New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-08

ing, madam. that is given to the gardens is
sold" These cats will never stand the fogS
Of our climate he asserted. / made a mental
note. He advised chickens heads and necks,
which subsequently tried and found acceptable
to my charges as a change in diet | asked il
Siamese breeders seemed at all interested in the
pair he had and II many visitors seemed to
know anything about them He said No"
These cats will never stand climate" he
reiterated. He didn't wish to discourage me.
but | should lose my cats this coming winter.
las sure as can be-" had no answer to make
TO an experience OF so many years as he ad-
1uced. but
"a woman convinced against her will
Is Of the same opinion still.
and obs,inately went on in my own way
The words Of wisdom. however. sank deep.
never opened the window in a fog. and always
at the top. and looked after my cats myself
\ friend wrote me a few eeks later: One OF
the Slamese at the Zoo is dead. / hope yours
all right. The keeper says you will not
keep them through the winter" journeyed I'd
the Zoo | met the keeper on the doorstep. L
said Il am sorry to hear lie brushed ms
hand suspiciousIy across his eyes. lie SAID:
The other died this morning turned sadly
away Christmas came and gastritiS to the fe-
male An eminent veterinary surgeon 10 whom
pin my faith prescribed Ice in soap bowl:
MOI, a drop Of water. gave powders to be used
every hour. shredded raw rump steak after
twenty four hours. and keep warm. tried II
successfully. The same treatment saved Waiiy-
pug after the last Palace show. In March
took the cats into the garden and put them IN
the cats house. My own idea was To accustOm
them to a cattery life. nicely wired run.
wired over about six feet from the ground gave
them opportunity for exercising their jumping
and climbing powers. Their boarded sleeping
apartment the floor Of which was covered with
pine sawdust. was la:ge enough tNAb leeD Ior
exercise "A wet day and could De- easily SWtpt
and cleaned up. while their hooded cradi" basket
with cushioned flannel lining was warm enough
for anything and protected them from dtausHt.
When summer came ! never shut them up NJ
night; they went in and out fancy dictated
II is now near the middle of March of the Sec-
ond winter. fortunately for my "Npeiilrh', h".
a severe one. Ny Siamesc cats nave never
looked better Their coats are abS"Ht'y I'N'l'
every hair being ~ the same length; the eyes
clear and bright. and their bodies wen cio'hcd
with flesh. They have never slept hlsht III
doors except at tin Palace SHOW. since Marct.
1855. other than in their lttlr n'afd'i cats
house which is felt ana zinc rooted. ana palh'c"
outside and they have never on IN" iogglest or
coolest night had any lamp or artli'ldt neat
Whatever Before the winter came saw mat
the house was frc" from drausht. hut Nei'-
lated and their floor had strewn with fresh
hay. one thing remark their color Is mucn
darker and the coat quite different i should
say II is much closer thar double IN" hummer
of hairs seems to have been thrown OUT anu
though neither stir nor coarse. it is much
stronger Neither do they lose the coat as they
did | came to the conclusion that the Siamesc
kitten up To twelve months. changed ms coat
every three months. am prepared To say mat
NV Samcse cats have not changed the coat
they at present hold since June last q. e. eight
months). but that notice signs Of It's coming
In Jun" last they N"r" notn CoHPdih
lively light in coat particularly the female. VIII
in the sun looked lovely. | concluded from TINS
that change of coat has sufced the year.
and that the cats born in February change their
old ST MINER sunburncd winter-wOrn coats FROM
February to June.
Possibly too the outdoor life has conduced t.
their retaining it, AS believe those Kept IN mo
house have been observed to change the coas
twice and even three times. in the same perio''
My friend. the keeper AT the cats house in the
Geological Gardens. an intelligent and observan<
To do with tho darkenrl coat and pointed out
some small animals who since their INTRODUCTION
to the brown cages in II dark corner Of the house
have darkcncd in color | thanked HIM for ms
idea which is not unknown To naturalists, AZ
many readers of Darwin VIII remember Pine
match boarding hay-strcwn floor chOcolate-col-
ored woodwork the bare ground. the brick
walls are somcwha in agreement with the tone
of change. one must admit, ana added to TINS
the remark of IA gentleman at brighton Snow.
that there was possibly something III the idea Ok
applying heat without sunlight. t. preserve or
produce light coats. as in liimaiaya rabbits.
lends colo. To my opinion. n blue cat S'ts
e,inburned coat. so does SiameSe Heat With
cut the sun. e.. a diffused heat with shade
produced the light coat. as witness the Samese
being light-colorcd in June. and also tends To
the frequent shedding Of it, as witness those
cats kept indoors. Also the newly imported cats
are light. but darken In the acclimatizing and
few light cats shown IN their irst year nave
stood the test of the second being almost IN
variably beaten by a kitten or some younger
cat frequently their own brother of the next lit
ter Cats III the habit of continually wearing
coat, and allowed to stay by the dining-r room
fire have however. been successfully shown OK
light hue | am. in consequence. also Obliged 10
echo the opinion of a friend. that the dark coat
Is the dead coat the light one the new. The
same observant lover of the Siamese has called
my attention to the fact that he Is the cheetah
of the small cats for he never sheaths his claws.
He however. sheds them. Against the dark seal
OF his paws can always. in his troubled well
as his most gracious moments. be seen the ivory
glimmer OF his fully displayed claws. and have