Holy shit --- what a PUSSY

[RummyTheDummy]

[Sannum]

1. indeed.

[smartvoter]

2. That's one big cat. nt

[tridim]

3. Or a really tiny lady

That almost looks like a photoshop. :)

[RummyTheDummy]

5. If it is (I doubt it) it's one of the best I've ever seen

NT

[hyphenate]

36. Actually this picture has been investigated

by Snopes and found to be real. Long haired cats usually look a lot larger than a regular cat, and this one is about 20 pounds.

[warsager]

41. thanks for the

crack up tridim, that was hilarious!

[MissHoneychurch]

4. you sure that is a cat

and not something bigger? A lion in disguise or so?

[autorank]

6. How much do you feed that bad boy? Good lard, that's impressive.

Looks like a pretty cool guy/gal. I'm sure that dogs run when they see old puss'n boots sauntering down the streed. What are we talking, about 30-35 pounds?

[RummyTheDummy]

13. Not mine, though I wish it was

It would prolly scare the holy hell out of my 80 pound male black lab.

[DemBones DemBones]

7. HOAX!!! Two cats glued together.

Maybe three. . .

[Lorien]

14. Nah, pretty standard for an adult Maine Coon

besides, Snopes proved the photo to be genuine for the unbelievers.

[DemBones DemBones]

27. Maine Coons come in gold? I never saw any that

weren't grey and black. They're wonderful cats; I'd love to have one. A friend had one and he and I were great friends; he always sat on my lap. (THE CAT, not the friend!)

[Lorien]

32. They come in every color except chocolate and lilac point

(Siamese coloring).

[DemBones DemBones]

35. how cool! i just replied to your post re:

prices and mentioned a huge ginger tom i had years ago (17 lbs, not fat.) maybe some maine coon genes in him? he was a real love, too, a morris the cat lookalike.

one more question: shedding. animal hair bothers my husband, though we suffer along with labs because we love them. he keeps sayng maybe a short-haired dog next. do maine soons shed a lot? need brushing a lot?

thanks! :hi:

[Lorien]

48. They shed in the spring, but it's not their hair

that causes allergies. The histamine reaction comes from a protein in the cat's saliva that dries on the fur then flakes off, and is inhaled. Many longhaired cats have a genetic defect which causes less-or none-of this protein to be produced (Google "hypoallergenic" and "siberian forest cat" for example). My dad's girlfriend is allergic to most cats, but has not trouble with Oberon or Puck, my two longhairs.

[DemBones DemBones]

58. that's interesting because i do have

allergies but refuse to be petless. i'm also allergic to dust mites and it's impossible to avoid them so screw it!

otoh, my husband doesn't have allergies, he just hates the hair flying around!

[Lorien]

66. Get a Dyson vacuum cleaner

takes care of that problem! :thumbsup:

[meow2u3]

54. Mine was a tuxedo (I miss him)

Sylvester

[DemBones DemBones]

62. cool cat! i had never heard

of tuxedo cats but when i read your header, i instantly thought 'joanne's cat' -- a very large cat marked like yours, six-toed, belonged to a friend. his name was noble, and he was. he was old when he died a couple of years ago and i miss him quite a lot. he always came to me when i was at her house.

[Maine-ah]

73. no, that is not standard size for a Maine Coon

males usually only get to be 13-18lbs and the females are smaller than that. Though they do come in a variety of colors.

except for: chocolate, lavender, ticked tabby, and the point-restricted ("Siamese") pattern

[Lorien]

74. Er, my SLENDER 2 year old is 20 pounds

his grandmother is 18 pounds. He comes from championship lines which average 17-24 pounds.

[Lorien]

8. Meet my Giant Hairy Pussy:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=3156857&mesg_id=3156857

He's a Maine Coon, same as the cat in the OP. (BTW-that girl is 5'4", if anyone was wondering).

Here he is being groomed by Puck, who weighs about ten pounds (Oberon is 20 and still growing)!

[RummyTheDummy]

10. That's what I thought

That it was a Maine Coon. Those can get quite big. I've seen one in person that wasn't quite this big but pretty close.

[Kathleen04]

11. Maine Coon's are beautiful

I'd love to have one someday. Are they rare to find up for adoption/sale or fairly common?

[Lorien]

15. Easy on both counts

Type "Maine Coon" into Petfinder.com, and you'll find plenty up for adoption.

My cat's brother is up for adoption through his breeder right now; www.heartshaven.net

[Kathleen04]

19. Cool

I've never actually seen one in person, only pics, so that's why I was thinking they could possibly be more rare.

