CATS IN AMERICA.
[Illustration:
“RADO.”
BLUE, OWNED BY MRS. KRESS.
(_Photo: Branch, Minneapolis._)
]
A review of the cat fancy in America carries us over so vast an
expanse of territory, that it is not easy at one fell swoop really to
do it justice. The only way that seems feasible is to take the fancy
by districts; and as the cat fancy—exemplified by shows—may be said to
have arisen in the east, this district should, I think, have the pride
of place, though it has for a time to give way to the reign of the cat
further towards the setting of the sun.
On referring to Mrs. Pierce’s notes, it will be seen that Maine had
its cat shows long before we had—some of us—come to America. The cat
fancy—as it is now—in America may have been said to have sprung into a
steady existence with the first show held in the Madison Square
Garden, New York, on May 8th, 1895. This show was organised by Mr.
James T. Hyde, an Englishman, who has been closely identified with the
horse shows at the Garden for many years, and the idea of holding a
cat show came to him suddenly, from having attended the Crystal Palace
show.
The first cat show in New York was a great success from the time the
doors opened till its close, though the temperature—which was for part
of the time as high as 96 degrees—was hard upon the cats, especially
those that had just come from England. When we returned home the
morning after the show there was a white frost! Part of the judging
was done—and well done—by the late Dr. Huidekoper, who had picked up a
good deal of his cat lore while a medical student at Paris and
Edinburgh and in London. Miss Hurlburt and Mr. T. Farrer Rackham were
the other judges.
In regard to this show—which marks the beginning of the cat fever in
America, that spread outside of the State of Maine—I think I ought to
point out what was chiefly remarkable, and the parts of the show that
were destined to bear upon the future. In the first place, the prize
for the best cat in the show was won by a brown tabby—a native, or, as
some people designate them, Maine cats. This cat was in every way a
good one; but he was a gelding, and, of course, in May, much ahead of
the breeding cats as to plumage; but, still, there was little
dissatisfaction at the awards. Of English cats there were not more
than about eight, and several died soon after; and of all those shown
at this our first show the only ones that have really made any mark or
real impression upon the cat fancy in America may be mentioned “King
Humbert,” “Topaz,” “Minnie,” and “The Banshee.” The first named were
all brown or grey tabbies, the last a white. Cats bred from these are
still winning, and their descendants keep their names green in the
annals of present-day stud books.
White cats had always been popular in America, and the first show
produced specimens as good as, or even better than I have ever seen in
this city; up to now, in fact, we have never had anything to beat
“Ajax,” who made his first and last bow to the public here.
No other shows occurred for some time till the autumn, when an
exhibition was held at Newburgh, sixty miles up the Hudson River, to
be repeated the next year, with the New York show of 1896 in between.
At this latter great improvement had been made in colours and
varieties; and, in fact, all concerned had made considerable advance
in the meantime as to knowledge of different varieties of cats.
At the second show in New York a club was formed, intended to be the
National, but it died, and affairs were in a comatose condition as
regards shows in New York until the consent of Mr. Crawford, the
manager of the poultry show, was obtained for the holding of a cat
show in January, 1902, in the concert hall which opens out of the main
hall at Madison Square. This show, though a small one, was well
attended, and though the entries only numbered about 110, the quality
of many of the cats was very much ahead of the five years before, and
the classes of silvers were good enough for any country. The impetus
gained by this show and the results obtained were not overestimated by
those who promoted the show, and the bringing together of many staunch
breeders who had sprung up in the meantime made it possible to
organise the Atlantic Cat Club, which has gathered such headway in the
year of its existence that it is becoming one of the most powerful
factors in the American cat fancy. The show held at Madison Square in
1903, with the fine collection of challenge cups and the many other
valuable specials, speaks to the gathering interest and the strength
of the fancy in the district, and the club is being every day still
further strengthened; and, if the treasury balance is any indication,
the future of the Atlantic Cat Club will be very marked, especially as
many people of wealth and influence are being enrolled upon the books
and are becoming most enthusiastic upholders of the cat in New York.
In discussing the eastern affairs, we must not leave out the Boston
shows, which have been a steady factor for some years, and gave
opportunities to the more northern cats to meet and compete together.
These shows have been kept alive by Mr. T. Farrer Rackham, to a great
extent, and from the opening of the cat fancy up to now he has been a
steady promoter of the interests of the cat, and has steadily worked
to keep up the interest.
In thinking of the breeders of the eastern portion of this continent
we have to range over a good deal of territory, and even the State of
New York alone takes us quite out west, and from Mrs. Conlisk (who
lives at Gowanda, and who owns “Bitterne Silver Chieftain” and a
daughter of “Whychwood,” besides “Silver Belle,” who came from England
lately) our thoughts drift down to Pittsburg to Mrs. L. T. Hodges, who
is making a speciality of smokes and silvers, and has commenced well
by winning in kittens at Cleveland with “Wahanita,” “Southampton,” and
“The Dusky Pilgrim”—a capital smoke, since sold for £50. Mrs. Mix,
although in New York State, lives 180 miles to the westward of New
York City; but, still, the effect the cats that she has imported from
England have had upon the young stock and the future of our cats in
certain lines has been very marked. As a sire of good ones no cat has
exceeded “King of the Silvers,” and his children have been picked on
several occasions for best in show, and the influence that these may
have in the future cannot yet be fully estimated. The winnings of this
cattery have been many, but as the home of good breeding stock and as
the practical founder of a strain for the future this cattery is
destined to rank very high in our annals. At the Old Fort cattery
reside “King of the Silvers,” “Jack Frost,” “Tortie Diana Fawe,” “Lady
Lollypop,” and many other good ones, and from this cattery to many
parts of the country have gone cats that for type and quality have not
been excelled.
Not far from here—at Saratoga—is the summer residence of Dr.
Ottolengui’s cats, under the care of Mrs. Hall, and these at the
present time are doing a great deal of winning, not so much by cats
purchased as by home-bred ones. For instance, I may mention “Lord
Lossie,” who has some of the cream of the English blood in his veins;
and lately has come to this cattery “Sir Robert,” the black, a winner
at the Crystal Palace, and who repeated his triumphs at other shows
here. “Dollie Dutton,” a black daughter of “Persimmon,” is largely
aiding this cattery as a mother and a show cat.
Dr. Ottolengui’s advent into the fancy in January, 1902, as secretary
of the Atlantic Club gave an impetus to things in general that only
future times can show the full effect. The cat fraternity needed an
organiser and a worker to bring it together, and he was found just at
the right time.
[Illustration:
THE OLD FORT CATTERY.
]
[Illustration:
MRS. COLBURN AND HER WHITE PERSIAN “PARIS.”
(_Photo: F. Schnabel, Chicago._)
]
Miss Lincoln, of Worcester, Massachusetts, has done quite a little
work for the good of the majority; but has not had the best of luck
with her cats so far, and Mrs. A. G. Brown, of Melrose, Massachusetts,
is a steady breeder of whites and other colours, and she has in her
cattery “His Majesty,” the white that has won many prizes and is the
sire of winners.
