Large domestic house cats that are loved worldwide

There are a number of large domestic cat breeds which make excellent pets - AND... there is a difference between a large cat breed and a fat cat! Cats are wonderful creatures and have become very popular as pets all around the world - especially in the United States.  In fact, most people who keep cats as their pets consider them a part of their family rather than just a pet!  Today, house cats are available in various sizes and many different breeds. Some people prefer small cats while others are drawn to the large-sized, domesticated versions. It is important to know the important characteristics of a particular breed of cat before making it a pet! Here are some of the most loved and adored, large, domesticated cat breeds that are highly popular among various cat lovers around the world.

The Ragamuffin: The Ragamuffin is one of most popular jumbo-sized domesticated cat breeds around the world. In this breed of cat the males weigh between 15 to 20 pounds while the females weigh between 10 to 15 pounds. Ragamuffins have become popular among cat lovers mainly due to their sweet and friendly nature apart from the beautiful rabbit-like fur. These cats take almost a year to mature completely but even a kitten of 4-5 months is quiet adorable.

The Maine Coon: The Maine Coon is originally from the state of Maine in USA. In fact it is the official state cat of Maine. It is another large domesticated cat breed popular among cat lovers as pets. The male Maine Coon can weigh between 13 to 18 pounds while the female can weigh between 8 and 12 pounds.

The Ocicat: The Ocicat is another large domesticated cat breed with great popularity as a pet. The breed looks a lot like a wild cat but has no 'wild' characteristics. Ocicats are highly energetic and lively cats and are popular for being one of the most active and agile cat breeds around the world.  The average weight of an Ocicat is about 12 pounds.

The Turkish Van: The Turkish Van is a large domestic cat breed with semi-long hair and big and slim body. A typical Turkish Van is a reasonably long cat with its back legs longer and stronger compared to its front legs. This cat has a haired and water-resistant coat which is reasonably thick in winter and soft like the fur of rabbit. During the summer months the cat sheds off most of its thick coat. The female Turkish Van weighs between 12 to 14 pounds while the male weighs between 14-16 pounds.

Pixie Bobs: Pixie Bobs is another wonderful domestic cat which is preferred as a pet. It has striking similarities with the North American Bobcat but has also its own unique characteristics. The male Pixie Bobs weighs about 18 pounds while the female weighs about 14 pounds. This cat has a strong and stocky body and is the only cat recognized by The International Cat Association (TICA). This cat has six to seven toes on each of its foot.

These are the most popular domestic cat breeds for cat lovers. It is vital that we gain crucial knowledge about a particular cat breed before we decide on taking it as a pet. This will make things a lot easier both for us and our cat and help us care for our pet in a loving and efficient manner.

After 5 years on the run, Willow (the mystery cat) finally cashes in her chip

A now-famous calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found on Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to her family, where two of the three children and one of the two dogs may remember her.  How she got to New York, more than 1,800 miles away, and the kind of life she lived in the city are mysteries.  But thanks to a microchip that was implanted when she was a kitten, Willow will be reunited in Boulder, Colo., with her owners, the Squireses, who had long ago given up hope.

“There are tons of coyotes around here, and owls,” Jamie Squires said. “We put out the ‘lost cat’ posters and the Craigslist thing, but we actually thought she’d been eaten by coyotes.”

Ms. Squires said she and her husband, Chris, were shocked when they received a call about Willow on Wednesday from Animal Care and Control, which runs New York City’s animal rescue and shelter system. Ms. Squires said that when they saw a picture of the cat, they knew it was Willow.  Willow was found on East 20th Street by a man who took her to a shelter, and Julie Bank, executive director of Animal Care, said the microchip led to the Squires family.

“All our pets are microchipped,” Ms. Squires said. “If I could microchip my kids, I would.”


