"Kitty Cat Gets A Bath" -by- Claude Balls

[dales]

My pet cat got a nice warm bath today.

No scratches, runs or errors!

(although for several hours she ignored my prescence)

[kristina]

I wouldn't dream of trying to give our little monster a bath (at least not without an EMT standing by to stitch me up...). She loves to be combed and brushed, however, so we do that as often as possible. And I can only manage to clip about two claws at a sitting. Bad pet parent--no martini!

[Jarlaxle]

Maya has to be physically removed from the bathroom unless I want to share my shower with 28lbs of feline. She gets about one bath a week. (She sulks if I don't. Maya is WEIRD.) The other two like water as much as most cats do...they don't get many baths.

[loCAtek]

28lbs!? What does she eat? Lard?

[Econoline]

IIRC, Jarl's cat Maya is a Maine Coon Cat--which are sometimes bigger than dogs!

[Jarlaxle]

Yep, Maya is a Maine Coon, though she's huge even by MCC standards (most top out at about 15-20lbs). They're not fat, just large, heavy-boned cats (though I think they DO retain more fat than most, to stay warm in cold weather.) A theory I've heard is the breed came about as the result of domestic cats crossbreeding with bobcats. (Domestic cats and bobcats CAN crossbreed.) That would explain a lot about the breed: the large size, the muscular build, the fact that some have a mane-like "ruff" (Maya doesn't, it's uncommon), and the thick coat. They even have heavy fur in their ears & between their toes, as well as a tail that resembles a brush one might use to clean out a 4" pipe. (Even in her summer coat, Maya's tail will puff up to a larger diameter than a baseball.)

Maya's coloring is like the top image...seems to be the most common. I have cats in sizes S (Vierna, 8lb shorthair), XL (Briza, 16lb orange tabby), and XXXL (Maya).

(And yes, the names did come from the same place I got my screen name here.)

[loCAtek]

They look so mello, can you use her for bicep curls?

[Jarlaxle]

No. That requires a weight that stays still. Attempting that provokes one of two reactions in Maya, more or less temperature-dependent. In warm weather, she will go totally limp in a credible imitation of a sack of sand. In cold weather, she will attempt to climb onto my shoulder or head. She makes an excellent bed warmer in the winter, though. She is currently sprawled out in a truly painful-looking contortion on the floor, sleeping soundly and snoring loudly.