Big Cats

[admin]

If you don't mind me asking, why do you want such a large cat specifically?

Our F3 boy is 19 pounds of muscle. He isn't all that tall, but he is big.
My husband is 6'4, and Jarvis our F3 boy looks giant in his arms. In my arms (I'm only 5'2) he looks even bigger. To be honest, Diablo at 15 pounds (F5) and Mickey at 12 pounds (F4) are much easier for me to pick up and lug around and have (in my mind) a long leggy look. Jarvis is tough at the vet or when he is frightened. A frantic 19 pound cat is a LOT harder to deal with than a frantic 12 pound cat. BTW he was a tiny tiny kitten, 1.6 pounds when he came home.

I'm not trying to give you a hard time, I'm genuinely interested.

Wow, Nikki, that is a SMALL kitten to come home...and now he is a BIG kitten And you proved the point we were all trying to make, so thank you!

 

[Evie]

I'm with wyldthingz! Get a dog - or a Serval. I am already feeling for the kitten that may disappoint you.

 

[Rafiki]

My last Himy had monster paws and a very stocky body that definitely pointed to her being on the large size as an adult. Her grandfather was a very, very large cat. Bottom line, she never grew into those paws and was a whopping 6-1/2 lbs full size. With her, all the indications were simply wrong with the final outcome. The only thing that was large was her attitude!

I think that with SVs, the size may be even more difficult to predict because of the hodgepodge of factors that play into the equation. A F1 may be 50% serval but that doesnt translate into what characteristics will come from the serval side versus the domestic cross. Stack the deck as well as you can by selecting a good breeder that has historically had cats on the larger size and that is the best that you can do. As a current SV owner, you already know that you will be totally in love with the cat regardless of the size he/she is.

 

[Carykd7kau]

Ummm NikkiA, does that mean little Kizzi could be a big boy? I really don't care ...big or little they are ALL giants in Spirit. I just wonder if I should prepare myself for a lot of cat flesh running around. LOL Just being funny. I honestly do not care how big my little guy gets.

 

[tj_johnson]

We are so fortunate to have Monkey, an F2 with more personality than most people I know She's an exceptionally beautiful and smart ten pound cat, and I suspect she will remain long legged and fairly petite.

Which is awesome - because I can still pick her up easily and it doesn't hurt when she steps on your stomach in the middle of the night Our outstanding 18 pound cat, Fletch, whom we love and adore, is HEAVY to lift and very tough to medicate - just try giving him a pill!

Either way, I love them both exactly as they are and wouldn't change a thing about either of them.

That said, when we adopted Monkey, size was not a factor for us - but if our breeder had been advertising "big cats here!" I probably would have steered clear. I'm much more interested in working with a breeder who talks about healthy, well-socialized cats and their personalities, than a breeder who is advertising cats based on size.

And since we ALL know there is no way to predict size, I'd be very nervous about working with someone who was guaranteeing 20 pound cats.
And P.S. - practical concerns like litter boxes are something to think about, too. With three cats, we appreciate the ease of using a Cat Genie and a Litter Robot - but if Fletch gains even another pound, we will be back to scooping a big old-fashioned box once again :/

 

[NikkiA]

Baby Jarvis

It doesn't like my attempts to upload a large file

 

[NikkiA]

Ummm NikkiA, does that mean little Kizzi could be a big boy? I really don't care ...big or little they are ALL giants in Spirit. I just wonder if I should prepare myself for a lot of cat flesh running around. LOL Just being funny. I honestly do not care how big my little guy gets.

Cary, he could be!
I have no real idea though
When Jarvis came home, he was TINY. We were not expecting 19 pounds of kitty. And his coat still looks way way too big on him, he really hasn't grown into it at all.

 

[Carykd7kau]

I was just kidding...I really don't care. I was just trying to lighten up the mood here. But it is a good example of how one cannot KNOW. It is the luck of the genes. Tiny, in your case, became BIG. And maybe bigger. I am sure there have been really big kittens who have grown to be normal or even small.
I am curious to see how Jarvis "grows up" though.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Sounds like I touched on a sore point, especially with Alicia.
Alicia, could you express yourself more clearly and explain your exasperation?
I was told that cats within a litter are generally close in size, so, if a cat is "big" then that means all of his litter mates are "big" as well.........................unless...................I was misinformed and a "big" cat is the anomaly.
I'd like to become better informed and not looking for a cat fight.

I've not seen that in my litters... nor in the siblings of cats I've purchased. I know that Nina's (62.5% F1) littermate sister is a much more petite girl. My tall boy Baz has a littermate sister half his size, but his older full brother is also half his size. I don't believe that Trouble (the world's tallest cat) was the only kitten in his litter but he's the only one measured for the title...

People can tell you all sorts of things, especially if hoping to make a sale...

 

[NikkiA]

I was just kidding...I really don't care. I was just trying to lighten up the mood here. But it is a good example of how one cannot KNOW. It is the luck of the genes. Tiny, in your case, became BIG. And maybe bigger. I am sure there have been really big kittens who have grown to be normal or even small.
I am curious to see how Jarvis "grows up" though.

I keep trying and it keeps telling me there are server errors even though the photos are not large I'll try again when I get home.