Your Oberon is a great looking cat, btw. :)

[Lorien]

22. Thanks!

They are actually the second most popular cat breed in America-but very few people own purebred cats (and less allow them outdoors), so most people haven't seen them before. Even the vets I take Oberon to are always shocked by his size, lol! The good thing is that you'll never find a more gentle and sweet natured feline. They are the Golden Retrievers of the cat world; a perfect family pet!

[DemBones DemBones]

28. What's the breeder's price range like? Maine Coons

seem to be expsnive, from the few I've seen advertised. Of course, I've never bought a cat, mostly they've adopted me (freelance cats) or I've adopted them from a shelter.
I keep waiting for a Maine Coon to show up on my doorstep. . . That's how my friend got her Maine Coon so I know it happens.

[Lorien]

31. Generally $300-800, depending in age, "show quality", etc.

A reputable breeder will only have one to three litters per year (litters are often small-sometimes only one or two kittens). The adults will have all been tested for genetic illnesses-like HCM and hip problems-and animals with any genetic issues will altered and adopted out as pets. This makes the pedigreed cat less expensive over it's lifetime than a shelter cat, as most cats carry genetic illnesses of some sort. I do pet rescue too (four foster kittens at my feet as I type this), and my fosters ALWAYS seem to be ill when they come to me, requiring hundreds of dollars worth of medical care. We typically put $200-$300 worth of medical care into the average kitten, then adopt it out for a $100 fee. There's no such thing as a free cat! My Oberon cost $600; I bought him after spending thousands to save a beloved kitty (a rescue) who had HCM and hyperthyroid. Oberon was already neutered and had about $200 worth of vet services performed, so the real cost was only about $400-HOWEVER, he's so healthy that he doesn't even catch the upper respiratory infections that keep coming into my home with the rescues. Excellent genetics from a two-litter-per-year breeder!

[DemBones DemBones]

33. i was afraid of that, had seen some prices before.

of course, there's been inflation since then but i'm remembering a registered appaloosa horse we had -- he was only around $1000. our current lab, parents certified to be free of genetic hip defects, cost about $300, though, and while cats seem more fragile, less permanent somehow than dogs, maine coons may not be. i think my husband, who is really a dog person while i'm both a dog and cat person, would like maine coons. he seemed to like my friend's m.c. her cat is now deceased after a long and happy life. he was a stray who came to stay and after his death the vet said he'd probably been much older than he had thought at first.

maybe free cats are mostly 'extinct,' but she never had any significant vet expenses with that cat until just before he died and we've never had any with ours, either. otoh, my mom spent a ton on my huge ginger tom -- he weighed 17 pounds and wasn't fat! -- when he got sick after i went off to college. . . do you think that overall health of cats has declined, are there more diseases due to more strays or something? or is it just that vets are now able to treat them for more ailments? an old friend's wife does fostering of cats and they're supporting one through chemo right now, plus assorted others with diseases. many die, too, which makes fostering hard, doesn't it?

your stories about oberon's health are good to hear and i'll hang on to the name of the breeder in case we decide to get a maine coon kitten in the future. i really like the idea myself!

[Lorien]

50. Yes, I think that more ailments are arising

in part due to the transient nature of our society (we have a new form of distemper here in Florida for example), but MOSTLY, IMO, due to commercial pet foods (see this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=243&topic_id=4388&mesg_id=4388 )
fostering can be brutal, but foster "parents" are what rescue groups need more than monetary donations, so I try to help as I can.

I do adoptions at a local holistic pet food store, and many customers have 20-26 year old cats. My vet had one patient that just passed away at 28. With good genetics, the right food, and an indoor lifestyle, a cat can become a long term family member.

[DemBones DemBones]

56. interesting. epidemiology was one of my

favorite courses so i had an instant suspicion when you said 'there's no such thing as a free cat' and talked about so many health problems you've seen.

since you're in florida, where the heck is the breeder? i never heard of the town listed but florida has grown a lot since we left in '72. we were in st. pete/tampa and then gainesville and i had earlier lived in jax, still have family in fla.

[Lorien]

65. The breeder in halfway between Orlando and Daytona Beach

They only have a couple of litters per year (I think that they only had three kittens in 2004), and the cats are very well socialized. You can't go wrong with Heart's Haven MC's. :-)

[friesianrider]

40. Our Maine Coon was dumped alongside a road...

And the geniuses that did it dumped all 4 kittens when they were 3 and a half weeks old, so they barely survived.

My MC is called "Bad Thing" - would you like to have him? ;)

[Lorien]

49. Got three half MC kittens in the house now!

I think the inn is full until homes for this lot can be found. ;-)

[WCGreen]

18. That's a couple of hairy pussy's

we have three short hairs and one long hair...