Mrs. Neel, at Urbana, New York, established a cattery, and has been a
very hard worker in the cause, doing good from her experience in a
medical way, by writing for the papers, by upholding the shows—often a
good distance from home—and by the general support she has afforded to
all who made use of the help she was willing to give.
Whilst in this direction I must not forget Mr. C. H. Jones, who
commenced as a breeder and exhibitor, though his business kept him
away from home a great deal; yet the fever grew upon him until he
started a newspaper called _The Cat Journal_, which, no doubt, is one
of the principal factors in keeping up the interest in the cat in
general. Though on account of Mr. Jones’s other business engagements
it is not possible for him to report shows, he brings out this paper
monthly at great personal cost to himself and with little chance of
profit on anything like a fitting scale at present; so that we may say
that, considering the work of the paper is done after business hours
and is largely supported by his own purse, we cannot help but think
that it is most probable the cat family never found a more
enthusiastic and disinterested devotee in the whole course of its
history. Mr. Jones gave up his exhibition cats, and yet for sheer love
of the race and from motives of pure humanity he still continues to
move heaven and earth for their support, and must always be reckoned
one of the foremost exponents of the cat in America, and one of the
staunchest friends the cat ever had.
Among fanciers in the vicinity of New York must be enumerated Miss A.
L. Pollard, who has imported and bred a few good cats, and has made a
name for herself with “Omar,” by “St. Anthony.” Miss Pollard’s place
is situated at Elizabeth, New Jersey, about fifteen miles from New
York, and so is practically in the metropolitan district. “Purity,”
the white which was so successful in England, and the tortoiseshell
“Woodbine,” are factors in this cattery, which is quite a large one,
and very well-arranged. The crops of kittens have been most
successfully reared and distributed, in fact with more success than
many of our fanciers have been able to show.
Mrs. W. S. Hofstra, the president of the Atlantic Cat Club, lives on
Long Island, the other side of New York, and devotes herself to her
Siamese and Persians, and has had a very decided influence in the
development of the club over which she so ably presides.
The Lindenhurst Cattery at Ridgefield, New Jersey, is also becoming
prominent, and in Brooklyn the Misses Ward have done very good work
and have reared some fine cats and kittens. The keynote of this
establishment has been “Robin,” an orange tabby son of “Persimmon,”
who seems to breed back to his sire, and begets a good many brown
tabbies as well as oranges.
We must not leave New York State without remembering Mrs. F. L.
Norton, of Cazenovia, who has built one of the most beautiful
catteries in America, and has spared no expense or trouble to stock it
with good cats; and here reside “Sussex Timkins,” “Sweetheart,” and
many others known to fame.
Mrs. Champion, now settled at Hart Park, New Brighton, Staten Island,
New York, with her two daughters, is doing a great deal for the cats
of America, and the two Misses Champion will probably have to do for
some time a good deal of the judging for us. Mrs. Champion’s cats did
well at the first New York show at which they made their appearance,
and “Lord Argent,” “Silver Flash,” “Argent Puffy,” “Moonbeam II.,” and
“Lord Sylvester” are becoming household words. “Argent Moonbeam II.”
was best in the show of January, 1903.
Mrs. Gotwalts, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, must not be omitted from
the eastern contingent, for she has the nucleus of a good cattery, and
owns a son of “Blue Boy II.” called “Amesh,” and she has some
“Persimmon” blood in the cattery, and also some of the smoke blood of
the “Backwell” strain obtained from Mrs. Harold James. Mrs. Gotwalts
keeps fine cats, and is very fond of breeding her own, in which she
takes much pride.
Mrs. Brown, of Millerton, New York, has bred and kept cats for some
time, but does not favour the shows much.
[Illustration:
BRUSHWOOD CATTERY.
(_Photo: F. Schnabel, Chicago._)
]
Washington has come to the fore of late, but has not within her
borders many regular breeders outside of Mrs. Hazen Bond, who
exhibited with a good deal of success during the season of 19011902,
and Miss Eleanor Burritt, who most successfully brought to a
termination a good show in Washington in December, 1902; and this
will, no doubt, be followed by others in years to come.
Our travels in search of cats do not take us very far south, for in
these regions the fleas alone make the rearing of cats in anything
like numbers an impossibility. Mrs. B. M. Gladding most pluckily tried
it at Memphis, Tennessee, but has been obliged to give it up, though
she was one of our most promising cat lovers.
The Connecticut cats bid fair to be quite a factor in the American
race for prominence in catty matters, and within the borders of
Connecticut we have to record a few breeders. In 1903 we have a show
at Stamford, Connecticut, which is an important place, and where the
show now begun might assume quite extensive proportions; for at
Stamford are many large country houses, and it is a centre that can
well afford to have the best of everything.
Connecticut has within her borders the possibilities of future
greatness, and is at present emerging from comparative obscurity,
though always having had some good fanciers. Miss Lucy Nicholls was,
for a time, perhaps one of the best, known, but she died in the spring
of 1902. Dr. Frank Abbott is stirring up the fanciers of Connecticut,
and a little while from now there would probably be a good deal more
to say about this region, which holds such breeders as Mrs.
Copperberg, Miss Anna Marks, Mrs. Ida Palmer, and others.
I leave the Maine and the northern division to Mrs. Pierce, who was
born there, and has known this region and its history for many years,
and who can cover it so much better.
Mrs. M. B. Thurston was much missed as an exhibitor, as for a time she
was very successful, but more with cats she bought than with cats she
bred.
Miss K. L. Gage, of Brewster’s, New York, is not now so prominent as
of yore, but still for a time was energetic in disseminating good
cats, and was the owner of the silver tabby “Whychwood,” who bids fair
to leave a name behind him.
The New York show of 1903 revealed to us that we are making steady
progress in long-haired silvers, and the probability is that at the
present time, if we could make up a team of four or five of our best
and take them to England, we should give a good account of ourselves.
At this show the blacks, thanks to recent importations, were much
better than heretofore; and Miss Hurlburt’s “Eddie Fawe,” Dr.
Ottolengui’s “Sir Robert”—a previous winner at the Palace—and Miss
Lincoln’s “Jack Fawe” made a trio that we may be proud of.
The blues were a decided improvement on last year, and so were the
whites; and Miss Pollard had “Purity” and the blue-eyed “Fairy” put
down in splendid shape, and won well.
Orange cats are always pretty popular in America, and are, owing to
Miss Ward and Mrs. Copperberg, coming well up to the front.
[Illustration:
MISS L. C. JOHNSTON’S “PERSIMMON SQUIRREL.”
(_Photo: Finley, Chicago._)
]
In the silvers Mrs. Champion’s “Argent Moonbeam II.” carried all
before him in males, and Mrs. Conlisk took first in queens with
“Silver Belle”—a big one and a good one. The “Blessed Damozel” is
perhaps our best queen, and there is really nothing to beat her in the
female division; but she was not put down for competition, as her
owner does not approve of a four days’ show. Mrs. Mallorie had a big
strong silver—“Silver Glen”—second to “Argent Moonbeam II.” The silver
tabbies are coming along well, and so are the smokes, and one—“The
Dusky Pilgrim,” a son of “The Passionate Pilgrim,” who has been
altered—was sold for £50. “The Passionate Pilgrim,” a very light and
massively built cat, promises to be a great loss to breeders, as he is
an almost complete out-cross, but he has left several good kittens.
