CATS OF TO-DAY.
The term “Cat” is applied in its widest sense to all feline animals. The
following are the various names by which the cat is known in different
countries, and it is curious to note that, with two exceptions, they all
begin with a “C” or a “K” and differ very little in pronunciation: Irish
and Scotch, _Cat_; French, _Chat_; Dutch, _Kat_; Danish, _Kat_; Swedish,
_Katt_; German, _Katti_ or _Katze_; Italian, _Gatto_; Portuguese and
Spanish, _Gato_; Polish, _Kot_; Russian, _Kots_; Turkish, _Keti_; Welsh,
_Cetti_; Cornish, _Katt_; American, _Katz_.
[Illustration:
MISS F. SIMPSON’S “BONNIE BOY.”
(_Photo: Gunn & Stuart, Richmond._)
]
In the English house and home we call her “puss,” and it is the name
which appeals most to our hearts. No woman likes to be called a “cat,”
but to be likened to a puss or pussy is suggestive of something or
someone soft and pretty, with gentle, winning ways. Archbishop Whately
has said that only one English noun had a true vocative case,
“Nominative, cat; vocative, puss.” I do not think that in any other
country there is a pet name for the cat, just as there is no word in any
foreign language that breathes the same tender truth to the hearts as
“home.” Puss and home! The terms seem so closely connected with each
other, and suggest peaceful happiness and restful repose.
Truly, the history of the cat has been a strangely chequered one.
Perhaps, because she is such a secret, complex, and independent creature
she has remained somewhat of a puzzle to humankind, and is therefore to
a great extent misunderstood; but those who will take the trouble to
consider the cat and try to understand her, will find that puss is none
of those things she has been accused of being. It is only those who are
in constant contact with cats who understand how intelligent they really
are; although their intelligence is quite in a different mould from that
of the dog. I may mention that the household cat outnumbers, it is said,
the household dog in London by the proportion of four to one. This fact
may be accounted for by the non-taxation of cats. The question of the
taxation of cats has very often been raised, and I do not think that
anyone who really values his cat would object to pay a yearly tax; but
the proposal is as unpractical as it is ridiculous, and it is certain
that taxation would not help in exterminating the poor, disreputable,
half-starved members of the feline tribe, who have no fixed abode and
whose only means of existence is by plunder.
The figure and number nine seems to be an important one in connection
with cats. There is a popular saying that a cat has nine lives. The
expostulating tabby in Gay’s Fables says to the old beldame:—
“’Tis infamy to serve a hag,
Cats are thought imps, her broom a nag;
And boys against our lives combine,
Because, ’tis said, your cats have nine.”
Cats probably owe this reputation to their extraordinary powers of
endurance, and certain it is that they have a greater tenacity to life
than any other animal. At the Battersea Home a dog and a cat have been
placed in the lethal chamber, and it was observed that the dog died in
five minutes, whereas the cat breathed for forty minutes longer. A short
time ago I received the following letter from a cat fancier:—
“At 11 p.m. two kittens, a few hours old, were placed in a pail of
water, and left there for rather over ten minutes. Seeing them at the
bottom with their mouths open, it was taken for granted they were
dead; the bodies were then transferred to the ashpit, and early next
morning they were discovered to be alive and quite chirpy. Restoring
them to the mother, they have grown nice, strong, healthy little kits,
and have just left for comfortable homes.”
In Thistleton Dyer’s interesting book on “English Folk-lore,” reference
is made to this subject. “Cats,” he says, “from their great suppleness
and aptitude to fall on their feet, are commonly said to have nine
lives; hence Ben Johnson, in ‘Every Man in his Humour,’ says, ‘’Tis a
pity you had not ten lives—a cat’s and your own.’”
“In the Middle Ages a witch was empowered to take cat’s body _nine_
times,” so writes an eminent old zoologist.
[Illustration:
KITTEN AT WORK AND PLAY.
(_Photo: C. Reid, Wishaw._)
]
The “cat-o’-_nine_-tails” is a dreaded object to some light-fingered and
heavy-handed miscreants. I have heard a magistrate remark that he
considers this form of punishment the best way in which to give hints to
the wicked. Garrotting was virtually stamped out by its use.
Wife-beating would be less common if the brute-husband were treated to a
taste of the cat-o’-nine-tails. This implement of torture consists of
nine pieces of cord put together, and in each cord are nine knots.
Consequently every stroke inflicts a large number of long and severe
marks not unlike the clawing and scratching of a savage cat, producing
crossing and re-crossing wounds.
[Illustration:
KITTEN BELONGING TO MRS. E. S. OWEN, DETROIT, MICHIGAN.
BY “KING OF THE SILVERS”—“BLESSED DAMOZEL.”
(_Photo: Albany Art Union, New York._)
]
In my long and varied experience of cats, I have noticed that more of
these creatures succumb to the common enemy at about _nine_ years of age
than at any other period. We have heard of cats attaining the age of
twenty years, but the following account surpasses all previous records
of longevity in the feline world:—
TO THE EDITOR OF THE _Stock-Keeper_,
Sir,—Seeing you have a column in your paper devoted to cats, I thought
it might interest your readers to hear that in our village there is a
cat thirty-one years old. She is quite lively, and looks like living a
few more years. It belongs to a poor widow, who told me she had it as
a kitten when she married. (Her husband lived twenty-seven years, and
has been dead four.)
_Newbury, Bucks._ W. B. HERMAN.
It is strange that the poor dead bodies of cats have often been used as
objects of foolish and vulgar so-called sport. Dead cats and rotten eggs
were, and are sometimes still, considered legitimate missiles to make
use of at borough and county elections.
