Maine Coon Cat (Solving the "Ignatz Enigma")

... so have been constantly trying to figure out the "abnormal behavior" of 'Ig the Cat', such as returning to ya' when ya' whistle (when he feels like it) like a dog, "fetching" his small decoy mice when ya' throw 'em and returning them to be thrown and chased again (when he feels like it) - just like a dog -  during rainstorms chases the waves of water rushing down the roadway gutter, swatting and rolling in 'em, for fun - totally unfazed by heavy snow or freezing temperatures, was gone all night during a few recent snowstorms, with temperatures in the single digits - he comes back, so don't really worry about 'em (still beats being caged in a "shelter") - he's been around a dog full-time since being a small kitten, so figured that he thought that he was one...

... so a friend emails to me this past week - "Hey, that's a 'Maine Coon Cat' ya' got there!" - never heard of one - started "researching" them on-line - pretty cool - in short, they're a pretty common, cold weather "long-hair cat" with quite a few "special options" built in...

... Ha - check this out! - attached this photo he found on-line as well - these things can get pretty large! - up to four feet long and near twenty pounds! -  don't know the cat or gal, thanks for use of the photo...

... a little information we found on-line...

... continued - couldn't fit it all in one "block"...

... 'Ig' himself - from this morning - settin' up on the washer for scale - tungsten light - currently a "normal-size" cat - they continue growing for three to five years after birth it's said - we'll see...

... a bit later this morning - relaxin' on the window sill - natural ambient light - his coat has really filled out for the winter...

... back in August - relaxin' on a pretty hot day - good shot of his tail - looks like a 'raccoon'...

... some decent-sized feet and paws we guess - built for snow travel it's said - also known as 'Snowshoe Cats'...

... would have to say that Ig is a full-blooded 'Coon Cat' - this is his Mom - his father roamed the neighborhood for probably a year before she showed up with kittens - used to feed him, although, you couldn't get near him, same as Ig, if a stranger - he was probably about 1-1/2 times her size and looked identical to Ig, except had white paws and a white spot between the eyes - haven't seen him since probably June of this year...

... Oh Well - not becoming a "crazy cat person" - but find all this pretty interesting "none-the-less"...