The Washington herald., 1907-02-18
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN

A few weeks ago happened to drop In
It the Madison Square Garden in New
FORK. while a eat show was in progress.
AS 1 approached a group OF ladies VINO
we're inspecting good looking, good
hatured feline. I heard one Of them re-
mark: "An right, 1 viii give $3.50 for
him" The businesslile young lady made
notatios. IN her note book, and noticed
that this was not the first sale she had
made 1t seemed 20 me that If cats were
selling for as much as good horses now
always, it was d subject that would bear
looking into.
The businesslike young lady told me
lots Of things about cats that l had not
heard before She said that while cat
raising in America for profit was a COM
paratively new industry. there are now
batteries IN New York, Massachusetts,
New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Connecticut.
Maine Illinois, District OF Columbia.
Michigan. Ohio Indiana. and California.
There is one establishment in Los An
geles which nets its owner 5000 a year.
Cat shows are held annually In New
York, Boston. Rochester, Cleveland, Chi
oago, Detroit, and Toronto, with from 200
TO 800 entries Of fine specimens at each
exhibition.
The rarest kinds of cats raised in the
United States are the Manx, the Persian,
the Siamese. and the Mexican. though
plain, everyday tommies and tabbies are
raised and shipped by the carload TO Cali
fornia and New Guinea, where rats are
plentiful and cats few. The price Of the
f best specimens ranges from $50 10 $780,
while kittens of off-color for house pets
can be had for less. The owner Of one
fine American cat called King Humbert
refused Sl,C09 for him, and a record offer
of ten times as much has been made for
a prize winner in England
The arlstocrats of the cat world are the
Persians which come from the cold table
lands of Central Asia. and from the
mountain regions of Turkey In Turkey
they are called Augoras. and in Persia.
Persians. The first We're brought 10 the
Atlantic seaboard of America by sailors
who had touched at eastern ports. but as
breed they have degenerated on this side
OF the water In the center Of Turkey one
can buy a eat for nifty cents or a dollar.
which would sell IN the United Stats for
from fifty 10 a hundred dollars. A six
months old kitten from England costs
from five TO thirty dollars, and the cost
Of its passage IS five dollars extra.
The cat fancy In this country was
started thirty years ago when Mrs. Locke.
of Chicago. began 10 import, breed and
sell long-haired cats. using the income Cor
private charities. Loug-haired cats are
divided into classes according TO their
color, the most popular Of these seeming
10 be the light silvers and the blue-eyed
whites The original color of the cat is
said to have been brown marked with
black and showing a white nose. chin,
and breast, This seems quite probable as
il 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 solid orange. The
Department of Agriculture recognizes two
kinds Of cats. lung-haired and short
haired. the former being the ones inn
ported from Turkey and Persia, and their
descendants, ana the latter. or short
haired variety, being the Domestic, Manx,
Siamese, Russian, &c.
The richest cat in the world Is
"Blackie," who lives IN Wilkesbarre. Pa.
in a two-story. twelve-room house all his
own. The late Benjamin T. Dilley left
his house and $4,000 to his two best
friends, the eats Blackie and Pinkie."
Shortly afterward Pinkie died. and then
Blaclie came into the whole fortune He
has woman attendant TO wait on him al
the time, has a fur-Huad basket to sleep
in, soft touches and chairs scattered about
10 meet his lazy demands for more rest,
and a diet of shrimps, italian chestnuts,
cream. and anything else that the taste of
pampered cat might require. He is old
now, quite sixteen, but despite this his
daily mail is still large There are scores
of people who write letters giving advice
about new foods, new amuscments, and
new recreati0ns for his catship There
are two fortunate cats in Los Angeles
who live in a hotel with their mistress
and have a special maid TO wait upon
them.
Cats have not been without distinction
IN the affairs Of nations. More than once
Pussy has saved vessel for its owner
because, under the marine laws Of Eng
land, no vessel that has been abandoned
AT sea can be declared derelict. and so
forfeited to the Admiralty. the finder, OF
the Crown, so long as there is living
thing on board As cats have in several
. instances been found to be the only living
thing on board abandoned vessels, they
have thus saved the property of the owner
from condemnation. The ownership OF
the British bark. Meienope which was
abandoned of the coast OF Oregon in
January, is 20 be tested by this law II
cats have saved ships for their owners.
the captain of the AIelenope thinks thu
two puppies he left aboard the supposedly
sinking vessel viii establish his right to
her, and so keep the Northern. who lowed
her in, from claiming bark and cargo
valued at $4,000.
History shows that cats, like human
beings. have had their ups and downs.
Those OF ancient Egypt seem TO have had
the best time In the land of the
pharaohs Tabby was considered the sym
boil of the moon, and was worshippod sew
eral hundred years before the time Of
Christ