Mrs. Mix, who was judging, brought out some beautiful silvers, and her
home-bred “Jack Frost” was a notable cat.
[Illustration:
A RECEPTION ROOM IN A CHICAGO CATTERY.
(_Photo: S. E. Wright, Chicago._)
]
“Arlington Hercules,” the brown tabby, made his first appearance in
New York, and was very much admired. Prices ran high for good cats,
especially smokes and silvers, as these are new to Americans. The blue
colour they are more familiar with from the long acquaintance with the
short-haired blues or Maltese; but there is no denying the fact that
the blues are always dangerous when it comes to judging for specials,
for in their all-round quality they show the care that has been
bestowed upon them in England.
Old “Tortie Diana Fawe” is still our best tortoiseshell, without much
apparent chance of being deposed.
Mr. H. T. Draper—an old Londoner, who has exhibited short-hairs
steadily since 1895—is still with us, and taking prizes as before; he
has been a very steady supporter of the short-hairs for years.
DISTRICT NO. 2.
District No. 2, that we shall consider next, is the city and region of
Chicago, which is not placed second as a matter of its importance, but
simply comes in in chronological order. The first show to be held
there was three years after the first in New York, and was promoted
and managed by Mrs. Leland Norton; and this show was such a decided
success that a club was formed, called the Chicago Cat Club, which
held together for some years, but was in the end dwarfed by its rival
the Beresford Cat Club. This came into being in 1899, and grew to such
dimensions that the club soon numbered over 300 members, and reached
in January, 1902, to the highest place by far of any American cat
club, having at the show in Chicago over 250 cats, which was at least
100 in excess of any show ever held up to that time in America.
Not the least important work done by this club was the inauguration of
a stud book, which has now three volumes, and contains a record of
nearly all of the cats that have been factors in the development of
the fancy in America. No doubt a greater part of the success of the
Beresford Club has been brought about by the energy and management of
Mrs. Clinton Locke, aided by the corresponding secretary (Miss L. C.
Johnstone), and it is impossible to compute the work they have done.
The mass of information collected in the stud books will always be the
basis for the future, and on this may be built the stud book in use by
the whole of America.
The vicinity of Chicago has been the centre of the cat fancy in
America, and in this city and its vicinity there have been more steady
breeders and more people who have selected, bred, and reared the best
cats they could obtain, so that, of course, the shows have been the
biggest and best ever held in America. The one striking feature of the
Chicago shows has always been the white long-haired cats.
Of late another club has started, called the Orange and Cream Club,
which may be said to have had Chicago for its birth-place, and this
club flourishes and prospers.
We can best gauge the Chicago division by looking over the breeders
and taking a glance at the shows, and as I was judge there at the show
of 1901 and also in 1902 I have had the opportunity to make
acquaintance with many of the owners and many of the cats. If we turn
back to the Beresford Cat Club stud book we find among the officers of
the year many of our best known breeders, and I commence with Mrs.
Clinton Locke, the president. It must not be imagined that this was
her first attempt at cat breeding, for she had been a breeder of
long-haired cats for years, and I must say I had heard of Mrs. Locke
many years before I ever had the pleasure of meeting her, and her cats
were well known before the advent of cat shows. Mrs. Locke has made a
name with several colours and breeds, and has imported and bred
Persians, Siamese, Russians, etc., and the last two shows displayed
the fact that she held a strong hand in most of these. “Melrose
Lassie”—a blue sent over in 1900 from England by Miss Frances Simpson,
and who developed into a beautiful quality cat with lovely orange
eyes—was the best at the Chicago show in 1901. This cat the next year
was not shown for competition, and the premier honours went to her
kennel mate “Lupin,” and these two when mated together have produced
several winners. “Lupin” was bred by Miss Beal, and is by “Romaldkirk
Midshipmite” _ex_ “Daisy Belle,” by “Romaldkirk Toga.” “Lupin” was
selected at Romaldkirk by myself when a promising kitten of six
months, and to say that he fulfilled his promise is sufficient, for he
grew in size and stature, and retained his beautiful golden eyes. He
is now owned by Mrs. White.
The winning kitten of the 1901 show was from the two (“Melrose Lassie”
and “Lupin”), and Dr. Ottolengui’s two winning queens in 1902—“Lady
Lola” and “Isis”—are bred from the same two. It is curious to watch
how blood will tell, for in the winning blue male at Washington,
December, 1902, we had some of the same blood again in “Lord Lossie,”
by “Lucullus” _ex_ “Dollie Dutton,” who was by “Persimmon,” “Lucullus”
being a son of “Lupin” _ex_ “Lucy Claire”—late the property of Mrs.
Falconer Sinclair, and known in England as “Baby Flossie.” Among other
celebrities of Mrs. Locke’s cattery were “Lord Gwynne”—the white
imported from England through the kind offices of Mr. A. A. Clarke—and
this cat at once made a name for himself as the sire of “True Blue,”
“Mars,” “Prosper Le Gai,” and many other good cats. “St. Tudno” and
“Blackbird” were two blacks that did well for Mrs. Locke, and “St.
Tudno” sired the winning black in 1902, who very nearly annexed the
prize for best in show. The “Beadle,” another of Mrs. Locke’s blues
that must not be forgotten, was a cat bred by Mrs. Dean, and he did
yeoman service in his time, and has left many promising young ones.
Mrs. Locke has been the owner of good Siamese, and from “Siam” and
“Sally Ward” she bred “Calif” and “Bangkok,” who carried all before
them at the Chicago show of 1902, and were the best pair I have seen
this side the water, and would have given a good account of themselves
anywhere.
Mrs. Locke’s Russians—“Blue Royal” and “Schuyla”—were respectively
obtained from Mr. Towlerton, of Wakefield, and Mrs. Carew Cox, and
have passed into other hands after winning many prizes. Among other
Chicago ladies who have been very prominent in cat breeding for many
years we must not forget Mrs. Cratty, who built up a beautiful strain
of whites from a pair she obtained in Switzerland twelve years ago.
Mrs. Cratty has now given up breeding, finding the rearing of kittens
too great a tax upon her powers; but as a consistent and steady
breeder, instead of simply a buyer and exhibitor of other people’s
efforts, she will be much missed.
Mrs. W. Eames Colburn has at the present time probably one of the
largest and most successful catteries in America. In 1901 she made a
reputation with her cat “Paris,” which was bred by herself, and which,
besides winning in the strongest of company, has been a most
successful and prolific sire of white kittens, a good many of which
have taken honours on the bench. Mrs. Colburn also possesses two very
fine blacks—“Blackthorn,” which she imported from Asia, and
“Blackberry Fawe,” sent to her from England by Miss Frances Simpson.
