers suggests, there is a "literary" sound about the title. I am glad to know that the proposed society will turn its attention particularly to guaranteeing classes, and will endeavour, as far as is possible, to avoid giving specials which are likely to cause confusion, but will rather try to encourage the prize-winners than to bestow prizes upon cats which the judges have considered unworthy of notice.

I HAD the pleasure recently of inspecting Miss Anderson Leake's cattery, and was much impressed by the condition of all its inmates. Abdul Hamet of Dingley, the young silver tabby stud cat, has not often been seen in public, but he is one of the best shaped and coated cats I have ever seen. He has a charming, round, kittenish face, in spite of the fact that his progeny has already made a mark in the show pen. Pathan of Dingley, the chinchilla who won at Manchester, is one of those huge deep-bodied cats, with a coat like a sheep, which to the eye of the connoisseur always suggest imported blood, and this Pathan has in abundance. His exuberance of spirits and perfect health make him dance round his house and roll over and over like a kitten, displaying all his charms to advantage, and I could not fail to remark what a different creature he was from what I saw in the show-pen at Westminster. Marquis of Dingley was unfortunately boarded out, so I did not renew my acquaintance with him.

OF the queens the well-known Winsome of Dingley was the first to claim recognition. Winsome, though one of our lightest cats and very large for a queen, has been singularly unlucky in the show-pen, and is chiefly celebrated for her children, of whom Mrs. Marriott's Whitehall Seraph is a worthy representative. Miss Fluffie of Dingley, a huge silver tabby lady, is a dream of loveliness, and her prize-winning kittens are too numerous to mention. As her mistress says, she is one of those useful cats which will have whatever kittens you happen to want, be they silver tabbies or chinchillas!

MISS LEAKE has always been a great admirer of the silver tabby Persian, and has never been without a strong team of this colour since she first started cat keeping with Topso, the ancestor of all the best silver tabbies, and since Topso's death she has stuck to the same strain and her stud cat has always been a direct descendant of the old champion. When chinchillas first came into fashion, Miss Leake introduced a few into her cattery, and has had great success in breeding this elusive variety. No cats other than silvers are encouraged at Dingley, though at the time of my visit that glorious brown tabby male, Horsfield Hercules, which beat Persimmon at Westminster, had found a temporary resting-place there, Miss Leake having purchased him for export to America.

THE catteries greatly roused my envy, being the most perfect and best kept I have ever seen. The houses are made of double match-boarding with felt between, and are fitted with shelves, hanging lamps, and convenient wire partitions. The walls are painted and the floors covered with waxcloth, and each house has a large run with a cement floor and shelves in sunny corners.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 15, 1902, pg 413

UNDER existing circumstances it is a dangerous matter to pass any remarks upon Cat Club affairs, but I cannot refrain from entering a protest against the manner in which many fanciers bring accusations against whichever club they happen to be at variance with. Sometimes they have not received prize or sales money, and sometimes it is a balance-sheet which is missing. "To err is human," and, before assuming that the omission is intentional, it is as well to write to the secretary of the offending society politely asking for an explanation, as it is Just possible that a name has been accidentally overlooked. Some people expect to receive their prize-money within a week or two of a show, but it should be recollected that the Kennel Club allows dog shows three months' grace before calling them to account. Second-hand evidence should never be accepted in matters of this kind. Many a time and oft have I been assured that one club or another must be in a bad way financially, as they had not paid up prize and sales money from their shows. On asking for details, my informant has replied: "Oh! I can't remember names just now, but lots of people have told me so;" and to my enquiry as to whether these people have written to the secretary, the reply always is: "I think they have, anyhow they are going to write to the papers!" In some cases, I have known of people who made a great fuss about unpaid prize-money, and I eventually discovered that their own club subscriptions were in arrears.

THE secretary of the Manx Cat Club has been inundated with enquiries for Manx cats and kittens, and has had the greatest possible difficulty in satisfying all demands. Tabbies, brown or red, tortoiseshells, and white appear to be the most popular colours, but there is no difficulty in procuring a situation for a typical Manx cat whatever his hue, though prices do not as yet range high.

MRS. VIDAL's magnificent orange, Torrington Sunnysides (whose coat is always the brightest and richest colour to be met with at any of the shows) boasts a long list of honours, having gained a first prize at the Crystal Palace in 1899 and 1900, a first prize challenge cup at Westminster the following year, in addition to seconds at the Palace and Brighton. This year he has already won first challenge and breeders' cups, a silver medal, and three specials; these laurels were gained at Westminster on January 16th. Sunnysides is by Ch. Bundle and Mrs Vidal's Torrington Owlet, and it may be mentioned, his grandmother Ellwayda, took first prize at the Crystal Palace Show in October, 1901.

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."
TABBY. - Two meals a day are ample tor your cat. Let one consist of meat, from three to four ounces of raw lean beef for preference, and let that meal be given in the evening. For breakfast he should have a smaller meal of any kind of scraps, or arrowroot or milk pudding. It is certainly wrong that he should "sleep all day and be out all night." If you give him his supper just before dark he will soon learn to come in for it, and he must then be shut up for the night.
JIM. - White kittens with yellow or green eyes are practically valueless -that is to say, they may fetch from 15s. to 21s. as pets, but they are useless for exhibition. Odd-eyed cats are worth rather more, as they are of more value for breeding from, but it is a delusion that an odd-eyed cat is better to breed from than a blue-eyed one. If you take my advice you will ignore all such statements, which are usually prompted by self-interest, and select tor breeding those cats which possess in a marked degree those points which you wish to perpetuate.
GEOFFRY. - All imported cats are not good. I have seen very poor specimens which had been imported direct from Persia. As in other countries, there are both good and bad specimens to be found there.
DUFFER. - I advise you to enter your cat for one of the big London shows. There will be one held in February, when you will be able to form an opinion of the merits. Let me know when you are going to exhibit him, and I will inspect him carefully.
TIM. - I have beard of cats living to be twenty-five, but usually a cat of ten to twelve years is rather an elderly, person, and I don't advice you to begin with a pet of that age, no matter how beautiful and juvenile he may appear.
PAT. - The kittens are red tabbies, not orange, please, and from sour description they appear to be good ones, but you must remember that it is all a matter of comparison, and that a kitten which is lovely at home may look very common when penned beside a much better one. Markings are a minor consideration in this variety, and the most important point is colour, which should be very deep and dark.
FELINA. - The particulars you give are so very meagre that it is quite impossible for me to guess at what is wrong with your cat. Please write again, telling me what her skin is like. Are there any bare places or sores, or does it present a dry and scurfy appearance? Possibly she is only moulting, or perhaps the bareness is caused by the diarrhoea. Stop giving her milk and liver for the present, and only give fish occasionally, but let her diet consist of raw lean beef. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, February 22, 1902, pg 451

A GRAND cat show will be held by the National Cat Club on February 26th and 27th, at Victoria Hall, Westbourne Grove under the patronage and support of H.R.H. Princess Christian, in aid of the Crippled Boys' Home at Egham, in which the Princess takes a very great personal interest. The show offices are at 5, Great James Street, W.C., and Mrs. Stennard Robinson is hon. secretary. The Princess Victoria will exhibit her cat on this occasion. The judges who will officiate are Mrs. Herbert Ransome, Mrs. Baker, Miss Hester Cochran, Dr. Roper, Mr. Lane, and Mr. Gresham. The N.C.C. has undoubtedly taken the right course in refusing to be dictated to by the specialist societies, and the action of the B.P.C.S. in withdrawing its support because Mr. Gresham was appointed to judge the blue Persians is a deservedly unpopular one

THE Reading Show is, I think, unlucky in having selected a date immediately preceding the N.C.C. Show (February 19th and 20th), for this is, I fear, certain to reduce the entries very considerably, as many fanciers will be saving up their cats for the larger show.

I HEAR that Lady Marcus Beresford has purchased from Miss Lister the shaded silver male Tristram, which won first at Westminster. Tristram's sire was the chinchilla Sweetheart, bred from Mr. Hawkins''s much talked of strain, and who, though not very popular here, made a good price when he sailed for America last year. His dam was Miss Lister's Phroso, an exquisite little smoke queen by Tuan, whose bad temper alone has kept her from becoming a very great celebrity.

LITTLE kittens when they arrive in a new home after a long journey are often noticed to walk stiff behind, and the purchaser usually writes to the seller accusing him of selling an animal suffering from paralysis. Strange to say, a teaspoonful of salad or half the quantity of castor oil administered promptly will usually remove all the alarming symptoms, but in this, as in most other cases, it is as well to remember that delay is dangerous.

I WAS mistaken in supposing that Mr. Dewar's black kitten Zwarte, who was so much admired and first in his class at Westminster, had been bought by Lady Marcus Beresford. The purchaser of the beautiful little creature was Mrs. Arthur G. Sharpe, St. Helen's Cottage, Byfleet, who is delighted with her acquisition, and writes that "his disposition is as beautiful as his looks."

MERLIN, the beautiful silver Persian whose portrait appears on this page, is the property of Mrs. Arthur Coode, Trevarthen, St. Austell, who obtained him when quite a kitten from Miss Taylor, of Ingleside. He is a son of the celebrated Lord Southampton.

THEe Siamese Cat Club has at last published a standard of points, and, though I do not entirely agree with it, I think it is a good thing that breeders and judges should be clearly informed what the type which is approved of by the club is. As the matter is of general interest I give the standard of points in full.
Body Colour: as light and even as possible, cream being the most desirable, but fawn also admissible with (out?) streaks, bars, blotches, or other body markings.
Points: i.e., mask, ears, legs, feet, and tail dark and clearly defined, of the shade known as seal brown. Mask complete: i.e. connected by tracings with the ears, neither separated by a pale ring as in kittens, nor blurred and indistinct, the desideratum being to preserve the "marten-face," an impression greatly aided by a good mask.
Eyes: bright and decided blue.
Coat: glossy and close-lying.
Shape: body rather long, legs proportionately slight.
Head: rather long and pointed.
General Appearance: with points emphasized above a somewhat curious and striking looking cat - graceful, elegant, of medium size; if weighty, not showing bulk, as this would detract from the admired svelte appearance. In type, in every particular, the reverse of the ideal short-haired domestic cat, and, with properly preserved contrasts of colour, a very handsome animal, often distinguished by a kink in the tail.
Remarks: While admitting that blues, blacks, whites, tabbies, and other coloured cats may be also cats of Siam, these being common to all parts of the world, this club recognises only as Siamese cats those cats the points of which conform to the above standard, and is, in fact, desirous of encouraging the breeding of those particular cats first made known to English fanciers as ‘‘Royal Siamese cats." The points of the chocolate Siamese to be the same as above except in colour of body.
NOTHING could possibly be clearer than the above, and it is satisfactory to know that in future the chubby, woolly coated cat is to be discouraged, while the sleek-skinned, slender animal of the true Eastern type is to be our ideal. I confess that I am pleased to know that the cream-coloured cat which we were first taught to admire is once more the most correct, but I am a little sorry, though not surprised, that the kinked tail is still with us; we must, however, all bow to the decision of the Siamese Cat Club, and Dick Whittington will in future abide by it in criticizing Siamese cats.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 1, 1902, pg 465

MRS. FINNIE YOUNG was for some years a staunch partisan of the blue Persian cat, and her Ch. Bluejacket was at one time the best blue male cat in Scotland, and carried all before him in the show-pen. Though now eight years of age, his grand head and beautiful colour would still be difficult to surpass. A few years ago Mrs. Young decided to go in for chinchillas. and purchased Lord Silverhair from Miss Packham. Silverhair is brother to Ting Ting and Elsa, and he did some winning in England before he travelled north. Though too dark for the present fashion - in fact, a "shaded silver" - he has sired many pale chinchillas, and he has a wonderful coat and good green eyes. Ch. White Friar, the blue-eyed white, was well-known when the property of Mrs. Champion. He has a beautiful head, shape, and coat, and were his eyes a little deeper in colour he would be absolutely in the first flight. His two kittens, Frate Bianco and Monica Bianca, have been sold, and despatched to Brooklyn. Mosaic is a pretty little tortoiseshell, and Bruno and Bluecoat Boy are two handsome neuters, which are kept as house pets. Last, but by no means least on my list, comes Bonnie Prince Charlie, who is one of the best cats Mrs. Young has ever owned. He is a very large blue, by Darnley, and has magnificent orange eyes. When his head has filled up and his coat grown, it should not take him long to earn the title of champion. At Glasgow Show he took first and third and at Harrogate second and third, but at the latter show he was certainly hardly used, as there was no cat in the show with eyes to equal his.

THE schedule of the N.C.C. Championship Show, to be held in the Victoria Hall, Westbourne Grove, on Wednesday and Thursday, has reached me during the week, but as it is so late in putting in an appearance I am unable to give a full review of it, as the show will be in progress when these lines appear in print. Suffice it to say that Mrs. Herbert Ransome, Mrs. Baker, Miss Hester Cochran, Dr. Roper, Mr. Gresham, and Mr. Lane will judge, that 130 special prizes are offered for competition besides the ordinary class prizes, and that twenty-six classes are provided for long-haired cats and twenty-three for short-hairs.

I AM exceedingly glad to see that the short-hairs have received such encouragement, and I have no doubt that a capital entry will be the result. The B.P.C.S., as everyone knows has tabooed the show, and the S.S.P.C.S. offers one challenge cup only, but individuals and rival associations have evidently determined that this defection shall not injure the show in any way, and they have come up gallantly. Personally, I feel that, as the N.C.C. so far met the S.S.P.C.S. as to add the word "silver" to the name of the chinchilla classes, a more generous return might have been expected.

For the moment everyone is on the qui vive over the announcement that the N.C.C. support has been withdrawn from Reading show. The reason for this is not quite apparent, as no registration is enforced, and I understand the new N.C.C. rule to refer only to shows where registration with other clubs is compulsory, but no doubt the matter will soon be explained.

Two beautiful cats which have just died are Lady Pink's Shrover II. and Mrs Robinson's Zephyrine. Shrover Il. was, I think, the best marked silver tabby ever exhibited. He never appeared to carry much coat and his head might have been better, but as a silver tabby he was magnificent, and his loss is a great one to the fancy. Zephyrine was a lovely blue-eyed white queen by White Knight. She was bred by Miss White Atkins, who intended keeping her, but was prevailed upon to sell her to Mrs. Robinson, of Cheltenham. Zephyrine made a sensation at Manchester, where she, rather unexpectedly, beat her sire, but she has unfortunately not lived long enough to follow up this victory.

MR. T. B. MASON, of 4. Gordon Terrace, Idle, Bradford. is collecting funds for the purchase of two challenge bowls to be called the Welburn Memorial Bowls, which will be offered for competition at the principal cat shows during the year in memory of Mr. Enoch Welburn, who, of all our cat judges, was perhaps the one most generally esteemed and supported. The bowls will be given impartially to the N.C.C. and the C.C., but all details will be settled when the subscription list is closed.

SPECIALIST clubs' lists of judges are and always will be a matter of much trouble to show committees. Some specialist clubs actually go the length of excluding from their lists the names of all persons who are not members of these clubs. Could prejudice go further? There are some well-known and exceedingly capable judges who, on principle, refuse to join any clubs, while others, being judges, and good judges too, of every variety of cat in existence, are not too well endowed with this world's goods, and cannot afford to join half a dozen societies on the chance of getting one or two judging appointments during the year. This latter difficulty could be overcome were the societies a little more free in electing honorary members, but as a matter of fact most of them seem to wish to keep matters at a standstill by the formation of a clique, and when the list of judges is drawn up the list of members only is scanned. The simple way out of the difficulty is to do away with all lists of judges, and for specialist clubs merely to say that they will support shows where the judges, etc., meet with the approval of their committees.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 8, 1902, pg 542

N.C.C. SHOW AT WESTBOURNE GROVE.
THE N.C.C. Committee have good reason to congratulate themselves on the entire success of their most recent show. The entry was satisfactory, the quality first-class, and the gate must have been good, as the show was crowded from the moment it opened. The absence of all Lady Alexander's cats was remarked upon, but, at the time of writing, unexplained. Mr. Lane and Mr. Gresham were prevented by illness from keeping their engagements to judge, and Mrs. Ransome, Miss Cochran, and Dr. Roper had to divide their classes, and their task was, therefore, a heavy one. Commencing with long-hairs, the whites hold pride of place. First went to Mrs. Pettit's King of Pearls, a huge, heavily-coated cat with grand blue eyes; second, to Mrs. Maclaren Morrison's beautifully shaped Musafer, somewhat handicapped by the scar on his nose; and third to Miss White Atkins's The White Knight, a grand cat, somewhat unlucky. In white females Mrs. Pettit was again successful with the fascinating Beautiful Pearl; second went to Miss White Atkins's White Butterfly, good in head and shape, and third to Mrs. Pettit's Piquante Pearl,

In black males Mrs. Maclaren Morrison's Black Cherry was first and Mrs. Wittam Wignall's Black Fury second, while in the female class second went to Mrs. Pettit's Mazagan and third to Mrs. Herring's Madame Freda. In the blue male class was found the best long-hair in the show, Mrs. Slingsby's Orange Blossom of Thorpe, a grandly made, sound-coloured dark blue, with good orange eyes; the second, Mrs. Holt's Cerulean, is beautiful in head, shape, and coat, and has fair eyes; third went to Mrs Herring's well-known King David. In the blue female class no first prize was given, second went to Mrs. Maclaren Morrison's nicely shaped Kepwick Violet, and third to Mrs. Singleton's Blue Pads.

First in smoke males went to Miss Leslie's dark cat, Tiger, who is quite out of coat, and second to Mrs. Stead's Ranji, whose eyes are perhaps better. In the female class Mrs. Collingwood's Minouche, who is excellent in head, shape, and eyes, won easily from Miss Hamilton's Radica. In the chinchilla male class Tintagel, the property of Miss White Atkins, won; he is a good light colour and in capital coat, with grand shape and eyes. Second went to Mrs. G. Wilson's Rob Roy of Arrandale, a well-made, heavily boned cat, slightly darker in colour; and third to Her Highness Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein's Puck III., only a kitten, but a good one, with grand head and eyes and a nice clear colour. Lady Decies's Ch. Fulmer Zaida, of course, stood alone among the chinchilla females, though she was dead out of coat and condition; but Mrs. Martin's silver Squire's Daughter was no mean second. She is a fine large cat, with a lovely face and eyes, and a good colour: third was Miss Ford's Roosalka. In orange males first went to Mrs. Charles's Robert Orange, and second to Mrs. Vidal's Russets, both good cats, except for the fact that they are a compromise between tabby and self colour. The winning orange female, Mrs Singleton's Orange Girl, has the same fault.

In silver tabby males Mrs. Herring's King Alfred won easily; his markings are good, and head and shape excellent. The Countess of Aberdeen's Pharoah of Haddo, second, loses slightly in markings, and Mrs. Slingsby's Don Pedro of Thorpe, third, though a grand cat, is far from being a good tabby. Mrs. Herring's Bangle won the silver tabby female class; she is a large well-made cat with fair markings. Second was Lady Aberdeen's Silver Tigress, a nice cat, who loses in markings; and third, Mrs. Clarke's Louth Fluffles. The brown tabby males were all poorly marked, but the first, Mrs. Charles's Tom Tiddler, is a beautiful red sable in colour, with a glorious coat, quite a picture; second was Mrs Stead's Timber, a very near thing, but he was not in such full coat; and third, Mrs. Rickett's Prince Sam. In brown tabby females Mrs. Wilson's Sue of Arrandale took first and also the championship; she is a huge, well-marked sable tabby, with a grand coat but rather light on chin.

The self-coloured neuters were rather disappointing, but the winner, Mrs. Walton's Blue Danube, is a sound light blue. with nice eyes. Miss Bartlett's Azim, second, loses in eyes and condition, and Mrs Grosvenor Wilson's Shah of Persia, third, ran him close. In A.O.C. neuters a grandly coloured chinchilla, Mrs. Boyce's Fur, won easily, second going to Lady Aberdeen's Zoroaster of Haddo, and third to Miss Cunningham's Kensington Bobs.

In long-haired male kittens Mrs. Poole's Duke of Cornwall, a nicely coloured chinchilla with a sweet face, won; second going to a promising blue in Miss Bennett's Lucky Beau, and third to Mrs. Vallance's Sapzar. In the female class Her Highness Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein won with a sound dark blue, out of coat but the possessor of grand orange eyes; second went to Mrs. Martin's Abbey Puffball, a chinchilla of good shape with a sweet face. which won all Specials as the best chinchilla kitten; third was Miss Bennett's Pick of the Basket, a grand light blue with a sweet face and nice yellow eyes, but spoilt by a squirrel tail.

