Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-03-06
NOR one must regard their food. drink.

| per one MUST regard their food. drink,
housing, and general management.
| No error is more than that OF
starving acat to make it a good mouser
The practice has arisen from the mis-
taken notion that a cat kills rats and
mice for food, whereas it is quite as
much for sport. If n wants his pets
to develop into a thief and prowler,
with an abundant stock of vcrmln. let
him neglect to feed her regularly. The
cat should have at least two meals q
day at regular hours. After each meal
remove the dish, and never use it a
second time without washing it. The
quantity requisite can be determined by
experience. Oatmeal porrldge y
milk or bread and milk, swectened, Will
make a good breakfast. Use the same
for dinner. with an allowance OF meat
or fish. Horse-meat is used in France,
but liver or boiled lights are better.
Use fish during sickness; oysters are
relished and very healthy, and no cat
will turn up her los at raw beef. An
excessive amount of meat is bad.
Boiled eggs should be used occasionally
and any vegetables that the animal pre-
fcrs, My cat lives on beans, peas. and
celery. Though the food should be
ample, it is not necessary TO overfeed
the animal. Fresh milk should be CIV
en- in abundance, and this with oatmeal
will be sufficient generally, as the mice
she will contrive to get will be an ade-
quate supplement. A cats disposition
is spoiled by feeding her with delicacies
from the table. This habit should be
discouraged, and Il little training will
induce her to patiently await her time,
even if she sits by the table during
meals.
.'Cats will never thrive without grass
to eat. 1t is a panacea for all theirills;
keeps the stomach in order, cools the
blood, prevents humors and aids diges-
ton. It is supposed to aid in getting
rid of the hairs swallowed during the
process of washing. During the winter
it can be procured by keeping a piece
| of turf in the cellar or dollhouse, or it
may be cultivated in a tlower-pot. Cats
are fond of asparagus, which many
persons raise especially for them, and
their natural preference for catnip will
suggest a like course.
ANY cat that is worth keeping
should be housed, for to turn her out
nights is sure to make her gaunt, ugly,
unhealthy, dirty and a vagrant. Ii
properly treated she will not show a
disposition to go out. A coy bed may
be made in a corner for her and proper
training will supplement her natural
dainty cleanliness.
ssA not rI~,,1l In 1,,oehol r.or,,1ov1v
with warm water and mild soap, dried
with towels, and kept in Il warm place
to prevent cold. For state occasions,
if the fur be lightly sponged with sweet
cream pussy will polish her coat up to
its pristine beauty.
"Cats are subjected to nearly as
many diseases as the human race.
'Ha!iz' the doctors cat is just getting
over typhsid fever, and he manages to
get diptheria, malaria, catarrh and
everything else that is epidemic. Cats
have symptoms OF disease and show
them rs plainly as children. Almost
the first is a neglect of toilet; another
is the rough condition of the fur, which
loses its gloss and the hairs stand out.
A hot nose is a sign OF fever or inllam-
nation, and when the cat shows a de-
sire for great heat there is Il chill. Cats
are so much admired at the present day
that physicians are constantly being
called upon to prescribe, and no one
need feel any loss of dignity in doing 50
gived in the food it is well to put on
thick gloves in administering, in order
to avoid bites and scratches. Then
wrap the cat in a strong cloth, careful
ly covering the feet, and let an assist
ant hold it between his knees and open
the mouth, Fluid doses such as glycer-
inc and castor-oil should be given from
Il spoon in very small doses; if pills are
prescribed put the bolus well back
against the roof of the mouth; powders
or small pellets will dissolve on the
tongue. Gcntleness will be necessary
in the operation, and the mouth and
fur should be carefully washed in order
to remove the taste Of medicine. Gen
orally food should be withheld for two
hours, unless otherwise directed. Cats
are frequently Notwithstanding teething,
when the gums should be lanccd and
a light diet OF warm milk. with plenty
Of clean water and grass given. In
ohS WI SAS 5Nh1P1oLlo dlC VIII
staring eyes, bristling hair, restlessness
and a tendency to climb up the wall or
break through a window. The squeal
is piteous and the cry frightiul; she will
hide in the darkest corner and die there
unless attended TO-. In treating, puton
a pair OF gloves, grasp the cat by the
nape OF the neck, wrap Il shawl round
the body, and with a pair of scissors
slit II OF the ears lightly in the thin
part. Wet the ear with a sponge dipped
in warm water to make the blood ilow:
a few drops will give relief. Give q
dose OF belladonna or ~hyoscyamus in
half a glass of water and put to sleep i in
a cool, quiet place. It should not be
disturbed for 4 day, as the operation
leaves it in Il nervous state in which a
slight sound will alarm it and cause a
return OF the delirium. Commissions OF
fits are confined to young cats and are
caused by too much meat. They are
OF such short duration that little imme.
date relief can be given. A Whit OF
chloroform or ammonia may do. and to
prevent her from running into the tire
or doing herself injury throw Il cloth
over her and hold her quiet. If fat.
reduce the diet; if Door. and scrownv