CAT LOVERS’ DILEMMA

Evening Star, Issue 22273, 26 February 1936, Page 7

CAT LOVERS’ DILEMMA

A BREED DISAPPEARING Cat lovers throughout England ar* looking-for a philanthropist to save th« British short-haired tabby. When championship shows first started, and for many years afterward, short-haired cats were the aristocrats of their breed. Recently, however, a steady decline in their popularity has occurred, until now, at every show, they are outnumbered by the longhaired varieties. , “ The position is now grave,” Mr C, Yeates, the secretary of the National Cat Club, informed a ‘Morning Post’ representative. “ Entries of British short-haired cats continue to decline-at all the shows, and there is now hardly anyone who is breeding them ■at all seriously. The reason is that there is no hioney in ' short-haired cats.” , “ 1 am frequently asked by people who have a good short-haired cat,” Mr Yeates continued, “ if I know of anyone who breeds them. la too many cases I am unable to .suggest a suitable address, and a possible race,, of champions is lost. What we want is a philanthropist who is prepared to breed them properly on a large scale without, L am afraid, an.- hope of reward except the gratitude of. all cat lovers.” The ordinary short-haired pet cat, however, continues to flourish, but noi many of them have championship possibilities. “ For instance,” Mr Yeate* added, “nine out of ten black catt have green eyes, when they should be orange or copper,' while any white ,on them at all is forbidden. A silver tabby, again, should have green eyes, but most of them have not, mid so on. I am afraid that, unless we are careful, a tabby with show possibilities will be a comparatively rare thing.”