Many people who have visited the cattery of late are heard to speak
enthusiastically of the quality of the inmates and of the perfection
of the appointments and the way the cattery is fitted up. Miss L. C.
Johnstone, the ever busy secretary of the Beresford Club, has been a
prominent exhibitor, and has taken many honours with “Blue Flash,”
“Persimmon Squirrel,” and “Kew Laddie.” “Blue Flash” grew into a
beautiful cat, taking at the Chicago show, 1902, the special for best
queen in the show.
Mrs. Jerome H. Pratt has usually been an exhibitor at the Chicago
show. She won her championship with “Sir Henry Irving,” a very richly
marked silver tabby by “Whychwood,” who was by “Charlbury Silver
King.” Mrs. Tolman has always been an energetic officer of the
Beresford Club, and is very energetic at the shows, and in cats her
fancy runs to creams, of which she has brought out several winners.
Mrs. L. Nicholson (formerly Mrs. F. Fisk Green) has been a prominent
and good supporter of past Chicago shows.
Mrs. F. W. Story has been known as a successful breeder of orange cats
and some whites, and in having obtained possession of the fine orange
“Hamish” will, no doubt, find herself in a few years in the position
of being a prominent breeder of this colour. “Bunch,” the former stud
cat belonging to this cattery, did good service in his day, and is
responsible for a few winners; but the absence of any details in the
American catalogues of the shows makes it difficult to arrive at a
very accurate estimate of all his performances.
[Illustration:
MRS. E. N. BARKER.
ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE AMERICAN CAT FANCY.
(_Photo: J. Hübner, Rutherford, N.J._)
]
In speaking of Chicago we shall have to include Miss Hazelton, who has
turned out several winners, all descended from “Sapphire,” that she
bought of Mrs. Barker in 1896. Mrs. Fred E. Smith has been one of the
shining lights among the Chicago breeders, and has been a consistent
winner at Chicago shows; she now holds a strong hand in the white
division, and was fortunate enough to pick up on the Pacific coast a
fine male in “Light of Asia,” who was imported from Asia.
“Swampscott,” another good cat, makes his appearance every year, and
usually finds himself in the prize list, and he has the most
fascinating way of turning up in splendid coat at most of the shows.
This cat is a pure Maine cat, if we may so call him; but as an example
of vigour and good health, year after year, he stands pre-eminent.
Mrs. Smith is now building up a strain of silvers of her own
composing, which may be very valuable to the attenuated strains of the
ordinary breeder, who is only too glad to welcome something that will
be an out-cross and will not spoil the silver colour.
Mrs. C. E. S. Blinn is another breeder who is always present at the
shows, and whose cats usually find their way into the prize list. Mrs.
Blinn is a consistent breeder who does not always make herself very
prominent, but she obtains the results on the quiet.
Mrs. Blanche Robinson has bred several of her own prize-winners, and
her black “Othello,” of which we spoke previously, is more than a good
one. The name of Mrs. McKenzie will always be associated with “Prince
of Orange,” whose name will designate his colour, and this cat is a
hard one to beat in any orange class, for he is very rich and deep in
tint.
In 1902 there were two shows held in Chicago by the Beresford Cat
Club, one in December, 1902, or just a month earlier than usual,
really representing what would have been, in the natural course, the
1903 show. This show did not reveal to us any very great changes;
there are a few new home-bred ones, but the principal wins in the
highest of the specials were made by imported cats. The advent of some
nice new whites was welcomed, as usual, and “Toddles” is an addition
to our list of white males, and is a nice cobby sort, bred from “Light
of Asia.” “Little Miss Eiger,” one of Mrs. Cratty’s breeding and own
particular strain, won in the blue-eyed white queens. “Lupin” kept on
his winning career, and took the prize for the best in show once more,
and this, under judges who had never seen him before, seems to endorse
the estimate made of him heretofore. “Melrose Lassie,” shown this year
again for competition, took the first prize in blue queens. Blacks,
taking the open and novice together, came out strongly, and black
seems to be one of our strongest colours. “Prince of Orange” is still
invincible at this show in orange males, and the orange queens are
coming along nicely. Mrs. Sarmiento’s “John Bull,” in much better form
than last year, again sweeps the deck in the silver class. The silver
tabbies still continue to prosper. “Arlington Hercules” went down, for
the first time, at this show, largely on a question of eye colour.
[Illustration:
“SILVER HAIR” AND “TIPTOE.”
OWNED BY MRS. PIERCE.
(_Photo: Howland, Cincinnati._)
]
Smokes in the year gone by have not made much advance in the West, and
this year the cream females outnumber the males, and a descendant of
“Kew Laddie” takes the eye of the public with colour, coat, and
points. Mrs. C. A. White, who in the spring bought “Lupin” and
“Melrose Lassie,” was most successful at this show, and is probably
destined to be one of our successful breeders, and with the
co-operation of her husband (Dr. White), who is very clever with
animals, the assistance she will receive will very largely help to
bring her to the front.
Mrs. White is the lady who is organising a home for deserted dogs and
cats, with a hospital attached, and on a scale and with a foresight
that is certainly remarkable. Considering that Dr. White is the head
of the Veterinary College in Chicago, the benefit that may accrue to
the dogs and cats in the future from the opportunity of humane study
that this will give will be incalculable. This, when put alongside of
the horrible revelations that we are treated to anent vivisection,
may, I hope, have the effect of swinging the balance the other way,
and help to show the rash experimenters that there are people in this
world who recognise the individuality of the animal creation, and that
we who use them for our own ends and have crowded them out of their
place in Nature to a certain extent should at the same time look at
the other side of the picture, and should consider the debt we owe to
them during their short lives—that humanity, practised towards the
dumb animals, is nothing more than their just due.
A great many of the same cats won at Chicago at this last show,
“Lupin” being again best cat in show, and among the younger brigade
the most remarkable was a lovely cream kitten owned by Mrs. Locke,
which is by “Kew Laddie.” “Toodles,” a white son of “Light of Asia,”
was the best white.
DISTRICT NO. 3.
District No. 3, which we shall assign to the Detroit contingent, is
certainly one of our most important. The Detroit fanciers are situated
more in a central position—that is, as regards getting to several
shows a year, for Detroit is accessible to Cleveland, Rochester,
Cincinnati, and Chicago, all of which are good shows; so this gives
the Detroit fanciers the chance to come out at several shows besides
their own in the course of the winter.
At Detroit reside several of our most enterprising and successful
breeders and exhibitors; for the Detroit fancier is not content simply
to stay at home and only take part in the one local show of the year,
but is to be found at a good many, even so far away as New York. In
the list of these we place Mrs. F. J. Sarmiento and Mrs. Dwight
Cutler, who own the well-known cats “Arlington Hercules,” “Bar Abdul,”
“Marriame,” “Dingley Belle,” “Champion Floriana,” “Brownie Pink,” etc.
The history of these and their wins is written on the sands of time
and will not be lost for many years, and they represent the enterprise
of buying and importing the best English strains and taking care of
them.
