Head

The heads of White Cats are rather small, and round above. The forehead is broad across and broad between the eyes. The nose is rather longish.

Eyes

The eyes should be blue - that beautiful soft blue of a good turquoise, or the sky-blue of a perfect, clear day. Yellow eyes, however, are permissible; but the yellow should be a clear, rich yellow. ' Greenish eyes are a serious defect. The eyes should be large, round, full, and soft in their appearance, and should be of the same color. Eyes of a different color are not allowable, though these we sometimes find - one blue and the other yellow, or one green with the other of either color.

Ears

The ears are medium in size, narrow and round at the apex, and broad at the base, and are feathered on the inside.

Form

The White Cat has a long, narrow body, with a long, slender, graceful neck. It has a shoulder well sloped, and legs of medium length, slender and delicate, with small round feet.

Tail

The tail should be long, thick at the base, and tapering toward the end. It should be carried low, almost trailing on the ground.

Coat - Color And Quality

The White

Fig. 17. - White Short-haired Cat.

Cat should have a very short coat, even in length, and tying close to the body; it should be of a silky texture and glossy appearance. The most choice color is a delicate yellowish white - sometimes a slightly bluish white. The gray-white is a decidedly inferior color. A long coat on a White Cat indicates some intermixture with the Angora. White Cats are seldom of great size, and they have graceful, easy movements, but are not languid. The White Cat is of a timid disposition, very fond of petting and cuddling; it is quiet in its manners, delicate in its temperament, and honest in its character. It would much prefer to be fed from the saucer, and from the table while lying on a chair, than to go roaming for prey or stealing from the kitchen. White Cats are, however, sometimes excellent mousers, and are especial pets with millers, as their color can scarcely be seen among the sacks of flour. White Cats are very often deaf, and sometimes blind, without any appearance of organic change in the eyes.

The Albino, which is a white cat with pink eyes - due to an absence of pigment in the iris - must not be included in the group of White Cats, as it may come from any breed, when the absence of color is due to a physiological aberration during development.