The book of the cat

The origin of the cat has puzzled the learned, and the stock from whence it sprang is still, in the opinion of some, a mystery for the zoologist to solve.

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 n...

In the care, management, and feeding of cats no hard-and-fast rule can be laid down, for the dispositions and constitutions of these animals differ just as much as do those of h...

The proper housing of valuable stock is the first essential subject to be studied by the beginner in the cat fancy, and one requiring both careful thought and attention. For I d...

Amongst cat fanciers there is a laudable ambition not only to breed good stock but to exhibit it. Certainly there is vastly more gratification and satisfaction in obtaining high...

Before entering upon the distinctive breeds of cats, of which I propose to treat fully in the ensuing chapters, I would draw attention to the accompanying diagram of a cat, and...

In classing all long-haired cats as Persians I may be wrong, but the distinctions, apparently with hardly any difference, between Angoras and Persians are of so fine a nature th...

Before entering upon a description of the various breeds, it may be interesting to my readers to give a short account, with illustrations (photographs for which have been specia...

Never have these truly handsome cats received the amount of admiration and attention which they deserve. There are fewer breeders of black Persians than of any other variety, th...

A great change has taken place of late years in the quantity and quality of these beautiful cats, for whereas formerly blue eyes were considered quite a rarity, now it is seldom...

A famous publisher once gave the following advice to a young author: “Never take it for granted that your readers have any previous knowledge of your subject, but credit them wi...

Perhaps no breed or variety of cat has been so much thought about, talked about, and fought about in the fancy as the silver or chinchilla Persian. If blues are a new variety, t...

There can be no question that a really good silver tabby will carry off the palm even from the most exquisite unmarked silver cat, and in this assertion I feel I have the suppor...

It is only within recent years that smoke Persian cats have really come into notice at all, and even now these lovely cats may be said to be sadly neglected in the fancy. It was...

In the short-haired varieties, these cats are sometimes called red tabbies; but I do not think the term gives such a true idea of the correct tone of colour, which should be jus...

This may be said to be the very latest variety in Persian breeds, and one which bids fair to become very fashionable. The term “cream” describes exactly what is the desired tint...

Many years ago, when I first took up the cat fancy, I used to think tortoiseshells ugly and commonplace, and I am afraid even now I have not that admiration for the breed which...

These cats, both long- and short-haired, have always had a great fascination for me. One of my first Persian pets was a tortoiseshell-and-white, with a gorgeous coat, stand-out...

My first prize-winning kitten was a brown tabby, exhibited many years ago at the Crystal Palace. He became my stud cat “Rajah,” called after an Indian prince who was visiting us...

In the early days of the fancy all sorts and conditions of cats were entered in this class. Blacks, whites, and tabbies were considered important enough to have classes assigned...

It has been my experience in the past year or two that the demand for neuter cats, or, in other words, household pet pussies, is on the increase; and I am inclined to believe th...

These quaint cats are rapidly and surely coming into notice in the fancy. As a breed they are intelligent and affectionate, and, I believe, splendid sporting cats. They are undo...

I have often remarked at our cat shows that strangers in the fancy will inquire and ask to be directed to the Siamese class, and many and varied are the exclamations of surprise...

If a census could be taken of the cats in England, or even in London, I suppose the proportion of short-haired cats to long-haired cats would be about ten to one. In the cat fan...

As regards points, these are the same as in the long-haired varieties. I give a list as drawn up by a sub-committee of the Cat Club for the use of fanciers and judges:—

It is not intended in the following notes to enter into a description of the various beautiful and interesting wild felines, for although some of these—such as the Ocelot, the G...

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 feas...

From my earliest recollection I have had from one to several long-haired cats of that variety often called Maine cats. As to how and when they came, I would say, like Topsy, the...

All lovers of the cat who are also amateur photographers must have seen with envious admiration the lovely cat pictures by Madame Ronner, the more racy and amusing sketches by L...

It may truly be said that the subject most interesting to cat fanciers is the successful rearing of kittens, and pages might be written on what to do and what not to do in order...

There is no doubt that by judicious cross-breeding new colours could be produced, and I think that they will be produced in time. I have seen a chocolate-brown cat and a yellow...

At a very remote period in the history of animal life when the struggle for existence was rife, the carnivorous and predaceous animals (to which the existing cat belongs) occupi...