Mr. Basnett’s article in a recent Fur and Feather deals with a matter of the greatest importance and will, I hope, have good results. I agree with him that the Governing Council should take steps to try to revive the “distress” breeds and I will raise the matter at the April meeting and, if necessary, call a special meeting to arrange in what way help can best be given. The whole matter of reviving the almost extinct breeds bristles with difficulties. In the good old days, there were in the Fancy a number of wealthy cat breeders who lived in big houses with big grounds and big staffs and breeding on a big scale was for them comparatively easy. There are very few of those left and many present-day fanciers live in flats. Even in the good old days the number of wealthy families was in the minority and the men or women who owned one or two cats were the backbone of the Fancy. It is, I think, to these small fanciers that we must look to revive the less popular breeds and whom we must strive to help.

As things are at present, there is little to encourage anyone to breed, for example, Orange-eyed Whites, Smokes or Silver Tabby Longhairs or any British Shorthairs. Although I believe there is a market for almost any kitten to-day, it is nevertheless much easier to sell Blue Longhairs and Siamese at a better price than any others. What inducement is there for anyone to exhibit cats of the less popular breeds? If anyone enters a cat it generally means that he receives a courteous letter from the show secretary saying that as there are so few entries – or that his is the only entry in the class – the committee regrets that the class will have to be cancelled or amalgamated unless the exhibitor is willing to guarantee it.

If it is a class for male and female and the exhibitor wants it separated he will, as a rule, be asked to guarantee both classes, unless he can find someone to guarantee the female class if it is the male you are interested in. This is one obstacle that must be surmounted somehow. The G.C.C.F. guarantees some classes at all championship shows. I think it should guarantee more, even if it has to cut down expenditure in other directions. One obvious economy would be for the Council to give a championship certificate in place of the silver medals now awarded.

Mr. Basnett speaks of premiums and there are possibilities in that direction. It might be a good idea to have premium classes at every show confined to the breeds it is desired to encourage. For these classes there would be no entry fee and no prizes, but points could be allotted to the first three and at the end of the season the G.C.C.F. could award premiums to the breeders scoring the most points. This is only a suggestion; I have not had time to think out details, but it seems to me that there are possibilities along those lines.

Such a scheme will cost money, which will have to be found. The G.C.C.F. has not boundless wealth and could not bear the full burden. Mr. Basnett suggests “a special fund which could be contributed to by any one interested." Why not?

Everything should be done to encourage fanciers to exhibit their cats. I think the ban on sending cats to shows by rail if unaccompanied by their owners should now be removed. This was a war-time regulation put in force at a time when transport was very uncertain. It has now improved greatly and should soon be back to normal. With the present rule in force many small fanciers are debarred from showing, either because they are unable to leave home or cannot afford train and hotel expenses on the top of entry fees. If reasonable precautions are taken cats sent by rail come to no harm. More often than not queens have to travel unaccompanied when visiting the stud, so why not to a show?

Cats should always be sent off early enough for the railway to deliver them the same day. but it is better still if arrangements can be made for someone to meet them at the station and take them to the hall. Show managers are not anxious to go back to the old system, as having no rail cats to deal with saves them a lot of trouble, but I think they should be prepared, to put the good of the Fancy before all personal consideration.

In the meantime no more cats or kittens must be sent out off the country until our stocks are bigger. This should be as Mr. Basnett says "a code of honour for post-war breeders.” – Cyril Yeates

I was sorry to read articles in Fur and Feather by Mr. Yeates and by Mr. Basnett which decry the export of cats and kittens from this country and seek to make it a point of honour for breeders not to do so in future. Surely they realize that markets have to be maintained and that if we refuse the overseas buyers now they can hardly be expected to mark time until we are ready for them. Cats arc prolific breeders, or should be, and well able to supply the demand at home and abroad.

In the past six months I have sent three kittens, two Creams and one Blue Cream by Ch. Waddington Warden, to Madam Raval, of Paris, and next week a young Cream queen by Warden and mated to him is sailing on the Queen Elizabeth to join Miss Hydon’s cattery. I also have kittens booked from Holland and Denmark but there still will be kittens of the same breeding available for sale at home.

None of us would be so stupid to export irreplaceable stock. Be assured a demand will create a supply. Let Mr. Yeates and others of the G.C. work to popularise the lesser known breeds, and I am sure cats and kittens of these varieties will be forthcoming to meet the demand. Let us not begrudge the Blue and Siamese breeders the outstanding position they hold in the Cat Fancy to-day, but go all out to emulate them. - M. Sheppard.