CATS AND THE CAT FANCY IN AMERICA 1880S TO 1903

Although cats (mostly Maine Cats) had been shown at agricultural shows, cat fancying as a hobby was imported from Britain. Persian cats were imported into America from Britain, although many failed to survive the transatlantic voyage or arrived in poor shape and never fully recovered. A major difference in America was distance which meant the big cat shows were 3, or even 4, days long compared to comparable British shows which were 2 days (because of travel time). This meant that American shows were regional, rather than national, and Simpson and contributors to her work discuss the American cat fancies on a region-by-region basis. Simpson saw cat fancying as spreading westwards from America's east coast; this had good transatlantic shipping links and there was a thriving trade in exporting good quality cats from England (then the world capital of the cat breeding hobby) to New York to improve the American bloodlines. The trade was evidently one way with American-bred cats seen as vastly inferior to those bred in Britain - not until comparatively recently did America's native Maine Coon reach British shores!

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 [R F] 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 being held in the Madison Square Garden, New York, on May 8^th, 1895. This show was organised by Mr James T Hyde, and 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 [Fahrenheit] - 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 frost! Part of the judging was done - and well done - by the late Dr Huiderkoper, 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 cat, 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. All 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 over-estimated 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 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 Rackha, 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.

Miss Lincoln, of Worcester, Massachusetts, has done 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, or 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 on 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 [i.e. impartial] 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," and 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 no 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 Silvester" 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 sone 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.

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 1901-1902, 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 very much missed as an exhibitor, as for a time she was very successful, but more with cats she bought than with cats she bred. Mrs K L Gage, of Brewster', 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 importation, 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.

In the silvers Mrs Champion's "Argent Moonbeam II" carried all before him in males, and Mrs Conlisk took first in queens [females] with "Silver Belle" - big one and a good one. The "Blessed Damozel" is perhaps our best queen, and there is 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 outcross, 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.

"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 of 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 - a old Londoner, who 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, that we shall consider next, is the city and region of Chicago, which is not places second as a matter of importance, but simply comes 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 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 o 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 se 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 "Ronaldkirk Midshipmite" ex "Daisy Belle," by "Ronaldkirk Toga." "Lupin" was selected at Ronaldkirk 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, 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 "Lady 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 of the water, and would have given a good account of themselves anywhere.

Mrs Locke's Russians - "Blue Royale" and "Schuyla" - were respectively obtained from Mr Towerton, 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 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 Flahs" 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 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 very difficult to arrive at a very accurate estimate of all his performance.

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 very good cat, makes his appearance every year, and usually finds himself on 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 cal 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 and outcross 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 that 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 impoted 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.

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 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 the world who recognise the individuality of the animal creation, and that we 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, 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.

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 thisis 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. 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.

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, or 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, and Englishman, attained prominence, and the blood that he brought from England - mostly from Mrs 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 and 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 has been severely felt only the week before, and, of course, some of the very best, including some we has 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 show 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 pm, 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 Mrs 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.

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 nothing 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 I 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 thrid 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 a path of its own as regards winning 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 [note: unsurprising since they were being judged against English standards!]. 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 he 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 in 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.

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 not 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 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 in 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."

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 forever 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 not 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 car, 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 out 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 the 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 is 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.

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 principle 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.

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 with 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 [note: breeders of domestic cats were selecting for type and colour, not for temperament, so savoir faire was not being bred into their cats!].

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 versa, 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 where 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.

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 [sic] 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 else 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 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.

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 b able to appreciate what it is that keeps the fancy back. In the first place, on this continent anything except dog shows and poultry 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 realist 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.

Mrs. Locke’s chinchillas are the finest ones in this country. Atossa, the mother cat, has a wonderful litter of kittens. She was bred to Lord Argent, one of the three celebrated stud chinchillas in England. She arrived in this country in July, and ten days after gave birth to her foreign kittens. One of the kittens has been sold to Mrs. Dr. Forsheimer, of Cincinnati, and another to Mrs. W. E. Colburn, of South Chicago. The others Mrs. Locke will not part with at any price.