Mrs. Owen, at the Owena Cattery, has been an important factor at many
shows for the last two years. Mrs. W. M. Chapman is well known to
show-goers, and has won a good many honours, and rather in a way not
too common here—that is, by breeding her own cats. This has been done
with skill and patience; for Mrs. Chapman has selected the parents
with forethought, and has not been one of those who has paid large
sums for breeding stock. The keynote, more or less, of this strain has
been a fine brown tabby obtained from Canada some years ago—viz.
“Prince Rupert,” who goes back in his pedigree to cats owned by Mr. A.
A. Clarke, and also to some imported by Mrs. Cumberland, of Port Hope,
Ontario.
[Illustration:
MISS R. WARD’S “ROBIN.”
(_Photo: Gardner & Co., Brooklyn, N.Y._)
]
Mrs. W. J. Stanton deserves mention in the Detroit list as a breeder
of short-haired orange and tortoiseshells, with and without white, and
I must say I watch this lady’s career with interest, for she has
brought out several winners in her specialities, and is probably
destined to make things interesting in the short-haired division.
Mrs. N. C. Ellis is another of the Detroit breeders likely to be heard
of at show times, and Mr. and Mrs. Franklin have both made a name for
themselves with cats of their own breeding. We must not forget Mrs.
Hemenway, who was the owner of “Royal Bengal,” a fine brown tabby, and
several good orange cats bred by herself.
Cincinnati is our next point of interest, though I have not had the
opportunity of meeting so many of the Ohio breeders as I should like,
but this is destined, I feel sure, to be one of the prominent fancier
sections in the future. In passing through Ohio we must never forget
that Ohio has the two important shows of Cleveland and Cincinnati, and
holds within her gates Mrs. E. R. Pierce, whose tastes run to orange
and creams; Mrs. Chas. McCloud, of Marysville, Ohio; and Mrs. Wagner,
of Sandusky, who brought a very fine lot of long-haired cats to
Cleveland this year. Mrs. Wagner is well known, and has been for some
time a breeder of blacks; her silver tabby “Queenie” was the sensation
of the Cleveland show in 1902, and is destined to win a great deal
more in the future.
Mrs. Ferris has developed a faculty for bringing out good orange and
brown tabby cats. Mrs. C. F. Russell, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, is
also well known. Mr. G. G. Brown, of East Cleveland, Ohio, deserves
more than a passing mention, for though not a cat breeder, he has made
it his business for two years to organise and carry through two of the
best shows in the country at Cleveland, which have been of material
help to the fancy, and did a great deal of good. What cats are kept at
the Brown homestead are short-hairs and some nice Manx, but in other
lines, such as poultry and dogs, Mr. Brown is hard to beat.
[Illustration:
THREE LITTLE GRANDCHILDREN OF “PERSIMMON.”
OWNED BY MRS. HOFSTRA.
(_Photo: Maiceau, New York._)
]
Mrs. D. E. Peters, of North Baltimore, Ohio, has owned quite a few
good cats, including some that came from Romaldkirk, but of late she
has signified her intention of selling out.
Indianapolis, though rather south-westerly, is more in this division,
and contains a good many cats and some breeders, though they have not
been able up to now to come to shows and meet the more northern and
eastern cats. Miss N. H. Wilson, whose prefix is “Spokane,” is well
known; and so is the cattery of Mrs. Ida M. Shirk, who has carried on
the business under the name of the Linden Cattery.
DISTRICT NO. 4.—CANADIAN CATS.
The two pioneers of the cat in Canada—_i.e._ the two who were most
prominent as breeders when I went to the first Canadian shows—were
Mrs. Cumberland, of Port Hope, Ontario, whose prefix or affix of
“Demain” bespeaks her early efforts. Even earlier than Mrs.
Cumberland, the cats belonging to Mr. A. Burland, an Englishman,
attained prominence, and the blood that he brought from England—mostly
from Mr. A. A. Clarke—is now diffused into or among many of our
best-known catteries.
We had a dim suspicion—in fact, more than a dim suspicion—that there
was tucked away in Canada more than one good cat; and so, being in
Toronto, we made an exploration, thanks to the help of Mrs. Ellis and
Mr. Boyd.
Our first visit was to the Pioneer Cattery, where we found the ravages
of gastritis had been severely felt only the week before, and, of
course, some of the very best, including some we had portrayed lately,
had succumbed. The most noted inmate was “Marie,” a cat of good type,
very sound and in good condition, with capital eyes of a good, rich
orange—she should breed something good; and—we hope we can say it
without offending anyone—this cat, old as she is, is the peer of any
brown tabby put down in America last year, and we only hope she will
live to breed one more good litter, which should be retained to
perpetuate the race.
It was only a short walk to Mrs. Mallock’s, who is rejoicing in the
possession of a very cute young black male, capital in style, with a
lovely coat and colour, named “Furzo,” bred by Mr. Empey, of Montreal.
After lunch we drove to see Miss Cox, who has the same nice white male
we saw there six years ago, and he has done yeoman service in the
meantime. “Cadi,” a young brown tabby male, is a year old, and a
credit to any cattery. Miss Cox is also the possessor of a nice white
queen by “Fluff,” who is responsible for some of the good kittens.
We next journeyed to the home of Mrs. Bell, who has one queen and two
very strong kittens. Mrs. Bell, however, intends to strengthen her
cattery soon by the acquisition of some good queens.
Leaving Mr. and Mrs. Bell, we journeyed to the ferry and went over to
the Island, getting a glimpse of the beauties of Toronto and a fine
view of the water front and the suburban attractions. We landed at the
house of Mrs. McAdley, and were introduced to the grandest lot of
brown tabbies we ever remember to have seen, outside, perhaps, Mrs.
Cutler’s, which we should not like to compare, not having seen them.
We may safely say that nothing so good was shown last year as Mrs.
McAdley’s. At the head of the list is “Prince,” a grand old cat,
imported from Ireland seven years ago, and there are few cats extant
to-day, or ever were, that can take his measure. His head is
magnificent, and he is short on the leg, has plenty of bone, grand
colour, no weak colouring around the lips or chin, and, what is more,
he sires the right sort. “Paddy,” his daughter, is the peer of any
brown tabby queen we have seen in the ring for a long time, and we saw
nothing to beat her in England two years ago.
Mrs. Ellis has adopted the kittens, and these will not pass out of
Canada under pretty stiff figures, and wherever they appear in the
show room they will have to be reckoned with by the very best.
We got back to our hotel at 11 p.m., after a most enjoyable day among
enthusiastic and painstaking fanciers, and we had unfortunately to
leave out one house for lack of time. Another cat enthusiast who has
some good Romaldkirk stock to sell—viz. Miss Cottle—journeyed over
from Kingston on purpose to have a catty talk at the dog show. We feel
sure that the Canadian contingent will have to be reckoned with in the
future as breeders, and in brown tabbies are a hard proposition. As
soon as they get hold of some better cats of the other colours they
will be up with us, though we do not see some of the best of the other
colours, notably Miss Cottle’s and the Montreal blacks.