The short-haired were well filled, though there were a number of absentees. In Manx males Miss Samuel took first with King Kangaroo, a most promising black kitten, good in shape and face, and quite tailless; second, Miss Dresser's tabby and white Bonhake Junior is a fine cat, but possessed of a stump tail. In the female class was found the winner of the championship, a really good brown tabby and a typical Manx, Mrs. Herring's Madame Douglas; second, Miss Dresser's Erdmuth, is absolutely tailless. but wants length of limb; third was the same owner's Moonlight. In the novice class Madame Douglas again won, followed by Miss Dresser with Cuy Cusi, an uncertain colour but quite tailless; Erdmuth was third. Mrs. Wilson's Pearl of Arrandale, who stood alone in the white female class, is a gem in head, shape, and eye.

In the black class I thought Miss Butler's Satan of Warnborough lucky to win, as though in heed, shape, and size he is grand, his eyes are poor; Mrs. Nott's Hatfield King of Blacks is smaller, though rather better in eyes; but the best cat, to my mind, was Lady Decies's Fulmer Shamrock, who in coat and colour is excellent, and has glorious orange eyes. The blue short-hairs did not find favour with the judge, and first prizes were withheld. The red tabby males were nice but lacked depth of colour, Mrs. Gordon's unnamed cat won from Mrs. Walker's Leno. In tortoiseshells Mrs. Herring had matters all her own way, winning first with King Saul and second with Lady Jasmine.

The winner in silver tabbies won also as best short-hair. Mrs. Herring's Sweet Phyllis is one of the best silver tabbies ever seen. She is grand in colour and markings, and her only fault is a rather thick tail; second, Mrs. Collingwood's James II., and third, Miss Battley's Kyle Rex, are also good cats. In brown tabbies, Flying Fox won. With a little more warmth of colour, this cat would not belie his name. His owners, Messrs. Ainslie and Graham, took second with Vandyke Brown, a somewhat similar cat. Ch. Xenophon would have won easily had he not been thin and out of condition; as it was he had to be content with second; but in the variety tabby class he took first. In the variety and foreign class, Mrs. Brooke's weird red Bombay cat, Indischer Furst, won, followed by a good chocolate Siamese in Mr. Cooke's Zetland Wanzies. In self-coloured neuters Mrs. Walker won with a capital blue in Prue, while her Foalstones Red Khaki was first in the A.O.C. class. In short-haired female kittens Mrs. Collingwood won with a really good silver tabby in Nanie, second going to Mrs. Hughes's promising blue. The team class was won by Lady Decies and the brace class by the Hon. Mrs. Maclaren Morrison.

Princess Alexis Dolgorouki, who visited the show, distributed the trophies and prizes to the owners of the successful pets.

MIRS. D'ARCY-HILDYARD'S cream queen Miriam of the Durhams, though she is still quite a young cat, has had a very successful career in the show pen. At the recent Reading show she won second in the orange or cream class, and a special for the best cream female.

READING SHOW was well supported with entries, but, owing no doubt to the withdrawal at the eleventh hour of the N.C.C. patronage. there were a number of empty pens. The chief honours in smokes went to Mrs. James's well-known Backwell Jogram, while in chinchillas Mrs. Sinkins and Miss Ford did well, and Miss Anderson Leake's chinchilla kitten, Corinne of Dingley, took first and a number of specials, Mrs. Humfrey's Don Carlos, an orange-eyed son of Ronald, headed the blue male class, while the fascinating Romaldkirk Vic won easily among the females. In silver tabbies nothing was found to lower the colours of Thames Valley Silver King, honours in the cream and orange classes of course going to Romaldkirk. In blue short-hairs Mrs. Carew Cox took all the prizes, but the first prize appears to have been withheld. Mr. Blackett, as usual, carried all before him in short-haired silver tabby females. Miss Derby Hyde in Siamese and Mr. Bolton in Manx accounted for the principal awards.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 15, 1902, pg 36

I HEAR that H.R.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein has bred a grand litter of kittens from Blue Girl, the queen which she purchased from Mr, Ward, of Manchester. Kilpatric, the blue kitten with which Princess Victoria won the special for best long-haired kitten at Westbourne Grove, was bred by herself. Though out of coat, and consequently looking, her worst, the kitten shows great promise, and has a pair of beautiful deep orange eyes.

LADY ALEXANDER has added to her unrivalled stud of short-hairs a silver Abyssinian male cat from Lady Muriel Fox-Strangways's cattery. These cats are exceedingly rare, and I[ doubt if one has ever yet been seen in a show-pen. To my mind they are much prettier than the brown "bunny" cat.

IT APPEARS that I maligned the S.S.P.C.S. in crediting them with offering only one special at Westbourne Grove; the mistake was in the schedule, where some of the S.S.P.C.S. specials were mixed up with those of the Chinchilla Club.

AS USUAL, there is some confusion over the awarding of the specials at the Reading Show. As far as it is possible to understand the matter, it seems that a special was offered for the palest chinchilla cat, one for the best shaded silver, and a third for the best chinchilla with green eyes. The two former were awarded by the judge to the first prize-winning cat, an extraordinary error for this lady to make, as she is a breeder of both varieties, a member of the S.S.P.C.S., and an upholder of the three-fold classification. The cat in question is pronounced by competent judges to be a good shaded silver. The special for green eyes was given to the second prize cat, which, as it happens, does not possess green eyes, so altogether there is a grand muddle tor someone to set to rights.

THE beautiful brown tabby queen, Ch. Florianna, which was exhibited with such success by Mrs. Herring, has been exported by her to Mrs. Cutler, of Detroit, America, who is delighted with her purchase. Florianna was the object of much admiration to those persons who sought after really deep sable cats, and who regretted their rarity, which is, I fear, due to the fact that most of our present-day winners are of a grey instead of a red-brown tint.

THE HON. MRS. MACLAREN MORRISON has purchased Mrs. Charles's beautiful long-haired orange male, Robert Orange, which took first at Westbourne Grove. Miss White Atkins was looking for a good chinchilla queen to send to America, and I heard her making enquiries about the fascinating little Garboldisham Papoose.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD informs me that she is going in strongly for short-haired silver tabbies. She has a good pair in James II. and Nannie. James is improving in in colour on his back, and after his next moult I think he will be the best male of his colour in the show-pen. Nannie is a handsomely marked kitten, and, if she goes on as well as she promises, will soon be a celebrity.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 22, 1902, pg 90

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART writes, as usual, full of the business of her cattery. She has recently received a handsome present, Mr. Miller, of Bonnyrigg, having sent her, on his removal to London, the well-known silver male Prince Hampton. This cat was bred by Lady Marcus Beresford from Lord Southampton and Bluette.

I AM tempted to quote verbatim from a letter written to me by a lady much interested in blue Persians, who recently paid a visit to Mrs. Gregory's cattery at Bath: "Sussex Tinker is a real beauty. deep orange eyes, and a good even colour, rather light than dark, and is a fine large cat." This is good news for those people who have failed to discover a blue stud cat with good orange eyes, for I know that my correspondent is not likely to make a mistake on this point.

I HAVE always maintained that to show male cats on a collar and lead was an exceedingly dangerous practice, and the truth of my opinion was proved by the fiasco at the Westbourne Grove Show, when two male cats fell upon each other, and considerable damage was done. Cats are very different creatures to dogs, and it is impossible to train them to obedience in the same way; moreover, when two tom cats meet a battle almost invariably results, and the cat, unlike the dog, in moments of excitement does not hesitate to turn upon its owner. Neuter cats and queens of a placid disposition may safely be walked round on a collar and lead. but let the males be kept secure in their pens.

RUMOUR has it that a number of the prize-winners at Westbourne Grove will be disqualified by the show committee on account of having been exhibited at Westminster; but, of course, nothing can be announced until a committee meeting has been held.

I WAS much interested to hear from Lady Decies that the four Burmese cats which she had sent to her a few years ago were exactly like Mrs. Brooke's Bombay cat, except that they had stump tails.

A CORRESPONDENT writes: "I saw such a very nice note in your columns on the Siamese Cat Club a week or two back. Next to the Siamese cat I confess to a weakness for the Manx. Could you, perhaps in your very chatty page help him on with a word? I know he is provided for in the way of a specialist club, but I think he would be very much more our own if his club was like other clubs - that is to say if the fee to such a club were within the means of his admirers, who, like myself perhaps, own a purse with strings very little longer than his tail. I feel in a measure bound to take up his cause, for I once had a long correspondence with the late Sir James Gell, the revered chief deemster of the island, on his origin and points, and I should be so very pleased to join with others in making him a cat of the hour - a position he deserves to occupy from his very uniqueness. What I should like to suggest is that to be a Manx cat lover one should be privileged to spend, say, 7s. 6d. a year, not more; a whole guinea is prohibitive. By the way, it was from the late Sir James Gell I learned that there are both tailed and tail-less cats on the island, and that no effort is made to keep the true breed, or the breed true, so to speak. I was horrified, but I saw at once why that bothering stump is always turning up! I also got from him the interesting tale or legend of ‘Spanish Rock,' which I daresay you have heard. It is said that a Spanish galleon was wrecked from the Armada on a certain headland of Mona, and that from it escaped two tail-less cats, progenitors of the Mainx cats of our shows. Fancy the fate of nations being mixed up in the story of the Manx cats."

My correspondent is, I may mention, an authority upon Manx cats and her letter is a most interesting, one. In reply to the first portion thereof, I may say that I have heard from Miss Cochran, the hon. secretary of the Manx Cat Club, that, owing to the representations of a number of fanciers, the committee has decided to reduce the annual subscription to 5s.

MRS. AND MISS HASTINGS LEES, of Lingmoor, Dean Park, Bournemouth, are the fortunate possessors of three remarkably handsome neuter long-haired cats. Lingmoor Tom is a grand deep orange, with deep brown eyes, and is a son of Oliver Woolleepug. He has only been shown three times, winning first and special (Poole), reserve (Brighton), and third (Westminster). Lingrnoor Dick is a large, heavily coated dark blue, by Blue Noble. He has good orange eyes, which have won for him second at Poole and second and two specials at Brighton. Lingmoor Harry, who won first and special at Brighton, the only time exhibited, is a most charming silver, with a sweet, round face. The success which has attended these cats has induced their owner to set up a cattery, and they have recently purchased several good long-haired queens. Mrs. and Miss Hastings Lees also own some very smart, prize-winning poodles, and Miss Gladys Hastings Lees has been very successful with her mice and cavies.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
For Rules see last week's issue.
D. S. - The kitten has no especial value; rather the reverse in fact, as what you mention is a rather common deformity.
TOBY. - There will be a show held at Regent's Park in June and one at the Crystal Palace in October. No doubt there will be other large shows, but they have not yet been announce. The secretary of those mentioned is Mrs. Stennard Robinson. 13 Wyndham Place, Bryanston Square, London. If you write to her a few weeks before a show she will send you a schedule, and an entry form and registration form, both of which must be filled in and returned to her with the necessary fees. If the parentage and date of birth of your cat are unknown you merely write unknown in the spaces provided for these particulars on the form. The most important point is that you should know the colour of your cat so as to enter him in the right class. If you will send me a very minute description and a sample, or samples, of his fur, I will try to assist you. Is he long or short haired?
DUFFER. - The craze for dark smokes will not last, I am convinced, or rather, if it does, another craze for light smokes will be started. They are to my mind far prettier than the dark cats, and if you can breed them free from markings and with orange eyes you may be quite certain that their day will come.
MANX. - As you see, I have made use of your letter. If you would be so kind as to let my readers have the benefit of some of the information you received regarding the points of the Manx cat it would be most interesting and instructive. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, March 29, 1902, pg 138

A WRITER in a contemporary has worked herself up into a rather unnecessary state of excitement over the matter of the possible disqualification, under the new registration rule, of cats exhibited at Westbourne Grove. Surely it was not expected that either the show manager or secretary could on their own responsibility disqualify all cats which they suspected of having been shown at Westminster since being registered at the N.C.C.; and even had they intended to do so they would hardly have found time for the task of searching through Westminster catalogues and N.C.C. registers. Disqualification, except under particular circumstances, is a matter for the show committee to settle at a meeting held subsequent to the show.

LET me advise my readers to try tripe as a diet for their cats, particularly for dainty feeders. For the last six months four of my cats have been fed entirely upon boiled tripe mixed with bread, a saucerful once daily, and no other food, and I have never had such fat, sleek cats. Two of them are kept shut up and the other two run free, but all thrive equally, and are fatter than when fed on raw meat. One of them is a very troublesome cat about his food; he will not touch raw meat, fish, or chicken, and if he is given more than his saucerful he will not eat it.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART writes to me of her purchase of two very beautiful orange-eyed female kittens by Darnley out of a daughter of Ronald. Mrs. Stewart is searching for a blue male good enough to follow in the footsteps of the celebrated Ronald, who has now retired to rest upon his laurels. With three such blue males as Ronald, Darnley, and Florian, I cannot understand a desire to possess another, especially as Mrs. Stewart has two silver and one black stud cats; but the Irvine cattery is always busy, and another really good blue male must be found.

THERE is at present quite a brisk trade going on in blue Persian tom cats. As none of the deals are concluded at the time of writing, I am not at liberty to give details, but I[ hope to chronicle several important sales shortly.

MISS WHITE ATKINS has been successful in floating a Black and White Cat Society which is to include both long and short-haired cats, and is to turn its attention principally to guaranteeing classes, increasing the prize money, and encouraging the correct colour of eyes in black and white cats.

MRS. STRICK is judging the cats at Kilmarnock Show on Friday, and I have no doubt this popular lady will have a large entry. I am pleased to see that the secretary of Sandy Show has apparently learnt by bitter experience that club quarrels are not things for provincial show executives to meddle with, and in soliciting specials for his next show during the summer Mr. Western announces that no registration will be enforced.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 5, 1902, pg 179

A CURIOUS case of illness in a cat came under my notice the other day. A rather well-known male cat of two or three years of age was sent to an "outside" show, where things were probably not as well managed as they might have been. The day after his return he seemed dull, and was sick after eating. The next day he refused food and drank milk freely; on the third day he refused both food and milk, and would not go into his house to bed, but sat all day and night on a box in his little run, with his eyes tight shut. When the sun shone he turned his back to it, and when it went in he came back to his original position. He was given a liver pill, but no other medicine, and for a fortnight he remained in this state, frequently being sick, and during the whole time not swallowing more than about a square inch of meat and a teaspoonful of milk. At the end of the fortnight he suddenly cheered up, ate his food, and pranced around his house as usual, went to bed at night, and though very thin seemed perfectly well. The curious feature of the case to my mind is that the first symptom of recovery was that the cat went into his house. Whatever his complaint, and I think it was some form of liver derangement, he evidently believed in a fresh-air cure.

THE latest addition to the list of catty literature is ‘‘Cats - and All About Them," by Miss Frances Simpson. The title is an ambitious one, for who can claim to know all about cats? But from the beginner's point of view it is well deserved. The book is essentially for the novice, and sets forth clearly and distinctly everything that the harassed and ignorant cat breeder wishes to know. I could wish that more space had been given to the various breeds and that the poor short-hairs had not been so contemptuously dismissed, but where there is so much that is good it is grasping to demand more. A large portion of the book consists of short paragraphs reprinted from OUR CATS, and here there is a very great deal of repetition. The authoress carefully avoids expressing an opinion upon existing club disputes, though the direction in which her sympathies lie is plainly to be seen.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 12, 1902, pg 221

LADY MURIEL FOX-STRANGWAYS has purchased from Mrs. Cartwright the young blue Persian stud cat Monflon. Monflon is by Blue Boy II., and is a grandson of Timkins, as his dam, Ceanothus, was Timkins's daughter. It is on account of his maternal ancestors that Lady Muriel has decided to buy Monflon, as she has never ceased to regret Blue Turk, who came from the same strain, and who died during the winter. There can be no doubt that this is the best strain to breed from when deep coloured eyes and purity of colour are desired, and there is no fear that these eyes will get paler with age, as we are informed some do. Another piece of information which I have gleaned is that "the craze for orange eyes is a modern one." Curiously enough, Timkins, whose eyes to the day of his death were beyond suspicion, was by no means a "modern" cat, having been bred by Mrs. Kinchant from Timothy Perkins and Tide-Bond.

MISS SAMUEL, who has been so successful in exhibiting Manx cats, tells me of a great disappointment she has had in the death at birth of a very fine, absolutely tailless, and beautifully striped silver tabby kitten. Miss Samuel has joined the Manx Cat Club, and writes appreciatively of the work which it has accomplished.

KITTENS are, I think, later in arriving than usual this year, and even the cottage cats have no small families as yet. Personally, I think April and May are the best months for kittens to be born in, as if they come much earlier they are too old for the kitten classes at the Crystal Palace, and are also much more troublesome to rear. An old superstition is that kittens born in May will bring frogs and snakes into the house, and I know many people who consider them unlucky, and if their cats are inconsiderate enough to have kittens in that month have them all destroyed.

MRS. GEORGE WILSON'S Pearl of Arrandale is a dainty and fascinating little blue-eyed white lady. She has taken first wherever exhibited, including Peterborough and Bedford. At Westminster she took first, silver cup, and three specials; and at Bayswater first, championship, challenge cup, and six specials,

AN important alteration in the Cat Club rules has been made, and voting by proxy, a rather dangerous custom, will in future be permitted. The annual subscription has been raised to £1 1s., but the entrance fee has been abolished.

THE Silver Society has decided to abandon the threefold classification, so that shaded silvers and chinchillas will in future meet in the same class on equal terms. This is easily said, but we think it will be hard to persuade the average judge to give up his prejudices in favour of the lighter colour and look upon the dark cats as their equals. Personally, if there is no longer to be a class for "shaded silvers" I think they had better cease to exist and return to their original position as bad chinchillas, which merely act as stepping-stones towards the popular light colour. The object o! a chinchilla cat is to be "us light as possible" in colour. The object of a shaded silver is to this day wrapped in mystery, but lightness of colour is certainly not supposed to be the most desired point, so how these two shades are to meet "on equal terms" is rather puzzling.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 19, 1902, pg 257

AMERICAN fanciers have been saying some nasty things about breeders on this side, and belauding their own stock at the expense of ours. If there is some dissatisfaction about cats exported from this country, the reason is not far to seek. In the first place, queens are frequently sent out in kitten, and this, in itself, is a risk; in the second, cats are expected to arrive in show form, which queens in kitten cannot do, and in any case the journey is certain to throw them out of condition, for a few weeks, at any rate. The unfortunate animals are sometimes put into very hot catteries, which is the last straw, and diarrhoea or chest and throat maladies set in. Very many are sent to shows within a few weeks of their arrival, and this is a much worse ordeal in America than in England, as the distance the exhibits have to travel is often very great. When the unfortunate cat has been thoroughly upset it is given no time to rest and recover, but is set upon and heroically dosed with the most weird and awful concoctions. I once read an article in which an American lady recommended pilis of cayenne pepper as a remedy for various catty disorders. The patient naturally rapidly gets worse, and when it succumbs it is presented with some terrible malady absolutely unknown in English catteries, and the exporter is accused of sending out diseased cats. Our English breeders are feeling a little sore on this point, and are consequently not prepared quietly to accept the statement made by an American lady that there are no white cats in England to compare with those bred in America. It is a fact that the almighty dollar has failed to buy any of our best white cats, for, with a very few exceptions, only inferior specimens have been sold to America, and I fancy it would bother American fanciers to produce a single cat to equal The White Knight, Ch. King of Pearls, Musafer, Piquante Pearl, The White Butterfly, and Crystal. I have been carefully studying the photographs in the American cat papers, and have come to the conclusion that the American cats fail lamentably, as a rule, in quality. They are grand, showy-looking cats, with immense coats, but their heads are coarse, ears big, legs long, and expression in many cases all wrong. This is the class of cat which used to win in England about twelve or fifteen years ago, but has now been entirely superseded by the short-legged, round-faced cat, with tiny ears and big straight-set eyes. Of course, if the large coarse cat is the American ideal, some of our English champions would stand a poor chance in competition with them under an American judge, and therefore the lady who writes of the inferiority of our white cats may be quite correct from her own point of view.

