Cat Lovers

[ORCRiST]

Dad: Look at the camera!
Cat: No! It's not interesting!
Dad: C'mon! Look at the camera!
Cat: Bugger off, you hairless cretin!
Dad: Boy? Grab that cat by the throat and point its head at the camera!
Kid: OK!
Cat: I'll kill you later. You have to sleep sometime.

You know, for a long time now I've wanted an exotic cat. Not a lion a tiger mind you, but something BIG. Basically my criterion is:
As big as I can get one without having to worry about it killing me in my sleep.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of research on hybrids. You guys haven't seen cats this big this side of a Animal Planet documentary,
so I thought I'd post some pics so y'all know what I'm talking about...

A Savannah cat - pretty cool, no? They better be for $20,000. This is what happens when you breed a house cat with an African Serval.

Sadly, never mind the sticker shock - but I'd really need to have land and a cat-proof house to have one. They like water, if you take
a shower, you WILL have company. Another random fact, they hiss and spit as a greeting. Its really wierd to see. Just imagine coming home
from work or the bar with a friend, you walk in the door and have this massive cat growling and hissing at you! They're so damn cool. I need to win a lottery, sigh...

This is a Chausie cat. This little bad boy is the result of breeding a house cat with a Mountain or Stone Cougar. A little bit more reasonable
at around a grand for non-breeding cats (aka pets).

This is a Bengal cat. This is the result of crossing a domestic cat with a Asian Leopard Cat. Between $1000.00-4000.00.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I am a cat person.  I currently have 4 and have had atleast one since age 13.  Luckily, I've had sociable ones (sociable by cat standards), and none that had a mean streak, though I've been around a few.  Knowing what I know about them, the behavior between the wild and domesticated ones isn't that different.  They are never truly domesticated.  Part of what tricks you into them letting you think you've domesticated them is their size.  If they have a mean streak, you're toast.  A small one will hurt you, a big one will eat you.  They play bite, but I've been for real bitten before by others, and when they come after you with no fear, there's no stopping them.  Luckily, most domesticated ones have never figured out how to be mean.  The bigger they get, the closer to a time bomb you have.

 

[m4rk0]

Dad: Look at the camera!
Cat: No! It's not interesting!
Dad: C'mon! Look at the camera!
Cat: Bugger off, you hairless cretin!
Dad: Boy? Grab that cat by the throat and point its head at the camera!
Kid: OK!
Cat: I'll kill you later. You have to sleep sometime.

No posing here.. the cat is actually cuddly like that

 

[Cagey]

I'm a big cat fan myself, but knowing them the way I do, I don't know that I'd want one too big. Even the friendliest domestic cat's whole attitude is "phuque you", and the only reason they let you live is because you control the food supply. If they were any bigger, you'd be their food supply.

For those who haven't seen it, Geico has a funny new commercial out where the homeowners get a "rescue panther" to save money on homeowner's insurance. See here...

 

[ORCRiST]

Well, in all honesty I wouldn't get any of the cats I posted just because of my living conditions (a town home). If I bought any of those
animals I'd want to ensure their happiness and safety - which literally means a large, wholly enclosed outside habitat area with water
(like a kiddie pool). Not very practical for a townhouse.

The cat's I'd actually consider getting would be a 'Pixiebob' which is a domestic bred with a Lynx or Bobcat. They're a house-cat sized with
the long wispy ears, larger 'snow shoe' paws and short little stub-tails of their wild parents. The other is called a 'Ocicat' which is a domestic bred with an Ocelot.
Again, house cat size with exotic markings and features.

Pixiebob:

Ocicat:

I've had cats all my life, 99% of them where generic Tabby's which is why I'm looking for something different.

 

[Cagey]

I've had cats all my life, 99% of them where generic Tabby's which is why I'm looking for something different.

I've had cats all my life except the last 10 years or so and if I were to get another one, I'd be saving my pennies until I could get a Burmese.

Far and away the most incredible cats I've ever come across, and I've known a lot of them. What's best is they're perfectly suited to limited living situations like you describe, such as a townhouse/apartment/condo/etc. because you really don't want to let them out. In fact, there are breeders who won't sell them to you unless you promise you won't let them out.

Thing is, they're fearless. Literally. They have no sense of vulnerability. They think they can take on the world, and while that's not on their agenda, it can put them in situations that are outside their ability to handle (although their intelligence, cunning, and built-in weaponry allows them to handle more than you might imagine). So, for their own safety you have to keep them indoors.

On the plus side, they're everything a Siamese is, plus some. Super intelligent, fiercely loyal, friendly and loving, constantly playful - just a really fun animal to have around. It's like having a dog, with none of the typical dog problems. You can even leash-train them, if you get the urge to walk one. Although, while my Siamese were leash-trained, I only walked them to make people laugh and to give the cat something new to sniff. They don't need the exercise.

