site logo

The Short-haired White Cat


This of all, as it depends entirely on its comeliness, should be

graceful and elegant in the outline of its form and also action, the

head small, not too round nor thick, for this gives a clumsy, heavy

appearance, but broad on the forehead, and gently tapering towards the

muzzle, the nose small, tip even and pink, the ears rather small than

large, and not too pointed, the neck slender, shoulders narrow and

sloping back
ards, loin full and long, legs of moderate length, tail

well set on, long, broad at the base, and gradually tapering towards the

end; the white should be the yellow-white, that is, the white of the

colours, such as tortoiseshell, red tabby or blues, not the gray-white

bred from the black, as these are coarser in the quality of the furs.

The eye should be large, round, full, and blue. I noted this peculiarity

of white when breeding white Cochins many years ago; those chickens that

were black when hatched were a colder and harder white than those which

were hatched buff. This colouring of white should be fully borne in mind

when crossing colours in breeding, as the results are widely different

from the two varieties. The whole colour yellow-white will not do to

match with blue or gray, as it will assuredly give the wrong tinge or

colour.



The eyes should be blue; green is a great defect; bright yellow is

allowable, or what in horses is called "wall eyes." Orange gives a heavy

appearance; but yellow will harmonise and look well with a gray-white.



White cats with blue eyes are hardy. Mr. Timbs, in "Things Not Generally

Known," relates that even they are not so likely to be deaf as is

supposed, and mentions one of seventeen years old which retained its

hearing faculties perfectly. Some specimens I have seen with one yellow

eye and one blue; this is a most singular freak of nature, and to the

best of my knowledge is not to be found among any of the other colours.



It is stated that one of the white horses recently presented by the Shah

of Persia to the Emperor of Russia has blue eyes. I can scarcely credit

this, but think it must be a true albino, with the gray-pink coloured

eyes they generally have, or possibly the blue eye is that peculiar to

the albino cat and horse, as I have never seen an albino horse or cat

with pink eyes but a kind of opalesque colour, or what is termed "wall

eye." No doubt many of my readers have observed the differences in the

white of our horses, they mostly being the gray-white, with dark skin;

but the purer white has a pink skin, and is much softer and elegant in

appearance. It is the same with our white cats.



More

;