THE ears of most Persian cats and of some short-hairs require frequent attention to keep them from becoming sore and irritable, and it should be borne in mind that the state of a cat's ears bears a direct influence upon its general health. Nothing looks worse than to see bare patches, and occasionally even sore places, behind a cat's ears; but these are very quickly caused by scratching. If a cat's ears are very hot, inflamed, and acutely painful, but have no discharge, and the cat refuses food and sits oping in a dark corner, gatherings [boils], caused by cold or injury, may be suspected, and the only safe treatment is to foment freely with hot water and a tittle Condy's fluid, both before and after the gatherings break. If the ears are dirty and black-looking and seem very irritable they must be carefully sponged out with warm water containing only a few drops of carbolic acid, dried, and well powdered with boracic acid. Great care must be taken when using carbolic, as it is a deadly poison to cats as well as dogs. If the ears look fairly clean but are sore on the inside a little boracic ointment may be carefully worked in on the point of the finger.

BEFORE the hot weather comes it behoves every cat fancier to undertake a thorough house cleaning. I hope no reader of mine indulges in anything in the way of carpets or cushions in the cattery, for they only harbour dirt and disease. The only permissible floor covering is cork carpet or wax cloth ad hay; straw or washable blankets make the best beds. The floors should be well scrubbed with strong disinfectants, also the windows and - this is most important - the window frames and shelves and the sleeping boxes. The walls must be either scrubbed or lime-washed, and the house is all the better for being fumigated with brimstone. The house should be left empty, with all the doors and windows open, for at least a week before the cats return to it, and it will then be quite fresh and sweet.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART has found the fourth blue Persian male which she desired, three not being considered sufficient for her large cattery, and has purchased from Mrs. Jones the young cat Jock, who has already distinguished himself at Brighton and Manchester. Jock is, of course, only a kitten, but a very promising one. He is a lovely pale blue, with orange eves, and a good head and shape, and profuse coat.

AT Edinburgh Show on May 22nd Miss Cochran will judge the long-haired cats and Sir Claud Alexander the short-hairs.

THE subscription list for the Welburn Memorial Bowls is filling up rapidly, and the sum of £18 4s. has now been acknowledged, so the bowls, when purchased, should be well worth winning.

IT IS announced that Mr. Cosway is retiring from the cat fancy. This gentleman took up cats only about two years ago, and was at first exceedingly unfortunate in losing his stock from disease; last year, however, he was fortunate enough to breed some magnificent blue kittens, which have won wherever shown, and had rapidly made a name for himself in the cat world, so that the news of his retirement comes as a surprise.

AS I expected, silver breeders are full of wrath at the action of the Silver Society in doing away with the shaded silver class and announcing that shaded silvers are to compete with chinchillas on equal terms. They say, and rightly, that matters have been put back farther than they were before the foundation of the Silver Society, for in those days colour was the most important consideration, and now it is apparently to be ignored except in awarding specials. The offering of specials to the different shades will hardly solve the difficulty, when we find, as at Reading, a club judge awarding the specials for the best chinchilla and for the best shaded silver to the same cat!

THE scarcity of really good orange eyes in blue Persian cats has recently been brought home to me in a most practical manner, as I have been asked to recommend a good blue sire whose eyes were really deep orange. I do not say that such a cat does not exist in England, but I have failed to find one which fulfilled all my requirements. This is surely a terrible state of things. I know of several queens whose eyes are all that could be desired, and one or two of them are large, handsome, well-coated cats, but the others are too slender and attenuated to attract much attention in the show pen, and have therefore wrongly been placed below cats whose eyes, though yellow, or possibly what cat fanciers call "amber," can by no stretch of the imagination be termed "deep orange." Eyes of this much desired hue never vary. They do not, as yellow ones do, get paler when the cat is out of health or as it ages, and the light in which the cats are penned does not affect them.

ROB ROY OF ARRANDALE, the property of Mrs. George Wilson, is one of the largest and most massive, if not the most massive, of chinchillas ever exhibited. He is a very level-coloured cat, less marked than most, and has a fine broad head. The list of his winnings includes two seconds at the Crystal Palace, first and second Brighton, seconds at Reading and Westminster, first and second Bayswater, and first and gold medal Bayswater.

MRS. WRANGHAM'S cats, Ginger, Fluffy, and Beauty, are three of the most beautiful and amiable of their race; and though Beauty is fifteen years of age the three play with each other and with the household dogs like kittens. Ginger is devoted to Mrs. Wrangham's little girl, aged two, and lets her ride on his back and roll on the top of him when he is asleep.

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."
SKIPPER. - The roll of sulphur in the cats' water is absolutely harmless, for the simple reason that it does not dissolve. If it remained in the water for ten years the cats would not absorb any of it. It is an old-fashioned idea which has been proved absolutely useless long ago.
ROBIN. - I think you had much better keep a neuter cat. A male is impossible as a pet for a variety of reasons, and a female would be a constant worry and probably manage to evade you in the end. A neuter will get big and fat and sleepy, but he will probably be clean, healthy, and good-tempered.
SHIKARI. - I fear I cannot tell you where to buy a good Manx cat or kitten. They are exceedingly rare and good ones are valuable. Cats with stumps are no use except for breeding, and not of much use tor that. Your best plan is to advertise in THE LADIES'S FIELD for what you want.
MRS. M. - About 2 to 3 guineas is the usual price tor Siamese kittens.
FLUFFY. - If your kitten is thriving so well on two meals of arrowroot and one of raw beef, you cannot do better than stick to this diet.
JIM CROW. - It is natural tor all cats to moult at this time of year. Keep the coat tree from tangles with a wide-toothed comb, and let the cat have as much liberty as possible, and slightly decrease the quantity of meat.
SQUEAKY. - Half a saucerful of cream at teatime will do your cat no harm - on the contrary, it will add to his sleek glossy appearance much in the same way that cod-liver oil would do.
SNOW. - Do not wash the kitten, but powder it well with prepared white fullers' earth, then rub with your hands for about ten minutes, and afterwards brush out every particle of the powder.
SISTER. - 1. The operation may now be performed at any time, and the earlier it is done the simpler it is. If you take my advice you will ask the vet. to call one day, as the cat will not then be upset by being sent away, and will not run the same risk of catching distemper. He will be all right five minutes afterwards I expect. 2. The best staple food is raw meat, but arrowroot, milk puddings, and any scraps of meat and fish may be given. Three meals a day up to eight months, and after that two meals. The quantity varies according to the animal, but not more than one teaspoonful of raw meat or two of any other food should, roughly speaking, be given at any one meal. 3 Brushing and combing will improve the cat's appearance, though it is not necessary except in the spring, when it is moulting. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, April 26, 1902, pg 299

I AM pleased to hear that Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein has bred a fine litter of five blue kittens from her Viola, by Mrs. Herbert Ransome's Darius. I hope these kittens may thrive, and that some amongst them will be as good as Kilpatric, who was so successful at the N.C.C. charity show.

IT IS rumoured that a new cat club is about to be started by fanciers in Glasgow and the West of Scotland. Up to date Edinburgh has been the headquarters of the cat clubs, though some good shows have been held in Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and other western towns. Miss Hester Cochran will judge the Manx as well as the long-haired cats at Edinburgh.

I BEGIN to think there are no good orange-eyed blue Persian male cats in existence. I have been now for many weeks trying to hear of two or three for friends - and I do hear of them! They are "perfect in every point," huge, heavily coated, light in colour, and have the deepest orange eyes of any cat shown. When they arrive, the shock is great. Pinched faces, spindly legs, with weak ankles, huge ears, unsound colour, and, above all, washy yellow eyes, are the order of the day. Back they promptly go, and their owners are terribly offended.

I HAD the pleasure of renewing my acquaintance with Lifeguard the other day. The old man was running about the garden quite happily, and looked fit and well, Since passing into Miss Cartmell's hands he has never been shown, but his breeder, Mrs. Spackman, and later, Lady Marcus Beresford, did well with him. He is a very brilliant orange, with a beautiful head and a huge coat, and I have yet to see the cat of his colour that can beat him in the show-pen.

A CATTERY companion of Lifeguard's is Bluestone, bred by Mrs. Wallis, of Cambridge, and descended from Mrs. Kennaway's cats. He is a beautifully shaped light-blue cat, with an immense coat like a sheep, very short legs, a broad head, and big, deep yellow eyes.

NOW that the kitten season has come round I wish to beg my readers not to be persuaded by anyone to dose tiny kittens for worms The unfortunate novice is frequently led astray by the experienced fancier who comes to see a family of flourishing babies and pronounces them to be full of worms and in immediate need of severe dosing. With the first dose of worm medicine troubles begin, and lucky indeed is the kitten which survives a second dose. Proper feeding will prevent worms from accumulating, and tonics will get rid of them more safely and permanently than vermifuges.

I HEAR from Mise Cochran that the Manx Cat Club, of which she is hon. secretary and treasurer, is gaining in popularity and recruiting many new members. The president of this club is Sir Claud Alexander, Bart., and the committee consists of the following ladies: Lady Alexander, Mrs. Herring, Miss White Atkins, and Miss Cochran.

THE Black and White Cat Club is now well under way and the officers have been appointed; the joint secretaries are Miss White Atkins and Miss Kerswill, the treasurer is Miss Hester Cochran, while these three ladies with Mrs. Kirk act on the committee. The object of the club is to give special prizes to winners of class prizes only, and particularly to encourage the correct colour of the eyes. The club is for long as well as for short-haired cats.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 3, 1902, pg 339

THE blue Persian male cat, Azure, has once more changed hands. When first known to the cat-loving public he was the property of Lady Marcus Beresford, from whom he went to Miss Cochran. His next purchaser was Miss White Atkins, who sold him to Miss Swain, and this lady has now disposed of him to Mr. Dewar. Though not a show cat, Azure is an invaluable sire, as he is of a beautifully sound clear blue colour, with an exquisite share and a very heavy coat, and his eyes are a pure yellow, with no tinge of green.

I AM very sorry to hear that Mrs. Collingwood is thinking of giving up cat breeding, and is offering her entire stud of long and short hairs for sale.

THE next show of the N.C.C. will be held in the Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, in connection with the L.K.A. dog show. The latter is to be for members only, and there is a rumour that the N.C.C. show will also be confined to members. To make things level it should be "lady members only"; but I suppose this is not possible, as the male members of the N.C.C. would feel injured. None of the judges' names have, as yet, been announced.

IT IS, I believe, held by authorities that distemper in dogs and cats is not the same disease, and of late years I have been practically convinced that this is so, for kittens suffering from distemper have mixed freely with my puppies from time to time and the latter have suffered no ill effects. On the other hand, however, about nine or ten years ago my dogs had distemper in a mild form, and all the kittens took it, and 75 per cent. died, but none of the cats were affected, though several of them had never had distemper, and all mixed together freely. This suggests the idea that kittens can catch distemper from dogs, but that the disease known as distemper in cats is not distemper at all, but some disease peculiar to the animal, and which cannot be communicated to dogs.

ALL this is a prelude to the inquiry whether any of my readers have thought of trying inoculation for distemper in cats. Of course, if the diseases are different the serum used for dogs would be useless, but for breeders whose catteries are annually decimated by so-called distemper the matter is certainly worth inquiring into. Of late years, owing, I believe, to the fact that I keep only about half a dozen cats and all of them at liberty, cat distemper has lost all its terrors for me, but I intend giving the new remedy a fair trial in my kennels.

Mrs Neild's pretty little Siamese Queen Minthamee has an inconvenient habit of adding to the population whenever there is a household flitting going on, and her most recent family arrived the night before Mrs. Neild travelled to High Wycombe. Mother and family, four in number, are, however, none the worse for the journey, and all are flourishing. Mrs. Neild says: "Min's kittens never have kinked tails - I rather wish they would sometimes"; but Min came from Mrs. Sutherland's strain, and Mrs. Sutherland was merciless over kinked tails, and if a kitten was indiscreet enough to be born with one it was promptly supressed, so no doubt Min "took warning."

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 10, 1902, pg 384

THE judges for the N.C.C. Show in June have been appointed, and are as follows: long-haired blues, Miss Jay; chinchillas, Mrs. Martin; smokes, Mr. James; neuters, Miss Sangster; creams and oranges, Miss Simpson; Manx, foreign and brown tabby short-hairs, Mr. Jung; tortoiseshell and tortoiseshell and white, Mr. Lane; silver tabby long-hairs and remainder of short-hairs, Mr. Mason.

MRS. POLLARD, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is very anxious to glean some information with regard to the pedigree of Wild Woodbine, the long-haired tortoiseshell and white queen which she purchased recently. Woodbine was entered at English shows as "bred by Mrs. Amor," but the only Mrs. Amor known to the fancy did not breed her, so i shall be grateful for any information on the subject.

A MOST ingenious invention is the lasso made by Mr. Ward, of Manchester, for catching and holding vicious cats. A strap can be slipped over the animal's head and lightened at will, while the animal is kept at a safe distance by means of a rod to which the strap is attached.

THE gradual weaning of kittens is not to be recommended, as indigestion is frequently caused if the mother is only admitted to them at intervals. When the mother is finally separated from her kittens she should be given a dessertspoonful of castor oil, and fed sparingly for two or three days. Milk food is particularly apt to disagree with kittens while with their mothers, and until they are weaned it is better to stick to a meat diet.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART is much pleased with Jock, the blue Persian male, which she purchased recently from Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Stewart thinks that Jock is much like what Ronald was at the same age.

MISS ENA LESLIE has purchased Mrs. Poole's young chinchilla male, the Duke of Somerset, and has great hopes that he may develop into a fine stud cat. If I recollect rightly I think this young cat is a son of Lord Hampton.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 17, 1902, pg 432

MISS COCHRAN has made several additions to her Manx team, the most recent being the odd-eyed, white queen Kismetcha, which was presented to Miss Cochran by Mr. Foalstone. Kismetcha, though not a show specimen, is a very taking cat in manners and appearance, and is likely to prove valuable, as in some points she is particularly good.

NOW that tiny kittens are beginning to walk about, eye troubles, as usual, are rife. For the ordinary weak eye which is inclined to get sticky, and in which there is no inflammation, washing twice daily with a little alum and water, strong tea, or milk, used cold, is the best treatment. Warm applications render an eye, already weak, particularly liable to take cold. When any inflammation is noticed in the corner of the eye, ophthalmia is to be feared, and nothing but constant attention will save the eye. If it can be bathed every hour with hot boracic lotion, in the proportion of a teaspoonful of boracic powder to half a pint of water, a cure in the course of two or three days may confidently be expected. The kitten should be kept by itself and away from its mother, as every object against which it rubs will reinfect it. Its bedding should be changed frequently, and its paws sponged with Condy's fluid and water, and the piece of cotton wool with which each eye is bathed should promptly be burnt. Unfortunately, ophthalmia is, as a rule, the result of a form of distemper, and for this reason the general health of the patient must receive attention. It must be kept out of draughts, but not in a close or stuffy atmosphere; it must be fed on minced raw beef, and as a tonic it should have Kepler's extract of malt and cod-liver oil.

SUCKLING fits are very alarming things to the novice, who is apt to think that the cat is dying of poison. As a matter of fact they come from too much strain on the system when a cat is rearing a large family. The patient appears to be unconscious and goes into convulsions at intervals. A dose of bromide of potassium will frequently give relief, and it the cat is immediately parted from her family she will be all right.

MISS BEAL'S cattery is not, as yet, overfull of kittens, only two having put in an appearance. One of these is a promising blue from the well-known Volage and the other is an extraordinarily pale cream, "too pale" Miss Beal tears, but, this seems impossible. I recollect when Mrs. Davies used to show Lord Cremorne, some people used to say that he was too pale, but this was nonsense, as it is just as hard for a cream to be too pale as for a chinchilla. It is for this reason that I have always wanted fawns and creams, also shaded silvers and chinchillas, to be kept separate, ats it does not seem to me fair or reasonable that a breed in which paleness of colour is the chief desideratum should compete with one in which it is not.

A SOMEWHAT interesting discussion is going on in some of our contemporaries as to whether showing cats pays. There is no doubt that successful showing is a good advertisement where an advertisement is required, and in this way it pays indirectly, but otherwise there is rarely a balance on the right side, for the reason that a cat cannot, as a rule, be entered in more than two or three classes. It is true that I know of one cattery where, though no cats are ever sold, showing must, I am certain, be profitable, as between twenty and thirty cats are sent to the large shows, and the majority of them take first prizes in every class they are entered in. I once knew a lady who made huge sums out of selling Persian kittens, and she only once exhibited. On this occasion her kittens were not particularly successful; moreover, they caught distemper and died, so she never showed again. She seemed to spend her life writing letters to other fanciers and to the papers about her "famous" and "well-known" cats, and she impressed upon everyone that her kittens had undergone such superior training and general treatment that they were worth twice as much as ordinary kittens - and she got twice as much for them. The unfortunate purchasers were worried into showing the kittens so that my friend could have a free advertisement without any risk. Altogether it was a most profitable business - while it lasted. As a matter of fact, most of us show our cats because we like showing them, and not because we hope to make money out of it, and when we receive any prize money we look upon it as a windfall,

MRS. CARTWRIGHT is going in for smoke Persians, and has bred a couple of litters of really good kittens from Upwood Molly and Upwood Dew by Monkey Brand and Teufel. Poor Monkey Brand, I am sorry to hear, is no more.

AS a change of diet in a large cattery lentil porridge may be given occasionally. The lentils should be thoroughly boiled with a sheep's head, and I have never yet met with a cat which would not make a hearty meal thereof.

A CURIOUS idea is prevalent among some breeders of cats and dogs that if their pets are bred from when out of coat the coats of their progeny will suffer. What have breeders of Persian cats to say to this? It seems to me that it would be exceedingly difficult to turn out a large show of kittens if the cats were bred from only when they are in coat, i.e., (wo months during the winter, at the time when very few cats will breed at all!

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 24, 1902, pg 485

A GREAT trial to show committees are those exhibitors, unfortunately on the increase, who will only show their cats under particular judges. Of course all of us have our prejudices, and decline to show under persons whom we consider incompetent or unreliable judges. But to carry these prejudices too far argues a want of confidence in the merit of our exhibits. There is a capital, though now somewhat ancient, story of how the "biter was bit" on an occasion of this kind, and as all my readers may not be familiar with it, I will give it in full: A possessed a cat, "quite a good cat, too," which, owing partly to lack of competition, always took first prize, until B produced a cat of the same breed, but very much better, and the first time they met B's cat took first prize. A was very furious, and wrote to all the papers interested in cats, and many which were not, to explain how ignorant the judge was. The judge, being an old stager, smiled, but said ‘nuffin'; B also smiled. The next time the same judge was appointed A was very anxious to show his cat, but did not wish it to be beaten, so he wrote to the show committee, explaining to them how very ignorant this judge was, and telling them that if another judge, whose name he gave, should be appointed he would show his cat and get a friend to show his, and that he would, "perhaps, give a special!" The committee was so shortsighted as to refuse this magnificent offer, and A felt rather out of it until he saw in the papers that B's cat had been lost, whereupon he cheered up and entered his beloved Tommy. Imagine his chagrin when he arrived at the show to find that B's cat was there and had once more beaten the invincible Tommy, and, moreover, that he had never been lost at all; but that the story of his disappearance had been circulated to test the truth of a rumour that it was his merit, rather than the ignorance of the judge, that had frightened A.

BLUE-EYED white Persians increase yearly in popularity, and there is a constant demand for kittens of this fascinating breed. Mrs. Pettitt, Miss White Atkins, and Miss Kerswill all have promising litters coming on, and several other ladies are following their lead and going in for whites. White cats which have not blue eyes are valueless except as pets.

THE cat world is anxiously looking forward to the N.C.C. Show at the Botanic Gardens, and many of the specialist clubs are giving their support. With Miss Jay as the judge of blues the BP.C.S. is naturally turning out in full force, and I presume that the Chinchilla Club and the Silver and Smoke Cat Society will support Mrs. Martin and Mr. James. The British Cat Club offers its usual generous list of specials. The Manx Cat Club, much to the regret of its committee and members, has been obliged to withdraw its offer of support, as the judge appointed is not on the club's exceedingly large and comprehensive list.

I AM indeed pleased to hear that Mrs. Collingwood has postponed her trip to Japan, and that consequently her cats are no longer for sale, but will remain at Bossington, Leighton Buzzard, for the present.

I AM very sorry to hear of the death of Miss Dresser's Manx queen Erdmuth. This was a very nice little cat, and one of the few absolutely tailless ones. Miss Dresser was not lucky with her, as neither under Mr. Brooke at the Crystal Palace nor under Miss Cochran at Westbourne Grove did she take premier honours.

LADY MURIEL FOX-STRANGWAYS has bred yet another litter of silver Abyssinian kittens, which at present promise well. To avoid too close inbreeding a cross of some different strain is desirable, but as there appear to be no silver Abyssinians in England which do not belong to this family, one of the queens is to be crossed with an ordinary Bunny cat; the result of this cross will be anxiously looked for.

