There is very little to say about cats, except that they need much petting and plenty of milk and tit-bits. They should always have a warm bed in a basket or chair. They should never be allowed to stay out-of-doors at night.
Wild Rabbits
Of all rabbits the brightest and most intelligent, as a pet, is the wild rabbit. If you can get two or three baby wild rabbits and feed them on milk, they will grow up very tame. We heard recently of two small wild rabbits that were taken out of the nest and brought up by hand. They and their mistress and a collie pup would play together, and they ran about the room, racing over the floor and furniture. In the summer one escaped from the coop on the lawn in which they were shut up, so the other was turned loose too. They would both come out of the bushes when called, run about over one's dress, and hunt pockets for oats or bits of apple, and would still play with their old friend the collie. It is sad to tell of their death, which they met at the jaws of a strange dog who came marauding. They did not recognize in him an enemy, and easily fell his victims.
Tame Rabbits
The long-haired Angora variety of rabbit is intelligent and very handsome. These need regular grooming and great care, or their long coat gets matted and frowsy. Belgian hares are big, powerful animals, rather apt to be uncertain in temper, but they have beautiful glossy coats and are enterprising and amusing. The lop-eared rabbit is a stately beast and less brisk than his prick-eared relations. The Himalayan rabbit has no connection with the mountain chain from which it has its name, is white, with all its extremities—nose, ears, tail, and feet—black or very dark in color. The Dutch rabbits are small. The body is colored, but the neck, forelegs, and jaws are white. But to the ordinary owner of a rabbit in a hutch, particular variety does not matter very much.
Rabbits' Hutches
A good hutch can be made of a grocer's box, by covering the open front partly with bars or wire netting and making a door. The hutch should stand on legs, or at any rate should be raised from the ground, and holes should be bored in the bottom for drainage. Then put in clean straw, and it is ready for the rabbit. In cold or wet weather and at night, it is well to throw a cloth over the hutch for warmth. The hutch must be well ventilated, and it should be made in two compartments, one to admit plenty of light, and the other dark. It should be made so that the animal may be confined in either compartment while the other is cleaned out.
Food and Exercise
Bran, grain, and vegetables—such as peas, parsley, carrots, turnip-tops, but not much cabbage—serve for rabbits' food. It is advisable to vary it occasionally. The leaves should not be wet, but a dish of clean water may always stand in the hutch.
The animal should be allowed at least half an hour's run every day, precautions being taken against its burrowing habits, and against its finding anything poisonous to eat. More than one family should not be allowed out at the same time, as they are very pugnacious. Most diseases are the result of neglect in cleaning out the hutch regularly and thoroughly. Rabbits which most nearly approach the wild in color are hardiest.