The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-16
DOYOUWANTTO BUYACAT?
YoU CAN GET 4 HEALTHY WAIF FOR
81 OR n BEAUTY FOR 500.

Hr You wish TO Get One for Nothing You May
Have Your Choice OF Tens OF Thousnnds-
AnEorns and rerslnns In Fashion-The Cat
ms n Girt-Cnt Iiospitnls-Cnt Trade Lively.
Cats have never attained, and never will, the
widespread popularity of dogs, but they arc COM
ing more and more into favor as pets. This is
because the public is becoming better acquainted
with the cat through the annual cat show. or
at least that is what the dealers in cats say.
Suppose anybody wanted n cat in New York,
how would tho cat be obtained There are two
ways. II n catless family wishes to adopt n
waif, and will promise to give It a good homo
and treat 1t as one of the family, all that is noe
cssary is to make application to President John
p. Haincs of tho Society for the Prevention OF
Cruelty to Animals, and a healthy cat Will
DO forthcoming. II tho applicant is well
Off, SO will be demanded in exchange
for tho wait, and this will go toward
defraying tho expenses OF the shelters
for animals In this city and Brooklyn. But II
the applicant is unable to pay for n cat no
charge is made. Some people, however, object
to waits. even when 1t comes to pots. and would
not dream of receiving a cat into their homes
and hearts without knowing that 1t was of good
family. They do not go to the society for their
Toms and Tabbies, but buy them Of dog and
bird fancicrs. who generally sell cats, too.
No person in this city, perhaps, Is better ac-
quainted with cats than DR.. Rush S. Huidckoper
of the New York College Of Veterinary Surgeons.
He knows all of their wiles and moods and ways,
and says that to know them is to love them.
When asked II there was a fashion in cats. DIR.
Huidekoper answered:
Yes; just as much as there is in dogs. Any
dealer In cats will tell you that the most expen-
sive species are the Angora and the Persian, and
therefore they are tho most desired. Angoras
coat all the way from %1N IN 300 each fhouyh
$50 is regarded as an excellent price by most
dealers, even for a perfect specimen.
THE Persian and the Angora are very much
alike. The Angora has a finer, more delicate,
more domestic head, and its fur is very heavy at
the base of tho tail, which runs to a point. On
the other hand tho Persian has a holder, fiercer,
stronger head. and its tail has heavier plumage
toward the tip, making a brush. In a white cat
blue eyes arc preferable to yellow ones, and no
one should select a cat which has one yellow and
one blue eye. as is often the case.
"A common cat should be distinct in color. no
matter what that color is, To be of value. If it is
spotted the spots should be distinct. or If striped
the stripes should be clearly defined and should
not merge into one another. II n mixed cat Is
preferred, purchasers should remember that too
much white spoils tho animal for the mixed
class. White paws and n little clearly defined
white about the throat are all that Is
necessary. Cats. I believe, are more used
as pets at the present time than ever
before. The average life of n cat which
has been well taken care of and has not met
with accident is from twelve to fifteen years.
The Oldest cat whose age is automatically
known is given as twenty-four years. There
are no hospitals exclusively for cats in this city,
but cats are received at almost all of the veter-
mary hospitals, where they are cured of many
diseases and well cared for"
Dealers contend that the cat business is boom
ing. One of the most successful fanciers said:
Nearly all OF the cats sold in New York are
imported. Dealers handle some Maine cats. but
we have found that they will not bear captivity.
They die very quickly when Gagged or housed,
because most Of them are bred in a wild state.
We get our cats from England. and 1t is
almost impossible to secure more than six
or seven fine specimens ut a time.
and I easily dispose of that many in a week. 1t
is quite q fad now for n man to give n woman a
fine cat for n present. The Christmas sales
were enormous, and they are always large after
every cat show. The Angora is the favorite. 1t
is a rather delicate cat, and has a tendency TO
stomach troubles.
when n woman loves n cat / believe she Is
even si!licr over it than the average woman is
over her dog. Some women annoy me nearly to
| death when their cats fall Ill. When the cats
get their legs broken the mistrcsscs want them
set in plaster or splints. II Il cats leg is broken
is there anything to do except TO kill it'll Why,
certainly. If il is II bad fracture, the most hui
name thing to do is to kill the cat painlcssly;
but that is not always necessary by any means.
not to splint it nor put il in plaster. but 10 let
nature take its course, The cat is exceedingly
light on its feet. and no animal knows how bet
ter to take care OF an injury
Mr.. Haincs, President OF the S. p. c. A., is
York cat life than is any other person and has
done more TO alleviate their ,sufferings. When
asked what becomes of all the cats that inhabit
I'm 1894 | drew up "A bill which provided that
any cat found within the corporate limits OF this
city or Brooklyn without a collar about its neck
bearing the name and number of the residence
Of the owner, might be seized by the officers of
the society, and / not rede.,aed within forty;
of at the discretion OF the society. This
has proved as satisfactory to the owners
owners of dogs. We have ono shelter for ami,
mails hero and one in Brooklyn. Last year the
AZ, 263. or these, We returned seven TO their
owners and placed l63 in good homes. The re-
People have an idea that the society doesn't
do anything with cats but kill them. We are nj.
away 10 poor people who want them; provided
they can give them good homes. If a person
visits one of the shelters and sees "a cat that he
NEW Ne H never e keep een' a cat to over forty. "Rih{ihn hours rs
after picking it up. and always advocate hui
any Kind. OF our shel,er work should ike to say
a word. No part of the work OF the society has
attracted so much attention as this. ! am con-
staptly receiving letters OF inquiry concerning
1t from other parts of the country. and even
from abroad, and it is gratifying to know that
our plans and methods have been adopted in
many other places. Nothing that has ever been
done by the society has been more thoroughly
approved by the public in this city and in Brook
lyn. Our system is perhaps as perfect
AS 1t could BIZ made in SO short a
time; for the first shelter was opened only
In 1894. But We are still learning by
experience, and considering the fact that our
work has been emphatically \ pioneer work in
which we had no predecessors In whose methods
or failures we might have had examples or
warnings. 1t is gratifying to know that we have
made no mistakes of which complaint has been
made or could have been made with justice.
Our methods and appliances have. been i'm
proved, and other improvements will doubtless
be suggested AS time goes OH, hut SO far. l
think, We are entitled to congratulate our
selves upon the success OF This extensive
and difficult part OF our operations. II is inter.
esting to compare the statistics OF the dogs
picked up aud disposed OF with those OF the cats.
We received 27,5s7 dogs at the shelters last
year. or these, 3,0i0 were returned to their
OYnerS and good homes found for t5J. These