People frequently write to ask me where and how they can obtain foster-mothers tor their kittens, and how much they will cost. Good foster-cats can generally be obtained from the various cats' homes, and the price asked is usually 5s. or 7s. 6d. If living in or near a large town an advertisement in the evening paper will usually result in the arrival of dozens of cats, and 2s. 6d. will he considered handsome payment therefor. In the country there are more difficulties as farm and cottage cats are generally wild and shy, and, when removed to strange surroundings, become quite unmanageable. The best plan under these circumstances is to send the kittens to board with their foster-parent, and pay about 2s. 6d. each for them when they are brought home, which should be at the age of six weeks, as they will then require a much more generous diet than is likely to be provided. A good lady of my acquaintance used annually to turn an honest penny by taking in kittens for her cat to rear. On one occasion she brought up three for me, and kept them till they were nearly three months old, but when I paid her 30s. she solemnly assured me that she was considerably out of pocket!

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, May 31, 1902, pg 526

GOOD news for cat fanciers is that a grand cat show will be held in connection with the Richmond dog show on July 8th. The long-haired classification is in the hands of Miss Simpson, while the classes tor short hairs are being guaranteed by the British Cat Club and the Manx classes by the Manx Cat Club. I understand that many other specialist clubs are giving their support and that there will probably be a handsome array of special prizes. Mrs. Strick has been invited to judge a large proportion of the short hairs, including the Manx cats. Altogether this show promises to be a brilliant success, and I hope exhibitors will support it well with entries, so that it may become an annual event.

MISS ANDERSON LEAKE'S beautiful silver cats have been frequently referred to in these pages. Marquis of Dingley, whose portrait is here given, is an exquisite young silver tabby, who, though but a baby yet, won at the last Westminster Show first, two gold medals, challenge and breeders' cups, Countess of Aberdeen's trophy, and S.C.R. trophy, and at Slough second, third, and four specials.

MISS WHITE ATKINS writes to tell me that Mrs. Poole's kittens, Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Somerset, are sons of her Tintagel, and not of Lord Hampton, as I thought. Miss Atkins has two lovely sons of Tintagel and Sprite (the latter is rather more than half-sister to Dimity), which, as she says, are also Cornishmen, having been christened Boskenna and Boscastle.

MRS. BLUHM has sold her handsome chinchilla male, The Silver Sultan, to Miss Bartlett. Sultan took first at the Crystal Palace three or four years ago.

I HAVE been very much amused by some remarks passed in a contemporary upon the new Black and White Club, and particularly upon its committee. The writer considers that the names of the ladies upon the committee do not "lend that air of solidity so necessary to a prize-giving institution." It would be instructive if we could be informed exactly how much "solidity" is essential, and why it is so. Surely honesty and business-like habits, combined with a desire to encourage the breed which they represent, are more necessary to the success of the club. The names of four breeders, two of whom live in Scotland, and would, therefore, probably be unable to attend meetings, are suggested as more suitable by this well-informed person, who also knows of "scores of others" whom he would like to see on the club committee. Personally, I have found that one score makes a somewhat unwieldy committee, but of course I am open to conviction.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 7, 1902, pg 540

EDINBURGH CAT SHOW.
THE cat show held by the Edinburgh Kennel Club on May 22nd was a great success, both as regards the quality and the number of entries. In the blue male class the victor was Mrs. Slingsby's Orange Blossom of Thorpe, the Westbourne Grove winner, a big nicely coated cat, with a fine head and yellow eyes. Mrs. Finnie Young's Bonnie Prince Charlie, rather better in eyes, but quite out of form, was second, with Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's Jock, a well shaped little cat with a pretty face, but rusty in colour, third. In the blue female class appeared the sensation of the show, Mr. Ayton''s Dally Grey, who possesses the most glorious head and orange eyes ever seen on a queen, a good shape, and tiny ears. I have never seen a cat to touch her at the Crystal Palace. She won the N.C.C. championship for the best long-haired cat. The second, Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's Seagate Twin, was not far behind the winner; she is a grand cat, with splendid eyes and colour, but not fully matured yet. Mrs. White's Blue Pansy, third, is another good one, with nice face, shape, and coat, and fair eyes. In the black class, again, a surprise was to be found, as Mrs. Mackenzie Sewart's Dick Fawe, being out of coat, had to give way to Messrs, Roberts and Don's Young Flora, a really grand cat, with good face and shape, deep orange eyes, and dense black colour.

In the wiite class Mrs. Young and Miss Hunt's Ch. White Friar had a somewhat easy victory. Though his eyes might be deeper in colour, his grand head and shape will always bring him to the fore. The second, Mrs. Brown's Lord Abercorn, a son of White Knight, has good eyes and was nicely shown, losing only in face and shape. The smokes were disappointing, as, with the exception of Miss Hope's cat, which won, all had green eyes, and also failed in colour.

In the silver male class Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's FitzEustace, a very pale and pure-coloured chinchilla with good green eyes, won, while the female class was headed by Mrs. Simpson's Kitty, who is very pale and unmarked. In the variety class Miss Soans Brough's Blue Danube, a huge cat with a fine head and coat, but whose colour was a mixture of blue, fawn, and silver, won, second going to Mr. Binnie's Bovril, a good brown tabby, third to Mrs. Stuart's Inverarnan Fraoch, a nice tortoiseshell, out of coat, and reserve to Miss Shepherd's Jeanie Deans, a charming blue kitten with a white spot on its chest.

In the neuter class Mr. Miller's Lord Bute won. He is a huge, grandly shaped and coated black, spoilt by green eyes; second went to Miss Craig's Bobs, a good chinchilla, and third to Mr. Laurie's Scottie. In the self-coloured kitten class Mrs. Brown won with an exquisite blue-eyed white named White Prince. In shape, coat, and face he is fascinating, and he has deep blue eyes and a short tail; the second, Mr. Page's White Heather, another good blue-eyed white, loses in face. In the variety kitten class Mr. Gavin's Red Knight, a really good red tabby, won easily. In the pair kitten class White Prince won again, though handicapped by a yellow-eyed brother, second going to Mr. Ballantyne for a pair of blues, good in eyes and colour. This was a grand class, but never have I beheld anything like the litter class, where there were seventeen litters entered, and only two absent. All were of the highest quality, and only after much consideration was first awarded to Mrs. Walker's well-grown blues, which excelled in eyes and colour. Second went also to blues, Mr. Ballantyne showing a grandly shaped litter, and third, to blues again, shown by Dr. Woodburn. The novice class was a puzzle to the judge, so many good cats being entered therein. First went to the second blue queen, Seagate Twin, second to White Prince, and third to Meadowbank Kitty, the winning chinchilla queen. Mrs Mackenzie Stewart won in braces and teams.

In the short-haired classes some grand cats appeared, Mr. Kuhnel's Coronation King, a glorious-coloured red, winning the tabby class; but judges awarded an extra first to Mrs. Collingwood's James II., a really good silver tabby, which keeps on improving. Miss Leith did well with a capital tortoiseshell and white with well-broken markings, her tortoiseshell Alexandria being a good second. Among the common household cats the best was Mr. Hogg's huge brown tabby. One of the excitements of the show was the awarding of the cup for the best cat in the show, the judges disagreeing as to the respective merits of the blue queen Dally Grey and the red short-hair Coronation King. Mr. Gavin was summoned as referee, and decided in favour of the red, but I understand that the queen may possibly claim the cup after all, as it was rumoured that Mr. Kuhnel was not a member.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 14, 1902
No Cat Gossip or Animal Gossip in this issue.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 21, 1902, pg 66

N.C.C. SHOW AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS.
ENTRIES came up well for this popular fixture, over 200 cats being penned, and the quality was distinctly above the average; but it must be confessed that the management left much to be desired. The catalogue was full of errors and the marking of the award board was faulty, this making it almost impossible to ascertain the names of the winners.

In long-haired whites Ch. White Friar was once more successful, being followed by Miss White Atkins's White Butterfly, who has beautiful eyes and a nice shape and face. The Hon. Mrs Maclaren Morrison's Musafer was unlucky to be only third, as his shape and face are exquisite. In blacks all the prizes were withheld, which was hard on Mrs. Herring's Madam Freda, a really good specimen. In blues first went to Mrs. Slingsby's Orange Blossom of Thorpe, a good coloured cat with yellow eyes; second to Lady Decies's Prince of Thanet, a lovely cat in coat and colour, and large, though his eyes might be better; third to Mis. Soans's Radburne.

In the female class Mrs. Brown's Bunch, first, is a nice cat of a good colour and well-shaped, but out of form, and her eyes are not nearly so good as those of the second and third - Mrs. Morrison's Stareyes and Miss Lea Smith's Double Blue. In smoke males Ch. Ranji had an easy win, but I thought Miss Leslie's Tiger might well have been second. In females Mrs. Stead's Rhoda, a grand dark smoke, won, with Mrs. Herring's Queen Smoke, good in colour, second, and Mrs. Collingwood's well-known Minouche third.

In chinchilla males Mrs. George Wilson's Rob Roy of Arrandale rightly won; he is a good level colour though not light, and has great substance. Mrs, Humphrey's Lord Clive, second, is a beautiful light colour, free from markings, and has good green eyes. Miss White Atkins's Tintagel, third, was out of coat and looked dark. In the female class Lady Decies's Fulmer Ch. Zaida had it all her own way, but second went to Mrs. Simons's Silver Lily, a beautiful cat of excellent colour and having a sweet face; third, Miss Chamberlayne's Garboldisham Papoose, is good in colour, but has yellow eyes. In orange or cream Mrs. Maclaren Morrison won with Puck, a really good dark red tabby, the best of his colour I have seen; second went to Mrs Cooke's Bridgeford Sunny, who has good eyes and colour, but loses in face; third, to same owner's Bridgeford Loved One, who loses in colour. In tortoiseshells Miss Roper's Tortie Fawe won easily - grand colour, head, eyes, and coat; second, Mrs. Walker's Queen Bess, loses in colour; and third, Miss Bartlett's Holmesdale Tartar, has too much yellow and a poor head.

The disqualification of Thames Valley Silver King in the silver tabby class left Mrs. Logan's Adolphus Daydream, a big, fine cat, but really chinchilla, first, with Mrs. Herring's good silver tabby Bangle second. In brown tabbies Mrs. Wilson's beautiful red sable Sue of Arrandale took first, followed by Mrs. Stead's well-marked Timber and Mrs. Herring's King Adolphe. In self-coloured neuters Miss Holmes won with the well-known Blue Tut, Madame Portier's Ch. Blue Boy being second, and Miss Bartlett's Holmesdale Azim third. In the tabby neuter class the judging aroused much comment. How that very indifferent chinchilla, Prince du Congo, could beat such glorious cats as Lady Aberdeen's Zoroaster, and Rajah of Haddo, a sable and silver tabby, and Mrs. Boyce's well-nigh perfect chinchilla. Fur passed my comprehension and that of everyone else present.

In the pair kitten class Miss Kerswill took first with a fascinating pair of whites, perfect in shape and face and having lovely blue eyes. Mr. Doggett's Lord and Lady May, second, are nice blues with good eyes. In the single kitten class Madame Portier won with Blue Peter, second going to H.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein's A.D.C., an exceedingly promising blue with nice eyes; third to Mrs. Gunn's Satanella, the best eyed black I have seen. There was nothing striking in the litter class, all the winners being fairly good blues. ,

In Siamese Mrs. Robinson's Wankee was hardly used in being placed second to Miss Attenborough's Peter, who is a nice cat but patchy in body and colour, but Ah Choo had an easy victory in the female class. In short-haired tortoiseshells firsts went to Mrs. Walker's Golden Beauty II. and Mrs. Herring's King Saul. Mrs. Collingwood's beautiful James II. stood alone in the silver tabby male class. Lady Decies had a field-day, winning first in brown tabbies with Ch. Fulmer Xenophon and in whites with Fulmer Snowflake. Mrs. Temple's Dr. Jim is a good red tabby, and beat his sole opponent, Mrs. Walker's Leno, with something in hand. The blues were poor, with the exception of the winner, Mrs. Illingworth's well-known Acton Prince. Mrs. George took first with an exquisite Siamese litter, second going to Miss Samuel's black Manx family, which are of excellent type.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For rules see previous issue.
SLUG. - In such a serious case it would have been wise to call in a veterinary surgeon at once, as apparently the cat's lungs are affected. He must be kept in an even temperature, but on no account in a stuffy atmosphere, and fed every two hours on liquid food - milk with a few drops of whisky in it or Valentine's meat-juice. It he is still alive he is probably convalescent by now, and in this case he will only require care and attention and a tonic. He must be kept dry and out of draughts, fed well, and given a teaspoonful of Kepler's malt and cod-liver oil twice daily.
JUMBO. - Birds, mice, and rats are very good, indeed, for cats, and if yours catches a large supply of them you need not be alarmed when he declines his other food. As a saucer of milk appears to be all that he cares to have, you should give it to him every morning. I do not think that it will do him any harm, but you can soon stop it if you find that it does.
TUPPENCE. - In red tabby short-haired cats depth of colour is the most important point; markings are a minor consideration provided the colour is a deep chestnut red. In brown and silver tabbies markings are the chief consideration. The colour of eyes is of less importance in tabbies than in self-coloured breeds.
DANDY. - I do not believe in giving either cats or dogs liver instead of aperient medicine. Some animals it suits, but for others it is far too rich, and for this reason causes violent diarrhoea, which in delicate animals is difficult to check. It is far better to give a dose ff castor or salad oil when required, bur if the constipation is persistent a small quantity of cod-liver oil every morning will act as a mild laxative.
PUNCH. - For a good orange kitten apply to Miss Beal, or advertise your wants in our "Private Sales" column. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, June 28, 1902, pg 106

LADY ALEXANDER has had a most interesting addition to her cattery. The red tabby queen No Fool, a daughter of Ch. Perfection, has produced a round, fat, self-coloured kitten by the blue Ch. Brother Bump. It is well known that a blue cat and a red almost invariably throw creams, but I only recollect two short-haired creams having been exhibited, and these were more or less tabby-marked, whereas Lady Alexander assures me that the kitten in question is so even in colour that it would make our best long-haired creams and fawns look like tabby cats.

The Richmond schedule is now out, and a most excellent classification has been provided. Nineteen classes tor long-hairs are arranged, and three of these, for blacks, for orange or cream females, and for neuters (ring class), are guaranteed. The fourteen classes for short-hairs are guaranteed by the British Cat Club, and the three Manx classes by the Manx Cat Club. Sixty-six special prizes are offered for competition and as the show is for one day only and is held within easy reach of London it should be well supported.

WITH regard to the classification of T. O. Silver King at the N.C.C. Show, it is reported that this was a test case, and that a certain well-known lady who has a strong personal interest in a rival club has undertaken to bear the expense of legal proceedings in the matter. I hardly believe that this cat be true, as the lady in question would surely be the very last to stir up such strife, as she does, that it would if successful, undermine the authority of the N.C.C., the Kennel Club, and even the Jockey Club!

I AM sorry to say that the sale held at the N.C.C. Show in aid of the Northern Counties Cat Club was not a great success, and very little was sold. A few short-haired kittens and some mice changed hands, but I fear the sales would hardly cover the expense.

I HAD the pleasure the other day of inspecting Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's cattery, and I must confess that I was amazed at the number of its inmates and at their condition. Every cat was in perfect health, and most of them were in show form. Three of the blue queens would certainly be hard to match, I refer to Golden Eyes and the Seagate Twins. The former is, on the whole, the better cat, and she will be recollected as having distinguished herself at Westminster. She has a capital head, good shape and colour, with heavy coat and huge round orange eyes. Her family, by Florian, though very young, promise well. Of the Twins I think I Prefer the larger; she was prevented from appearing at Edinburgh by an unfortunate accident, having got a fish-hook firmly fixed in her nose while eating her supper. She has got well over the effects, barring a slight weakness of the eyes, which will, no doubt, pass off in a day or two. She is a good all-round cat, with a broad head and glorious eyes. Her sister is her equal in eyes and all other points except face, which wants filling up a little, but this will come, as she is only a kitten yet. Altogether, they are a marvellous pair.

SEVERAL old friends I met once more, and these inclue d Bluebell, Ronald, Florian, Beauty, and FitzEustace, ail looking fit and well. The celebrated Dick Fawe appears at his best in his own run, where his great size, heavy coat, and orange eyes look really magnificent. Mrs. Stewart has a good orange-eyed black queen in Blanche. I made acquaintance with Darnley, the blue male, tor the first time, and I certainly never saw a finer head than this cat possesses.

A LARGE orange-eyed white imported male is kept in one of the runs. He was Presented by Lady Marcus Beresford to Mrs. Stewart, who intends to try some experiments in crossing him with blues on account of his eyes. Curiously enough, Mrs. Stewart has found that the descendants of the cream male Zoroaster furnish the best eyes of any cats she has. I have repeatedly said that it would be worth while risking a deterioration in colour to procure the huge deep hazel eyes for which this cat was celebrated, and now my words have come true.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 5, 1902, pg 155

MRS. RANSOME is now beginning lo make preparations for the Manchester Kitten Show. This fixture is so extremely popular and well managed that there is no doubt of its receiving plenty of support from exhibitors. I wonder what became of the "remnant" of mice left after Mrs. Ransome's sale at the N.C.C. Show? Had they been mine, I should have been sorely tempted to give some of the kittens a treat.

NOW that the warm weather has come, the more running about in the fresh air kittens can get the better. I do not mean that they should be put in wire runs, but allowed their freedom. Runs are all very well in their way, but are not suitable for kittens whose owners cannot sit and watch them all day. They must get plenty of sun, but not too much, and they must not be damp nor yet hard and dry. For this reason movable runs which can be taken from the sun to the shade and vice versa are best unless it is possible to include in the run a few trees and bushes, and when the ground has become very hard and dry it should be lightly sprinkled with a watering-pot two or three times daily. It should be remembered that though a number of kittens may run together if they have freedom, not more than two or three may be penned together without injury to their health and growth,

ONE of the most recent recruits to the Black and White Club is the Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison, who has long been an admirer of white cats, long and short haired. Mrs. Morrison informs me that she is very anxious that classes tor yellow-eyed whites should be guaranteed. Personally, I think this is a mistake, and that yellow-eyed cats are of use only for breeding to improve type when necessary, and I would much rather see odd-eyed cats encouraged.

THE Scottish Cat Club has moved its head- quarters from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and, judging from the number of new members, the change appears to be popular. A show will be held on November 12th and 13th and Mr. T. B. Mason is to be asked to judge.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 12, 1902, pg 199

ONCE more a number of tea-cup storms are raging in the cat fancy, but I am of the opinion that, like their predecessors, they will simmer down and ere long be forgotten, At intervals everyone goes about prophesying a speedy and ignominious death for the N.C.C. on account of the "registration muddle," but, at present I see no signs of its approach. I understand that the Silver Society intends to make its opinion in the matter known, if not felt; but I tear this is not likely to improve matters in any way.

IT will be welcome news to many that some of the pretty little kittens whose portraits appear on this page are for sale, their owner, Mrs Russell Biggs, Barrymore Park, Kintbury, possessing more than is convenient. Further pparticulars will be found in the Sale and Exchange columns.

IT IS announced that Lady Decies has presented her blue-eyed white Persian queen, Fulmer Powder Puff, whose portrait has appeared in THE LADIES' FIELD, to H.R.H. Princess Christian.

IF a family of little kittens playing in the garden get caught in a shower and soaked, do not immediately jump to the conclusion that they have caught cold, Give them a good rub with a towel, and if the sun has come out they will soon dry, but if not they may be allowed to play in a room with a fire until they are quite dry, and the chances are greatly in favour of their escaping unharmed. If any symptoms of sneezing and watery eyes are noticed give half a camphor pill daily. When giving camphor an occasional dose of salad oil may be necessary.

IT appears to be a fact that Manx cats are very doubtful breeders. Several fanciers tell me that they cannot breed Manx kittens at all, and both male and female cats seem to be peculiar in this respect. I have owned several males and one female which would not breed, and one of my females produces only one litter a year; on the other hand, my other queens appear to be quite as prolific as the common British cat. I know a lady who says that Siamese cats only breed once a year, but this is entirely a fallacy, and as this lady also says that Siamese tom cats are all nice house pets her statements may be accepted with caution!

