Posted on 07/04/2012 11:03:47 AM PDT by Stoat
Dogs started out as wild animals. It just takes time.
OMG this is the funniest post I have ever read, I am still crying from
laughing.
1. He’s 4 years old; full grown adult by any standards. He isn’t getting any bigger except around the middle, at his age.
2. Lynxes have disproportionally large paws for their frame, because they act as snowshoes.
3. Lynxes are one of the wild cat types that both tames and hybridizes well, unlike bobcats.
This lovely fella is well bonded to his family, both fuzzy and two legged. I think things will be ok.
I did the Frontline thing on hima week ago.
Even that was traumatic. We got the spray version and he didn’t like being sprayed.
By the way, although he’s 28 pounds, he a very lean cat. There’s no fat on this kitty, he’s just big and strong. Normally he’s very gentle. He lets my 14 month old grandson abuse him and never bats an eye.
He doesn’t even chase the squirrels, he just goes over and lays in front of their tree to watch them.
They are so used to him, they actually jump over him while scavenging for seeds and food, although the dog next door is afraid of him. I think he’s got the dog by 2 or 3 pounds.
He really doesn’t like baths though.
I found out afterwards that the fleas are now tolerant of Frontline. I would suggest Advantage, which is what my cat was on before I switched (and will be going back on soon) or Revolution.
Y’all probably remember this but it still cracks me up.
CAT BATHING AS A MARTIAL ART
( by Bud Herron )
Kitten Bar
Some people say cats never have to be bathed. They say cats lick themselves clean. They say cats have a special enzyme of some sort in their saliva that works like new, improved Wisk—dislodging the dirt where it hides and whisking it away.
I’ve spent most of my life believing this folklore. Like most blind believers, I’ve been able to discount all the facts to the contrary - the kitty odors that lurk in the corners of the garage and dirt smudges that cling to the throw rug by the fireplace.
Kitty Smiling Bar Left
The time comes, however, when a person must face reality; when he must look squarely in the face of massive public sentiment to the contrary and announce: “This cat smells like a port-a-potty on a hot day in Juarez.”
When that day arrives at your house, as it has in mine, I have some advice you might consider as you place your feline friend under you arm and head for the bathtub:
Know that although the cat has the advantages of quickness and utter disregard for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield. Don’t try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, I recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)
Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. I recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face mask and a long-sleeve flak jacket.
Prepare everything in advance. There is no time to go out for a towel when you have a cat digging a hole in your flak jacket. Draw the water. Make sure the bottle of kitty shampoo is inside the glass enclosure. Make sure the towel can be reached, even if you are lying on your back in the water.
Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule. If he does notice your garb, calmly explain that you are taking part in a product-testing experiment for J.C. Penney.)
Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to your survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life. Cats have no handles.
Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more that two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He’ll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record is—for cats—three latherings, so don’t expect too much.)
Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared to what you have just been through. That’s because by now the cat is semi-permanently affixed to your right leg. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.
Do *NOT* try to use a blow dryer. You might as well use a vacuum cleaner.
smiling kitty bar
In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psycho-ceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn’t usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath. But, at least now he smells a lot better.
I bet Mimi was adorable. And I bet her scream was something you’d remember!
She didn’t do that howl much, oddly enough.
She did this demure toned down “Mwowm”, somewhat of a soft version of the bobcat’s harsh “MWU-Owm”.
“...large paws for their frame, because they act as snowshoes...”
That’s what I seem to remember about that species, now that you mention it.
“I think things will be ok”
I hope so; I like *happy endings* about animals and people. He sure looks content in one/two of those pics.
Dang, too bad you don’t have pics of that baby. I bet she was a beauty.
She was.
She won the genetic lottery, I could have passed her off as a Norwegian Forest Cat. [mackerel tabby with white.]
Only one vet figured out what she was.
And he kept quiet about it.
One pic of her showing off her ruff, but it isn’t digital and I don’t have a scanner at the moment.
I’m more than thankful that she wasn’t obviously what she was, NY state has some bugaboos about such crossbreeds for some reason.
So the state would have charged me with a crime for having this poor cat be born on my back porch.
She passed away at the age of 14.
Wow Sofia is very lucky to have such a beautiful cat and it seems that she is very responsible with caring for this wondering animal we have two cats and one is a main coon this is the largest type of cat within Australia but when I saw this story I just wanted to say how lucky you are Sofia and if this story is a few years Los can we somehow see a video of your cat.
Also how do you keep it in the backyard ?
It seems like your parents are very nice to you allowing you to keep this large cat and we would like to know if it’s possible to buy such a cat for Australia Melbourne
Thank you for the story and and pictures
Kind regards
Darren
Melbourne Australia
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