DISTRICT NO. 5.
California is a district by itself, which can never be in active touch
with the east, and the future cat of California may probably be the
Siamese, for the demand for them is growing every day, and the climate
favours them. California is too warm to coat the long-hairs, and the
vermin are too promiscuous in most parts to make the rearing or caring
for the long-hairs a pleasant occupation. Mrs. C. H. Hoag and Mrs. C.
E. Martling have been two of the most energetic in promoting the cat
as a fancy in California, and several shows have been held, but at
present—in the language of the slang—“there is not much doing,” except
in Siamese; so that in taking a look over the past from a high point
and looking down, we cannot say that up to now we can point to many
families or strains that have yet made their mark in America; that is,
a mark that is very conspicuous, for there has not been time. But
still there are signs of strains that will be matters of history, and
there are families that may be called distinctive, because the
descendants win under different judges with sufficient regularity to
make this noticeable.
Some of these I have sketched in my other notes; but probably the most
far-reaching of the families that win in all colours is the “Humbert”
strain, which emanates from Mrs. Barker’s “King Humbert,” imported in
1895. Not only did this cat sire a lot of winners himself, but cats
with the “Humbert” blood to the third and fourth generation, such as
“Prince of Orange,” etc., are still winning all over the country.
Judging by present appearances, the “King of the Silvers” family,
coupled with his sire “Bitterne Silver Chieftain,” is forging to the
front, and is marking out a path of its own as regards winnings in
public. One cat—“The Blessed Damozel,” bred by Mrs. Barker in England,
and by “Champion Lord Southampton” _ex_ “Peggy,” by “Champion Silver
Mist,” is making a big reputation through her children, and the second
generation is now beginning to win as did the first. This blood is
very successful wherever found, and this is, no doubt, largely owing
to the kittens by “King of the Silvers,” though “The Passionate
Pilgrim,” who goes back through his sire to “Whychwood,” is as good as
anything Mrs. Barker has yet produced; and this is saying a good deal,
for she has bred a great many winners in many colours, and the effect
of cats imported or bred by her is seen at every show we go to, and
the ramifications of blood lines spread over America would make a book
in itself.
The very best cats from England will win here every time they are
shown in good trim, and in picking cats for best in show the greater
part of the prizes go to English cats, or to cats bred from English
parents. The crossing of the natives with the English is very
successful in some cases, and, no doubt, the changes of blood will in
the future work to the good of the majority, for in size, shape, and
coat many of the American cats are very good, but fail in type and
quality.
The cat fever in its present form may be said to be so comparatively
new as an industry that it has not been easy to give a comprehensive
view of the whole. Some exhibitors have come up suddenly, and after
seeming to have carried all before them have disappeared as suddenly
as they came, while others have kept on right through, though these
are few by comparison with the great possibilities. We are now passing
through the early days of organisation, and the future is not always
too clear; but, still, I have tried to give the most prominence to
those who have braved the light of day and have supported the shows,
and this, really, is the only practical test of where we any of us
stand. If I were to enumerate all I have heard of, and the many people
who are interested in, the cat in America, there is no doubt but that
a good deal more space than I have at my command would be used two or
three times over; and such is the size of the country that it is only
possible to give a light sketch of the whole; and I do not expect that
I shall, or anyone else could, begin to do justice to, or could in any
way really gauge, the number of people interested in cats in America.
In ten years’ time I expect to see cities that now bring together
perhaps 100 cats, then having shows containing hundreds; for in most
places, even where shows have been held, we have hardly scratched the
surface, and in perhaps only one out of 100 important and possible
towns have we ever had a show. The extent of the possibility of the
future can only be slightly grasped by those who have touched the
fancy, but those of us who have worked for many years at it see signs
of growth now that may increase the fancy as a snowball will grow—the
further you roll it the faster it grows in proportion. We are only
just waking. The future alone can say whether we shall succeed; but we
must face the fact that in America the cat fancy, as a whole, is an
impossibility, and that cats as exhibition cats can only, as a
rule—unless belonging to rich people—meet each other in competition if
within reasonable distance of each other.
[Illustration:
AN AMERICAN BEAUTY.
(_Photo: A. Lloyd, Amsterdam, New York._)
]
JUDGING IN AMERICA.
In 1900, I am not afraid to say, we had not more than two judges
capable of judging a small show correctly all the way through. To-day
we have a great many breeders who could do very fair work, and would
not make many mistakes if the classes were not too big for them. Of
course, the fact must be recognised here, as elsewhere, that a judge
improves with experience, and I hazard the opinion that the fewer cats
he owns the better he may judge, though I personally prefer for my own
stock a judge who has at some time bred the variety. I cannot say that
I have found the judging of cats in America a very difficult matter,
up to now, for classes have been, as a rule, small, and in most cases
the winners stood out well; and though, no doubt, there have been
differences of opinion upon what I have done, I have not had many
qualms of conscience over past doings. The weakest spot in the
American cat shows has been the tendency of owners to over-estimate
the value of their cats in many cases, and the disappointment of
defeat comes sometimes severely upon very enthusiastic people; but
there is no hope for a fancier who cannot suffer defeat and come again
for some more, so I think we need not waste our tears upon these, for
they were never destined to succeed. Want of quality is another weak
spot we have to contend with, and this often comes from the eye not
having been trained to the best. Size as a factor of beauty is another
fetish we have to destroy with a rude hand, but our people are apt
pupils, and those who stay in the game are very anxious to be on the
right track, though it will take some a few years longer to learn the
give and take, to withdraw gracefully, and to admit that there may be
another side to a question. My own position to-day is that I am as
much interested in the fancy as ever, but I do not find the necessity
for doing the work in so severe a manner now, for there are so many
capable of carrying on what has been done, and the future is pretty
well assured; so that for the health of the fancy at large it is
better that too much should not be monopolised by two or three pairs
of hands, and some of us old-timers who began in 1893 and 1894, and
before that, are allowing the younger blood to take its share of the
tasks.
In judging cats, as in other stock, it seems to me that one of the
greatest criterions as to the success of our efforts as judges is the
success in many cases of cats or kittens bred from those we have put
in the front rank. And only time can tell the force of what we have
done. If in the future I see cats doing as well as they are this
season, bred from those I have put in the prize list, and judged by
other judges, then shall I feel repaid for work done in the past, and
not until then can I be sure I have been right. It would be impossible
to go back through the last eight years and their troubles and
experiences, and though in many cases I know I may have been called a
“beast,” I hope posterity will say I was a “just beast.”
[Illustration:
“CHAMPION MISS DETROIT.”
OWNED BY MRS. GROSE AND MRS. OWEN.
(_Photo: D. D. Spellman, Detroit._)
]
It might be as well to refer to the score card to show where in cases
such as we have had to contend with it has done a great deal of good.
