Son of a b*tch......dude, those cats are huuuuuuuuuuuge.

What is even scarier is that I also had 2 Maine Coons (ex-wife took them) and their names were.....get this: Lynx and Kia....WTF?????

I am stuck (nah...love the little punks) with 2 out of the 6 cats we used to have. Mr. Leeon and Grandma Tigra.

Leeon weighs about 18 lbs ... he is big therefore I CANNOT imagine your cat... ....and Tigra...well, her fragile 15 year old bones only allow her to tip the scale at 4.2 lbs.. (this is Mr. Leeon)....and here is Tigra....sorry, Grandma Tigra

 

Awesome pics...keep 'em coming! Here are a few more to help convince you dog lovers that cats are where it's at.

I'm not kidding when I tell you the Maine Coon loves water. Here's a pic of another cooner....


You'll notice with the female of mine, "Koa" that her coat is particularly long underneath but short on top. This characteristic is common to the Maine Coon. When they were introduced into this country, having such a thick coat on the bottom kept their body warm while prowling thru the snow covered woods of New England looking for anything that moved. Because they usually found themselves in the woods, you'll find their rather thin top coat prevented these little lions from getting caught in all the brush and faciliated quick romps over branches and such while chasing down their prey. "Koa's" colors are particularly distinctive and she has a very prounounced marble pattern to her coat. As you can imagine, it wouldn't be difficult for a cat like this to blend into the foliage of a fall season in Maine...waiting for some unsuspecting rabbit to walk by. On another note, if you look at the pics of the cats faces above, you'll notice how elongated their nose and mouth are compared to a typical domestic cat. This feature allowed the Coons easier access to drink the water from brooks and streams in the woods...perhaps another reason why this breed is so taken with the sound of water, especially the males. Run the shower in my house and expect company.


The second pic pretty much gives you an idea on just how large "Lynx" is. Even by Maine Coon standards, he's a giant. Koa is 11-lbs and looks like a kitten next to him. In fact, he is literally twice the size of her 5-year-old father who continues to make little Coons. As I mentioned earlier, males who have been fixed usually get larger than ones left to breed. Something else though which potential owners might find strange. For such a huge breed of cat (the largest domestic in fact), the meow that comes from them, especially the males, would have you think they are a few months out of the womb. It's a very short, high-pitched staccato-meow that will leave you thinking "where did that come from because something that wussy couldn't possible come from him?" As for the females, they are "talk boxes" and will churp to you constantly. Koa will actually attempt conversations with us and I have no idea what the heck she is trying to get across but if you call her name and she's not in the room, you'll hear a series of chirps and voila...there she is, at your feet.


Here's a pic of "Koa" dedicated to the northern contingent of S2000 owners.

Here's my dad's Persian, called "Moses" but I call him "flat face." He's every bit the ham that this picture might suggest. If dad doesn't get up in the morning early enough to feed this rascal, he simply opens up the cabinet and gets the food himself. I've seen him do it. With a look like this, it was easy coming up with words that would fit his look of disgust.

and finally, if you dog lovers aren't convinced yet....maybe you think
"yeah, they're cool and all but I want a big dog."
How about a big cat? Coons rule!

 

Damn Russ...do I get the feeling you like cats..specially Main coons?

Awesome pics...I specially like the one of Koa lounging on the couch...looks like a freaking lion!

Here is Leeon again!

 

Although I nearly died laughing at "Cat reclining in sink" this image just says it all for me!

 

Official cat thread? Cool! ....

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rstark
[B]Official cat thread?

 

I'll have to get some pics put together, but I have 9 cats and 1 dog in our humble domicile. I have them all in my PetPic sig and avatar.

Here they are...

"Joey"- Stray #1 Our Maine Coon Clone
I found Joey, when he was a kitten, on an country road while headed to my parents house. I decided to pick him so I made a u-turn. I walked up to him and tried to lure him to me. He was pretty scared and didn't want anything to do with me. After a few minutes, I leaned a little closer only to spot a snake about 4 feet away. At that point, I leaned a little closer and snatched him before the snake made a move. I took him home and had the vet give him a thourough examination. I needed to be very sure that he didn't carry the deadly Feline Leukemia or FIV before he was integrated with the others.

One funny story about Joey is that we originally thought he was a she. He was so malnourished, that his testicles hadn't dropped yet. It wasn't until he second vet visit, that we changed his name from Zoey to Joey. I hope that there are no long-term psychological effects.


"JoeJoe"- Stray #2 He is the last addition to my pet family. It was about 2 months before we aquired him that I told my wife "Isn't it wierd that we don't have a yellow cat?". Well, I can scratch that off my list.



"Socks"- She used to be known as "The Mother of all my cats". I have since picked up two strays, Joey and JoeJoe.

She adopted me back in 90 when I lived in a second story apartment. I usually slept with the patio door open during the fall-winter-spring timeframe. I woke up one morning to find her sprawled across my living room floor. Two weeks passed and then there were 6 kittens. I gave 2 cats to my girlfriend at the time, but they were later reunited when she and I got married.



"Mimi,Patches,Berry"- This is what we see when we get home from work. They are not greeting us, but rather anxiously awaiting their dinner.



"Spot"



"Nike"



"Reebok & Socks"



"Kiki"

 

Ok now for a cat that will shame the rest with her
unrivaled beauty. I give you Clio:

 

I don't mind cats (we - my wife and I - have a relatively psychotic one named Rocky, plus my immediate family collectively owned (or were owned by) a Siamese named Humungous Caesar) but nothing compares to a dog for indoor and outdoor companionship, in my opinion, especially a big one. Cats are typically too independent. We're currently planning to buy an Akita and the males top out at 100 to 135 lbs of muscle in show form. These dogs are big, friendly, can run all day with you, and are relatively docile (though very playful).

That said, perhaps I could get a Maine Coon to beat up on it now and again, just to make sure it doesn't get an ego or assume its invincible. I didn't know healthy cats came in such large sizes! Amazing (and crazy).

Beautiful cats, everyone.