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.