Smerdis, the grand chinchilla male brought over as a future mate for Atossa, is a royal cat. He looks as though he had run away from Bengal, but, like all of Mrs. Locke’s cats, he is gentle and loving. He is the son of Lord Southampton, the lightest chinchilla stud in England (N. C. C. S. B. 1690), and his mother is Silver Spray, No. 1542. His maternal grandparents are Silver King and Harebell, and his great-grandparents Perso and Beauty, - all registered cats. On his father’s side a pedigree of three generations can be traced. One of her more recent importations is Lord Gwynne’s mate, Lady Mertice, a beautiful long-haired cat with blue eyes. Other famous cats of hers have been Bettina, Nora, Do; Vashti, Marigold, Grover, and Wendell.

One of Mrs. Locke’s treasures is a bona fide cat mummy, brought by Mrs. Locke from Egypt. It has been verified at the Gizeh Museum to be four thousand years old.

It is fully twenty-five years since Mrs. Locke began to turn her attention to fine cats, and when she imported her first cat to Chicago there was only one other in the United States. That one was Mrs. Edwin Brainard’s Madam, a wonderful black, imported from Spain. Her first long-haired cat was Wendell, named for the friend who brought him from Persia, and his descendants are now in the Lockehaven Cattery. Queen Wendella is one of the most famous cats in America today, and mother of the beautiful Lockehaven Quartette. These are all descended from the first Wendell. The kittens in the Lockehaven Quartette went to Mrs. S. S. Leach, Bonny Lea, New London, Ct.; Miss Lucy Nichols, Ben Mahr Cattery, Waterbury, Ct.; Miss Olive Watson, Warrensburg, Pa.; and Mrs. B. M. Gladding, at Memphis, Tenn. Mrs. Locke’s Lord Argent, descended from Atossa and the famous Lord Argent, of England, is a magnificent cat, while her Smerdis is the son of the greatest chinchillas in the world. Rosalys II, now owned by Mr. C. H. Jones, of Palmyra, N. Y., was once her cat, and was the daughter of Rosalys (owned by Miss Nichols, of Waterbury, Ct.), who was a grand­daughter of the famous Bluebeard, of England. These, with the beautiful brown tabby, Crystal, owned by Mr. Jones, have all been prize winners. Lucy Claire is a recent importation, who won second and third prizes in England under the name of Baby Flossie. She is the daughter of Duke of Kent and Topso, of Merevale. Her paternal grandparents are Mrs. Herring’s well-known champion, Blue Jack, and Marney. The maternal grandparents are King Harry, a prize winner at Clifton and Brighton, and Fluff.

Mrs. Locke’s cats are all imported. She has sometimes purchased cats from Maine or elsewhere for people who did not care to pay the price demanded for her fine kittens, but she has never had in her own cattery any cats of American origin. Her stock, therefore, is probably the choicest in America. She always has from twenty to twenty-five cats, and the cat-lover who obtains one of her kittens is fortunate indeed. A beautiful pair of blacks in Mrs. Locke’s cattery have the most desirable shade of amber eyes, and are named "Blackbird" and "St. Tudno"; she has also a choice pair of Siamese cats called "Siam" and "Sally Ward."

Mrs. Josiah Cratty, of Oak Park, has a cattery called the "Jungfrau Katterie," and her cats are remarkably beautiful. Her Bartimaeus and True Blue are magnificent white cats, sired by Mrs. Locke’s Lord Gwynne.

