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Post-Pub Quiz Jumbo Cat

milk23

milk23

Ephemeral Spectre
Joined
Mar 4, 2004
Messages
338
Hello
On the way home from the pub the other night I spotted a large cat which looked to be eyeing a bird's nest in a dirty great privet bush. It was stretched across several stone steps to the side of a house. Being the only two souls in the street we both became aware of each other simultaneously and with that we stopped stock still regarding each other, well of course you would do the same upon such an occurrence. It was at this point I thought 'By jingo!' and feeling at one with the world I excitedly remarked 'well now, you're a big bugger'. We stood for a few moments more during which I had a good look at this larger than average moggy. It was a light colour, very hairy and it's tail was bushy, like one of those fancy cats owned by people with powerful hoovers. So big was this cat that I felt afraid enough to back up and take my passage via a wider route. Arriving home I assumed I'd imagined this cat's exaggerated dimensions due in no small part to my romantic frame of mind. However, the next day I returned to the spot to try and work out the extent of my delusion. The tail of this creature was curled on the ground (which I remember distinctly as I took this action as a sign that things were about to take an unfortunate turn) and it's head was over the top of the wall which I also remember distinctly as it was close to the privet. Now all evidence considered this animal must have been at least two and a half feet long not counting the tail. So there you go

PS- I live up by a lot of country side
 
The colour of the cat might have made him look larger...

I've got a big bugger, Arthur. Everyone tells me what a big cat he is. He's a strapping lad, yes, but he's not really outside the parameters of normal cattitude, but being ginger makes him stand out more against the background, so I think people assume he's bigger than he really is.

He's a complete wuss and won't approach people he doesn't know, tending to hover around in the background of the churchyard which is next door to my house, and I think distance tends to make people misjudge his actual proportions. I had a tabby who was a very similar size, but nobody remarked on it because, I think, he sort of 'blurred' into the background more.
 
I'd venture the beastie has some Maine Coon in their genes.

My partners sister has a pair of moggies who do, and they very definitely register on the "Oh lawd, they comin'" end of the scale!

Which is to say, for domestic cats, they're real big.
 
We had the privilege of cat-sitting for a couple of Maine Coons, the larger of whom weighed 14kg. That's a lot of cat. He used to sit by me as I worked on my laptop, and every now and then he would put his paw over my hand, as though to say "take a break, you've been working hard". I always thought it best not to argue.
 
Once I was tramping across the Sussex countryside when I saw what I thought was an ABC down the hill. I would have guessed it to be a metre long at least. A sheep corpse I'd see earlier added something to the perception, I'm sure. It took me a long time to realise it was just a cat, and that I was misjudging the size due to a lack of cues to properly judge its distance. I guess several ABC sightings have the same explanations.
 
milk23 said:
Hello
On the way home from the pub the other night I spotted a large cat which looked to be eyeing a bird's nest in a dirty great privet bush. It was stretched across several stone steps to the side of a house. Being the only two souls in the street we both became aware of each other simultaneously and with that we stopped stock still regarding each other, well of course you would do the same upon such an occurrence. It was at this point I thought 'By jingo!' and feeling at one with the world I excitedly remarked 'well now, you're a big bugger'. We stood for a few moments more during which I had a good look at this larger than average moggy. It was a light colour, very hairy and it's tail was bushy, like one of those fancy cats owned by people with powerful hoovers. So big was this cat that I felt afraid enough to back up and take my passage via a wider route. Arriving home I assumed I'd imagined this cat's exaggerated dimensions due in no small part to my romantic frame of mind. However, the next day I returned to the spot to try and work out the extent of my delusion. The tail of this creature was curled on the ground (which I remember distinctly as I took this action as a sign that things were about to take an unfortunate turn) and it's head was over the top of the wall which I also remember distinctly as it was close to the privet. Now all evidence considered this animal must have been at least two and a half feet long not counting the tail. So there you go

PS- I live up by a lot of country side
Click to expand...

Notwithstanding the previous replies which make a lot of sense, but I wondered whether the cat might have been puffing its fur out as well (as I believe they are prone to do if they are in 'attack/fear mode'?) Cos that could have made it look bigger too?
 
catseye said:
The colour of the cat might have made him look larger...

I've got a big bugger, Arthur. Everyone tells me what a big cat he is. He's a strapping lad, yes, but he's not really outside the parameters of normal cattitude, but being ginger makes him stand out more against the background, so I think people assume he's bigger than he really is.

He's a complete wuss and won't approach people he doesn't know, tending to hover around in the background of the churchyard which is next door to my house, and I think distance tends to make people misjudge his actual proportions. I had a tabby who was a very similar size, but nobody remarked on it because, I think, he sort of 'blurred' into the background more.
Click to expand...
Yes funny that. Petes Mk2 has a male ginger and white cat and he looks huge, but is probably no bigger than average.
 
James_H said:
Once I was tramping across the Sussex countryside when I saw what I thought was an ABC down the hill. I would have guessed it to be a metre long at least. A sheep corpse I'd see earlier added something to the perception, I'm sure. It took me a long time to realise it was just a cat, and that I was misjudging the size due to a lack of cues to properly judge its distance. I guess several ABC sightings have the same explanations.
Click to expand...

I've told the story on here before of how I managed to misidentify my own cat as an ABC. Only for a few seconds, but my brain definitely tried to tell me that I was seeing a very large black cat very close to, rather than my ordinarily proportioned black cat a hundred yards away.