One hundred points make perfection, and the question arose in one’s
mind before using the score card as to whether the budding exhibitor
would be for ever crushed by finding that the cherished one came out
of the score card ordeal with about 75 points instead of the possible
100; so that when it has been selected by a club for a show I have
warned the owners of the danger; but to the everlasting credit of our
fanciers I may say that I have not had to register a kick because of a
low score, and many—even novices—were more than pleased with a score
of eighty. If I may point out a failing in English judging—and we see
the same thing here in the dog fancy—the criticism is left to the
reporter, who has not the time or the opportunity for finding the real
faults nor the space at command to do justice to the exhibits.
The task of explaining to exhibitors why their animals have lost is
not an agreeable one; but in a land like this, where nearly all have
been beginners, this has been an absolute necessity, and the dose must
be swallowed or no progress is made, and, as in the case of the score
card, no doubt the having to give a reason is likely to keep us from
giving prizes to one point at the expense of all the rest. Two great
factors we have had to consider here are type and quality, the two
weakest points in our cats; and if we had run to extremes in eye
colour we should have made no progress in type or perhaps quality.
Great stress has been laid upon markings in tabby cats, with very good
results, and we are rapidly accumulating a good lot of
tabbies—especially in the Detroit district, where tabbies are popular,
which is a thing to be grateful for. We have never thought it well
here to discourage the orange tabbies for the sake of unmarked orange,
and we have some very good orange tabbies whose number is on the
increase; and if the plain orange can range up beside the orange
tabbies, all well and good. But I shall be an advocate, if there is a
danger of one hurting the other, of making separate classes, for we do
not want to drive out the good orange tabbies, which are very popular,
and the average American who loves an orange cat at the present moment
does not care whether it is marked or unmarked.
Cats with white hair are much in favour, as is the case with Madame
Ronner and the Continental fanciers; and, if so, there seems to be no
reason for discouraging them, and we may as well first make up our
minds to the fact that, in trying to force English ideas down the
throats of the people of another country with too violent a hand, we
may do a lasting injury to the fancy at large.
[Illustration:
“THE COMMISSIONER.”
(_Photo: Arthur, Detroit._)
]
Another thing I might refer to, and that is that the average American
exhibitor does not favour giving prizes to long-haired cats when out
of coat, and the strength of the fancy and its future popularity lies
in presenting to the public the cats in their best dress, and this
mostly is the only logical way we can give out the principal prizes
and appeal to the good sense of those who come to see them; for the
general public, when not experts, can only judge from appearance. The
strength in England lies in the fanciers themselves, who have the
opportunity of seeing so much more and of learning. Our future here
lies in being able to gather recruits by presenting the cats to them
in as perfect a form as possible, and therefore we have to depend upon
the public. Our shows have to be in the winter, when the cats are in
coat, and the dangers of exposure to the weather are very great, all
of which is a good deal to the disadvantage of the fancier.
MALTESE CATS.
A great deal of interest has been taken in England in the subject of
blue cats in America, which are often called Maltese, and really among
the rank and file of the public this is the name they go by. So
celebrated had some strains become that off-coloured cats bred from
these cats are sometimes called Maltese, and the idea seemed to have
gained considerable ground that this was a separate breed; but
evidence of this fact is very much lacking in most parts, and in
travelling over a good deal of the country and finding them thousands
of miles apart, I must confess that I have never been able to trace
the origin of these cats nor to find out any reason for their numbers.
I have been led to think that they are the same, or were the same, in
the beginning as the blue Russian or Archangel cat, and that they were
brought to this country many years ago, and that the name was given
them by sailors or others. The tradition possibly has been handed down
in the same way as the name of Angora has remained fastened to the
long-hairs with the average public here, and will be many more years
in dying, for the band of fanciers who know better is but a drop in
the bucket in this great land. No doubt the name of Maltese moved with
the cat to the west as families moved, for in the case of native-born
Americans the migration west has been often gradual: thus some moved,
we will say, as far as Ohio, their sons and daughters moved to
Illinois, and the next generation went still further, and the
much-prized Maltese cat drifted on with his name.
Probably a good many of the so-called Maltese are just blue specimens
of the ordinary short-haired cat; and, in fact, there has never been
anyone of my acquaintance who had any ideas as to points or type; but
the colour was the feature to be looked at. We find Maltese cats of
the short and cobby type besides the long and more extended species,
but the latter predominate, and I am inclined to agree with some
English judges that the fairly long cats with a cleaner cut head are
the purer type of blue cat. On some, when judging, I find very good
heads with clean-cut features, round, well-developed cheeks, with
fairly long bodies, very even in colour. No doubt the preponderance of
blue cats before the advent of the cat shows was largely owing to the
selection of blue kittens in the litters, which left a great many blue
sires to roam the streets by night and sire blue kittens.
In many cases I have found families who had never heard of cat shows
that had strains of blue or Maltese cats, and took pride in keeping
the strain as pure as possible. And one great factor is that the blues
have always had the name of being excellent mousers, and were valued
as such. Besides this supposed strong point in their composition, they
have always had a reputation for great intelligence and of being
good-tempered and reliable about the house with children and young
folk.
Like the Plymouth Rock fowl, the Maltese cat has been one of the
institutions of the American continent, and there seems to be some
ground for believing the original tradition connected with the name
Maltese—that the Maltese cat came from the East and was treasured as
something out of the common, and fell among friends. Some are light
and some are dark, and some have the white spot on the chest, but on
most there is not much evidence of tabby markings; neither do you see
this in the young kittens in the same way as the Russians are said to
be at an early age. I have seen five and six pure light blue kittens
in a litter, and the father and mother were both of the same colour.
In quite out-of-the-way places you will, upon going to judge the
short-hairs, find some blues, and often with deep brown eyes; and if I
were to make a comparison between the average American blue and what I
saw in England as Russians, I should say the American cats are mostly
lighter in colour, and do not have quite so glossy coats. Perhaps if
taken up and selected for a few generations, these features would come
out more strongly.
One of the worst features of the popularity of the Maltese, from the
point of view of the breeder of long-hairs, has been that the blue
colour has been so common that when the blue Persian was introduced he
was not, in this country, considered peculiar. Among the Maine cats,
so-called, the blue or Maltese colour was not at all uncommon, and
plenty of this colour are to be found. Some people who bred them
obtained their stock from Paris, and no doubt the Chartreuse blue of
olden times had a good deal to do with many of these.
The oldest blue cat I ever saw was one reared on a farm; he had always
lived out of doors, more or less, and was the farm cat. His age was
twenty-four years, and as he was born at the same time as the oldest
son, who was also twenty-four years old, the evidence was pretty good
that the age was correct.
It must not be supposed from this that blue cats are so numerous as to
overshadow other colours in North America, for we have short-hairs in
all the common colours, and lots of them; but, still, the fact is
pretty evident that short-haired blues have been a popular colour for
a long time, and there are so many that everyone, whether cat fancier
or not, is quite used to the colour. The native-born American, as a
rule, calls this cat the Maltese, and the name, as I said before, will
cling for many a day to come. In judging these cats, I must say that
the proportion of small or short, round-headed cats is small, and that
these—in America, at least—are not the most common type of blue cat;
and I, personally, in judging have usually inclined to the more
lengthy cat with longer face and bigger ears, though I think it is
possible to find plenty without absolutely mean-looking heads. We do
not want a ferret’s head on a cat, for there is a happy medium.