Ah, but is this tale entirely true? The first story is from the New York Times. But several days later, the New York Post had this to say:  The truth behind Willow the cat’s five-year journey from Colorado to Manhattan may not be quite the furry adventure tale it’s been cracked up to be.  She didn’t walk or hitchhike the 1,800 miles from her Boulder home to the Big Apple, it seems, but may instead have simply been scooped up by a New Yorker on a ski vacation and flown back to his or her home in Brooklyn.

“While in Brooklyn, she was loved and very spoiled ... She’s had quite an adventure, but there’s no great mystery behind her travels,” an anonymous person who once cat-sat the calico told the Web site Gothamist.  According to this account, which city officials are not sure they believe, a Colorado vet turned up no record of her original owners and didn’t scan for her implanted microchip. But when the cat was scanned at the city’s Animal Care and Control shelter, her Colorado owners turned up in the database.  After years with the cat, the new owner chose to turn the pet in to the shelter because he or she traveled a great deal and was “unable to give her all the time and attention she deserves,” the writer said.

At any rate, there was a 'miracle' here - i.e. the miracle of modern science!

Boy saves kitten from death. Community saves boy from heartbreak.

For the Dayton family (in Moose Jaw - Saskatchewan, Canada), it was devastating when their cat, Dexter, ran away. That's because their teenage son (Logan) had rescued the cat years before, when it was a tiny, injured kitten.  The father, Marc Dayton, says, “He just worked out so good and became such a good member of the family.” Marc said Logan especially developed a bond with the cat, named Dexter. He said his son felt a certain protectoral pride in have rescued the animal from likely frigid winter death. But it was Logan who left him outside one day, only to discover that his beloved pet was lost.

Of course, they plastered the area with posters about Dexter, and that act appears to have brought the entire town together. Even the local paper agreed to run very cheap ads asking for readers to be on the lookout for Dexter. Marc claims that the newspaper ads really got the phone ringing. He said a lot of concerned citizens were expressing sympathy, calling to report sightings of cats matching the description and, in some cases, even offering new kittens if all else failed. But in the end, Dexter turned up when one of the townsfolk found him and called.  According to Marc, Dexter is happily back with the family and will be staying indoors for the foreseeable future. Marc, a father of two teenage boys (Logan and 13-year-old Tyrol) said he feels a great deal of gratitude for the whole community that came together to help reunite his family.

“Thank you all,” he said, adding he went around town replacing the “Missing Cat” posters with ones expressing appreciation to all who cared. Since nobody would accept the $60 reward, Marc donated $60 worth of cat food to Moose Jaw Humane Society.

Woman travels 1,600 miles to rescue a cat that she doesn't want. Just in time for Caturday!

A devoted animal lover told yesterday how she travelled 1,600 miles to rescue a stray cat in France - after it became trapped on a roof.  Wendy Wilson, 65, adopted tortoiseshell tabby cat Sandy while living for 16 weeks a year at her holiday home in Cruzy, Herault, in the South of France.  But the mischievous moggy sparked a cross-channel rescue after getting stuck on a neighbour's garage roof without food or water for three weeks.

Hours after learning of Sandy's plight Wendy took a £150 Ryanair flight from Stansted Airport to Carcassonne to rescue the stricken cat.  The retired mum-of-two found Sandy crying out for help and almost starving to death after climbing up inside a neighbour's garage and onto the roof.  After the rescue, she booked Sandy onto a coach to drive her all the her back home to her home in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Wendy, a retired building society worker, said: "My French neighbour told me Sandy had disappeared and when I made enquiries I found she was stuck on a roof.  The only way off the roof was back down through the garage or a 10 foot drop.  She was too nervous to wait by the garage door and lots of people had tried to coax her down. But they weren't particularly bothered about feeding her.  The poor old thing was stuck up there in the baking heat for three weeks without any real food or water. How she survived I just don't know.

I was so worried about it I decided to fly out to France. I just thought I have to go get her. I thought she was going to die.  You can't call the French firefighters like you do in England because they wouldn't appreciate going out to rescue a cat."