All sorts of stories are related of pussy’s superhuman intelligence, but
the most uncanny one of very recent date I will refer to here. It may be
remembered that in the winter of 1901 a vessel named the _Salmon_ was
wrecked. On the morning of the accident, this vessel was lying alongside
the _Sturgeon_, and her two cats, who had all their lives shown the most
perfect contentment with their home and surroundings, made desperate
efforts to get on board the _Sturgeon_. The crew drove them off again
and again, and the ship’s dog attacked them, but they would not be
deterred, and when the _Salmon_ at last cast off, the two cats landed
with one frantic and final spring on to the _Sturgeon’s_ deck. It seems
absurd to argue that those cats knew of the coming disaster, yet why
should they take such a sudden and utterly unreasonable aversion to the
ship which had always been their home? And why should they insist on
making their way to another vessel from which they had been so
inhospitably repulsed?
We have many proofs of the extraordinary extent to which a cat’s sense
of hearing and smell are developed. On my voyage out to Australia flying
fish would sometimes fall on to the deck. The cats that are always
somewhere about the ship might be comfortably curled up asleep below,
but the peculiar sound would fetch them up in a great hurry, and they
would rush to secure the prize. The crew used to amuse themselves
sometimes by trying to imitate the noise in various ways to deceive
them; but the cats were not to be “had”—they could distinguish the
peculiar thud of the flying fish from all other sounds.
[Illustration:
THE ANTIQUARIES.
(_From the painting by Madame Ronner._)
]
Various theories have been put forward to account for the marvellous
instinct which a cat possesses, enabling her to find her way home
although miles and miles of untraversed country lay between her and the
place from which she has been taken. It is contended that a cat which is
conveyed in a bag or blindfolded will have its sense of smell in full
exercise, and will, by this means take note of the successive odours
encountered on the way, and that these will leave in its mind sufficient
information of the route so as to make it an easy matter for the animal
to find its way back again. Be this as it may, many of us can state
facts which are even stranger than fiction of mysterious reappearances
of cats who, with a homing instinct as true as any carrier-pigeon,
return to the haven where they would be.
[Illustration:
“KEPWICK VIOLET” and “KEPWICK HYACINTH.”
BLUES BELONGING TO THE HON. MRS. MCLAREN MORRISON.
(_Photo: J. R. Clarke, Thirsk._)
]
The instinct of maternity is, perhaps, more largely developed in the cat
than in any other animal. No creature shows such anxiety for the safety
and welfare of her offspring as she does, and often her natural
timidness will give place to bold and fearless courage when her little
ones have been in any difficulty or danger. Mivart tells us of a cat
that plunged into a swiftly running stream and rescued her three
drowning kittens, bringing them one by one in safety to the shore.
During a fire in a London theatre, which took place a few years ago, a
poor cat with her family was left forgotten at the back of the stage.
Three times the faithful mother rushed into the flaming building and
reappeared each time with a kitten in her mouth. But alas! with fatal
persistence the devoted creature returned to rescue the remaining one,
and that she reached the spot was proved, for after the fire was
extinguished, the charred bodies of mother and child were found lying
side by side.
A clever writer has stated that “the human race may be divided into
people who love cats and people who hate them; the neutrals being few in
numbers.” This is very true. There are also differences of opinion as to
whether cats are desirable inmates of a household or not, but there can
be no question as to the great utility of these animals, and it is only
natural to suppose that they were created for the purpose of suppressing
rats and mice and other vermin. There is a popular notion that if a cat
is petted and well fed she will become less useful as a mouser. This is
a fallacy, for the cat’s inclination is to hunt the mouse or rat, not
for food, but for sport, and an animal that is enfeebled by neglect and
starvation is not in the best condition to successfully catch its prey.
This love of sport is not, however, inherent in all cats, but is
hereditary in the feline tribe as it is in the human race.
It may not be generally known that the Government pays annual sums for
the purpose of providing, keeping, and feeding numerous “harmless,
necessary cats” in their public offices, dockyards, and stores, thereby
attesting to the worth and capability of pussy’s services.
In the National Printing Office in France a considerable number of cats
are employed in keeping the premises clear of rats and mice which would
otherwise work havoc amongst the stock of paper always stored in large
quantities. In Vienna, cats are placed on active service in the
municipal buildings. At many of our great railway stations there is a
feline staff engaged in the various warehouses and offices. The farmer
will readily admit the usefulness of puss in his barns, stables,
outhouses and fields. Farmers are notorious grumblers, but they would
have greater cause for discontent and disappointment if rats and mice
were allowed to live and thrive, and breed and multiply on their
premises. The newly sown peas and corn stacks would suffer to a terrible
extent, and the broods of ducklings and chickens would speedily vanish
if puss did not keep a vigilant eye and silently but surely fulfil the
duties of her calling.
[Illustration:
MISS SAVERY’S BLUE PERSIAN KITTEN.
(_Photo: H. Warschawski, St Leonards-on-Sea._)
]
In the live stock department of the Army and Navy Stores in London, an
orange Persian cat may be seen strolling about amongst the cages of
birds of every sort. The attendant informed me she had been on the
premises three or four years, and had saved the company a “tidy sum.”
Previous to obtaining her services the packets of bird-seed disappeared
like magic, for they were demolished wholesale by the swarms of mice.
Now rarely one is nibbled, and every morning dozens of lifeless bodies
are cleared away. Curiously enough these dead mice have their tails
eaten off, for apparently this cat has a weakness for the appendage,
whereas, usually the head is considered the delicate morsel amongst the
feline race. It seems that although the cat is left alone with all the
fluttering birds at night, she never has attempted to molest them in any
way.
[Illustration:
A PAIR OF SHORT-HAIRED BROWN TABBIES.
(_Photo: T. Fall, Baker St., W._)
]
I lately had occasion to visit one of our London theatres during the
daytime, when it was empty; and observing a big brown cat walking about
amongst the stalls, I made some remark about him to the official who
accompanied me. He said they found it quite impossible to get along
without a cat; they had tried, but the place became overrun with mice.
During pussy’s occupation of the empty playhouse plenty of bodies were
discovered, but never a live mouse had been seen disporting itself.