Miss L. C. Johnstone, of Chicago, has some of the handsomest cats in the country. Cherie is a wonderful blue shaded cat; Lord Humm is a splendid brown tabby; while Beauty Belle is an exceedingly handsome white cat. Miss Johnstone takes great pains with her cats, and is rewarded by having them rated among the best in America. Some of the beautiful cats which have been sent from Chicago to homes elsewhere are Teddy Roosevelt, a magnificent white, sired by Mrs. W. E. Colburn’s Paris, and belonging to Mrs. L. Kemp, of Huron, S. Dak.; Silver Dick, a gorgeous buff and white, whose grandmother was Mrs. Colburn’s Caprice, and who is owned by Mrs. Porter L. Evans, of East St. Louis; Toby, a pure white with green eyes, owned by Mrs. Elbert W. Shirk, of Indianapolis; and Amytis, a chinchilla belonging to Mrs. S. S. Leach, of New London, sired by Mrs. Locke’s Smerdis, and the daughter of Rosalys II.

Miss Cora Wallace, of East Brady, Pa., has Lord Ruffles, son of the first Rosalys and The Beadle, formerly Bumble Bee. Mrs. Fisk Greene, of Chicago, now owns a beautiful cat in Bumble Bee, and another in Miss Merrylegs, a blue with golden eyes, the daughter of Bumble Bee and Black Sapho. The Misses Peacock, of Topeka, have a pair of whites called Prince Hilo and Rosebud, the latter having blue eyes. Mrs. Frederick Monroe, of Riverside, Illinois., owns a remarkable specimen of a genuine Russian cat, a perfect blue of extraordinary size. Miss Elizabeth Knight, of Milwaukee, has a beautiful silver tabby, Winifred, the daughter of Whychwood, Miss Kate Loraine Gage’s celebrated silver tabby, of Brewster, N. Y. The most perfect "lavender blue" cat belongs to Miss Lucy E. Nichols, of Waterbury, Ct., and is named Roscal. He has beautiful long fur, with a splendid ruff and tail, and is a son of Rosalys and The Beadle.

Mrs. Leland Norton has a number of magnificent cats. It was she who adopted Miss Frances Willard’s "Tootsie," the famous cat which made two thousand dollars for the temperance cause. Miss Nella B. Wheatley has very fine kennels, and raises some beautiful cats. Her Taffy is a beautiful buff and white Angora, which has been very much admired. Her cats have been sold to go to many other cities. Speaking from her own experience Miss Wheatley says, "Raising Angoras is one of the most fascinating of employments, and I have found, when properly taken care of, they are among the most beautiful, strong, intelligent, and playful of all animals."

Mrs. W. E. Colburn is another very successful owner of cat kennels. She has had some of the handsomest cats in this country, among which are "Paris," a magnificent white cat with blue eyes, and his mother, "Caprice," who has borne a number of wonderfully fine pure white Angoras with the most approved shade of blue eyes. Her cattery is known as the "Calumet Kennel," and there is no better judge of cats in the country than Mrs. Colburn.

So much has been said of the cats which were "mascots" on the ships during the Cuban War that it is hardly necessary to speak of them. Tom, the mascot of the Maine, and Christobal have been shown in several cities of the Union since the war.

The most beautiful collection of brown tabbies is owned by Mr. C. H. Jones, of Palmyra, N. Y., who has the "Crystal Cattery." Crystal, the son of Mrs. E. M. Barker’s "King Humbert," is the champion brown tabby of America, and is a magnificent creature, of excellent disposition and greatly admired by cat fanciers everywhere. Mona Liza, his mate, and Goozie and Bubbles make up as handsome a quartet of this variety as one could wish to see. Goozie’s tail is now over twelve inches in circumference. Mr. Jones keeps about twenty fine cats in stock all the time.