Our baby, Gizmo, a part tabby part persian, was hairy and tinny. I think he only weighed in at about 11 lbs

[KT2000]

23. That is the finest looking gentleman

kittie I have ever seen. I mean it!

[ofrfxsk]

42. What a beautiful animal.

He looks so regal. He's looking through us, it seems.

[TOhioLiberal]

44. Wow...

That is one majestic looking cat.

[yellowdogintexas]

47. I LOVE OBERON!!!!! thanks for posting the pictures !!!

makes my day.

[Lorien]

51. Aw, Thanks! Here's a few bonus pics just for you:

:hi:







His very own trading card with Blue cat food:

[yellowdogintexas]

52. that is COOL!!! Thanks, Lorien!

Lewis and Zilla say HI

can we come to your house and play with OBIE???

[DemBones DemBones]

63. Oberon is really beautiful! nt

[ariesgem]

71. Your cats seem to be natural posers for the camera

and they're GORGEOUS to boot! Oberon looks like a miniature lion.

[shanti]

55. what a handsome fellow

your oberon is...

[Wetzelbill]

9. good lord

[Arugula Latte]

12. Magnificent!

I wish I could use that kitty as my pillow!

He's gorgeous.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

16. I know a person who found a Maine Coon kitten

Someone had lost it I guess. When they found it it was a normal sized kitten. Now it it's MAMMOTH! Luckily the vet knew what breed it was when it started getting so large. At first the new owner was a tad concerned.

[meow2u3]

59. When I adopted my MC in '96, I thought he was a grown cat

and neutered. I found out he was neither when I took him to the vet for his first shots!
He was 6 months old and 9 pounds when I first adopted him. He weighed 20 lbs. when he was full grown at age 4.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

68. Oh dear!

That must have been a shocker. :)

I would love to have one of these beautiful creatures to add to my family.

[RummyTheDummy]

17. From Snopes

It's for real.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/bigcat2.asp

[Lorien]

20. Says the cat is only 2 years old (same as mine), but

Maine coons take 4 1/2 years to reach their full size, lol!

[RummyTheDummy]

21. So that cat could get bigger?

At what point does it go from cat to mountain lion? :)

[Lorien]

24. Maybe 5-10 pounds bigger

The largest fit (slender) Maine Coon on record is about 36 pounds. Add ten or more pounds for a tubby cat.

My cat at 1 1/2 years on a chair;


His Grandfather:


His Grandmother (females are smaller):

[RummyTheDummy]

25. They're all gorgeous

You must be very proud. :)

[Lorien]

26. Nah, just lucky

I got my Obie from them as a "pet quality" kitten, but he'll always be perfect to me. :-)

:hi:

[progressoid]

29. Good lord thats a lot of fur!

Spring time must be fun when the fur starts to let loose!

We just got a domestic short hair to keep the hair to a minimum.

[Lorien]

30. For a few months the hallway looks like it's full of tumbleweeds

but for the rest of the year it's my domestic shorthair who sheds enough to make an extra cat each day!

[DemBones DemBones]

39. uh oh. . . but you have how many maine coons?

and isn't your other cats' hair mixed in, too?

sounds like the labrador retrieve of the cat world, shedding wise. i've always said i could knit a puppy during our lab's shedding season.

[Lorien]

45. One Maine Coon, but he's only 2 years old

the domestic shorthair (Miro) has been shedding like mad for 16 years!

[DemBones DemBones]

60. mammals are just gonna shed.

except maybe whales, but they're not pets.

:evilgrin:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

37. Holy. Fucking. Shit.

You DON'T want to neglect the feeding of THOSE babies. :scared:

[xultar]

34. You gotta go with the Maine Coon

[Doctor_J]

38. And the cat's not bad either!

:evilgrin:

[entanglement]

43. yuck

:puke:

[Love Bug]

46. Looks like my sister's cat

He's a big boy, too!

[Lilyhoney]

53. Did you grow that cat in texas?

Oh, that is so unfucking believeable!

[Elidor]

57. We need Lorien to see this thread

She has a great big hairy pussy, too. :D

[DemBones DemBones]

61. Lorien's already posted about her

um, well, you know.

:blush:

[Elidor]

64. I'm sorry, did I embarrass you?

I just about lost it when she posted that. I had this mental image of her as too staid to say something like that. It was a coffee-spitting-on-the-keyboard moment.

[Lorien]

67. Staid?

My parents were both a. ) Hippies in the classic sense and b.) Sex therapists, but I guess now I know that my excessive liberalness doesn't come through my "DU persona", lol!

[Elidor]

69. Hehe. It's hard to read people over the net

[roguevalley]

70. I. Want. That. Cat. Now.

[bridgit]

72. now that is impressive...