The cats in Government service in America are very numerous. The army
has a regular corps of them kept at the commissary depôts of the great
cities. It is customary for the officer in charge of each depôt to
submit to the War Department a request for an allowance for the cats of
meat and milk. More than three hundred cats are in the employ of the
Post Office Department, distributed among about fifty of the largest
offices. The New York City office expends sixty dollars annually in
cats’-meat. At Pittsburg, there is a “cold storage” breed of cats, which
has special qualifications for enduring extreme cold. These cats are
short tailed, with long and heavy fur, and their eyebrows and whiskers
are extraordinarily long and strong. It is said they do not thrive when
transferred to an ordinary atmosphere.
[Illustration:
CAT CALENDAR.
(_By kind permission of Raphael Tuck & Co._)
]
The following extract from the _Daily Mail_ of February 1st, 1902, gives
us an account of a most exemplary, well trained, and up-to-date cat, and
opens up a fresh field for the utility and agility of our domestic
pets—not an absolutely fresh field indeed, if one recalls the fact that
Puss was already a “retriever” in ancient Egypt.
A PING-PONG CAT.
Hunting for balls is undoubtedly the one great drawback to ping-pong.
Might I suggest a novel and easy method of accomplishing this
difficult and unpleasant task?
My cat is now an expert in the art of finding ping-pong balls.
Immediately the ball touches the floor the cat is after it, and brings
it from its hiding-place to the side of the table at which I am
playing, thus saving me from unnecessary exertion.
F. S. W.
The thought suggests itself that pussy’s teeth and claws might work
serious havoc amongst the ping-pong balls, and that some of these would
be produced in a mutilated condition.
Of all animals the cat appears most to resent being taught or trained to
do tricks. Puss has a natural antipathy to be forced to do anything, or
remain anywhere against her will. Hence the few exhibitions of really
clever performing cats in comparison with the marvellous feats achieved
by dogs. It has been stated that the cat is the hardest animal to teach;
it takes years to train a cat to perform some simple trick which a dog
would learn in as many weeks. Once a cat is trained, it becomes a very
valuable possession. We have all seen the Happy Family, consisting of
monkeys, guinea-pigs, canaries, pigeons, and mice, whilst a cat is
seated demurely in the midst of this incongruous assembly. No doubt some
training was required to cause puss to disregard the natural instincts
of her race.
The cat is a most cleanly creature, and perhaps more particular about
her appearance than any other animal. As Miss Agnes Repplier, in her
delightful book, “The Fireside Sphinx,” says: “Pussy’s adroitness is
equalled only by her delicacy and tact. Her cleanliness and her careful
attention to her toilet show respect for herself and for us.”
[Illustration:
CAT CALENDAR.
(_By kind permission of Raphael Tuck & Co._)
]
One of the strangest and most profitable trades in London is the
wholesale and retail business of horsemeat for cats. In barrows and
carts the hawkers of this horse-flesh cry their wares throughout the
city and suburbs, and find a ready sale for them. It is stated that
26,000 horses, maimed, or past work, are slaughtered and cut up every
year to feed our household pets. Each horse means on an average 275
pounds of meat, and this is sold by pussy’s butcher in half pennyworths
skewered on bits of wood. The magnitude of this trade can be estimated
by the fact that it keeps constantly employed thirty wholesale salesmen.
I may here mention that a cats’-meat men’s supper was organised last
year in London by the editor of _Our Cats_, assisted by Mr. Louis Wain
and others; and a most successful entertainment was given at the City of
New York Restaurant. The applications for tickets were so numerous that
400 men had to be refused; and when the 250 guests were seated, it was
clearly proved that every available inch of accommodation had been
utilised. Having been present, I can testify to the excellent supper and
entertainment provided for the cats’-meat men of London.
[Illustration:
CAT CALENDAR.
(_By kind permission of Raphael Tuck & Co._)
]
The most casual observer cannot have failed to remark the wonderful
development of late years in “Catty” Christmas souvenirs, thus giving
proof of the growth of love and admiration for pussy. We have cat
almanacks, cat calendars, and cat annuals, and I can testify to the
innumerable Christmas cards with designs of cats of all sorts and
conditions which have found their way into my hands expressive of good
wishes at the festive season.
The official mind would probably frown at the suggestion that the census
returns should be enlivened with incidental humour. However, after the
last census, the following statement appeared in the press:—
“An enumerator in going over a return paper found that the household
cat had been included as a member of the family. It was described as
‘Jim,’ the relationship to the head of the family being ‘lodger.’ The
entry then stated that he was of the male sex, single, aged one last
birthday. His occupation was also given—‘mouse-catcher, worker on his
own account.’”
A description of the ordinary domestic cat is hardly necessary, but
before I pass on to mention matters of general interest concerning cats
of to-day, I will give a quotation from a Board School boy’s essay,
which speaks for itself:—
“The house cat is a four-legged quadruped, the legs as usual being at
the corners. It is what is sometimes called a tame animal, though it
feeds on mice and birds of prey. Its colours are striped, it does not
bark, but breathes through its nose instead of its mouth. Cats also
mow, which you have all heard. Cats have nine lives, but which is
seldom wanted in this country, coz’ of Christianity. Cats eat meat and
most anythink speshuelly where you can’t afford. This is all about
cats.”
Perhaps my readers may think that after such a lucid description of the
subject in hand, further comments are unnecessary!
I will proceed, however, to give a glance round at the Cat Fancy in
general before mentioning particulars of Clubs and Cats of the present
day. The question has often been asked whether the Cat Fancy will ever
become as popular and fashionable as the breeding of dogs, poultry, and
birds? I think this question may be answered in the affirmative, when we
consider that during last year a dozen and more large cat shows have
been held in different parts of England and Scotland, to say nothing of
numerous mixed shows where a section for cats was provided. Every year
the number of fanciers increases, and although this particular hobby is
almost entirely confined to the gentler sex, yet it is really surprising
to find how many more men are beginning to take an interest in the
pussies, and are keenly excited in the winnings of the household pet or
the king of the cattery. As a friend once said to me, “You know what men
are; if only the cats win prizes, my husband does not mind, but it is a
different matter if I return from a show with no award; then he declares
we must get rid of all the cats!” I am afraid that cat fanciers must be
looked upon as a rather quarrelsome set, and there is no doubt that
petty jealousies and spiteful gossip retard in many ways the development
and improvement of the fancy.