[Illustration:
“AJAX,” BLUE-EYED WHITE.
OWNED BY MR. W. J. STEVENS.
(_Photo: Coleman, Westfield, Mass._)
]
WILD SPECIES.
We cannot leave the American exhibition cats without saying a word
upon the wild species, some of which find their way into the show
rooms on more than one or two occasions. Of course, the cougar or
mountain lion—our biggest species—is out of court on account of his
size; but still, if history is to be believed, this fine animal was
never injurious to man, and has not been known in recent times to
attack man, though he is fitted by size and strength to do a great
deal of damage. The next in order is the lynx, and though this animal
is pictured as very fierce, there is as much evidence to show, in
other ways, that if taken young and domesticated, the lynx is amenable
to reason and is very intelligent, full of humour, and not afflicted
with excessive nervousness. I have seen specimens exhibited, and one
in particular that was the constant playmate of a little child; and
this cat spent four days in a show playing most of the time with all
the children that came along, and was the coolest and most unconcerned
cat in the hall. Evidently the lynx shares the great brain power of
the cat family which those who are well acquainted with cats are
willing to concede to them, added to a calmness of temperament foreign
to some of our so-called domesticated breeds that ought to have
inherited by now, perhaps, more _savoir faire_ under show conditions.
When on a ranch in the wilds with a few cats and dogs, where quarters
were limited, I could never see that there was a natural antipathy
between cats and dogs, for the bitches would rear kittens and _vice
versâ_, and the friendship was great between them—so much so that they
would play together for hours, and there was no danger in leaving dogs
and cats together, shut up in the house, when we were absent. In later
times I have had twenty cats or more running around with as many dogs,
and never had a cat killed, and only two or three occasions when any
trouble started. The supposed antipathy between cat and dog seems to
be an acquired taste in a certain measure, and personally I do not
believe in the antipathy being natural or a fact, for the two will
live together in peace if not set upon each other by man.
From a few observations I believe the lynx is capable of
domestication; of course, his size precludes his being numerous, but
in this variety there are possibilities as yet not sufficiently tried
out.
[Illustration:
MRS. CLARENCE HOUCK’S CATTERY, “ORCHARD RIDGE,” NEW SCOTLAND, N.Y.
]
Of other cats, in contradistinction to this, we may mention that
beautiful cat the ocelot. This cat is fairly plentiful, and is not
very difficult to obtain when young; and though they are so handsome
and can be reared and left to run about the house till a year old, as
they arrive at maturity they become what the ladies call “impossible.”
The ocelot with increasing age grows hopelessly savage, and will kill
anything put in his cage that he is capable of handling, and even to
his keeper he is a problem. This evidence is not hearsay, but is from
one who tried for a long time to do something with these beautiful
animals. They are, when in condition, one of our handsomest specimens
of the cat tribe.
One of the most fascinating little cats I ever judged was a little
Marguay cat from Brazil, exhibited by the Zoological Society of
Chicago, and though quite small and delicate-looking, it seemed
perfectly healthy, and, as in the case of the lynx, was as tame and
affectionate as possible, and seemed delighted to be noticed and
handled. I cannot help thinking that if obtainable and kept pure this
would make one of the most beautiful of exhibition cats. Small, of a
reddish-brown colour, and clearly spotted all over, with beautifully
shaped and small ears, which are black-and-white, this cat is gentle,
sweet, sizeable, and possible as a pet. I have never seen it excelled
by anything among the cat tribe; and having handled this cat a good
many times during the show, I may say it was one of the tamest and
best-natured cats I ever came across in the show room, and certainly
the most beautiful short-haired cat possible to imagine.
On one or two occasions we have had Australian cats exhibited, and
they were funny little beasts, sitting up like a squirrel, and with
much the same shape of head. When genuine they are most quaint, but do
not seem to live long here. A very clever fake was carried out with
these cats at some of the early shows—or, rather, I should not say
with these cats, but an imitation of these cats. When the supply
became limited, someone became clever enough to augment the number by
shaving the long and ragged native short-hairs, and so well was it
done that they not only won prizes, but on one occasion one was bought
by a judge after winning, when to his purchaser’s disgust a month or
two later he turned out to be an ordinary yellow tom with his coat on!
The Australian cat fell into disfavour after a few of these
experiences, and it has not been possible to resuscitate him.
We often hear of the Pampas cat of South America being in certain
catteries, but so far at the shows none have been produced, and I am
inclined to think these also are of the impossible brigade on account
of their savage disposition. It is a pity that some enterprising
fancier does not try to tame these wild species.
[Illustration:
MRS. CHARLES A. WHITE.
AN AMERICAN CAT FANCIER.
(_Photo: Bolls, Chicago_)
]
SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN AMERICA.
Our English readers will, no doubt, wonder at a good many things we do
in America; but, never having had the experience of our conditions,
they would not be able to appreciate what it is that keeps the fancy
back. In the first place, on this continent anything except poultry
shows and dog shows is an unknown quantity, and many of those who take
up the cat fancy with enthusiasm are perfectly innocent of any show
experiences, and have few to teach them; so that until a show or two
has been held in a certain neighbourhood our affairs are apt to be a
little mixed. For instance, the common idea of a tortoiseshell cat is
as often as not a heavily marked tabby of the brown tabby persuasion,
or it may be an orange tabby, or it may be a mixture of many colours.
Until a show has been held in a town, very few of the inhabitants know
whether they have good cats or not, and they are as likely to bring
the bad as the good. The idea has prevailed to a large extent that it
is very expensive to get up shows, and so the only opportunity made
use of has been when a poultry show is being held and the promoters of
this are asked for a little space, which they may grant, as the cats
are found to be very conducive to a gate; but the drawback of this
arrangement is that in most cases the poultry people want to make as
much money as possible, and so keep the cats penned for four or five
days, which in many cases means death to the cats.
The cost of the hall being so great, and the prize money being
consequently kept down to try to balance things, with the entry fees
also put away up, which, all added to the travelling long distances
and the added expense of hotel bills, makes the lot of the American
cat exhibitor not too rosy, and it is something to wonder at that the
fancy has ever developed at all.
Distance from place to place is another factor, and when you read in
England of the New York and then the Chicago show the week after, you
hardly realise that they are 1,000 miles apart, and that if living in
New York and you want to show in Chicago it may cost you £20 in
travelling expenses alone.
Another thing show committees have to face is the expense of the
judge, and the difficulty of finding suitable sires within reasonable
distance is one of the many drawbacks with which American fanciers
have to contend.
[Illustration:
“THE BLESSED DAMOZEL.”
OWNED AND BRED BY MRS. E. N. BARKER.
(_Photo: Jos. Hübner, Rutherford, N.J._)
]
[Illustration:
“TOBEY,” A MAINE TRICK CAT.
OWNED BY MISS CHAPLE.
]