The most highly valued cat in America is Napoleon the Great, whose owner has refused four thousand dollars for him. A magnificent fellow he is too, with his bushy orange fur and lionlike head. He is ten years old and weighs twenty-three pounds, which is a remarkable weight in a male cat, only gelded ones ordinarily running above fifteen pounds. Napoleon was bred by a French nobleman, and was born at the Château Fontainebleau, near Paris, in 1888. He is a pure French Angora, which is shown by his long crinkly hair - so long that it has to be frequently clipped to preserve the health and comfort of the beautiful creature. This clipping is what causes the uneven quality of fur which appears in his picture. His mother was a famous cat, and his grandmother was one of the grandest dams of France (no pun intended). The latter lived to be nineteen years old, and consequently Napoleon the Great is regarded by his owners as a mere youth. He has taken first prizes and medals wherever he has been exhibited, and at Boston, 1897, won the silver cup offered for the best cat in the exhibition.

Another fine cat belonging to Mrs. Weed, is Marguerite, mother of Le Noir, a beautiful black Angora, sired by Napoleon the Great and owned by Mrs. Weed. Juno is Napoleon’s daughter, born in 1894, and is valued at fifteen hundred dollars. When she was seven months old her owners refused two hundred dollars for her. She is a tortoise-shell and white French Angora, and a remarkably beautiful creature. All these cats are great pets, and are allowed the freedom of the house and barns, although when they run about the grounds there is always a man in attendance. Six or seven thousand dollars’ worth of cats sporting on the lawn together is a rich sight, but not altogether without risk.

Mrs. Fabius M. Clarke’s "Persia," a beautiful dark chinchilla, is one of the finest cats in this country. She began her career by taking special and first prizes at Fastmay’s Cat Show in England, as the best long-haired kitten. She also took the first prize as a kitten at Lancashire, and at the National Cat Show in New York in 1895. She was bred in England; sire, King of Uhn; dam, Brunette, of pure imported Persian stock. Mrs. Clarke brought her home in January, 1895, and she is still worshipped as a family pet at her New York home. "Sylvio" was also brought over at the same time. He was a beautiful long-haired male silver tabby, and bred by Mrs. A. F. Gardner. Sylvio was sired by the famous Topso of Dingley (owned by Miss Leake), famous as the best long-haired tabby in England. Sylvio’s mother was Mimidatzi, whose pedigree is given in the previous chapter. "Mimi’s" sire was the champion Blue Boy the Great, whose mother was Boots of Bridgeyate, whose pedigree is also given in the extract from the stud book. Sylvio took a first prize at the New York Show, 1895, but unfortunately was poisoned before he was a year old. This seems the greater pity, because he had a remarkably fine pedigree, and gave promise of being one of the best cats America has yet seen.

Persia is a handsome specimen of the fine blue chinchilla class. She is quiet, amiable, and shows her high breeding in her good manners and intelligence. Her tail is like a fox’s brush, and her ruff gladdens the heart of every cat fancier that beholds her. She is an aristocratic little creature, and seems to feel that she comes of famous foreign ancestry. Mrs. Clarke makes great pets of her beautiful cats, and trains them to do many a cunning trick.

Another cat which has won several prizes, and took the silver bowl offered for the best cat and litter of kittens in the 1895 cat show of New York is Ellen Terry, a handsome orange and white, exhibited by Mrs. Fabius M. Clarke. At that show she had seven beautiful kittens, and they all reposed in a dainty white and yellow basket with the mother, delighting the hearts of all beholders. She now belongs to Mrs. Brian Brown, of Brooklyn. She is a well-bred animal, with a pretty face and fine feathering. One of the kittens who won the silver bowl in 1895 took the second prize for long-haired white female in New York, in March, 1896. She is a beautiful creature, known as Princess Dinazarde, and belongs to Mrs. James S. H. Umsted, of New York.

Sylvia is still in Mrs. Clarke’s possession, and is a beautiful creature, dainty, refined, and very jealous of her mistress’s affection. Mrs. Clarke also owns a real Manx cat, brought from the Isle of Man by Captain McKenzie. It acts like a monkey, climbing up on mantels and throwing down pictures and other small objects, in the regular monkey spirit of mischief. It has many queer attributes, and hops about like a rabbit. She also owns Sapho, who was bred by Ella Wheeler Wilcox from her Madame Ref and Mr. Stevens’s Ajax, an uncommonly handsome white Angora.