Another question that is often asked is whether cats can be made to
pay—or, in other words, whether cat breeding is a profitable
undertaking. From my own experience, which has extended over a number of
years, I can unhesitatingly say I have derived not only much pleasure
but a good deal of profit from keeping cats, and also I have started
many friends in the fancy who have gone on and prospered. The dangers
that beset beginners are many, and the chief difficulty is to know how
to limit the number of our pussies and so avoid overcrowding, or
retaining poor stock which will not prove creditable or profitable. Cat
keeping on an extensive scale means a large outlay, followed by constant
and untiring attention. I do not intend, however, in this chapter to
enter into any details as to the care and management of cats, for this
and other subjects connected with their interests will be fully dealt
with later on.
[Illustration:
MR. HARRISON WEIR.
(_Photo: C. E. Corke, Sevenoaks._)
]
In my preceding chapter I alluded to the first Cat Show held at the
Crystal Palace in 1871. This exhibition of cats has become an annual
fixture, and year by year greater interest has been manifested, better
classification given, and a larger number of cats exhibited. It was,
therefore, considered advisable to have some definite organisation, and
the National Cat Club was instituted in 1887, with Mr. Harrison Weir as
president. I will now proceed to give a list, which I believe to be
complete and correct, of the various other clubs and societies in
England and America which have been organised and which are all at this
present time in thoroughly good working order.
LIST OF CAT CLUBS AND SOCIETIES.
The National Cat Club, founded 1887. Hon. sec., Mrs. A. Stennard
Robinson, 5, Great James Street, Bedford Row, London, W.C. Annual
subscription, 1 guinea.
The Cat Club, founded 1898. Hon. sec., Mrs. Bagster, 15A, Paternoster
Row, London, E.C. Annual subscription, 1 guinea.
The Northern Counties’ Cat Club, founded 1900. Hon. sec., Mrs. Herbert
Ransome, Altrincham. Annual subscription, 10s.
The Silver and Smoke Persian Cat Society, founded 1900. Hon. sec.,
Mrs. H. V. James, Backwell, near Bristol. Annual subscription, 5s.
Black-and-White Club. Hon. secs., Miss Kerswill and Miss White Atkins.
Entrance fee, 1s.; annual subscription, 4s.
The Blue Persian Cat Society, founded 1901. Hon. sec., Miss Frances
Simpson, Durdans House, St. Margaret’s-on-Thames. Annual subscription,
5s.
The Siamese Club, founded 1900. Hon. sec., Mrs. Baker, 13, Wyndham
Place, Bryanston Square, W. Annual subscription, 4s.; to working
classes, 2s. 6d.
The Orange, Cream, Fawn and Tortoisshell Society, founded 1900. Hon.
sec., Miss Mildred Beal, Ronaldkirk Rectory, Darlington. Annual
subscription, 10s.
The Chinchilla Cat Club, founded May, 1901. Hon. sec., Mrs. Balding,
92, Goldsmith Avenue, Acton. Annual subscription, 5s.
The Short-haired Cat Club, founded 1901. Hon. sec., Mrs. Middleton,
67, Cheyne Court, Chelsea.
The Scottish Cat Club, founded 1894. Hon. sec., J. F. Dewar, 2, St.
Patrick Square, Edinburgh. Annual subscription, 5s.
The Midland Counties Cat Club, founded at Wolverhampton, 1901. Hon
sec., Miss Cope, 136, Bristol Road, Birmingham. Annual subscription,
5s.
The British Cat Club, founded 1901: Hon. sec., Sir Claude Alexander,
Faygate Wood, Sussex. Subscription, 5s.
The Manx Cat Club, founded 1901. Miss Hester Cochran, Witchampton,
Wimborne. Subscription, 5s.
The Beresford Cat Club (Chicago), founded 1899. President, Mrs.
Clinton Locke; corresponding secretary, Mrs. A. Michelson, 220, East
Sixtieth Street, Chicago. Annual subscription, resident members, 2
dollars; non-resident, 1 dollar.
The Chicago Cat Club, founded 1899. President, Mrs. Leland Norton,
Drexel Kennels, Drexel Boulevarde, Chicago.
The Louisville Cat Club, founded 1900. Corresponding secretary, Miss
E. Converse. Annual subscription, 50 cents.
The Pacific Cat Club, founded 1900. Corresponding secretary, Mrs. A.
H. Brod, 114, Broderick Street, San Francisco. Annual subscription, 1
dollar.
The Atlantic Club, founded in New York, 1902. Corresponding secretary,
Dr. Ottolengui, 80, West Fortieth Street, New York.
[Illustration:
MR. LOUIS WAIN.
(_Photo: Lascelles & Co._)
]
Since the formation of the National Cat Club, many changes in its
constitution have taken place. On the retirement of Mr. Harrison Weir
from the presidency, Mr. Louis Wain was appointed, and still holds the
office. The N.C.C. is fortunate in having so energetic a hon. sec. and
treasurer as Mrs. Stennard Robinson, whose name is so well known in the
“doggy” world. The following is a list of officers of the National Cat
Club at the time of writing, and a summary of the objects for which the
Club was organised:—
THE NATIONAL CAT CLUB.
_Patron._—H.H. Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein.
_President._—Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford.
_Vice-Presidents._—The Right Hon. the Countess of Warwick, The
Viscountess Maitland, The Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, The
Countess of Aberdeen, The Lady Hothfield, Lady Willoughby, Lady Reid,
The Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison, The Lady Granville Gordon, Lady
Decies, The Hon. Mrs. Baillie, Madame Ronner, Mr. Isaac Woodiwiss, Mr.