A MOLE-KILLING cat is priceless, and hard to find, but an exceedingly useful possession. Once a cat takes to killing moles it rarely hunts any other game much. The well-known FitzEustace once lived in a house and yard with a brick floor, and a foolish mole came up between the bricks and was slain. Rat-catching generally leads to rabbiting as the home rats are soon exterminated and pussy goes off to look for more, and finds that rabbits are nicer; then, some day, she picks up a young pheasant and her days are numbered. I once had a queen which was a great rabbiter, and another which would not even catch a mouse but used her brains and hid inside the gate when she knew her friend, or rather her foe, had gone a-hunting. When poor Blackie appeared with her mouth so full of rabbit that she could not keep a look-out, the other cat used suddenly to charge her, bowl her over, and make off with the rabbit!

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 19, 1902, pg 235

RICHMOND CAT SHOW
RICHMOND Show may be accounted a brilliant success. The tents were excellently managed, and the exhibits were satisfactory both in quality and numbers, and there was a good attendance all day. Among the people present I noticed Sir Claud and Lady Alexander, Lady Decies, Lady Maria Hood, Lady Muriel Fox-Strangways, Mrs. M. Robinson, Mrs. Stennard Robinson, Mrs. Peter Brown, Mrs. Herring, and Mrs. and Miss Dresser. The blue long-haired kittens proved the sensation of the show, and rarely have such magnificent kittens been exhibited singly, let alone in pairs and litters. Starting in the order of the catalogue, the long-haired cats come first.
White males: Mrs. Noti's Bobs Lord Roberts, first - a fine cat, but his eyes might be deeper in colour; second, Mrs. Pettitt's lovely Piquante Pearl, whose eyes are brilliant; and third, the same owner's Ch. King of Pearls.
Black: first to Mrs. Leuty Collins's big, handsome Forest Beauty, who was a bit out of form; and second to Dr. Roper's Darkie Fawe, a most promising kitten, with grand orange eves,
in blue males Lady Decies's Fulmer Prince of Thanet won - a big, handsome cat, with good bone, shape, and coat; fair colour; eyes might be deeper. This cat was unfortunately attacked by pneumonia during the show, and was removed in a precarious condition.
Blue females: Mrs. Brown's Bunch, the Botanic winner, looking well, won easily here - she has since been purchased by Mrs. Terrill, and should prove a valuable investment; second, Mrs. Wise's Westminster Ju Ju, a charmingly shaped little cat, with a sweet, round face; third, Miss Bushell's Ruin Delight.
The chinchilla classes were amalgamated. First went to the well-known Rob Roy of Arrandale, who seemed very fit; second to Miss Chamberlayne's Garboldisham Papoose, who is good in head and shape, and very level in colour; third to the same owner's Cap and Bells, who is paler in colour, but loses in head and ears.
Tabby, silver or brown: first, Mrs. Wilson's Sue of Arrandale, the invincible sable; second, Mrs. Derby Hyde's Ch. Thames Valley Silver King, looking a bit rusty; third, Mrs. Bird's The Duchess, a really nice warm sable but a little light on chin.
Orange or cream male: first, Miss Beal's Ch. Romaldkirk Admiral. I thought the old cat lucky to beat his nephew, Mrs. Western's Matthew of the Durhams, who was third; Matthew is vastly superior in colour and eyes, and equal in coat, head, and shape to Midshipmite, the only point where he is beaten is size. Miss Sargent's Eileen was second.
Females: first, Mrs. Norris's lovely Creme d'Or, looking her best; second, Mrs. Singleton's Orange Giri; third, Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard's Myrtle of the Durhams, a nice cat, but not quite level in colour.
In the variety class Mrs. Smyth's Clooney, a big round-faced marked blue took first; second went to Mrs. Gorden Madden's Fraud, a very fine young smoke; third to Mrs. Stead's Ch. Ranji.
Neuters: Mrs. Boyce's well-nigh perfect chinchilla Fur first; second, Madame Portier's Blue Boy, looking well; third, Mr. Radcliffe's Wallace, a nice shaded silver.
The blue kitten class was remarkable for the beauty of Miss Bennett's exhibits, which were truly lovely; huge and pale in colour, with round faces and deep orange eyes, they caused quite a sensation.
In chinchilla kittens the winner was Mrs. Poole's Little Billy, who excels in colour; second, Mrs. Bover's Irene. a poorly marked silver tabby, but very pretty; third, might have won, Mrs. Duerdin Dutton's Green-eyed Dracoena, who is very pale and level in colour, and has grand eyes. In the tabby class, Mr. Furze won with a fair shaded silver kitten in Sir Alma; while in the variety class the good black Dr. Roper's Darkie Fawe was first, with Mrs. Knight's pretty blue-eyed white second.
In the pair class, Miss Bennett was again successful.
The litter class was truly magnificent, and Mrs. Singleton may well be proud of having bred the winners, really grand orange-eyed blues; second, some good chinchillas; and third, Mrs. Wells's nice little blues.
To pass to short-hairs - black, Lady Alexander's Black Bump, large with good eyes, won easily. White, Lady Alexander's Ch. Ballochmyle Billie Blue Eyes won well; second and third, same owner's Ch. Snow King and Snow Bump.
Blue male: first, Lady Alexander's Ch. Ballochmyle Blue King; second, Ballochmyle Bump Tuffet, a sweet-faced little cat, good in colour, and with big round yellow eyes.
Blue female: first, Miss Butler's Ayton Biue Stockings, a very promising cat, with nice eyes.
Brown tabby: first, Mr. Newland's Jim Shelley, evidently moulting.
Red tabby: first, Lady Alexander's Ballochmyle Red Prince. a good cat, but lucky to beat the third, Ballochmyle Perfect Still, who is far ahead in colour, shape, and face, and equally good in coat and eyes; second, Mr. Temple's Dr. Jim, loses in colour.
Tortoiseshell: first, Lady Alexander's Ch. Ballochmyle Samson; second, Miss Leith's Ross Bee.
Tortoiseshell and white: first, Lady Alexander's Ballochmyle Mermaid; second, Miss Leith's Ross Nora.
Siamese: first, Mrs. Robinson's beautifully-marked Ah Choo.
Abyssinian: first, Mrs, Temple's well-ticked Tsana. In neuters, Lady Alexander's Ballochmyle Bump Gamp won, and he also won the ring class.
Manx males: first, Mrs. Hallen's Manx, a good white, quite tailless, won easily; second, Mr. Bolton's D., tail appears to have a slight stump; third, Miss Clifton's Weybourne Paul Patoff, good in colour and shape, but has a stump.
Females: first, Mrs. Hallen's Mona, another good white; second, Mrs. Herring's Madam Douglas.

THE tardy arrival of summer has had one advantage in retarding the appearance of the annual plague of fleas in the south of England. In the southern counties it is practically impossible to keep kittens clear of fleas, and the only way to prevent their accumulating to any very great extent is to comb the kittens carefully every morning with a fine tooth comb. It is a mistake to suppose that lice are caused by dirt, as a most filthily kept cat rarely has any, while a delicate kitten kept in spotless surroundings may develop them. As far as I can understand the matter, they come from poverty of blood, and in cats they can be removed by weekly washings with Spratt's dog soap, while in kittens a daily rub with powdered camphor and sulphur will prove effectual. I once kept a very delicate cat in a room indoors in which no animal had lived before. The room was kept clean, and there were no carpets or hangings to collect dust. The cat's own coat was quite free from parasites, but when her kitten was a fortnight old it was covered with lice! The presence of lice I regard as an indication that a tonic (iron tor preference) is required.

MRS. HARPUR, of Lytchett Minster, Poole, tells me that she is the owner of the well-known blue long-haired male, Waterloo, which she purchased last winter. Waterloo was well known, when the property of Miss Harper, of Briarlea, as the son of Ch. Turkish Delight and the sire of Ch. Ronald. He was bred by Mrs. Marriott. and I fancy his dam was Lady Gay, a cat of Mrs. Foote's breeding. Mrs. Harpur has also procured a very nice young blue-eyed white Manx male, and intends later on to go in for breeding Manx cats. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, July 26, 1902, pg 274

OUR American cousins are leaving us far behind in the matter of studbooks. The United States Register and Studbook for Cats is published under the auspices of the United States Official Register Association, and has been compiled under the immediate supervision of the officials of the Treasury Department and of the Department of Agriculture. The leading cat clubs in England have been invited to nominate representatives to be elected on a committee whose duties appear to be to check the pedigrees of cats exported from England to America. The whole matter is too complicated to be fully explained here, but the idea is a great one, and deserves to meet with success.

THE following interesting paragraph is copied from THE FIELD, and will be of interest to my readers:-
CAT EATING PEAS. - On looking out of my window on the morning of June 24th, about 6 am., I saw a cat close to a row of dwarf peas. Thinking she was looking for birds I watched her, and was surprised to see her take a peapod and cat it. Hurrying down and going to the peas, I found fifty or sixty pods wholly or partially eaten, but puss had beaten a retreat. The peas would soon have been ready to gather. - W.H. JONES, Woodfield Villa, Bicester. [We have known cats to eat green peas and cauliflowers, and dogs now and then eat gooseberries, strawberries, and cherries. Carnivorous animals eat green food as an aperient. - Ed.]
THIS editorial remark bears out my opinion as to the unsuitability of green food as an article of diet for cats; yet some people mix boiled cabbage and similar articles with their cats' food, so that they are obliged to eat it. If the vegetables were put on a separate plate so that the cats need not eat them unless they wished to do so no harm would be done, as the cat is still sufficiently near to a wild state to select its own medicines, and I have known cats to eat a whole meal of cabbage, asparagus, beetroot, carrot, and even potato peelings, and, doubtless, this was done for some wise purpose.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 2, 1902
No Cat Gossip or Animal Gossip in this issue.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 9, 1902, pg 361

THE autumn shows will soon begin, and follow upon each others' heels thick and fast. The N.C.C. Show at Harrogate is on August 28th and 29th. I do not yet know who are the appointed judges. Miss Cochran was invited to take the long-haired classes, but was unable to do so. Sandy, with Lady Marcus Beresford, Mr. House, and Mr. Mason as judges, is also on August 28th, and being within easy distance of London will, I fear, somewhat interfere with the Harrogate entries. At Altrincham on September 24th the cats are in the hands of Mr. Roberts, and at the Northern Counties' Kitten Show at Manchester on October 1st Mr. Dewar will take long-hairs and Mr. Mason short-hairs. The Crystal Palace is, of course, the leading event in October, and in November come Brighton and Cheltenham, followed a little later by Manchester Cat Show and Westminster. The cats should certainly not be dull this year, but I am inclined to think that some new blood would be an improvement among the judges. One gets tired of always seeing the same names put down, and also one knows so well each judge's fancy that one need risk nothing. If I know that a certain judge dislikes the type of cat I breed, I am not likely to show under him, but with a new hand I should very likely enter largely as an experiment. It is nonsense to say that people show to "get a certain judge's opinion." We have got far past that, and we show because we want to get prizes, and we are not likely to enter our cats under a judge who we know prefers someone else's cats!

VISITORS to Richmond Show will not need to be reminded of the beauty of Miss Bennet's blue kittens, Jack and Jill. I think they were the most exquisite kittens I ever beheld, being of a lovely pale even shade of blue, with deep orange eyes, and in head, face, coat, and shape they were all that could be desired. Miss Bennet is advertising a draft from her cattery, and breeders will do well to seize this opportunity of acquiring some of her well-known and consistently successful strain.

I AM sorry to hear of the death of the well-known silver tabby Ch. Abdul Zaphir. This cat was for many years the property of Mrs. Shelley, but on the death of Ch. Topso, Miss Anderson Leake, who always likes to own a stud cat of this, her original, strain, purchased him, and had great success with him both in the show-pen and at stud. Finally, his downfall was accomplished by his own son. Abdul Hamet of Dingley stepped into his father's shoes, and Abdul Zaphir became the property of Miss Power, in whose hands he was when he died.

VISITORS to the Westbourne Grove Show will recollect Mrs. Charles's beautiful orange Persian, Robert Orange, which won first prize and was purchased by the Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison. It will be good news that Robert's brother, Pooh Bah, is now in England. This young cat is exceedingly well bred, being by Richmond Lifeguard ex Trilby Linkwood. Miss Cartmell, who has charge of him, describes him as "an enormous cat with a yellow chin and orange eyes, and very like his sire in the hind-quarters." Pooh Bah has spent his life in Paris, and won a silver medal at the Jardin d ‘Acclimatation in 1901.

WRITING in a contemporary recently on the subject of gastro-enteritis, Mr. House enquires: "Whoever heard of a common household cat or her kittens being troubled with this fashionable scourge, or even the humbler-named diarrhoea?" On three occasions have I seen an outbreak of the disease in country villages, and the majority of the cats, even those who lived a semi-wild existence, succumbed. As my own cats were the only well-bred ones in the neighbourhood, and as only one of them was affected and died, high breeding could not be the cause. Nor do I think errors of diet were to blame, as there was practically no diet in these cases; it was simply an epidemic occurring once in summer and twice in winter in different villages and from no apparent cause. As to diarrhoea, this is as common among cottage cats in the south of England as among cattery Persians. It is, as a rule, I believe, caused by allowing cats to drink large quantities of milk, which has an aperient effect. To stop the milk and sprinkle the meat with carbonate of bismuth will often effect a cure if matters have not gone too tar.

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."
BLUEBOTTLE. - You will certainly improve the look of the cat's coat by constantly combing and brushing it, but it is quite unnecessary to do it except when he is moulting.
DUFFER. - Though no hard and fast rule has, so far a I am aware, been passed on the subject, it is a generally accepted fact that cream and fawn cats should be self-coloured, i.e., tree from marking and shading.
KITCHENER. - The particulars you give are so very meagre that it is impossible for me to prescribe tor your kitten satisfactorily. Had you told me how it has been fed and treated, and to what extent the trouble exists, and for how long it has continued, II could have helped you. If, as is usually the case, it is only indigestion from improper feeding, alter the diet; give the kitten four times dally a teaspoonful of finely minced raw lean beef, sprinkled with carbonate of bismuth - no other food; water only to drink. If the diarrhoea is very bad and amounts almost to dysentery solid food must not be given, but the kitten may have every two hours a dessertspoonful of arrowroot made with milk and thickened with isinglass, and four times daily he must have five drops of Symes's lac bismuthi. Write again if can help you further. Feed the fall-grown cats on raw beef, and if they seem thin or rough in their coats give a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil night and morning.
REX.- On the first signs of constipation a teaspoonful of warm castor oil should have been given, and if this did not act within a few hours a small glycerine suppository would very shortly have had the desired effect. I am very sorry you lost your kitten, but after a long journey and change of food a kitten frequently suffers from constipation and requires watching.
R. H. - The symptoms described certainly do not point to mange, but rather to lice. While it is allowed to mix and fight with other cats you cannot hope to keep it in decent condition. To cure the lice give it a weekly wash with Spratts dog soap. Let it remain in the lather for about ten minutes, rinse well, and rub as dry as possible with towels. Then shut in a basket near a fire until it is dry. Two or at most three washings should suffice. When Keating's powder is used it should be very carefully brushed out of the coat immediately, or it may cause sickness and convulsions.
SPARROW. - Persian kittens, if properly fed, are not at all delicate. Let the kitten have three times daily a dessertspoonful of lean raw beef finely minced. When it is six months old give a large tablespoonful twice daily. If the kitten seems dissatisfied with the bulk of fund supplied this may be increased by adding bread or biscuit to the meat. When the cat is full-grown it may be fed once daily on scraps of meat, milk pudding, fish, gravy. etc., letting it have as much as it wants. The raw meat diet will make it grow better than anything else. Do not give any milk food at all. Fresh air and exercise are very good for all cats and kittens, however delicate, but it is advisable to provide a pan in the hose, in case at any time the kitten cannot get out, and at night it should be shut in a room with a pan. Do not give aperient medicine unless really necessary, and then a teaspoonful of warm castor off . If it takes cold give a camphor pill twice daily, but, as this has a constipating effect, give a teaspoonful of salad oil every other day at the same time. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 16, 1902, pg 408

I AM glad to see that Sir Claud Alexander has taken up the cudgels on behalf of the judges of short-hairs at Richmond. A writer in a contemporary made a most unjustifiable attack upon these judges, asserting that their appointment was so unpopular that a very poor entry resulted. As a matter of fact, I heard no dissatisfaction expressed, and considers the very large classification provided the entry was most satisfactory. It is an undoubted fact that short-hairs are not so popular as long-hairs, but the entry of both at Richmond was eminently satisfactory. So far, I fear, "the wish was father to the thought." To say that Richmond is the last large show at which Mrs. Strick has officiated as a "specialist judge of short-hairs" is surely somewhat begging the question, for I can recollect very many large shows at which Mrs. Strick has judged, and most ably, both long and short-haired cats, and from personal knowledge I can say that she is as well up in the points of one as of the other. With regard to Mr. Nichols, I fancy I am not wrong in saying that he has been at the game very nearly as long as his detractors, and I know that a majority of the exhibitors of short-hairs consider him one of our best judges of short-hairs, and hope to see him in that capacity very frequently in future.

I am very sorry to hear from Miss Kerswill that her blue-eyed white kittens fell ill after the Botanic Gardens Show, and though Una, the better of the two, has recovered, a litter of blues was infected, and one, the best kitten Miss Kerswill ever bred, succumbed.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 23, 1902, pg 444

ONE of the latest recruits to the Manx fancy is Lady Decies, who has joined the Manx Cat Club, and has purchased a tortoiseshell female kitten with absolutely no tail. Mrs. Collingwood, another member, has also acquired a tailless kitten, so the Manx fancy is looking up. Miss Samuels is one of the most enthusiastic Manx fanciers we have, and though but few of her cats have been exhibited they have been wonderfully successful. King Kangaroo, the young black, and Golfsticks, the smoke, are really good Manx cats, and Miss Samuels has a brother to Kangaroo which she considers better in shape; she also has a silver tabby male and a yellow and white male and some good queens. The charming litter of black kittens shown at the Botanic were penned in a somewhat isolated position, and very few people noticed them, but those who did considered them extraordinarily good. Unfortunately, they developed distemper after the show. but the best kitten, which is the sole survivor, has been purchased by Miss Hester Cochran. He is the best shaped Manx kitten I ever saw, having a wonderfully short back, with very long and well-developed hind legs, a good coat, and not the slightest suspicion of a stump.

LADY ALEXANDER OF BALLOCHMYLE has been elected by the Manx Cat Club as their representative on the American pedigree committee.

AN interesting correspondence is being carried on in a contemporary on the subject of long-haired, silver tabby cats. It is well known that properly marked cats are hard to breed, and for this reason, apparently, some people appear to think them undesirable. It is difficult to follow up their line of argument, for surely that a tabby cat should be well marked is at least as necessary as that a long-haired cat should have long hair. I quite agree with the statement that many tabby cats are properly marked when out of coat but fail in this point when the hair grows, but this also applies to many chinchillas. The well-known Dimity was during her first cat moult covered with finely pencilled black stripes! To say that judges should turn up the hair of badly-marked tabbies in search of markings at the roots of the hair is surely a mistake, as the under-coat is usually quite unmarked. It is because the tips of the hair are marked that the cat jooks well marked when out of coat, but as the hair grows the markings become spread and thin. There has been no more handsomely marked cat exhibited than Lady Pink's Shrover II., but his lack of coat prevented his becoming a very general favourite. Ch. Felix was not far behind, and many of his sons, notably Felix Mottisfont, were handsomely marked and heavily coated cats. In cat breeding no more wicked thing could be done than to try and oust the well-marked silver tabby, the most handsome of all cats, from his proper position in the prize list. For those who like badly marked cats there are plenty of so-called "shaded silvers," which I must say are by no means the shaded silvers tor which I worked so hard to get a classification some years ago, but merely tabbies whose markings have gone wrong.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, August 30, 1902, pg 483

MISS KIRKPATRICK, though only a breeder in a very small way, has always been remarkably successful in rearing large and healthy kittens, and therefore her description of her cat-house, which appears in the photograph, will be of interest. It is 9ft. by 8ft., and has a 9ft. concrete run in front of it. Opening out of this run and stretching round to the back of the house is a grass enclosure 23ft. long. Part of this run is always in shade, and this Miss Kirkpatrick considers a most important matter. The house faces south, and has a large front window and a smaller window facing north, by which means the house can be kept cool in summer. The cats are not often shut up except at night, but kittens are regularly reared in this house.

LAVENDER BLUE BOY is a particularly handsome and promising son of Sussex Blue Boy and Lavender Blue, which Miss Kirkpatrick is keeping as a pet. When the photograph was taken he was only four months old, but he has now reached the age of nine months and has grown very large.