The sire of Topso and Sylvia was Musjah, owned by Mr. Ferdinand Danton, a New York artist. He was a magnificent creature, imported from Algiers in 1894; a pure blue Persian of uncommon size and beautiful coloring. Musjah was valued at two hundred dollars, but has been stolen from Mr. Danton. Probably his present owner will not exhibit him at future cat shows.

Ajax is one of the finest white Angoras in this country. His owner, Mr. D. W. Stevens, of Westfield, Mass., has refused five hundred dollars for him, and would not consider one thousand dollars as a fair exchange for the majestic creature. He was born in 1893, and is valued, not only for his fine points, but because he is a family pet, with a fine disposition and uncommon intelligence. At the New York show in 1895, and at several other shows, he has won first prizes. One of his sons bids fair to be as fine a cat as Ajax. This is Sampson, bred by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, from Madame Ref, and owned by Mrs. Brian Brown. Mr. Stevens has a number of other high-bred cats, one of whom is Raby, a reddish black female, with a red ruff. Another is Lady, who is pure white; and then there are Monkey and Midget, who are black and white Angoras. All of these cats are kept in a pen, half of which is within the barn, and the other half out of doors and enclosed by wire netting. Ajax roams over the house at will, and the others pass some of the time there, but the entire collection, sometimes numbering twenty-five, is too valuable to be given the freedom of all outdoors. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are very fond of cats, and have made a study of them in sickness and health. Some years ago, a malicious raid was made on the pen, and every cat poisoned with the exception of Raby, whose life was saved only by frequent and generous doses of skunk’s oil and milk.

At the first New York show, Miss Ethel Nesmith Anderson’s Chico, an imported Persian, took the second prize, after Ajax, in the pure white, longhaired class. The third prize was won by Snow, another imported Angora, belonging to Mr. George A. Rawson, of Newton, Mass. Snow had already taken a prize at Crystal Palace. He is a magnificent animal. Mr. Rawson owns a number of beautiful cats, which are the pride of his family, and bring visitors from all parts of the country. His orange-colored, long-haired Dandy won first prizes at the Boston shows of 1896 and 1897 in the gelded class. He is beautifully marked, and has a disposition as "childlike and bland" as the most exacting owner could wish. Miss Puff is also owned by Mr. Rawson, and presents him with beautiful white Angora kittens every year. The group of ten white kittens, raised by him in 1896, gives some idea of the beauty of these kittens: although the picture was taken with a high wind blowing in their faces, causing one white beauty to conceal all marks of identification except an ear, and another to hide completely behind his playmates.

Mustapha was entered by Dr. Huidekoper in the first New York show, but not for competition. He was a magnificent brindled Persian gelded cat, six years old, who enjoyed the plaudits of the multitude just as well as though he had taken first prize. He was very fond of his master, but very shy with strangers when at home. He slept on the library desk, or a cushion next his master’s bed whenever he could be alone with the doctor, but at other times preferred his own company or that of the cook.

Another cat that attracted a great deal of attention was Master Pettet’s Tommy, a white Persian, imported in 1889 and valued at five hundred dollars, although no money consideration could induce his owners to part with him. He was brought from the interior of Persia, where he was captured in a wild state. He was kept caged for over a year, and would not be tamed; but at last he became domesticated, and is now one of the dearest pets imaginable. His fur is extremely long and soft, without a colored hair. His tail is broad and carried proudly aloft, curling over toward his back when walking. His face is full of intelligence: his ears well-tipped and feathered, and his ruff a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

King Max, a long-haired, black male, weighing thirteen pounds at the age of one year, and valued at one thousand dollars, took first prizes in Boston in January, 1897, ‘98, and ‘99. He is owned by Mrs. E. R. Taylor, of Medford, Mass., and attracts constant attention during shows. His fur is without a single white hair and is a finger deep; his ruff encircles his head like a great aureole. He is not only one of the most beautiful cats I have ever seen, but one of the best-natured: as his reputation for beauty spreads among visitors at the show, everybody wants to see him, and he has no chance at all for naps. Generally he is brought forward and taken from his cage a hundred times a day; but not once does he show the least sign of ill-temper, and even on the last day of the show he keeps up a continual low purr of content and happiness. Perhaps he knows how handsome he is.