Sam Woodiwiss.
_Committee._—Louis Wain (President), Lady Decies, Lady Alexander, The
Hon. Mrs. McLaren Morrison, Mrs. Vallance, Mrs. Balding, Miss
Hamilton, Dr. Roper, Mrs. Herring, Mrs. Ransome, Mrs. G. H. Walker.
_Hon. Sec. and Treasurer._—Mrs. A. Stennard Robinson, 13, Wyndham
Place, Bryanstone Square, W. (Telegraphic address—“Bow-wow, London.”)
The National Cat Club was organised (1) to promote honesty in the
breeding of Cats, so as to ensure purity in each distinct breed or
variety; (2) to determine the classification required, and to
encourage the adoption of such classification by breeders, exhibitors,
judges, and the committees of all Cat Shows; (3) to maintain and keep
the National Register of Cats; (4) to assist the Showing and Breeding
of Cats, by holding Cat Shows under the best sanitary conditions,
giving Championship and other prizes, and otherwise doing all in its
power to protect and advance the interests of Cats and their owners.
The National Cat Club is also a Court of Inquiry and Appeal in all
matters relating to Cats, or affecting the ownership of Cats, and so
saves the expense to its Members of litigation.
The National Cat Club founded its Stud Book some twelve years ago, and
it is the only reliable source of information concerning the pedigree
of Cats. The Registration Fee is 1s. for the Register of Names, but
for the Stud Book the fee is 5s. for _Approved_ Cats exhibited under
N.C.C. Rules.
The two principal shows of the National Cat Club are held annually at
the Botanical Gardens in connection with the Ladies’ Kennel Association
in June, and at the Crystal Palace in October. In 1901 the total number
of cats shown at the Palace was 601, and the entries numbered 1,021.
There were 106 classes provided for long- and short-haired cats. The
following is the definition of the classes:—
DEFINITION OF CLASSES.
_Open Classes._—Open to all Cats, Prize-winners or Novices.
_Limit Classes._—For Cats of any age that have not won Three First
Prizes.
_Novice Classes._—For Cats of any age that have never won a First
Prize at any Show.
_Special Novice Cats._—For Cats or Kittens over 6 months that have
never won a Prize of any sort at a Crystal Palace Show.
_Neuter Classes._—For Gelded Cats.
_Stud Classes._—For Male Cats that have sired Kittens which are
entered and on exhibition in this Show.
_Brood Queen Class._—For Queen Cats whose Kittens are entered in this
Show.
_Selling Class._—For Cats of any colour or Sex to be sold at a price
not exceeding 3 guineas in Long-haired or 2 guineas in Short-haired
and Foreign.
_Ring Class._—For Cats shown in collar, and lead.
_Kitten Classes._—Single entries to be over 3 months and under 8
months, unless otherwise stated.
_Brace._—For 2 Cats, age over 6 months.
_Team._—For three or more Cats, age over 6 months.
No Cats can be entered in brace or teams unless also entered in one
other class.
The money prizes in each class are First, £1; Second, 10s.; Third, 5s.
The list of special prizes, including Challenge Trophies and medals,
numbered 262 at the last Crystal Palace Show in 1901.
In addition to the two regular fixtures of the N.C.C., other cat shows
are held in different places in connection with the Club and under its
rules.
[Illustration:
LADY MARCUS BERESFORD.
(_From a painting by Edward Hughes._)
]
The National Cat Club reigned alone until 1898, when Lady Marcus
Beresford started and founded the Cat Club. This ardent cat lover has
done more for pussy than anyone in the fancy. She is most lavish in her
generosity and unwearying in her efforts to promote the welfare of the
Club. It was Lady Marcus who first started the idea of holding cat shows
in aid of charity. The Cat Club’s first show, held at St. Stephen’s
Hall, Westminster, in 1899, was in aid of the Children’s Guild of the
Deptford Fund.
In 1900 the families of the soldiers and sailors who had fallen in the
Transvaal were benefited to a large extent by the proceeds of the show.
In 1901 the Children’s Hospital, Great Ormond Street, was the charity
selected to receive a handsome donation of £100. The Westminster shows
have always been splendidly managed, a noticeable feature being the
wonderful array of beautiful special prizes offered for competition. The
following is the list of officials connected with the Cat Club:—
THE CAT CLUB.
(_Founded by Lady Marcus Beresford._)
The objects of the Club are the general good of the Cat, the promoting
of true breeding of Cats, the holding of a Winter Show, so that Cats
may be exhibited at their best, and taking other steps that shall be
for the welfare of the Cat.
The annual Subscription is £1 1s., payable on election, and on the 1st
of January in each succeeding year.
A Stud Book and a Register of Cats are kept by the Club.
_Presidents._—Lily, Duchess of Marlborough; Edith, Duchess of
Wellington; Lord Marcus Beresford.
_Vice-Presidents._—Isabella, Countess Howe; Viscountess Maitland,
Viscountess Esher, Lady Ridley, Lady de Trafford, The Hon. Mrs.
Bampfylde, Lady Lister, Lady Gooch, Mrs. Barnet, Mrs. Alfred Bles,
Mrs. Walter Campbell, Mrs. Chaine, Mrs. George Dawkins, Mrs. Cary
Elwes, Mrs. C. Hill, Mrs. King, Mrs. Nicholay, Mrs. Tottie, Mrs.
Peston Whyte, Lord Walter Gordon Lennox, A. E. Bateman, Esq., Colonel
Chaine, Henry King, Esq.
_Committee._—Lady Marcus Beresford, Mrs. Vary Campbell, Mrs. Dean,
Mrs. Paul Hardy, Mrs. C. Hill, Miss Anderson Leake, Mrs. R. Blair
Maconochie, Mrs. Neild, Mrs. Simon, Mrs. Mackenzie Stewart, Mr. L. P.