LADY MURIEL FOX-STRANGWAYS has done remarkably well with her cats this year, and has a huge colony of blue kittens at Melbury. One litter by Sussex Tinker ex Daphne is particularly promising, and at two months old their eyes are already turning orange. This, however, was to be expected, considering how good both parents are in eyes. Another litter by Miss Cartmell's Bluestone ex Bluebell is also doing well.

THW chinchilla Abyssinian Shamrock's family by Mrs. Pitkin's Peter consists of one kitten, which is a silver. Peter is the ordinary rabbit-colour, while Shamrock is pure silver, with no trace of brown.

THE advice given to inexperienced cat fanciers is occasionally a trifle confusing. For example, I read in a contemporary recently that in rearing kittens one could not do better than follow nature, and that therefore they should have no meat until they are four months old. What very unnatural creatures cats must be, for, if they have the opportunity, they will almost invariably begin feeding their kittens on birds, mice, and rabbits before they are a month old, and uncommonly well the kittens thrive on this diet. In spite of all that can be said to the contrary, the fact remains that the cat is a carnivorous animal, and that in its natural state the kitten would be reared on a meat diet. Few people seem to realize how much more likely milk food, whether cow's or goat's, is to upset kittens when they are still with their mothers than after they have been weaned. Mixing two brands of milk cannot possibly be advantageous. Another point in which I differ from many writers is the age at which kittens should be weaned. I often come across people who think that the longer the mothers will keep the kittens the better. This is a complete fallacy. In the first place it is very bad for the mother, and consequently for her next litter, as too long suckling produces diarrhoea, and in some cases convulsions. In the second it is exceedingly bad for the kittens, as the milk becomes changed in character and frequently causes diarrhoea, and if the milk supply fails the kitten continues sucking and fills its stomach with wind, which is obviously bad for the digestion.

A cat which is at liberty will very often wean its own kittens, but the poor cattery cat has no opportunity of so doing. As a whole, I think dog fanciers show a great deal more common sense in the treatment of their pets than cat fanciers, and no one ever heard of puppies being left with their mothers for more than eight weeks, if as long.

I FIND it necessary continually to remind my readers that when I recommend meat feeding I mean the quantity of meat to be strictly limited. Up to six weeks old a kitten may have half a teaspoonful of finely minced raw beef three times daily, after that age it may have a teaspoonful, and at three months old a dessertspoonful. A full-grown cat requires three to four ounces of meat daily. There are some animals which seem to require more bulk of food than others, and if fed as described above are always ravenous. For these something which is filling, but not nourishing, is required, and white breadcrumbs will fit the case exactly, and may be mixed with the meat. When I hear of a cat or kitten which has been fed on fresh raw beef suffering from diarrhoea, with no apparent cause, I know that it has been given too much, and that nature has rebelled and is trying to rid the system of the superfluous nourishment.

Rather a funny incident occurred in my cattery, or rather amongst my cats, tor I have no cattery, the other day. Two queens were expecting families one a week after the other, but they were constantly fighting, with the result that Mrs. Tabby had her kittens a week too soon, and as she took no interest in them they all died. Mrs. White's kittens arrived next day, and all were dead except one, which was a nice little thing and a great joy to his mother, but after three days Mrs. Tabby made overtures of peace, which were accepted, and the two ladies shared the kitten happily for a fortnight, when Mrs. Tabby's mean, deceitful nature asserted itself, and she stole the kitten from its rightful owner, and hid it in an almost inaccessible spot. By watching her movements the baby's whereabouts was discovered, and its own mother guided to the spot, and Mrs. Tabby is now forbidden to touch it.

I NOTICE that some American authority has stated that Miss Simoson is wrong in recommending brandy tor cats in some cases of illness, as alcohol is invariably harmful. Mv experience has been exactly opposite to this. On one occasion I recollect a queen of mine had great difficulty in kittening, and there was an interval of a week between the birth of the first and last of her kittens, and she was naturally in great danger of collapse. By the vet.'s advice she was fed on raw eggs, milk, and brandy - which she lapped - and she made a most excellent recovery. Her firstborn kitten, the only survivor, had a bad time. In the first place it was born prematurely, and in the second no satisfactory foster-mother could be procured, and it was tried with five different cats before it was a fortnight old. Twice during that time the neglect of some temporary parent reduced it to a state of absolute collapse, from which it was rescued by timely doses of milk and whisky, and it is now a well-known prize winner. Of course, care must be exercised in the use of stimulants, but there can be no doubt of their value under certain circumstances. When dosing a cat with castor oil, particularly if it is suffering from diarrhoea, a few drops of brandy should be added to the oil; and when a cat is suffering from a diphtheritic throat and cannot teed itself, its strength may be kept up by spoon-feeding it frequently with a few drops of milk and whisky.

ANIMAL (CAT) GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 6, 1902, pg 525

THE MANX CAT
THOUGH it is only three years since I first exhibited Manx cats, they have always been favourites of mine, and I have lately taken considerable pains to procure for them a better classification and more encouragement generally; my friends are kind enough to say with some measure of success.

With regard to the essential points of the Manx cat the principal authorities are for once agreed. The cat must be absolutely tailless - a_ stump, though not a disqualification, is a very serious defect - and it must have a short back and very long hind legs. I say "‘very long" advisedly, because if any cat is docked its hind legs look long, but in a Manx cat more than this is required. The true Manx cat has a trick of resting on his hocks, and frequently hops about like a rabbit. I have never yet seen a cobbily built cat with hind legs which were long enough to satisfy me, and many of those which have been much puffed and adverised remind me forcibly of an English cat which has been docked in early youth. Could a broad cobby cat with satisfactory hind-quarters be produced I should certainly prefer it to a less substantial animal. With regard to heads, I have been very much amused to read a statement, published in a weekly contemporary, to the effect that I liked Manx cats to be "long faced!" I may say that I have yet to hear of a breed of cats which should be long faced. I can only conclude that the writer is an uncatty person, and has got mixed between long faces and narrow heads - two very different things.

Personally, I should like all cats to be short faced and broad headed (even Siamese, where I know it is incorrect), but there appears to be considerable ground for the belief that the Manx cat is of Eastern origin, and if this is so the narrow skull is correct, though, as popular opinion appears to be in favour of the broad head of the English cat, we may perhaps consider the Manx cat sufficiently naturalized to be taken liberties with. In any case, head, colour, and coat may, I think, be regarded as minor points until a certain number of cats without tails and good in shape have been produced, and then they must be taken seriously in hand. That the coat should be longer and more open than that of the English cat is not a fault, and by some people is considered a good point, and when colour and eyes are considered they should be similar to those of the English cat.

Unfortunately, nearly all our best Manx cats have been ‘‘ off colours," and I do not see much prospect of a rapid improvement in this direction. Perhaps the best Manx cat ever exhibited was the black, Jim Crow. In shape and type he was grand, and I believe he beat all the celebrities of his day. Unfortunately he did not leave any progeny. Speaking of the possible Eastern origin of the Manx cat reminds me of the existence of a race of tailless or stump-tailed cats in Japan. Travellers in that country have frequently described them to me, and I have owned one or two imported specimens, These cats appear, as a rule, to be white or red and white, and have frequently blue or odd eyes. Their hind legs are not so long as those of a pure Manx cat, and they generally have about an inch of twisted stump tail. It is possible that they have been produced by a cross between the ordinary domestic cat and one of the kink or stump-tailed breeds of the Malay Peninsula, but they appear, from ail accounts, to exist in considerable numbers in Japan, and to be fairly uniform in type and colouring. I propose to try some experiments in crossing them with Manx cats, as this may, possibly, throw some light on their origin.

I cannot advise anyone having no knowledge of Manx cats to endeavour to buy good specimens in the Isle of Man, as it is, unfortunately, a fact that Manx cats are manufactured there in large quantities to supply the demands of visitors, and genuine specimens are almost more difficult to procure there than in England. - H. C. [Presumably Hester Cochran]

SANDY SHOW must once more be pronounced a success. A satisfactory entry was obtained, and the blue female class, the orange and cream classes, and the kitten classes were particularly strong. Seven chinchillas seem but a poor compliment to a specialist judge, but chinchillas in the summer are, as a rule, a cause of shame and sorrow to their owners rather than an ornament to the show-pen.

I am pleased to see in a contemporary that ‘‘Zaida," who is the greatest living authority on silver tabby Persians, endorses my opinion that the markings of a silver tabby cat are at the tips and not at the roots of the hair, as we were recently informed.

MRS. HALLEN, whose beautiful white Manx cats carried all before them at Richmond, has joined the Manx Cat Club, and tells me that she has what she considers to be an absolutely perfect Manx kitten.

I am often asked for advice as to how a cat which is late in kittening should he treated. Many cats go a day or two over the proper time from no apparent cause and with no ill results, but if you know the kittens are twenty-four hours overdue something should be done, as they may have died, and in this case blood-poisoning will quickly supervene. The safest course for the amateur to follow is to give a large dessertspoonful of warm castor oil, and if the cat can be persuaded to follow you about the garden for half an hour this may have beneficial results, but she should not be compelled to take exercise. If a cat is late in kittening I should always, in case of difficulty, call in veterinary assistance more readily than if she had kittened at the usual time, as in the case of dead kittens, with a consequent risk of blood-poisoning, every hour is of the greatest importance.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see previous issues. )
BLUEBELL. - Your cat, I think, had a light epileptic attack, and this was not caused by any special article of diet, though it would be as well to give her two light meals in the day rather than one heavy one. You acted quite right in pouring water on her head, but had she become very violent she would have been safest shut into a large, airy basket, so that she could not knock herself about. Fresh air is the best cure, but if in the meantime the patient beats its brains out it is of little use, so I always pop my cats into a backet and stand it in a draught when they are attacked by fits. When they have recovered consciousness I give a dessertspoonful of warm castor oil, and every day for a week two grains of bromide ot potassium. Do not attempt to dose the cat while in a fit or you will choke it, and will also certainly be bitten. I should feed the cat entirely on rather thick arrowroot for a tew days after a fit, and gradually let her have more solid food - fish, chicken, rabbit, and, later, raw beef. I think a book on cats will be issued from this office shortly.
PATRICK. - I only know of one strain of blue cats which has orange eyes with black rims. They are certainly very taking, and add 50 per cent. to the appearance of the cat's face. I am quite certain that in the case I speak of it is not produced by crossing with silvers.
DUNCE. - You must not mate vour blue-eyed white cat with a blue, or some of the white kittens are certain to have dark smudges on their heads, which may or may not wear off as they grow up.
MANXER. - Certainly the breeding of Manx cats is "flukey." Here are two instances for you. A half-bred queen with a stump taill produced, by a long-tailed tom, one long-tailed kitten, one stump-tailed, and two absolutely tailless, and both the latter were well-known winners. Mated with a stump-tailed tom the same queen produced one long-tailed and one half-tailed kitten. A pair of absolutely tailless cats, both well-known winners, produced a litter of five long-tailed kittens, and the next litter by the same parents contained one long-tailed, one with a scarcely perceptible stump, and two absolutely tailless. This, of course, is practical proof that one, or both, of these cats had a stain on its pedigree. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 13, 1902, pg 34

REALLY some kittens seem to have the digestions of ostriches, and some cats the placidity of, shall I say, cows? A certain lady has been tor years an exhibitor, and a remarkably successful one, of Persian cats. Her kittens are the most ethereal, cobwebby beings imaginable, yet always look perfectly healthy and in beautiful condition, and she has now been persuaded to make public her methods of rearing them. In the first place, the mother and babies are subjected to an amount of interference which would bring any of my cats to the conclusion that, as I was so capable, she had better leave the entire care of the kittens to me; in the second place, the kittens are spoon-fed at a week old; and in the third, when they begin eating solid food they are treated to the most extraordinary mixture of fish, raw and cooked meat, gravy, bread, etc. The exact object of mixing the food together in this manner is not explained, unless it is with the idea of strengthening the digestion by exercising it to its fullest capacity! The constitution of these kittens must be abnormal, and when next I want a healthy youngster of the breed I shall know where to go for it; but I shall buy it very young and train its digestion myself.

THE other day Mrs. Pettitt, writing to a contemporary, remarked upon the fact that when sending cats on a railway journey which necessitated their crossing London she always paid their cab fare from one station to the other, and so ensured their being sent on at once. I enquired into this matter at the local station, and the parcel-office clerk informed me that this could be done at any time; all that is necessary is to pay the cab fare, which he can look up, and give the order when booking the package, which will then be put in a cab immediately upon its arrival in London and sent across to the station from which its railway journey continues.

NINE seems to be, in the opinion of most people, the record number of kittens produced in one litter and reared by their own mother, but I know of a pedigree blue Persian queen which reared a five family of ten kittens. A story which is a little too "tall" has reference to a cat which in her old age became my property. A former owner, a well-known fancier, on seeing her in my possession remarked, "The last litter she reared tor me contained six black and six white kittens."

MRS. PETER BROWN has practically given up breeding cats, and has disposed of all her queens with the exception of one kitten, which she is keeping to show. Mrs. Brown is now turning her attention to the rearing of male kittens as pets. Of course kittens are easily trained, and nearly all can be made into most fascinating pets; but it is a great advantage to be able to buy kittens already trained in ways of cleanliness and the usages of polite society. Mrs. Brown buys the best male kittens she can find, puts them through a course of training and petting, and then disposes of them.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 20, 1902, pg 75

MRS. ROBINSON, of Cheltenham, has sent me some charming photographs of her cats. Neno, the chinchilla male which Mrs. Robinson has now presented to Mrs. Woodcock, is an exceedingly handsome son of the well-known expatriated Silver Chieftain and the imported blue queen Statira. That Neno is an excellent sire may be judged from the photograph of two of his kittens. The dam of these kittens was the exquisite blue queen Titania, a daughter of the celebrated Elsa. The self-blue kitten is Queen of Beauty, the dam of the litter I wrote of a week or two ago, and Mrs. Robinson has bestowed Beauty also upon Mrs. Woodcock in sympathy for her losses. The little kittens have unfortunately been ill, having accidentally got drenched when out in the garden, and Mrs. Robinson has been much occupied in nursing them. One kitten died in twenty-four hours, but two are now quite convalescent. The fourth is still a great anxiety, being much troubled with tapeworm, but he is fortunately attended by an enlightened and intelligent vet., who realizes that worms are chiefly caused by weakness, and that good food and tonics and no vermifuges are the proper treatment.

I HAVE recently had an opportunity of inspecting Lady Alexander's short-haired cream kitten, and when I say that he is by Ch. Ballochmyle Brother Bump ex No Fool, I need hardly add that he is a worthy candidate for future championship honours. I believe that I am correct in saying that he is the first unmarked short-haired kitten bred, and he us

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, September 27, 1902, pg 88

IT would seem that it is necessary to pass an examination to the satisfaction of the secretary of the club before being places on a specialist cat club's list of judges, and to submit thereafter to being called to account by the secretary when the awards do not give satisfaction to the said secretary. These conclusions have been formed from ready the somewhat heated correspondence in various contemporaries on the subject of the blue Persian cats at Sandy. Personally, I do not see any serious cause for fault-finding, for, though I might possibly have made some of the minor awards differently, it was merely a case of individual opinion, and Mr. House, no doubt, judged to the best of his ability. That he should have been called to account in the manner he has by the B.P.C.S. secretary is surely a quite unheard-of occurrence, which I sincerely hope may never be repeated, or it will become more difficult than ever to find honest judges for cat shows.

THERE are rumours of a large cat show to be held in the South of England early in November. Exhibitors will be glad to hear that no club rules or registrations are to be adopted and that the moving spirits in the venture are without prejudice in favour of either of the leading clubs.

THE Manx cat word is rejoicing over the tale, which is, I trust, a true one, that the Queen, struck by the quaint appearance of a Manx cat which displayed itself before her when she visited the Isle of Man, has ordered four specimens of the breed, two to be delivered at Buckingham Palace and two at Sandringham. I sincerely hope the breed may now become fashionable.

MR. AYTON'S Dolly Grey, the Edinburgh winner, has followed up her successes by taking first at Hamilton in a strong class. This is certainly the best blue ca I have ever seen. She is beautifully shaped, with a grand head and huge dark orange eyes, and has plenty of coat and bone.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 4, 1902, pg 134

AT the time of writing the list of judges for the N.C.C. Show at the Crystal Palace has not been published, but we may hope for news soon, as a meeting to discuss the matter was held some days ago, and the show is now only five weeks ahead. I would not venture to prophesy who will judge, but I know of one or two persons who are very anxious to officiate, and who have made a hard, but I fancy unsuccessful, fight for the appointment.

MR. WARD has had the good luck to pick up a nice yellow-eyed, black Manx female kitten, with which he hopes to do some winning. Mr. Ward has sent we a most interesting photograph of some kittens which he has successfully reared by means of an artificial foster-mother of his own invention. The kittens certainly look fat and healthy.

THE Midland Counties Cat Club intends holding a show in Birmingham on December 2nd and 3rd, and Lady Marcus Beresford is going to judge some of the classes; this lady has, however, been obliged to decline the invitation of the Scottish Cat Club to judge at Glasgow in November.

I NOTICE that Mr. Witt has sold the silver queen Gossamer to Mrs. Barnett. This little cat has had an eventful life. She was, I believe, the last Persian kitten bred by Miss Cochran. She was a daughter of Blue Robin and the famous Dimity. Sie was born a week before her brothers and sisters, and was the only survivor of the litter. Owing to the illness of her mother she was passed from hand to hand, and tried five different fosters before she was a fortnight old. Twice she appeared to be dead, and was only brought round by administering whisky and water. Finally she grew into a strong healthy kitten, and was presented by Miss Cochran to Lady Marcus Beresford, who passed her on to Mr. Witt.

THIS is the time of year when early kittens have an advantage over their later born brothers and sisters. It will be noticed that a cat born in February or March will, as a rule, get its coat about September or October, instead of delaying another month. To hasten the coats of show cats nothing is better than regular grooming. This must not be done violently, as in the case of a terrier dog, but frequently and gently, A rather soft brush with long bristles should be used, and if a comb is required - and it should not be at this time of year - one with wide blunt teeth should be employed.

AS most of us know, some of our best known judges of cats have recently been cavilling at one another's awards. This perhaps is not surprising, but the candour with which opinions have been expressed is to be regretted. What amuses me in the case is that previous awards of these and other judges have been quoted as having some bearing upon the case. This, of course, is nonsense, as a cat can so completely change from one year or one season to the next that her owner might be puzzled to recognise her, and I know of many champions which have been ignored, and rightly so, in quite moderate company when first exhibited, and later on have blossomed forth into sensational winners.

THE letter appended will I am sure, be read with interest by our readers, as it raises a very important point concerning the so-called Manx breed:-
To the Editor of THE LADIES' FIELD
MADAM. - I have just read your article on Manx cats in THE LADIES' FIELD for September 6th, in which you state that "there is considerable ground for the belief that the Manx cat is of Eastern origin." It may interest you to learn that when, as a child, I lived on the Isle of Man an old lady used to teil me that in her family the tradition had always been handed down carefully that the first Manx ever known on the island came ashore from one of the Spanish Armada vessels which was wrecked on Spanish Head, Isle of Man. The cat took refuge in the house of my old friend's ancestor, and from that time dates the breed of Manx cats in the Isle of Man. The same breed of cats is sad to be found in the Province of Galicia, in Spain; probably the cat in question came from there. The tradition quoted above is well known on the Isle of Man. I am, madam, yours faithfully, E.E. MURRAY. September 17th, 1902.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 11, 1902, pg 154

THE following is the list of judges who have been invited to officiate at the Crystal Palace: Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart, Miss Forestier Walker, Miss Cochran, Miss Simpson, Mr. Sam Woodiwiss, Mr. Gresham, Mr. Louis Wain, Mr. House, and Mr. Thug. The show will be held on October 28th and 29th.

MRS RANSOME is highly pleased with the 200 entries for her kitten show, and seventeen litters should be a most interesting sight.

MRS. COLLINGWOOD has been much interested to hear of Lady Alexander's cream short-hair, because she once possessed one, absolutely unmarked, called Maid Marion. She came from Wales and was shown at Slough, where she was beaten by Mrs. Pitkin's Abyssinian cat, and not long afterwards she came to a tragic end. This cat's eyes were deep hazel. Mrs. Collingwood is quite delighted over James II.'s very creditable win at Altrincham, where the competition was very keen.

