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CATS IN CANADA
Early French missionaries seem to have
been the first people to bring cats to the North American
continent. Letters from one mention that he had given a cat
to a Huron Indian. Then every wagon train travelling to the
West in the early days brought its cats. The spreading out
of civilisation over the vast woodland and prairies has been
made possible by this much abused and misunderstood animal.
Granaries had to be protected from mice, or man would have
starved in the winters when the temperature was 50 degrees
below zero and snow lay 6 feet deep. Kittens and cats rode
with every pedlar, and were as familiar a sight as his pots
and pans. When the corn was in the barn they became absolutely
necessary to foil the mice, the squirrels and the gophers.
It is impossible to compute the vast quantities of food cats
have saved, the plaques and vermin they have kept in check,
and how much property they have guarded from destruction by
the hundreds of varieties of rodents which inhabit the continent.
Every farm today has a host of cats – barn cats, granary
cats, house cats – the most common colours out west
being grey or black and white, with white feet and white did,
the tabby, and an astonishing number of handsome silver-blue
short-hair types, which occur in practically every litter.
These have thick, close fur and green or yellow eyes.
There are an estimated 798,000 cats on the prairies alone
and over 3,000,000 in Canada. (These figures were obtained
from a Survey Company’s report to one of the largest
cat food organisations in Canada). Considering the population
of Canada, this gives a ratio or approximately 1 cat per five
people.
Of the pedigree breeds, the Siamese seems to be the most popular
in Canada today. There are also many white long-hairs, Creams,
Blues and Blacks. Abyssinian, Burmese and Russian Blue are
also entered at the shows. Manx are uncommon. The new breed,
the Himalayan (Colourpoint Long-hair in Britain) is gaining
popularity in leaps and bounds, and former confirmed lover
of Siamese are changing their minds. The Himalayan is a Persian
cat with the Siamese blue eyes and distinctive markings.
The distances between the Cat Club shows in Canada are very
great, and from Calgary it means a trip of 500 miles over
the Rockies to Vancouver for the show there, and approximately
2,000 miles east to Toronto or Montreal shows. Calgary has
an Annual Championship Show in the autumn, held at the Exhibition
and Stampede Grounds.
The very cold winters in Western Canada do not seem to bother
the health of the cats, but occasionally the tail or ears
of stray cats become frozen. Even well-cared-for cats are
prone to have their ears frozen if they are left out in temperatures
of 20, 30, or 40 degrees below zero. The part becomes discoloured
and often falls off. However all cats love to go out in the
snow for a short while, play, dig holes, chase each other
and then rush inside again. Their fur is really beautiful
in the winter, but why should it not be, when Canada produces
some of the finest wild furs in the world?
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