Cats
white all over with long hair and
long ears like lap-dogs and that these
well-fed cats did not catch mice, but
were ladies' lap-cats. Martini became the definitive source of information about China and his
description was used in 1673 by John Ogilby and by others who described the long-eared,
milk-white cats as being companions and not hunters (there being other cats that were good
mousers). The cats were likened to the Maltese lap-dog and to spaniels. It retrospect, it is
likely that these white cats were also blue-eyed, a combination of traits associated with
deafness in cats - quite likely they couldn't hear the mice in order to investigate mouse bolt-
holes
annaabi.ee 