MISS HUNT writes to a contemporary complaining of the injustice of judging white litters for the colour of their eyes, when those of blues, silvers, blacks, etc, are never taken into account, because they very seldom change under three months of age. Miss Hunt makes a very great mistake here; all good judges are particular about the colour of kittens' eyes, and can tell at eight weeks whether they will be green or yellow, though the exact shade cannot be ascertained. Some kittens' eyes turn orange at eight weeks, and all show a tinge either of sea-green or brown before that age. The winning litter at Richmond was remarkable tor this point. I do not think I have ever given a prize to a blue litter with green eyes, and quite recently I judged a huge litter class where the prizes were divided between orange-eyed blues and blue-eyed whites. A green or yellow-eyed white cat or kitten cannot win, so to allow a litter with this fault to do so would surely be retrogression.

MISS MURRAY'S letter in our last issue certainly confirms what I have from time to time written about Manx cats, but I incline to the belief that they were not originally natives of Spain, but were brought there from the East, where curious tail formation is fashionable among the felines.

"THE Sandy incident" is still causing much excitement, and how far-reaching it will be in its results no one can tell. Possibly it may clear the atmosphere, which would be a good thing, but surely the lady who started the discussion must wish she had never done so.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 18, 1902, pg 243

MANCHESTER KITTEN SHOW has been the most important event in the cat world during the last six months, and, as usual, it has been a brilliant success. Nineteen litters, thirty-six blue pairs, twenty-four blue males, sixteen blue females, and fourteen chinchilla males must have given the judge some trouble! I was particularly struck by the fact that many of the winners were sired by young and practically unknown cats, and this is surely a sign that the breed is advancing. Such veteran sires as were represented also did well. Mrs. Watson's white kittens by Ch. King of Pearls taking first, and the first prize blue male, Mrs. Crowther's Sunnyside, being a son of Darius. Romaldkirk Admiral was responsible for the winners in the cream or orange class, which were owned by Mrs. Singleton and Mrs. D'Arcy Hildyard. In chinchillas Mes. Tyrwhitt Drake's pair by Lord Southampton won, and in smokes Mrs. Walwyn's winner was sired by Backwell Jogram, as was also the second.

THE young sires who did best were Blue San Toy, Lord Sampson, Upwood Monkey Brand, Abdul Hamet of Dingley, and Goliath of Lozells. The latter sired the winning litter, and Abdul Hamet's progeny, owned by the Hon. Philip Wodehouse and Miss Anderson Leake, carried off all the prizes in silver tabbies as well as in tabby pairs. Blue San Toy was responsible for the winners in blue pairs and blue females, and also for the best black or white single kitten. Upwood Monkey Brand was represented by a nice young chinchilla queen, which won second.

THE short-haired classes were few, but well filled. Mr. Ward's black Manx, of which I wrote a few weeks ago, won easily, and was much admired; and Mrs. Bonny's Heather Dame Fortune, a really promising silver tabby by Mrs. Collingwood's James II., won well as best short-hair. Mrs. Collingwood is naturally delighted at this success.

THE HON. MRS MCLAREN MORRISON is mourning the death of Ch. Satan in his fifteenth year. This was one of the best black cats ever shown. He was large and beautifully shaped, with a fine head, huge coat, and last, but not least, true orange eyes. He was, until quite recent years, a regular winner, and his progeny have also done well in the show pen.

MISS SAMUELS was much pleased with my paragraph about her cats, but complains that I overlooked Philip II., who is, in her opinion, the gem of the collection, and who is the sire of most of her best kittens.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For rules see previous issue. )
TOPSY. - 1. Work a little boracic ointment into the kitten's ear with the tip of the finger twice weekly. 2. I fear I cannot advise you how to cure this trick, but he will probably give it up during the winter months and not resume it. 3. Give two meals a day, and let one consist of a large saucerful of arrowroot and the other of 3oz. of finely minced raw beef. 4. Feed Principally on raw beef, and give every day a teaspoonful of cod-liver oil. The "Cat Manual," published by Messrs. Newnes, would be of use to you.
DAPHNE. - After powdering your cat with any insect powder you should brush it well, as the powder may cause indigestion if nothing worse.
JUG-JUG. - Half a pound of meat a day is too much for any cat. Reduce the quantity by one half, and if necessary increase the bulk by adding bread or biscuit and gravy.
MOUSIE. - It is an old wife's tale that mice, or their tails or their heads or livers, are injurious to kittens. They could not have better feeding, and it is natural,
SPECKLES. - You will require no stoves in your cat-houses. Give each cat a large box filled with meadow hay to sleep in, and it will be happy and comfortable.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, October 25, 1902, pg 283

THE latest information received is to the effect that the Cat Club has had to give up all idea of holding a cat show at Brighton owing to a difficulty in engaging a hall, A hint has been thrown out to the effect that in consequence of this the Westminster Show will be held in December. Whether this is to be taken seriously or not is a question, as I do not remember a single year since the foundation of the Cat Club in which this suggestion has not been made.

THE specialist societies are anxious to hold a show on their own account, and propose to do so in Bath early in January. Mrs. James and Miss Simpson appear to be the moving spirits in this enterprise.

THE Crystal Palace schedule was rather late in appearing, but is, as usual, most interesting, both to exhibitors and non-exhibitors. Miss Jay judges long-haired blues and Mrs. Greenwood chinchillas, Miss Cochran blacks, whites, etc., and a most interesting class - tortoiseshell neuters. Miss Simpson takes the remaining long-hairs, and the Siamese fall to the share of Miss Forestier-Walker, while the other short-hairs are divided between Messrs. Woodiwiss, Wain, House, and Jung.

TWO hundred and sixteen specials are offered for competition, and I feel for the poor judges in assorting this array. The numbering of the classes is peculiar, but there appear to be fifty-three classes tor long-hairs, thirty-eight for short-hairs, and eleven for working-men's cats. There are three ring classes, so that the sexes may be divided, and these classes are judged jointly by Messrs. Woodiwiss, Wain, and House.

SPECIAL novice classes are given, with prizes of 60s., 30s, and 10s., which sound most tempting, but it is doubtful if cat fanciers will be willing to pay an entrance fee of 10s. for these classes.

I UNDERSTAND that some further developments on the subject of registration are expected, and that the rules thereon will be very strictly enforced at the Crystal Palace Show.

I SEE a suggestion thrown out in a contemporary that skin disease in cats is on the increase, and that this is due to the more general use of meat. I think that skin disease is not nearly so common as it was a few years ago, and, in any case, it is not found in catteries where meat is the staple diet. I have not had a single case of skin disease amongst my cats or kittens since I fed them on meat, and I know of many other breeders who can say the same. It is a fact that both dogs and cats which have been wrongly fed will, when put upon a meat diet, "break out," but this need cause no anxiety and requires no treatment, as it will right itself in a few weeks. It is merely nature's effort to rid the system of the impurities which have been accumulating during the past.

"ZAIDA," of FUR AND FEATHER, is publishing a series of articles on kitten rearing, and in discussing the feeding question she once more falls foul, though not so determinedly as on previous occasions, of the raw neat system; she, however, in conclusion frankly confesses that she has NEVER TRIED the no milk system. Now, I ask, is it fair to condemn this system untried? Giving raw meat and milk is an entirely different system to giving raw meat alone, but it is very hard to get people to understand this. Milk is a food very nearly as much as meat is, and the kitten is given its proper allowance of meat and its little stomach is then overloaded by another meal of milk, and, naturally. upsets occur. Where meat alone is given the digestion works hard for a time and then has a rest.

MRS. KERSWILL writes me a tale of woe. Some one his been poisoning all the cats in her neighbourhood, and a week or two ago seven kittens and a foster mother came in from play in the garden and promptly died. Two of these were Kinshali's lively white kittens. The other cats are now strictly confined to the house, and Miss Kerswill is doing her best to discover and punish the perpetrator of this cruel deed.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 1, 1902, pg 323

A GREAT discussion is now going on as to whether specialist societies do good or harm in the cat fancy. I have no doubt that the societies, as they at present exist, do unlimited harm, but, run on different lines, they might become most useful. They are the cause of many quarrels, but possibly the quarrels would occur were the societies nun-existent. To my mind specialist societies should devote all available funds to guaranteeing extra classes lor the breed they represent. If any special point requires encouragement - for example, orange eyes in blue cats - special prizes might be given for this point. All confusing specials should be recused, as they cause much trouble and are rarely properly awarded. I shall never forget having to award a special for "the second best novice shaded silver belonging to a member of the --." There was no novice class, and the question naturally arose as to whether the second best cat or the second best novice cat was the winner, especially as the second prize class winner was a novice and the first was not. I forget how the award eventually went, but I know that nobody was satisfied.

MR. HOUSE has raised once mere the question, which I discussed some months back, as to whether blue Persians are improving or not. His opinion is very decidedly that they are not, and, on the whole, I agree with him. In Scotland there are some really good queens, notably Dolly Gray and some of Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart's cats, but in England, though some sensational kittens appear at every show, we have no good cats! This may sound a trifle severe, but if we think over the winners at any recent show we can see serious faults in every one. I can at present recollect two cats, winners of innumerable firsts at important shows, they are nearly related, and both are rusty and smoky in colour, and have pale yellow eyes; moreover, though beautifully shaped and coated, they are small cats. Another well-known cat, who rarely gets higher than second or third, is a huge heavily-boned animal of a lovely colour, but he has green eyes. The worst of it is that the cats are getting worse year by year. We certainly have nearly bred out green eyes, but we have got pale yellow, not orange, in exchange, and in the process we have lost many other important points, such as colour, bone, and shape. Let the B.P.C.S. lay this matter to heart, and act before it is too late.

I THINK it is most unreasonable of exhibitors to complain of neglect in the return of their kittens from Manchester Show, as, from personal experience, I can say that at no show is so much care taken over the matter of returning the exhibits, I have several times sent cats from a small station in the south of England, whence they had to travel over several lines, and they have always returned with extraordinary promptitude and quite well and lively, and their prize money has followed them very shortly.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART possesses a pair of yellow-eyed white cats which are both deaf. The male is a huge imported cat and the female is a daughter of White Friar. These cats have this year produced a litter of four blue-eyed kittens, none of which are deaf!

MISS SIMPSON has sustained a severe loss in the death of her dark brown tabby Persian cat Persimmon, who was a well. Known prize-winner.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 8, 1902, pg 368

THE CRYSTAL PALACE CAT SHOW.
THE Crystal Palace Cat Show has once more come and gone, and, though in numbers and quality of exhibits the show was a most excellent one, never have I heard so much dissatisfaction expressed on all points.

The long-haired cats were still out of coat. In white males Miss White Atkins's massive, big-boned White Knight won, but he was beaten for the championship by Mrs. Westlake's Blue-eyed Nell, who scores off him in the size of her brilliant blue eyes and in length of coat. Mrs. Baxter's White Friar II., second, is a promising young cat, as is the third, the Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison's Mirza Shaffy. Mr. Little won in the black male class with a capital kitten, round in face and shape, and having glorious eyes. The first and second prize females, Messrs. Roberts and Don's Young Flora and Mrs. McLaren Morrison's Black Tulip, also excelled in this point.

In the black or white kitten class Mrs. Westlake again won with a charming blue-eyed white kitten, second going to the winning black male, and third to another promising white in Mrs. Watson's Peerless Pearl.

In the blue male class I thought Oliver Woolleepug lucky to beat Orange Blossom of Thorpe, as the latter excels him in eyes, and, though darker in colour, I consider him sounder. Miss White Atkins's Brushwood Boy made a good third. In blue females there was no question as to the superiority of the well-known Scotch winner, Dolly Gray, whose eyes were the best in the show; she also won the special novice class. Second was Mrs. Wells's Sweet Honeydrop a good all-round cat; and third, Mrs. Smith's Rozelle Thisbe, who has nice eyes. The kitten awards were difficult to ascertain, but the principal winners were Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Allen with some very promising kittens. In the novice black, white, or blue class, first went to White Friar II, second to Miss Lea Smith's sound coloured, orange-eyed, blue queen, Double Blue, and third to Lady Decies's huge, heavily-coated Hazeline.

In smokes Mrs. James brought out a new string in Backwell Jubilee II., a well shaped young cat of good colour and in grand form. The well-known Ranji ran him close for first place. In the female class Mrs. Roberts won with a good dark smoke in Everton Duchess. In the chinchilla male class the awards were hard to follow. First went to Rob Roy of Arrandale, a dark-coloured cat much out of coat. He has a grand head, but loses in hind-quarters, and I infinitely preferred either Tintagel, Whitehall Beau, or Lord Clive in colour, coat, and quality, and the last-named excels him also in size and substance. In the female class Ch. Zaida, as usual, won, followed by Arrandale Queen, with Fulmer Charm, a nicely shaped cat, third. In the kitten class all the prizes went to Mr. Thomas and Miss Snell, for three kittens from the litter shown at Richmond and sired by Silver Starlight. All are exquisite in head, shape, and colour.

The winning oranges were Mrs. Stillwell's William of Orange and Mrs. Singleton's Orange Girl, both fine cats, good in shape, colour, and eyes. Ch. Romaldkirk Midshipmite won in creams, followed by Miss Dresser's prettily shaped Upwood Junket; and Mrs. Western's well-known Myrtle was also successful. Dr. Roper was first with a grand pair of orange kittens.

Mrs. Herring's King Alfred was rightly first in silver tabby males, and her beautiful Bangle second in females, Miss Cope's Queen Deehna winning in the latter class. The best sable was Miss Whitney's magnificently coated Brayfort Fina; Mrs. Herring's King Adolph leading the way in males. Miss Whitney was again to the fore with a sable tabby kitten and with her well-known sable neuter. Mrs. Fawssett also showed some good kittens. Mrs. Curtis won the self-coloured neuter class with Baron Bonelli, one of the best orange-eyed blacks I have ever seen; second went to Mrs. Shallis's Kit, a good blue-eyed white, and third to the well-known Lord Bute. Lady Decies won the brace and Mrs. Wilson the team prize.

The Siamese classes were disappointing, except for Mrs. Cooke's well-known Zetland Wanzes and Mrs. Robinson's Ali Choo. In Manx, Mrs. Brooke was lucky to win with King Clinkie, who is by no means so tailless as Miss Samuel's King Kangaroo. The winning female, Mrs. Schlaferman's Neugootneu, is a good cat, but was hard pressed by Mrs. Herring's Madame Douglas, the most typical Manx shown. Mrs. Hallen showed her beautiful white male, which took second, and a grand black and white kitten which won. Mrs. Temple, Mrs. Brooke, and Mr. Heslop cleared the board in the foreign and Abyssinian classes.

In the short-haired classes Lady Alexander was, as usual, successful. In the tortoiseshell or tortoiseshell and white male class, Ballochmyle Samson won well from his kennel-mate, Ballochmyle Solomon. Ballochmyle Bountiful Bertie headed the female class for tortoiseshells, and the well-known Ch. Otter that for tortoiseshell and whites, with Mermaid, from the same cattery, third. In red tabbies Ballochmyle Red Prince won, followed by Mrs. Temple's Dr. Jim, but I infinitely prefer, in colour and shape, Ballochmyle Pertect Still. Ballochmyle Miss Perfection and Mother Pop headed the queen class, and in black males Ballochmyle Black Bump was successful. In white males first, second, and third went to Ballochmyle Snow King, Billie Blue Eyes, and Snow Bump, and Ballochmyle Miss Billie was second in the female class. In the blue male class there was no disputing the claims of Ballochmyle Brother Bump, the best short-haired blue ever shown. Lady Decies won with a really good white female in Fulmer Countess, and her black Fulmer Shamrock also won easily. Mrs. Hughes did well in the blue female class with Sherdley Sacha II.

The awarding of the specials, as usual, caused much confusion, and especially in the short-haired section, as, for some unknown reason, the long-hair judges awarded some of these. The result of much argument and discussion is as follows: Mrs. Colling wood's silver tabby, James II., a really grand cat, was beaten for the championship by Mrs. Herring's exquisite Sweet Phyllis, but James takes the cup as best cat in the show. Ballochmyle Red Prince takes the cup as best short-hair in the show, and Dolly Gray as best long-hair; while in the challenge class Snow King takes first, with James II. second, and Sweet Phyllis third. Truly a glorious muddle. Lady Alexander won the short-haired brace and team prizes. All other gossip picked up in the show - some of it of a most interesting character - I must hold over until next week.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 15, 1902, pg 403

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."

WHEN I wrote my report of the N.C.C, Show the ring class had not yet been judged. It caused considerable amusement, as, by the wish of the committee, deportment - i.e., conduct and all-round action - alone was considered, and appearance was left out of the question. The judges had the cats marched round and round and up and down until the ranks were sufficiently thinned by the rejection of all determined "jibbers." The winners in the male class were; first, Lady Decies's Fulmer Prince of Thanet, who is a large, heavily coated blue, with level all-round action and a placid easy disposition; second, Miss Derby Hyde's Thames Valley Argent, a handsome silver tabby, and the most graceful mover present, but a little wilful at times. Rob Roy of Arrandale showed great contempt for the proceedings and sat down with some determination, also he did not move quite as well as the winners, and so was placed third. The neuters were much more sulky than the males, and Miss Banks's well-known chinchilla Prince du Congo won easily, followed by Miss Whitney's glorious sable Persimmon Laddie.

MRS. STENNARD ROBINSON'S resignation of her post of hon. secretary to the N.C.C. was not altogether unexpected. It has been felt tor some time that the work connected with such a large society is more onerous than can reasonably be expected from an unpaid official, however enthusiastic. The tax upon time and patience is very great, and can only be appreciated by those who are practically familiar with the ins and outs of the catty world. That there should be a single and not a dual control is obviously much to be wished, and any step which will tend to that result will be universally welcome.

THE rregistration problem seems to be in a fair way to be solved immediately. The committees of the Cat Club, the N.C.C., and all the specialist societies seem to look with favour upon the proposal that an independent register should be formed, and that the registrar should be someone not interested in cats or clubs and paid, and that scrutineers should be appointed from the various clubs and societies.

LADY ALEXANDER took home several new cats from the Crystal Palace. Among the number were Mrs. Collingwood's short-haired red tabby queen Clementine, a very promising young red tabby male, and one of the best brown tabby kittens ever shown, which cost the modest sum of 5s. Lady Decies was also a large purchaser, and acquired the red tabby Bramble, and a magnificent brown tabby neuter, also a long-hair, winner of the orange male class, by Johnnie Fawe.

THIS reminds me that Johnnie Fawe's success as a sire was one of the sensations of the show. The winning orange kittens were by him, and are the best kittens of the colour I have seen since the days of Lifeguard. The winning black neuter, a cat with really magnificent eyes named Baron Bonelli, was also one of his kittens. He is now a very sound coloured black, and I was surprised to learn that when a kitten he was very grey, for it is the general opinion that the rusty kittens make the best blacks, and that the grey ones remain of a dirty colour to the end of the chapter. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 22, 1902, pg 443

LADY MURIEL FOX-STRANGWAYS has been very successful with her blue Persian kittens this year. Lady Muriel is an enthusiast on eye colouring, and no green or pale-eyed cat finds favour with her. Mouflon, her stud cat has proved a great success, as his kittens all have orange eyes of that very deep rich shade for which the Timkins strain was so celebrated. One male kitten by Mouflon out of Daphne is particularly promising.

MRS. CARTWRIGHT showed some beautiful blue kittens by Mouflon out of Ceanothus at Poole, and took first and second with them. The first prize winner, though not so large as the other, is really a magnificent kitten. It is pale blue, and very sound in colour, with big, dark brownish orange eyes and a huge coat, which makes it look like a muff.

WITH reference to a "reply" published in this column a few weeks ago, Miss Samuel writes to tell me that she knows of a cat and dog hospital in London where her dogs have been successfully treated and well cared for, and where the cat patients appear to be very happy and comfortable. When Miss Samuel's Manx cats, Golfsticks and King Kangaroo, returned from the Crystal Palace Show, their brother and sister, who had refused all food during their absence, received them with manifestations of great joy and excitement.

MRS. MACKENZIE STEWART really intends to give up breeding kittens and to keep only show and stud cats in future. She has already sold some of her best queens, and the low prices which they fetched make me wonder it the cat fancy is not already on the wane.

THE B.P.C.S. appears to be passing through stormy weather. For a moment it seemed that peace was to be restored and everybody would make friends, but this was too good to be true, and matters appear to be at a deadlock. A member of the society publicly made very serious charges against the secretary, and when called upon to substantiate these she apparently failed to do so, but absolutely declined to apologize for making them. This is a very unsatisfactory state of things. If the accusations are untrue a very ample apology is essential, and it true this should be proved beyond a question; if it cannot be proved, and this it seems is the case, the member in question was very ill-advised in entering upon the discussion.

