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Maine Coon Cat Mistaken For A Bobcat Or A Lynx, Neighbors Thought It Was Illegal

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 13:50 PST, Feb 13, 2016

https://youtu.be/cNY-NwE00UE

A Maine Coon cat owner in San Jose, CA, says that when neighbors spot the 27-pound feline in the window, they think the owners are keeping an illegal wild animal. Colleen Pizarev told SFGate that at least three strangers have knocked on her door in the past year to warn her she has a wild animal in her house. Colleen told SFGate that people have mistaken the Maine Coon cat for a bobcat or a lynx because of the size of the house cat.

“They’re worried that I’m keeping a illegal wild animal. I’m always like, ‘No! Look, he has a tail.'”

Pizarev loves the Maine Coon breed, which is one of the largest domesticated breed of cats. Pizarev adopted a rescue through Maine Coon Adoptions in Oakland, CA. However that cat passed away and Pizarev adopted a Maine Coon-Abyssinian cross breed, Fluff Ball. Four years ago, Spock, the 27-pound Maine Coon, came to live with Pizarev from a breeder. Spock was supposed to be a show cat but couldn’t be because one of his eyes had turned a color that was unacceptable for competition.

Pizarev also told SFGate that Spock eats a pound of fresh meat each day and he measures almost four feet long. The San Jose resident said that Spock’s growth had taken off in the past year and figures that’s why her neighbors have been knocking on her door. She also said that the Maine Coon takes up half the bed.

“He’s like having another person in your bed.”

Spock also knocks stuff over a lot, so Pizarev said they have to lock up table lamps. In the video above, Pizarev says that they started securing knick knack items to tables with putty. All in all, Spock “is a gentle giant,” which is indicative of the Maine Coon breed.

“I love this breed because they’re very smart,” Pizarev told SFGate. “They don’t bite or scratch. They’re extremely affectionate.”

“He’s a lap cat and likes to sit on laps.”

Maine Coon cats are known for their docile natures and how they interact with humans. The Maine Coon breed grows to very large sizes, the largest known Maine Coon other than Spock has been said to have been over 48 inches — just over four feet long. Mymains Stewart Gilligan, better known as “Stewie,” was in the Guiness World Book of Records in 2012 at 48.5 inches. Unfortunately, Stewie passed away in 2013 from cancer.

The “Maine” part of the breed’s name comes from the state thought to be where the breed originated. The “Coon” part may have come about because the cats were tabby cats with dark or black backs and long, flowing tails, which might have caused people to think they were raccoons. Some people even thought the Maine Coon evolved from matings of domestic cats and raccoons, but that has been proven genetically impossible.

Some legends about the origins of the Maine Coon include a theory that Marie Antoinette had them transported to America when the French Revolution started up. Breeders say it’s more likely that the breed evolved from matings of domestic shorthair cats that were introduced by early settlers with angora breeds that were later brought to the U.S. by immigrants.

Maine Coons make very good family pets, and learn tricks fairly easy. The breed even has canine traits such as fetching objects or taking walks with their owners. Other features of the breed include large and round feet, thick, powerful legs, and large feathered ears which usually have a tufted “point” of hair. The average male weighs between 10 and 18 pounds, females average in at seven to 12 pounds. A few such as Spock and Stewie can grow into “gentle giants.”

[Image Via YouTube]

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