They're not cheap, though. Expect to pay in the $600-$700 range for one. They're rare, they have small litters, and they sometimes don't survive their immunizations. Once they reach their adolescence, they're a robust animal you can expect to have around for 15-20 years. But, they're fragile as kittens. It's unlikely a breeder will let you have one much before about 14-16 weeks old.

 

[bagman67]

Are they as vocal as Siamese?  Some folks find the incessant yammer of that breed offputting (not me, but my wife objects).

 

[Soylent]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/?single_page=true

oh my.

 

[Cagey]

Ah, yeah. Should've mentioned that. They're talkers. Seriously. But, it's not the aggravating unsolicited noise a Siamese makes, it's more articulate and conversational. You say something to them, and they'll say something back, and they'll do that until you run out of the energy to continue. What's weird is it isn't a reactive, predictable call & response sort of thing, what they say back is different every time. It's almost as if they have a language of their own, with all the inflections, tonal character, dynamics and purposeful thought that you'd expect of a language. If a stranger were watching and you phrased things right, they'd swear you were holding a conversation.

The other strange and sometimes off-putting thing about them is they want to be your BFF. No matter what you're doing, they want to be doing it with you. ALL THE TIME. They're not like most cats who are content to sleep and puke their lives away once they find the best places to do that. They're like a lovestruck teenager, hanging on your every thought and action. But, if you're just sitting around, that's cool. They'll sit around, too. Whatever's best for you.

 

[swarfrat]

What's this talk about cats costing money? You mean Vet bills?

I've seen some breeds that would be cool, but the best things in life are free - and I can't possibly bring myself to pay even hundreds of dollars for a cat. Even if they do something cool like love water, leave pit bulls as presents on your doorstep and such.

 

[Orpheo]

I'm a sucker for main coone's. they are super-sweet, kind, gentle. they don't talk that much, are about as big as a bengal, maybe even bigger (PS: a 1000$ bengal?! really?! they're like 700 euro's here, and a savannah is almost 1200 euro's here...). Anyway.

main coone, thats my cat! (and I have a british shorthair in house, but thats my ex gf's cat, not mine).

 

[kboman]

It's time for some Ssanyu lovin' again:

He just hopped up on the table and sat down in front of me. The only choice was to cuddle! He's a burmese, but he doesn't talk all that much - more than a regular cat but nothing inordinate. The little cat girl, however, comments everything she does which is pretty hilarious. She's your basic "various" cat so it's kind of funny that she talks more than the burmese, but she's only barely a year old so maybe she'll quiet down in time. I hope not, it's adorable...

 

[hannaugh]

Brisco is a pretty goofy cat sometimes. 

 

[Nando Vallart]

I really want a Jaguar... But it's not allowed to have one

 

[Cagey]

Those are some beautiful animals. But, all it would take is a slight misunderstanding and you'd be toast. Or, maybe the neighbor's kid would look too tasty one day.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Those are some beautiful animals. But, all it would take is a slight misunderstanding and you'd be toast. Or, maybe the neighbor's kid would look too tasty one day.

Yes, I know, it's actually my weight cat and its pawn is as big as my head... and I'm not exactly a tiny guy

 

[swarfrat]

A friend at work volunteers at the local big cat rescue. He says the mountain lions & tigers are dangerous as all getout, but can be genuine playful and form emotional attachments to individuals. Anything in the jaguars & leopard family though absolutely cannot be trusted. They're genuine psychopaths - pretending to be approachable until they get a chance to attack. Injuries at this location are pretty much limited so far to fingers stuck into cages not coming back, and every single one has been a jaguar. 

One of the tigers likes this one particular female handler, and gets really really jealous of any male companion she brings. I'm with the other guys here - cats are cute because they're social but vicious predators that happen to be small enough to not be a serious threat to us. Even a house cat can do some pretty serious damage if it wants to.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Yes... But in Brazil you cannot have any big cat, so I won't have... Even if I could I probably don't have money to buy meat for it

But I still think it's one of the prettiers animals around

 

[swarfrat]

You can always feed it pitt bulls, rotweiler's, mastiff's and door to door salespeople. Toy poodles for treats. Aww would kitty like a P-o-o-d-l-e? Fetch!

 

[stubhead]

Speaking of cats "not costing money", the big one is named "Pandit" which is an Indian honorific for "wise man" or "teacher." I named him so because I had also raised the little gray from a kitten, but then left him to take care of my dad. He was definitely one of those deep thinker cats... so as Irony is established as a relentless higher power, Pandit turned out to be dumb as a sack of rocks. You can see a little pink patch on his stomach that used to be third-degree cooked cat -

He was over at a friend's house while they were spraying here for bugs, he was creeping the kitchen, got startled and hid behind... the water heater. NO other cat could've come up with this, he has a knack for disaster, and now a $300 pink patch.

Here's the pair of them on Guard Duty after their calisthenics and French lessons: