Word: cats
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...Siamese. According to Greer, more men buy cats than women do-probably because cats (unlike dogsj never have to be taken out for an 11 p.m. "walk," a chore that traditionally falls to the man of the household. Among pedigreed cats, most popular breed is the seal-point Siamese, followed closely by the bluepoint Siamese: these two account for 80% of U.S. purebred-cat sales. The once modish Persian is sold to only about 8% of the cat customers-mostly women and children, who like the Persian's fluffy coat. However, only 4% of all U.S. cats are registered...
Before taking up with a cat, Greer advises the prospective owner to find a pet whose personality matches his own. Siamese, for example, are friendly and fun-loving, even though they sometimes go around muttering to themselves. The Manx is timid, dependent, and doleful to the point of martyrdom-ideal for the man who wants to be a god to his cat. Persians (and all pedigreed long hairs are so named) have minds of their own, often forget early hygiene training. Their attitude is "Why bother?" The Burmese are wise, persuasive, and can freeze a fool owner in his tracks...
Serious Sex. Greer delights in debunking a catalogue of old cats' tales. Foremost is the "nine lives" business. Says Greer: "Cats aren't even interested in one life. They have a built-in death wish that makes them roll over and die at a point where most other animals would be fighting for life." As for chicken bones, cats can handle them better than dogs can. Baths, another idea that makes old-fashioned cat keepers cluck with horror, not only help a cat with the endless job of keeping clean but also minimize the problem of "hair ball...
...prize female does become pregnant-whether down the garden path or in the sanctity of a breeding cage at a registered cattery-Greer's book provides instruction in feline midwifery. The basic rule: Do not try to interest the father cat (if he is a member of the household) in the new kittens. He could not care less, and will often kill his own kitten under the impression that it is a mouse...
...adding busily to the legend. When Lolly prattles in her column (syndicated in 70 papers) of Hollywood's marital triangles and parallelepipeds, when she sifts the dust from its closets, even when she gives a plug to a young star she thinks deserving, her chatty, outrageous blend of cat's claws and sentimentality enthralls 20 million readers. In 316 freshly printed pages about herself, Louella does not change the formula: her book is a marvelous and implausible edifice built of glittering scraps in a make-believe land by a magpie. "It's a terrible book," said Lolly...