It is customary to feed the house-cat in a very irregular manner, and, through negligence, often not at all: hence the reason why one sees so many half-starved cats about.

The negligence of the average domestic in the matter of feeding house pets is notorious, as these are either fed to excess or overlooked altogether.

The natural diet of the cat is flesh, and such should constitute at least three-fourths of its food; milk, bread and fish making up the remaining fourth. Vegetables are wholly unsuitable, and liver is too much of a laxative, but very suitable as an occasional feed, especially during the summer. In London and other cities cooked horseflesh constitutes the principal food for cats, being both cheap and wholesome, either cut up or given whole - preferably the former. If a cat is fed on this, say, for the midday meal, along with a little milk both morning and evening, it is all that it requires.

Another form of flesh is that known as lights (that is, the lungs), and cats are largely fed upon this. It is not, however, a good form of flesh, and in some cases constitutes the source of tuberculous infection. Its use should be discouraged at all times.

Table scraps make an excellent article of diet, particularly when meat is mixed with a little gravy and potatoes. Both fresh and salt fish are useful, but it ought to be cooked, although we have seen it stated that salt may actually cause peritonitis - a statement that almost staggers humanity.

Good sound horseflesh and scraps from the butcher are cheap, economical and satisfactory, but fatty substances cats will not take as a rule.

To feed cats upon putrid flesh, fish, etc., is a most pernicious practice, though one, we regret to say, not uncommonly practised.

Kittens, after weaning, should be fed at least four times a day - milk thickened with a little corn-flour, or, what is still much better, "Lactol," the latter being particularly suitable for them.

Directly they are able to take solid food, begin them with fish, say, twice a day.

Small birds and mice, of course, constitute an important item of food whenever a cat has an opportunity of procuring such as its prey, but these cannot always be relied upon as a daily allowance.

Patent cat-foods are sold, the principal one being manufactured by Spratt's Patent, and this is an excellent food, and cats thrive on it.

The author has recommended horseflesh as the best food, but a word of caution is necessary to qualify this recommendation. There are at least two diseases affecting the horse, which might be transmitted to the cat through consuming the semi-cooked flesh of a diseased animal.

Legislation against these diseases is prohibitive, namely, anthrax and glanders. Carcases affected in this manner are not allowed to be cut up, much less distributed as food to other members of the lower creation: the obscurity, however, of these maladies does sometimes lead to their accidental admission into the cat's-meat market, yet this is not sufficient to disturb the recommendation of horseflesh as food for cats.