C. Astley, Mr. Gambier Bolton, Rev. P. L. Cosway, Mr. W. R. Hawkins,
Mr. E. W. Witt.
_Hon. Treasurer._—Lord Marcus Beresford.
_Hon. Secretary._—Mrs. C. J. Bagster, 15A, Paternoster Row, London,
E.C.
[Illustration:
LITTER OF SIAMESE KITTENS.
BELONGING TO LADY MARCUS BERESFORD.
(_Photo: T. Fall, Baker St., W._)
]
There is really ample room for two parent clubs, as the Fancy is making
such rapid strides, and, no doubt, well-appointed shows with good
classification do a great deal to benefit breeders and assist fanciers.
Between the National Cat Club and the Cat Club there is one point of
serious disagreement, namely, as regards registration. At present
members are expected and required to register their cats in each club if
they exhibit at the respective shows. It would be a great benefit to the
cat world in general and to the exhibitor in particular if some
arrangement could be made whereby one independent register should be
kept, and that both clubs might work together and assist each other in
endeavouring to scrutinise and verify all entries made in the joint
register, so that inaccuracies should be detected and fraud prevented.
The Northern Counties Cat Club is affiliated with the N.C.C., and has
quite a large number of members. This enterprising club holds two shows
in Manchester every year, which hitherto have been capitally managed by
the energetic hon. sec. As a natural sequence a Midland Counties Club
has lately been started, having its working centre at Birmingham. No
doubt arrangements will be made for holding a cat show in this or some
other equally central Midland town.
The Scottish Cat Club is in a flourishing condition, and has been
steadily working up members since 1894. A show is annually held in
Edinburgh, and fanciers over the border are taking a much keener
interest in cats.
In America the fancy has gone ahead in a wonderful way. It was in 1895
that the first cat show of general interest was held at Madison Square
Gardens, New York. There had previously been some private attempts to
have exhibitions of cats in connection with poultry and pigeon shows. In
1896 an American Cat Club was organised, which did some good work. Then
Chicago started a Cat Club in January, 1899, and this was followed by a
most successful enterprise on the part of Mrs. Clinton Locke, who
founded the Beresford Cat Club, called after Lady Marcus Beresford, and
now numbering about 200 members. In January, 1900, the club held its
first big show. The classification was of a most comprehensive nature,
and the list of special prizes a very liberal one. This show is now an
annual fixture, and the Cat Club of England sends medals and prizes to
be competed for. Many of the best cats exhibited at these shows have
been exported from England, and Americans are very keen in trying to
procure the very best possible stock—high prices in many cases being
offered to induce English fanciers to part with prize-winning specimens.
The following is a list of officials of the
BERESFORD CAT CLUB OF AMERICA.
_Officers._
Mrs. Clinton Locke, 2825 Indiana Ave., (_President_); Mrs. Charles H.
Lane, 5323 Madison Ave., (_First Vice-President_); Mrs. F. A. Howe,
3941 Grand Boulevard (_Second Vice-President_); Mrs. A. A. Michelson,
220 E. 60th Street (_Corresponding Secretary_); Miss L. C. Johnstone,
5323 Madison Ave. (_Recording Secretary_); Mrs. Elwood H. Tolman, 5403
Madison Ave. (_Treasurer_).
_Directors._
Mrs. J. H. Pratt, 5816 Rosalie Court; Mrs. Lincoln Nicholson, Lee
Centre, Illinois; Miss Louise Fergus, 3229 Sheridan Road; Mrs. Blanch
P. Robinson, 6, Langley Place; Mrs. Vincent E. Gregg, 736 North Park
Avenue.
[Illustration:
“PUCK III.”
THE PROPERTY OF THE PRINCESS VICTORIA OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN.
]
At the Cat Show held in January, 1902, as many as 75 classes were
provided, and it is plain to see from these that Americans have not the
same antipathy for broken colours—that is, cats with white markings—as
we have in England, as there are classes specially for orange-and-white,
and black-and-white cats. In another part of this work I shall refer to
varieties and breeds of cats existing in America which differ from those
in England. The Beresford Cat Club have an extremely well-arranged stud
book and register, which is published annually. I am sure that the Cat
Fancy in America has a great future before it, and we cannot help being
greatly struck with the earnestness, thoroughness, and enthusiasm with
which Americans have taken up this hobby. When we consider the great
distances in the States and the paucity of good stud cats, and the few
opportunities of exhibiting at well organised shows, we cannot fail to
admire the energy and enterprise displayed by our American fellow
fanciers.
Specialist Clubs for Cats are of very recent growth. The first was
started by an ardent breeder of silver Persians in 1900. It was then
called the Silver Society, and it included smokes and silver tabbies.
The title of this society has since been changed to the Silver and Smoke
Persian Cat Society. In the following year Blue Persian Breeders
bestirred themselves and formed a society for this most popular breed.
In the same year the Orange, Cream, and Tortoiseshell Society, the
Siamese Club, and the Chinchilla Club were inaugurated, also a Manx Club
came into existence, and two clubs for short-haired cats were started.
Particulars concerning these specialist societies and their objects will
be found in future chapters on the various breeds of cats. It will be
noticed by the list of clubs given that for brown tabby and
black-and-white Persians no societies have as yet been formed, but
doubtless ere long these varieties will be gathered into the fold of
specialist clubs.
A good deal of discussion has taken place in catty circles as to the
desirability of having specialist societies, but I am sure a vast and
marked improvement has taken place in the different breeds since their
formation, and the fact of publishing a standard of points has certainly
assisted breeders in coming to a more correct idea of what constitutes a
good cat of a particular breed. The number of challenge prizes, medals
and specials offered by these societies at various shows act as an
incentive to exhibitors, and thus entries increase and competition
becomes keener. Specialist clubs are not altogether popular with the
parent clubs, who regard them with rather a suspicious and jealous eye.
They think that exhibitors may join these less expensive societies and
yet continue to show and win prizes without subscribing to the club that
holds the show. No doubt there is something in this, and specialist
clubs should be ready and willing not only to offer prizes for which
their members only can compete, but they ought also to guarantee
classes, and perhaps give a donation towards the expenses of the show.
[Illustration:
MRS. CLINTON LOCKE AND HER SIAMESE KITTENS “CALIF” AND “BANGKOK.”
]
There have been quite a number of catty cases in our courts of late
years, and these generally seem to cause considerable amusement to the
legal as well as to the public mind. At a recent trial, where a lady was
wrongfully accused of starving a Persian cat, the magistrate, wishing
for information, inquired of the witness (who was a veterinary surgeon)
how long a cat could live without food. The reply was, “I am sure I
could not say, sir, for cats are the funniest animals we have to deal
with.” And it is very true that these creatures, being so complex,
require to be specially studied, and our principal veterinaries, who
lead busy lives, are just a little superior to the many ailments and
infirmities of these too often despised animals. It is therefore a
subject of satisfaction for cat fanciers that two clever and kind animal
loving men have taken up the doctoring of cats, and by personal
experience are learning “pretty pussy’s ways” in sickness and in health.
Mr. Ward, of Manchester, and “Salvo,” of Hertford Heath, are now two
household names in the cat fancier’s vocabulary. To the many excellent
remedies prepared by these clever specialists I shall refer later on in
my work. Suffice it here to say that when in doubt or difficulty about
your pussy’s state of health I would recommend you to write to either of
these common-sense practitioners.
The cat literature of the present day has been steadily on the increase.
The first paper to supply special cat columns was _Fur and Feather_,
which, as its title infers, treats besides of birds, rabbits, poultry,
cavies, mice. This weekly paper has a large circulation amongst the
various fanciers. In 1899 _Our Cats_ was started, and is widely read by
the ever-growing circle of cat lovers, and claims the unique distinction
of being “The only newspaper in the world solely devoted to cats.” In
both these papers there are stud advertisements of cats and a register
of visits of queens and births of kittens.
In America the chief organs in the cat world are _The Cat Journal_, _The
Pet Stock News_, and _Field and Fancy_.
And now a few words on those most excellent institutions which should
appeal to the hearts of the animal loving public—I mean the homes for
poor stray and starving cats. It is a mercy that there are now several
of these refuges in our great metropolis. I have personally visited
Gordon Cottage at Argyle Road, Hammersmith, and the London Institution
in Camden Town. The objects of both these institutions are practically
the same, namely:—
(1) To receive and collect homeless and diseased cats and painlessly
destroy them.
(2) To provide a temporary home for lost cats.
(3) To board cats at a moderate weekly charge.
[Illustration:
THE CATS’ PLAYGROUND: ROYAL LONDON INSTITUTION FOR STARVING CATS AT
CAMDEN TOWN.
(_Photo: Cassell & Company, Limited._)
]
The Camden Town Institution to which Her Majesty the Queen has
graciously given Her Patronage, was founded by Mrs. Morgan in 1896, and
up to the end of 1901 has received the enormous number of 47,212 lost
and starving cats. The average received weekly is 300, and in one day as
many as 91 cats have been taken in. Not a day passes without several
wretched cats having to be destroyed at once on admission, and 80 per
cent. are destroyed within twenty-four hours of admittance. No charge is
made to the poor, and only 1s. 6d. for a painless death in the lethal
chamber is asked from those who can afford this most merciful mode of
destroying life. The dead cats are cremated at the Battersea Dogs’ Home
at a charge of 3d. each body. A motorcar is employed to go round and
collect stray cats, and will call at any house if due notice has been
given to the hon. manageress. It is estimated that the number of cats in
London is close upon three quarters of a million, of which from 80,000
to 100,000 are homeless. It is during the summer months, when
householders leave town for their holidays, that poor pussy is forsaken
and forgotten, and no provision being made for her, she is forced to
take to the streets, where she seeks in vain to stalk the wily London
sparrow or pick up any scraps from the gutter. The humbler folk very
frequently manifest vastly greater solicitude for the Tom or the Tabby
of their hearths than do their social superiors. All lovers of cats owe
a debt of gratitude to those truly noble ladies who have begun and carry
on such a merciful work in our midst. To attempt to alleviate suffering
must appeal to all; and even those who have an instinctive dislike to
harmless cats cannot fail to see the immense benefit to be derived by
the public at large from the noble endeavour to clear our London
streets, squares, parks, and empty houses of these poor forlorn and
friendless creatures.
[Illustration:
ROYAL LONDON INSTITUTION FOR LOST AND STARVING CATS.
(_Photo: Cassell & Company, Limited._)
]
At the Battersea Home for Lost Dogs there are also splendid arrangements
for stray cats, and at a very small charge per week cats can be taken in
to board. The catteries are capitally arranged, and the feeding is
excellent.
In our sister isle there is a Cats’ Home, established sixteen years ago
by Miss Swifte in Dublin, and she has most gallantly carried out the
beneficent objects with which she started her humane work. No doubt she
and other founders of similar institutions have had to suffer a
considerable amount of ridicule, for with many human beings the cat is
regarded as little deserving of commiseration or kindness. It is,
however, a sign of increased justice and benevolence that these homes
for cats do exist and obtain public support, although the funds received
are, according to all accounts, very inadequate to meet all the
expenses. This must surely be partly because these splendid institutions
are so little known to the general public.
Our American cousins are not behindhand in their laudable endeavours to
cope with the question of lost and starving cats, and an institution
similar to our Battersea Home was started in the early ‘eighties in the
district of Boston, and is called the “Ellen M. Gifford Sheltering Home
for Animals.” The lady giving her name to this humane institution left a
large sum of money to endow the home, and over the office is a tablet
bearing the following extract from one of Miss Gifford’s letters about
the time the home was opened:—
“If only the waifs, the strays, the sick, the abused would be sure to
get entrance to the home, and anybody could feel at liberty to bring
in a starved or ill-treated animal and have it cared for without pay,
my object would be attained. March 27, 1884.”
