Conference misery::feline_v1

    19 Pounds!!!!!!!  at one year!!!  Good Grief!  I think you have
    a saint bernard cat there!!  (Must be part Maine Coon, eh?)
      He certainly sounds special.
    
    I'm sure that certain members of my crew understand alot more
    than they let on.  They have the advantage that way  ;-)

    
>    When he 'relaxes' he lays on his back - hind legs spread far apart -
>    and his front paws are bent like a rabbit holds theirs when they are
>    sitting up. 

	Both my cats do this, and playing with Yoda this weekend on the grass,
	I discovered he likes being pushed along on his back.

	He lays flat out on his back, (with his front paws streched over his 
	head)I push against his back paws, he pushes pack enough so he keeps 
	straight and doesn't bend, I push harder, causing him to slide on his 
	back over the grass.
	Everytime I stopped and walked away, he came running up to me,
	laying at my feet on the grass (on his back), and purring like a lawn 
	mower.
	After a while, he found out that if he anchored his front paws (over his
	head) onto the grass, this caused him to sumersault.....even more fun.

	Next - a move from grass to the gravel - this was even funnier, as he
	was catching gravel to play with as he was sliding over it!
	 .......I wonder if it'll mean I have to brush him less!
 
	I've had cats all my life, and have never seen one do this.
	
	Mind you, this one's only 6 lbs and 10 months old.......19 lbs!!!!!
	a lion???????

	Heather    

    Yes, my Casey is tons of fun! (oops, sorry Casey, but you are
    a little on the "fat" side, with 11 pds on a cat frame meant
    for 6-7!)  Casey loves to be pushed along the rug on his back,
    like a kitty shuffleboard disk!  Pick up a laundry basket, and
    "tons of fun" is in it to go for the ride to the basement.  Or
    up the stairs, if the laundry is clean (groan...!).  
    Turn on the blow dryer, and he's wrapped around your ankles,
    Flopped on your feet, or climbing up your leg, begging to be blow 
    dried.  Watching him try to reach those "places" has us laughing
    until the tears come.  He cannot sit up, he's too heavy now and
    falls over.  He tries to jump to the windowsill, and hangs there,
    looking over his shoulder at you to come & boost him up.
    Of course, he loves to be carried around, and if you bend down
    to put on your shoes, he jumps onto your back thinkinh you will
    take him outside, too.
    
    We have nicknamed him "Casey-Lump"!
    
    L-                
    

    re: one year old
    
    Actually, Marilyn, he'd be a year old right about now.  Otis and
    his siblings were born in late April (19th or 20th I think) last
    year.  I never did write down the date, and now I'm angry at my-
    self for having forgotten!
    
    Nova and Sneakers, while not quite as big as Otis, certainly have
    similar personalities and habits.  Sneakers washes himself in a
    virtually identical manner to what you describe for Otis, but Nova
    doesn't.  She, instead, has the habit of waking me in the morning
    by climbing up the length of the bed and nudging me in the face
    until I awaken (purring loudly, of course, for effect).
    
    My old lady Smoke (11 in July) has become very quiet and relaxed
    in her middle age, and simply sleeps wrapped around the top of my
    head all night, every night.  Still very talkative by day (1/2 Siamese)
    though, and thrives on attention.
    
    BTW - Nova gave birth to a litter of SEVEN on Friday night 4/6,
    so Otis is an Uncle.
    
    	McQ
    

    Oh, Otis is an Uncle...how fabulous!
    
    Well, if Otis is a year old now - I'll make sure to mark April
    20th on the calendar...that sounds like a good date, don't you
    think?
    
    Bob, I don't know if you know Otis' breed, but I am willing to
    bet he has a LOT of Maine Coone (sp?) in him.  He isn't fat, the
    vet said he would still be growing the next 6 months - he is just
    getting longer and longer.  He has a large head and a big neck,
    huge paws (that he grasps things with) and is quite tall as well.
    
    My daughter went away for the week-end and Otis was in a real snit.
    He opened her bedroom door - I don't know how in heck he did it -
    and got into her make-up basket.  He came running down the stairs
    and into the living room with her *best* blush brush in his mouth!
    I put it away - closed the door - and 5 minutes later he came
    back downstairs with her *best* mini blush brush.  I then had to
    try to keep his attention downstairs - food, string, ball, plastic
    egg, attention...which I finally managed to do.  But, he attempted
    to climb up on to the window sill (which was closed at the time)!
    I could hear him - scratch his way down the wall - so I opened the
    window and tried to get comfortable but almost fell off a couple
    of times...he is SO big.  I decided to open the French Doors so
    he could lay there and bask in the sun and breeze and he was
    much more comfortable.
    
    I bought film for my camera and will carry it around with me all
    next week-end...so Bob I can send you some more photo's of him.
    
    M
    

    Re: Otis
    
    There are attachments you can get that widen window sill
    perching places. They look like little carpeted areas.  I
    think I've sen them advertised in cat magazines.
    

     
    WOW, more pictures!  That'd be great.  I must get my camera
    refurbrished and click off a few of Otis' family for you as well.
    
    I don't think (but don't know for sure) there's any Maine Coon in
    Otis.  His mom was a black short-haried mutt, and his dad was a
    long-haired but scraggly mutt, not very big.  Actually, neither
    of his parents were very big at all.  Sneakers is getting bigger,
    but still not the size of Otis.  Maybe he has an overactive pituitary?
    
    Anyways, glad he's so happy!
    
    Bob
    

    Well, Otis, must have some 'bear' in his genetic backround (smile)
    cause the vet says he is a B I G cat.
    
    His coat if very shiny and he has beautiful markings...and he is
    VERY clean.  His head is short haired...then it gets longer at the
    back of his neck and then his back, underside and tail is long
    haired.
    
    I love the way he 'struts'...he just saunters along and NOTHING
    intimidates him.  NOTHING!  He doesn't frighten easily - in fact
    a friend of Tracey's stopped by with a Lhasa/poo dog and Otis
    just laid on the living room rug and 'dared' him (with his eyes)
    to walk in the room.  Of course the dog WAS intimidated by Otis
    and would attempt to get near him - then bark and back off - then
    go a little closer and back off.  She continued this routine
    for about 10 minutes...and Otis just continued to lay there -
    yawn and attempt to get in a few winks...he did have one eye
    SLIGHTLY open...though!
    
    Dog finally gave up (she was so cute too - with her hair in two
    pony tails with pink ribbons...it was Easter Sunday) and retreated
    to the dining room!  Otis then got up and went to seek her out.
    Tiffany, on the other hand, retreated upstairs under my bed for
    the entire episode!
    
    The bone structure of Otis is incredible...his paws are about the
    size of a poodles....
    
    M