The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-12-28


profit is a comparatively new indus
try there are now catterle5 III New
York, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, IL
linois, District Of Columbia, Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana and California. There
is one establishment in Los Angeles
which nets its owner $1,000 year.
Cat shows are held annually in New
York, Boston, Rochester, Cleveland,
Chicago, Detroit and Toronto, WITH
from 200 to 800 entries at each exhibit
ton.
The rarst kinds of cats raised IN
the United States are the ManX, the
Persian, the Siamese, and the MeXl-
can, though plain everyday toMlnleS
and Tables are raised and shipped py
the carload to California and New
Guinea, where rats are plentiful ana
cats few. The price OF the best spec
linens ranges from $50 to $50, Whlie
kittens of off color for house pets can
be had for less The owner OF one
fine American cat called KING hum
bert refused $1,000 for him, and rec
ord offer of ten times as much mas
been made for a prize winner III Eng
land
The aristocrats of the cat world are
the Persian, which come from the
cold tablelands of Central Asia ana
from the mountain regions OF Turkey.
In Turkey they are called Angoras'
and in Persia Persians. The lrst were
brought to the Atlantic seahoard VI
America by sailors who had touched
at eastern ports, but as breed thes
have degenerated on this side or the
water. In the centre of Turkey one
can buy cat for so cents or dollar
which would sell in the United States
for from $50 to 500. A six months
old kitten from England costs from %
to $50 and the cost of its passage IS
IS extra.
The cat fancy in this country was
started thirty years ago when Mrs
Locke of Chicago began to import
breed and sell long haired cats, using
the income for private charities. Long
/ aired cats are divided into classes
according to their color, the most pop
! ular of those seeming to be the hsht
silvers and the blue eyed whites. Inc
original color of the cat is SAID 10
have been brown marked with BLACK
and showing a white nose, chin ana
breast. This seems quite probable, as
it is difficult to breed cats without a
brownish touch appearing in their
color. One of the best cats ever shown
at the New York show was a soma
orange. The department OF aSrlcui-
ture recognizes two kinds OF cats
long haired and short haired, the form
er being the ones imported from 1ur-
kew and Persia, and their descendants
and the latter or short-haired variety.
being the domestic, ManX, Siamese'
Russian, etc.
The richest cat in the world is
Blackie, who lives in WilkesDarre'
Pa, in a two story, twelve room mousse
all his own The late Benjamin r
Dilley left his house and $4,000 10
his two best friends, the cats Blackle
kie died. and then Blackie came into
the whole fortune. He has a woman
attendant to wait on him all the time
has a fur lined basket to sleep IN, sou
couches and chairs scattered about &c
meet his lazy demands for more rest
and a diet of shrimps, Italian chest
nuts, cream and anything else that the
taste of a pampered cat might require
He is old now, quite sixteen. out de
spite this his daily mail is still large
There are scores OF persons wiz
write letters giving advice about ne"
foods, new amusements ana ne" rec
reations for his catship. There are
two fortunate cats in Los Angeles VINO
live in a hotel with their mistress ane
have a special maid to walt upon
them.
Cats have not been without distihc
ton in the affairs Of nations. Mol'
than once Pussy has saved a Vesse
for its owner because, under tne Ma
rine laws of Englnad, no vessel Una
has been abandoned at sea can be ae
c,ared derelict and so forfeited L
the admiralty, the finder or the crown
so long as there is a living thlnS o.
board AS cats have in several III
stances been found to be the only ~
ing thing on board abandoned Vessef
tbav have Tins saved the property O
tho owner from condemnation. IN
> ownership of the British bark NE
euope. which was abandoned OIL lh
coast of Oregon in January Is 10 .
tested by this law. II cats have s"'e
shins for their owners the captain q
the Nelenope thinks the two p4ppl@
he left aboard the supposedly sihi.ia
vessel will establish his right TO hel