According to Miss Helen Winslow, the authoress of “Concerning Cats,”
there is another institution in Philadelphia which does not limit its
good work to tending cats and dogs, but cares for all living and
suffering animals, bringing relief to the unfortunate creatures by means
of a painless death.
It was as early as 1874 that this institution was founded, and in 1889
it was reorganised and incorporated as the “Morris Refuge for Homeless
and Suffering Animals,” having for its motto “The Lord is good to all,
and His tender mercies are over all His works.”
[Illustration:
THE CART OF THE ROYAL LONDON INSTITUTION FOR LOST AND STARVING CATS.
(_Photo: Cassell & Company, Limited._)
]
The efforts of the charitable ladies who so ably assisted in the
establishment of these institutions have been followed by others, and a
proposal to found a home for animals in Montreal has, I believe, proved
successful. Miss Winslow tells us that there are several cat asylums and
refuges in the Far West, and a Sheltering Home at Brighton, Mass. In
1901 a Cat Refuge was started in Chicago by a well-known cat lover, Mrs.
Leland Norton, and probably, as time goes on, some further organised
attempt will be made to deal with the question of lost and starving cats
in American towns.
The love of the cat still lingers in Egypt, and I have been told that
free rations to starving cats are dealt out every day at the Palace of
the Cadi and the Bazàr of Khan Kheleel; also that a cats’ home has been
founded in Cairo for the lodging and feeding of homeless cats.
[Illustration:
THE HON. PHILIP WODEHOUSE’S “SILVER SAINT.”
(_Photo: Clarke & Co., Norwich._)
]
There was a report that in order to cope with the innumerable lost and
starving cats the American Legislature had decided to enforce a bill for
licensing cats, but if such a law came into existence in any country the
result would surely be that thousands of cats with good homes would be
thrust out into the streets, and that rats and mice would multiply to an
alarming extent. It is estimated that in New York city alone 60,000 cats
depend for their daily food on garbage and the mice and rats that they
capture. Therefore, if each cat catches three mice or rats a week, the
sum total amounts to over 9,000,000 a year!
I have often wondered why some of our numerous “distressed ladies” do
not set up private homes for the care of cats. A really comfortable
country home for cats is an enterprise in which many a woman, who is
hopelessly at sea for some means of earning an honest livelihood in this
overcrowded work-a-day world, might thus combine pleasure with profit.
Many fanciers feel the difficulty and well-nigh impossibility of leaving
their catteries for any length of time, and few have a permanent and
responsible caretaker on the premises. An opening, therefore, presents
itself not only for boarding homes for cats, but for temporary helps who
could be engaged by the week or month to take charge of the cattery
during the absence of the owner. Of course, such a person should have
had experience with cats and kittens, and above all should be an animal
lover. To dwellers in any of our large cities the sojourn in some
country place would come as a boon and a blessing, and if the owner of
the cattery is fully assured of the capabilities of the caretaker, then
all anxiety of mind as to the welfare of the pets would be allayed.
There is a secluded corner in Hyde Park known as the Dog’s Cemetery, and
amongst the many headstones I noticed two or three erected in memory of
lost pussies who have been privileged to rest in this quiet burying
ground.
[Illustration:
A BEVY OF BLUES BELONGING TO MISS SAVERY.
(_Photo: Waschenki, St. Leonards-on-Sea._)
]
When we see poor pussies packed into dirty cages in the shops of dealers
of beasts and birds in our great metropolis, and when we are made sad by
the sight of the wretched starving cats of our streets, we can breathe
no better wish for them than a speedy deliverance from their life of
misery, even if it be to embark with the grim ferryman in their free
transportation to the Feline Elysium.
“There shall the worthies of the whiskered race,
Elysian mice o’er floors of sapphire chace,
’Midst beds of aromatic marum stray,
Or raptur’d rove beside the milky way.”
A French writer of the early part of the eighteenth century, a famous
Jesuit Father, suggests a very strange theory on the old idea as to the
nature of the soul of animals. I am sure that the question of a future
existence for those pets who during so short a time in this world have
been our faithful and loving companions must have often entered into the
hearts and minds of true animal lovers.
A wise and good man—a writer of some of our most beautiful hymns, and
who passed to his rest within the last year—wrote and gave me these
lines when he lost his faithful dog:—
SANCHO: AN OLD FRIEND.
A large brown Irish retriever: buried in the Vicarage Garden
of St. Paul’s, Haggerston: a stone to his memory is on the
school wall, with this inscription:—
“In the centre of this lawn lies
SANCHO,
a gentleman in all but humanity; thoroughbred, single
in mind, true of heart; for seventeen years the
faithful and affectionate friend of his master, who
loved him, and now for him ‘faintly trusts the larger
Hope’ contained, it may be, in Romans viii. 19–21.
_He died April 26, 1883._”
NOT sparse of friends the world has been to me
By grace of GOD; sweetness and light to life
Their love has given; many a stormy strife,
Many a pulseless torpor, on my sea,
Through them—their presence or their memory—
Have been or stilled or quickened; and to thee,
My Dog, the tribute, as the term, is due,
My _Friend_! not least of all dear, near, and true
These seventeen years—and through the years to be
Sure in my heart of immortality.
Must this be all? I’ the great Day of the LORD,
Shall aught that is of good and beauty now
Be missing? Shall not each gift be restored?
Paul says “the whole creation”—why not thou?
[Illustration:
CATS’ TOMBSTONES IN THE DOGS’ CEMETERY, HYDE PARK.
(_Photo: Cassell & Co., Ltd._)
]
[Illustration:
TABBIES UP A TREE.
_Photo: C. Reid, Wishaw._
]