A fold in the landscape (of a field I know well) made it look as though he was much closer than he was. Once my brain and eyes got together and sorted out the 'these are close, those are far away' thing, I knew what I was looking at, but it was odd for a moment or two.
 
milk23 said:
Hello
On the way home from the pub the other night I spotted a large cat which looked to be eyeing a bird's nest in a dirty great privet bush. It was stretched across several stone steps to the side of a house. Being the only two souls in the street we both became aware of each other simultaneously and with that we stopped stock still regarding each other, well of course you would do the same upon such an occurrence. It was at this point I thought 'By jingo!' and feeling at one with the world I excitedly remarked 'well now, you're a big bugger'. We stood for a few moments more during which I had a good look at this larger than average moggy. It was a light colour, very hairy and it's tail was bushy, like one of those fancy cats owned by people with powerful hoovers. So big was this cat that I felt afraid enough to back up and take my passage via a wider route. Arriving home I assumed I'd imagined this cat's exaggerated dimensions due in no small part to my romantic frame of mind. However, the next day I returned to the spot to try and work out the extent of my delusion. The tail of this creature was curled on the ground (which I remember distinctly as I took this action as a sign that things were about to take an unfortunate turn) and it's head was over the top of the wall which I also remember distinctly as it was close to the privet. Now all evidence considered this animal must have been at least two and a half feet long not counting the tail. So there you go

PS- I live up by a lot of country side
Click to expand...

My brother has a Norwegian Forest Cat and it is huge, you certainly don't want one jumping on your lap if you are a bloke and not wearing a cricket box, so maybe it was one of those.

My brother also has a powerful hoover.

If you go to this link and click on the photo you get to see 8 of them, Norwegian Forest Cats that is and not hoovers

https://www.animalwised.com/cat-breeds/norwegian-forest-cat.html

My brother's cat has the sweetest personality, is very friendly and very handsome in a feline sort of way - it is just bloody huge.

So maybe you saw one of those.
 
XBergMann said:
My brother has a Norwegian Forest Cat and it is huge, you certainly don't want one jumping on your lap if you are a bloke and not wearing a cricket box, so maybe it was one of those.

My brother also has a powerful hoover.

If you go to this link and click on the photo you get to see 8 of them, Norwegian Forest Cats that is and not hoovers

https://www.animalwised.com/cat-breeds/norwegian-forest-cat.html

My brother's cat has the sweetest personality, is very friendly and very handsome in a feline sort of way - it is just bloody huge.

So maybe you saw one of those.
Click to expand...


From the link it says
You must brush their teeth weekly
Click to expand...

"Here, kitty, kitty, come get your teeth cleaned..."

1561155023207.png


"Ohh, you know what? They look ok to me."
 
Schrodinger's Zebra said:
From the link it says

"Here, kitty, kitty, come get your teeth cleaned..."

View attachment 18247

"Ohh, you know what? They look ok to me."
Click to expand...

I used to write for one of the cat magazines currently on the market and they were full of stuff like this. 'Brush their teeth' indeed - some people also swear by bathing their cats!

I've been a cat owner all my life and I have never brushed teeth, bathed, put clothes on, trimmed claws or any of the stuff that these magazines tell you to do. I understand it might be necessary in some specialised cases (elderly, sick cat), but generally cats have pretty much got the self-care sorted out. I think the magazines may be heading for the 'indoor cat' market, more than your generalised moggy.

And I wouldn't put my fingers anywhere near any of my cats' front ends. They are killers, to a cat, and I like my fingers in the number I was born with...
 
catseye said:
I used to write for one of the cat magazines currently on the market and they were full of stuff like this. 'Brush their teeth' indeed - some people also swear by bathing their cats!

I've been a cat owner all my life and I have never brushed teeth, bathed, put clothes on, trimmed claws or any of the stuff that these magazines tell you to do. I understand it might be necessary in some specialised cases (elderly, sick cat), but generally cats have pretty much got the self-care sorted out. I think the magazines may be heading for the 'indoor cat' market, more than your generalised moggy.

And I wouldn't put my fingers anywhere near any of my cats' front ends. They are killers, to a cat, and I like my fingers in the number I was born with...
Click to expand...
Ms Petes went through a phase of what I can only describe as a fanaticism for bathing cats. The long haired rescue cat used to love it strangely. The other two used to swear vociferously at her at the indignity of it all. Eventually the phase passed.
 
PeteS said:
Ms Petes went through a phase of what I can only describe as a fanaticism for bathing cats. The long haired rescue cat used to love it strangely. The other two used to swear vociferously at her at the indignity of it all. Eventually the phase passed.
Click to expand...
The rescue cat probably went through a period of having a skin condition, and washing fixed it. Cat probably had the sense to realise it.
 
We have a Norwegian Forest cat, a neutered female, and the vet does like to tell us that she's verging on obese, it's not just the big fur coat. I just smile and nod and take their leaflet about cat diets, which then gets recycled once I get home... The big fur coat does get into terrible tangles - she's not the best at self-care. Although she's not really a cuddly cat, she appreciates being shaved to get rid of the big fur wads that form!
 
Beautiful cat! Sounds like an authentic wild cat as opposed to a tribe of feral, ingrown fluffballs.
BTW, aren't domestic-ish looking cats like this all originally from the Middle East?
I suppose I'm just jumping to conclusions in distinguishing this guy from others like lion, lynx and Pallas's cat, who come from other places.

In trying to figure out where Scottish wildcats came from, (the Middle East, Europe, Narnia?) I found this tidbit, proving once again that life is full of ironies:
"The Scottish wildcat has been present in Britain since the early Holocene, when the British Isles were connected to continental Europe via the Doggerland." (Wikipedia)
 
Perfect clip!
Alas, they're losing their habitat.
 
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