I HAVE to acknowledge wih many thanks the kind and appreciative criticisms upon " The Cat Manual" which have appeared in FUR AND FEATHER and OUR CATS.

MRS. THRING, who has bred cats for many years and has turned out some well-known winners, has now settled down at the Wilderness, Corsham, formerly the residence of Mrs. Berners, of bulldog fame, Mrs. Thring still has Robin, a smoke brother of the celebrated Roy, and Cora, his sister. Cora is a feminine duplicate of Roy, but Robin was, I always considered, the best kitten of the trio.

I AM sorry to say that I have heard already of illnesses and deaths among kittens shown at the Crystal Palace. An outbreak of distemper necessarily follows every large show in a greater or lesser degree, particularly during the autumn or winter, and should in no case be blamed upon the management of the show. The chief sufferers are large, fat kittens of from five to seven months. Delicate kittens and tiny babies usually escape scot tree. Plenty of fresh air and raw meat, aperient medicine if necessary, and carbonate of bismuth if there is any threatening of diarrhoea, will pull a mild case through; but very few kittens can successfully weather a severe illness, and I strongly recommend sending all really bad cases to the lethal chamber.

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."
BRICK. - If you make up your mind to breed short-hairs for exhibition you will meet with many reverses and disappointments, for the pedigrees of short-hairs have not been kept with the same care as those of the long-hairs, so you will have to begin at the beginning, and your first operations will necessarily be of an experimental nature.
MUFF. - Most blue cats acquire that rusty tinge when out of coat; it is merely the dead, faded hair which is ready to be shed. As the few coat forces its way through the old will disappear.
CHICKABIDDY. - There are, I know, some cats which will not eat raw meat; I have one myself. They must be given cooked meat and a very small quantity of new milk, not boiled, every day, but they are more difficult to keep in form than natural feeders,
C.M. P. - Postal replies can only be sent when the fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed with the query. I have inserted this reply under your initials, and hope you will see it. I do not wonder that your cat does not thrive on the diet you give him. He must have at least one meal in the day of good meat (raw for preference), and the milk food you give him must be regarded as an "extra," and restricted accordingly.
MISS WHITNEY. - Very many thanks for your kind and appreciative letter, which I shall keep by me and make use of. I shall be delighted to have the photographs.
RATTLETRAP. - Feed the kitten entirely on arrowroot, made with milk and thickened with isinglass, and give it twice daily a pinch of carbonate of bismuth on the back of its tongue. Give all food cold and feed every two hours, giving a teaspoonful of arrowroot at each meal. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, November 29, 1902, pg 510

OWNERS of stud cats are very much exercised in their minds over the result of the recent law suit, Miss Derby Hyde being ordered to pay £30 damages for injuries inflicted by her cat upon a visiting queen. Personally, I do not see that there is as much cause for anxiety as people think, for the case turned upon the question of negligence on the part of the stud cat's owner. There seems to be no doubt that had the queen's injuries been attended to at once, instead of after a lapse of some days, she might not have been permanently injured. As to the wisdom or unwisdom of putting two queens in the stud cat's house at once there can be no question, as cats, of all animals, are given to showing favouritism and ignoring one queen while a more admired lady is present. There would be a great risk of the two queens fighting, and I should under no circumstances risk putting two strange cats in the same house, as, though queens rarely damage one another seriously, they often take a piece out of the nose or ear of an enemy, and one has no right to run the smallest risks with other people's property. Moreover, when one sends a queen away one is prepared to take the risk of mixing her up with the inmates of one strange cattery, but that she should be housed with other visitors of whose state of health one has no knowledge is undesirable. The other visitors may come from a a distemper or mange-infected cattery, or they may develop an infectious cold after the journey from home.

I KNOW one large cattery whose owner prides herself upon her excellent management, where all the visiting queens, sometimes eight of nine at once, are shut out all day in a large run facing north. A nervous queen is, of course, terrified, and one which is unused to a run with no warm house in it is supremely miserable. Naturally, many of these queens catch bad colds, and then this lady is furious with their owners lor "sending diseased cats to her cattery." I have never heard if any of the queens fought badly with one another, but I think it very likely. I possess a little cat now which I could guarantee would take a large slice out of the nose of every cat in the run within an hour of her entrance. She has a notch in her own ear made by another queen. Of course, this lady is unusually quarrelsome, but how is anyone to know that among the visitors to their cattery there may not be several others equally so?

MANY tom cats when between one and two years old will bite and shake queens most savagely, but they almost invariably settle down as they grow older. I have found blues most troublesome in this respect, and I believe it is because they are most vigorous and bumptious.

THE Midland Counties Cat Club Show promises to be a grand success. Miss Beal makes her debut as a judge, taking the orange and cream classes, while Lady Marcus Beresford is responsible for the long-haired blues, Siamese, and Manx. The remaining classes are in the very able hands of Mr. T. B. Mason. There is a large classification, and there are plenty of special prizes.

MRS. VARY CAMPBELL has sent me the following amusing little rhyme:-
MANX CATS.
Noah, sailing o'er the sea,
Struck hard and fast on Ararat.
His dog then made a grab and took
The tail from off a pretty cat.
Puss through the window then did fly,
And swam as only brave cats can,
Nor ever stopped till high and dry
She landed on the Calf of Man.
Thus tailless puss earned Mona's thanks
And ever after was called Manx.

MISS ROSAMOND WHITNEY is overjoyed at the success of her cats at the Crystal Palace. The win which pleased her most was Brayfort Fina's, for this lovely cat, besides beating the males for the brown tabby championship, also won the N.C.C. medal tor the best tabby in the show. She is the dam of the unrivalled Persimmon Laddie, and also of the sable kitten which was first at the Crystal Palace and at Manchester, and has now been sold for a very high price to Mrs. Hunter Little.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see previous issue.)
TOMMY. - Some half-bred cats grow beautiful coats and look almost like pure bred Persians, This is usually when the long-haired parent is the sire.
TABBY. - I am sorry to say I have no idea where you can procure really high class short-haired brown and silver tabby kittens. They are extremely rare and not frequently offered for sale. You had better advertise in our columns.
TURK. - A little well-boiled rice or some brown bread may be mixed with the meat to increase its bulk.
CAHONCHI. - You will find that there is a steady demand tor good blue Persian kittens at moderate prices. I think you will find them, on the whole, the must profitable breed to go in for.
J. W. L. - Postal replies are only sent when a fee of 2s. 6d. is enclosed. Will you write to Mrs Brown, 59 Palace Road, Streatham? I think she could supply you with what you want, and you need be under no apprehension of being taken in. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 6, 1902, pg 549

A COMMITTEE meeting of the National Cat Club was held at 1, Curzon Street, Mayfair, on Thursday, November 20th, at 2p.m. Amongst those present were Mr. Louis Wain (in the chair), Lady Decies, Mrs. Herring, Mrs. M. Robinson, Mrs. Herbert Ransome, Miss Forestier-Walker, and Dr. Roper. A telegram was read from Mrs. George Walker, regretting her unavoidable absence, but expressing her approval of the calling of the meeting and of the appointment of an hon. secretary and an hon. treasurer pro tem. Lord Decies and Mr, Edgar Farman were elected members of the club; Sir Claud Alexander and Mr. Farman being also elected to fill two vacant places on the committee. The following resolution was passed: "That a sub-committee be appointed, consisting of the gentlemen members of the committee, together with Lord Decies, with power to deal with the present affairs of the club, to receive all accounts, moneys, and other properties of the club, and that this sub-committee shall report to the next general committee meeting and have power to call a general committee meeting for that purpose." A resolution was passed that for the future all registrations be sent to the hon. secretary, pro tem. On the application of the hon. secretary of the Northern Counties Cat Club, it was decided to grant N.C.C. championships to the forthcoming show of this club.

AS I prophesied, the Cat Club's annual show at Westminster will not take place until January 8th and 9th.

AT Glasgow Show the other day there was considerable excitement over the now celebrated blue queen, Dolly Grey. Mr. Mason placed her first, and as he had not noticed any white about her a protest was lodged against her for alleged trimming. A careful examination was made and a tiny white tuft was discovered between her hind legs, so of course the protest had to be withdrawn. I am glad to note that Mr. Mason endorsed my opinion that Dolly Grey is so vastly superior to every other blue cat in the show-pen that she wins hands down in spite of this white tuft. An attempt has been made in some quarters to convey the impression that the judges at the Crystal Palace overlooked this white spot when awarding the cup. I am in a position to say that the spot was not overlooked, but was very thoroughly discussed when Dolly Grey and the white queen, Blue-eyed Neil, were being judged for the inal award,

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
(For Rules see previous issues.)
BENJAMIN. - Your kittens are suffering from distemper, and as the younger ones are not old enough to stand treatment I advise you to have them chloroformed. Those which are over three months may, with care, recover. Keep them in as large and well ventilated a room as possible, and out of draughts. Feed on raw beef, cut fine, and on the first sign of diarrhoea sprinkle this with carbonate of bismuth. Give night and morning a teaspoonful of Kepler's solution of malt and cod-liver oil, and bathe the eyes and nose with boracic lotion. Steaming the nose over a jug of boiling water containing a tew drops of eucalyptus oil will give relief.
OLD WOMAN. - Six kittens are too many for any cat to rear well. She might keep them alive, and even healthy, but they would probably be small. If you do not care for the bother of a foster cat I advise you to drown half the litter.
REEKIE. - A neuter cat undoubtedly makes the most satisfactory pet. It is no trouble, and grows delightfully large and fat and comfortable.
ALICIA. - See answer above. Let a professional attend to the kitten and you need have no fear.
CHOOKIE. - yellow or green-eyed white cat is practically useless for exhibition, though it may be of value for breeding purposes, and I have known ul yellow-eyed cats which invariably threw blue-eyed kittens. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 13, 1902, pg 55

THE BIRMINGHAM CAT SNOW.
LARGE number of our readers will, I feel sure, hear with pleasure that the wave of feeling in favour of our feline domestic pets is surely, if slowly, extending into the provinces. This result, as regards the Midlands, has to a great extent been brought about by the active operations of the Midland Counties Cat Club, of which Lady Marcus Beresford is the president, and which has Lady Alexander, Lady Decies, and Mrs. George Cadbury amongst it vice-presidents, Miss E.M. Cope, of Bristol Road, Birmingham, being the indefatigable secretary. Gratifying, indeed, has been the response to their call, and the success which so much earnestness merited has been attained. The result of the show held on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 2nd and 3rd, in the Prince of Wales Assembly Rooms, Broad Street, Birmingham, must have exceeded the most sanguine anticipations. On each of the two days the room was crowded, at times inconveniently.

The total entries ran up to 250, divided into thirty classes, and very few indeed were absent from the roll-call. The best long-haired cats in the room were considered to be Cap and Bells and Rob Roy of Arrandale (chinchillas), the property of Miss Chamberlayne, of Norwood, and Mrs. G. Wilson, of Sydenham, respectively. In the blue class, Mrs. Slingsby, of Ouseburn, Yorks, and Mr. C. W. Witt, of Hazells, Birmingham, took the lead; in the smokes, Mrs. B. Roberts, of Aston, Birmingham, and Mrs. H. V. James, of Backwell, Bristol; in the whites, Miss E. Harper, of Hayward's Heath; in the blacks, Messrs. Roberts and Don, of Dunblane; in the silvers, Miss Power, of Southwell Gardens, London, and Mrs. Slingsby; in the browns, Mrs. G. Wilson, of Sydenham; and in the orange and cream class, so fashionable just now, the chief prize-winners were Mrs. Western, of Sandy, Beds, with two firsts out of three classes, and Mr. Thos. Furze, of Birmingham.

Of short-haired cats there was also a very fine display, and amongst these the chief prizes fell to Miss Derby Hyde, of Hertford Heath; Mrs. Collingwood, of Leighton Buzzard, whose Ch. James II. is one of the most magnificent animals of his type ever seen; Miss Mellor, of Matlock; Miss C. V. Hartley, of Manningham, Bradford; and Mrs. M. Juxon, of Sutton Coldfield.

Confidence is expressed that the venture will prove so successful, pecuniarily and otherwise, that the exhibition may in future be looked forward to annually, and the committee be enabled. on the next occasion to secure a larger and more convenient building ‘or the purpose.

I HEAR from Mrs. Collingwood of her great pleasure in James II.'s victory at Cheltenham, where he won a 14-guinea challenge cup for the best cat in the show. This is the third consecutive show at which James has been pronounced best cat in the show, beating all the long-hairs. He is, indeed, a cat to be proud of. Royal Bobs took first in the blue male class at Cheltenham and second at Glasgow, so he also is running up a creditable list of wins. His colour, his one weak point, seems to be improving very much with age, and I recollect his father's did the same. Miss Beal's Romaldkirk Admiral won as the best long-hair at Cheltenham.

MRS. CARTWRIGHT is advertising some very pretty kittens, shaded silvers and blues, of high pedigree, at ‘‘pet" prices. As these kittens are exceedingly pretty and healthy, and are descended from such cats as Tintagel, Timkins, and Blue Boy II., they should be easily disposed of.
MISS CHAMBERLAYNE'S chinchilla queen, Cap and Bells, which was so successful at Glasgow and Cheltenham, has been much admired for her pure colouring. The Countess of Aberdeen was a successful exhibitor at the Scottish Cat Club Show, winning first in both the silver tabby classes with Pharaoh and Ashtaroth of Haddo, as well as several prizes in the kitten classes. Mrs. Vary Campbell is much elated by the success of her cats, as Blue Bella, a good orange-eyed queen, took third prize, and her black neuter second and special.

I AM sure that many of my readers will be glad to hear how Mrs. Cartwright treated her kittens which suffered from distemper after the Crystal Palace Show, as, though very ill for a time, they have now completely recovered. One kitten only went to the show, but she infected some others. They were put in an unheated greenhouse, the idea being to give them plenty of fresh air without draughts, and supplied with a box laid on its side and filled with straw so that they could creep in and out. Their noses were bathed several times a day with Olfaction d'Armbrecht, and a cloth soaked in it was tied over their faces, and they were dosed with a tew drops of Congreve's elixir in water and honey three times a day. Of course they were well fed with Brand's essence, raw meat, etc. All the kittens are now quite well, only their coats having suffered.

MRS. KENNAWAY is going to the West Indies in January, and as she will be some time away from home she is anxious to dispose of a few of her cats and kittens before her departure.

MRS VIDAL asks me to state that the winning orange kittens (long-haired) at the recent Crystal Palace Show were sired by Torrington Sunnysides, NOT by Johnnie Fawe.
CHOCOLATE. - I advise you to take the kittens frum their mother before they are eight weeks old. Six weeks is, I think, the best age. and they will thrive better than if left with her for longer. If there were only two kittens it wo
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."
uld be different, but with five the mother is certain to get run down.
JACK. - A neuter is certainly the most satisfactory pet. The operation can be performed at any time between three and ten months, but I think six or seven is the best age.
TUAUR. - A Siamese cat, whatever its colour, must have bright blue eyes.
WORRIED. - The diet is at fault, but please do not give the kittens any more "preventive" medicine, or, indeed, any medicine of which you do not know the ingredients, unless it is ordered by a veterinary surgeon for that particular case. For all you know. you may be dosing the kittens with something most unsuited to their ailment. You must stop all milk food, and feed six times a day, giving rather less than a dessertspoonful of minced raw beef to each kitten at a meal, and sprinkle it with a tiny pinch of carbonate of bismuth. It is possible by the time you read this that the diarrhoea may have turned to dysentery, and in this case no solid food may be given, but the same quantity of arrowroot, made with milk, thickened with isinglass, and given cold. Thanks for kind remark about the little book.
BULLY. - If you can possibly do so, let your young tom run free for a time. I have known several cats which were useless when shut up and all right the moment they were set free. If you let him run loose for a few months you would probably have no more trouble with him. Of course, if you live in a town it would be impossible, and in the country there is a risk of traps, fights, etc, so you must decide for yourself whether you care to take the chance. - DICK WHITTINGTON.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 20, 1902, pg 90

THE Specialist Club Show is being well boomed, and I hear that special prizes are coming in fast. Nothing has been absolutely fixed as to dates or judges, but I understand that the show will probably be held on January 22nd, and the following names will probably figure in the list of judges: Mrs. Hardy, Mrs. Martin, Miss Cochran, Mr. Lane, and Mr. Mason. The show will be managed by Mrs. James and Miss Simpson, and special attention will be paid to the disinfecting of the pens.

I UNDERSTAND that the registration difficulty has been overcome by the rule which ordains that all cats exhibited must be entered in the register of one of the clubs.

IN the days when I showed long-haired cats and kittens I expected distemper to break out aflter every show, but only once was a kitten ill, and that was one I bought, which developed what was either a sneezy cold or very mild distemper. I dosed him with quinine and he recovered. No other cat ever suffered in any way except Irom a day or two of sleepiness, due, apparently, to disordered liver, but this never went further, because every cat and kitten had a dose of liver medicine immediately upon its arrival at home. It must have been sheer luck that my cats escaped, because I showed kittens of all ages, even litters, and I know of people who take every care of their cats who have an outbreak of distemper after every show. In my opinion the great thing is to pack cats properly, using boxes in preference to baskets, to give them very little to eat while at the show, and to administer a dose of liver medicine the minute they get home.

DOG-FANCIERS regard with some amusement the almost hysterical outburst of indignation which arises alter every cat show from the exhibitors whose cats have caught distemper at the show. No dog exhibitor considers a puppy safe until it has had distemper, and expects that if it has not had it before it will develop it after its first show. Some shows, notably those held in the middle of winter, are known to spread a more virulent form of distemper than others, but no one who has any experience dreams of blaming the management of the show or of writing indignant letters to the papers.

I AM of the opinion that ere long we shall be able to have our cats inoculated against distemper. There is at present a good deal of interest shown in the inoculation of dogs, and the cats will probably not be far behind when some satisfactory conclusion has been arrived at. Dr. Copeman's and Dr. Physalix's lymphs have been condemned as useless by our leading veterinary authorities, though on the Continent they have been found satisfactory. My own experiments with a number of collie pups have given most encouraging results, and I should much like to know if the same lymph would have any effect upon cats. I do not think it would be advisable to inoculate kittens before they were six months old.

CAT GOSSIP. The Ladies' Field, December 27, 1902, pg

THE schedules for Westminster Show on January 8h and 9th have been issued, and, as usual, there is a capital long-haired classification and a long list of special prizes. The short-haired cat fanciers will, I fear, hardly find much temptation to exhibit, as, with the exception of Siamese, which have three classes, the sexes are in no case divided, and the Manx cats have only one class. The kitten classes are again a little confusing, as we have (1) self-coloured, (2) any other colour, (3) any other variety except Royal Siamese or Manx. As a matter of fact, no known breed or colour of kitten should be eligible for this third class, so I presume that the error lies in the word "British" being omitted in the description of the first two classes. I am sorry to see the red tabby short-hairs classified as "orange tabbies."

THE judges selected are popular ones, and should draw a large entry. Mrs. Strick takes orange., cream, and tortoiseshell long-hairs; Mrs. Robinson, Siamese; Mr. Mason, long-haired blues, chinchillas, tabbies, and variety classes; and Mr. Ambrose, black, white, and smoke long-hairs and, all short-hairs except Siamese.

MATTERS in the N.C.C. appear to be rather lively at present. The retiring secretary calls meetings which the acting secretary warns members are illegal, the former officer calls more meetings with the same result, and so things go on. The committee is meanwhile working hard, and sub-committees have been appointed to go into all urgent matters, and soon we may hope to see some sort of order established in the cat world.

A CERTAIN lady powdered her kittens the other day with fullers' earth to clean them before a show, and sent them off without brushing all the powder out. The natural result was that the kittens arrived with their coats all knotted, and their owner, blaming the fullers' earth, says, "No more powders for me." Now, if a thing is worth doing at all it is worth doing properly. We should not think of taking a dog out of its bath without rinsing the soap (if we use any) from his coat, so why imagine that merely rubbing in fullers' earth is sufficient. The brushing out is the most important part of the business, and from long and very satisfactory experience I can say that there is no safer or more certain way of cleaning a cat or kitten's coat than by rubbing in fullers' earth and then brushing well.

AT Birmingham Show the cats were bedded on peat-moss litter and hay. It has just occurred to me that a thick bedding of peat-moss without any hay would be a great success. It would be clean, dry, sanitary, and comfortable; the cats would not bury themselves in it, and it would do away with the fear of infection from the benching. Another much-needed innovation is that of pens with larger doors. At present it is almost impossible for judges or stewards to get large or cross cats out of the tiny doors.

MESSYBEAST - OLD CAT BOOKS

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