"When I got there I saw her on the roof and she ran over and cried out but there was no way to get to her.  I had to wait until the neighbours got back so I could get into their garage.  She was so thirsty and really hungry. She wouldn't have lasted much longer. It was definitely worth it and I couldn't abandon her to die."

Inexplicably, Wendy has now donated the cat to her neighbour Peggy Ward, 83.

Cat Ranching!

An UNREAL sanctuary for cats.

This guy has saved a lot of cats. Check out the little houses he built for them.

Craig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary for all the cats he has rescued. He lives there with the cats and provides lots of love, care and companionship. It's hard to imagine that once he was not a cat lover and did not want cats until he met his son's cat Pepper. He also got to experience what it is like raising a litter of kittens.

Over that time I learned that every cat had its own unique personality and it wasnt long before the kittens were swinging from my curtains. I didn't care. Something had changed, I didn't want to give them up. The condo life was not easy for the kitties, so Craig found a tree farm and settled down there for his fur babies. Over the next several months, he rescued more and more homeless and abandoned cats. The number of new residents kept going up, so Craig expanded the sanctuary to make more room for the animals.

The farm was named Caboodle Ranch and is now a permanent home for all the homeless, rescued cats. Each of them has a sad story of their past, but now they are living in heaven. Cats should be able to roam free, and at Caboodle Ranch, tha'¹s what they do. Craig has built many beautiful cat houses and decorated the place with vibrant colors and tons of liveliness. All the cats are spayed and neutered. Don't forget to visit Caboodle Ranch (non profit rescue center) at their website and check them out on Facebook.

The Veterinarian (groaner alert)‏

'The Veterinarian'

One Sunday, in counting the money in the weekly offering, the Pastor of a small church found a pink envelope containing $1,000. It happened again the next week! The following Sunday, he watched as the offering was collected and saw an elderly woman put the distinctive pink envelope on the plate. This went on for weeks until the pastor, overcome by curiosity, approached her.

"Ma'am, I couldn't help but notice that you put $1,000 a week in the collection plate," he stated. "Why yes," she replied, "every week my son sends me money and I give some of it to the church."

The pastor replied, "That's wonderful. But $1000 is a lot, are you sure you can afford this? How much does he send you?"

The elderly woman answered, "$10,000 a week."

The pastor was amazed. "Your son is very successful; what does he do for a living?"

"He is a veterinarian," she answered.

"That's an honorable profession, but I had no idea they made that much money," the pastor said. "Where does he practice?" The woman answered proudly, "In Nevada... He has two cat houses, one in Las Vegas , and one in Reno"

At least SOMETHING good comes out of Somalia

Scar and Grumpy, lions rescued from Somali chaos

Their names are 'Scar' and 'Grumpy', and they are two irresistible lion cubs rescued from a trafficker at Mogadishu port - having become the mascots of the Somali capital's airport where they have found a temporary home.  The four-month-old lions now live in an enclosure at the end of Mogadishu international airport's tarmac and have become a rare cheerful attraction in the war-ravaged city.

They were discovered by Somali government soldiers in December, their back legs tied together and generally in bad shape, on a merchant ship which was about to smuggle them to an Arab country to be sold.  The port authority rescued the two cats and handed them over to a foreign logistics company based within the airport compound, one of the few relatively secure areas in Mogadishu and home to the African Union force's main base.

The sparkling Indian Ocean, the wreckage of a military cargo plane and barb wire horizon provide an unusual landscape for the king of animals but Scar and Grumpy spend their days like most lion cubs do: sleeping, playing and eating.  Fortunately, they have found (in a South African, already in charge of a group of sniffer dogs on the airport compound) a natural animal-loving handler.

"Unfortunately, it's not the first time that we hear about lions. Some of the foreigners working here have been offered lions to buy," the man said, speaking to an AFP reporter on condition of anonymity.  At only four months, Scar and Grumpy look like big cuddly cats but are already too powerful for humans to play with and have to be fed an entire goat every three days.  "I would rather see them running around in a big game reserve where they could hunt than living in a zoo for 25 years," the handler said.