Grover B., the Mascotte, is a Philadelphia cat who took the twenty-five dollar gold medal in 1895, at the New York show, as the heaviest white cat exhibited. He belongs to Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Buchanan, and weighs over twenty pounds. He is a thoroughbred, and is valued at one thousand dollars, having been brought from the Isle of Malta, and he wears a one-hundred-dollar gold collar. He is a remarkable cat, noted particularly for his intelligence and amiability. He is very dainty in his choice of food, and prefers to eat his dinners in his high chair at the table. He has a fascinating habit of feeding himself with his paws. He is very talkative just before meal-times, and is versed in all the feline arts of making one’s self understood. He waits at the front door for his, master every night, and will not leave him all the evening. He sleeps in a bed of his own, snugly wrapped up in blankets, and he is admired by all who know him, not more for his beauty than for his excellent deportment. He furnishes one more proof that a properly trained and well-cared-for cat has a large amount of common sense and appreciation.

Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s tiger cat Dick attracted a great deal of attention at the first New York show. He weighs twenty-two pounds and is three feet long, with a girth of twenty-four inches; and he has attained some degree of prominence in her writings.

A trio of cats that were a centre of attraction at that first show belonged to Colonel Mann, of Town Topics. They were jet black, and rejoiced in the names of Taffy, The Laird, and Little Billee. They took a first prize, but two of them have since come to an untimely end. Colonel Mann is a devoted lover of animals, and has given a standing order that none of his employees shall, if they see a starving kitten on the street, leave it to suffer and die. Accordingly his office is a sort of refuge for unfortunate cats, and one may always see a number of happy-looking creatures there, who seem to appreciate the kindness which surrounds them. The office is in a fifth story overlooking Fifth Avenue: and the cats used to crawl out on the wide window-ledge in summer-time and enjoy the air and the view of Madison Square. But alas! The Laird and Little Billee came to their deaths by jumping from their high perch after sparrows and falling to the pavement below. Now there is a strong wire grating across the windows, and Taffy, a monstrous, shiny black fellow, is the leader in the "Town Topics Colony."

Dr. H. L. Hammond, of Killingly, Ct, makes a speciality of the rare Australian cats, and has taken numerous prizes with them at every cat show in this country, where they are universally admired. His Columbia is valued at six hundred dollars, and his Tricksey at five hundred dollars. They are, indeed, beautiful creatures, though somewhat unique in the cat world, as we see it. They are very sleek cats, with fur so short, glossy, and fine that it looks like the finest satin. Their heads are small and narrow, with noses that seem pointed when compared with other cats. They are very intelligent and affectionate little creatures, and make the loveliest of pets. Dr. and Mrs. Hammond are extremely fond of their unusual and valuable cat family, and tell the most interesting tales of their antics and habits. His Columbia was an imported cat, and the doctor has reason to believe that she with her mate are originally from the Siamese cat imported from Siam to Australia. They are all very delicate as kittens, the mother rarely having more than one at a time. With two exceptions, these cats have never had more than two kittens at a litter. They are very partial to heat, but cannot stand cold weather. They have spells of sleeping when nothing has power to disturb them, but when they do wake up they have a "high time," running and playing. They are affectionate, being very fond of their owner, but rather shy with strangers. They are uncommonly intelligent, too, and are very teachable when young. They are such beautiful creatures, besides being rare in this part of the world, that it is altogether probable that they will be much sought after as pets.