Things you wish you could say

[RoyalChick]

My cats are all pure bred Ragdoll/Siamese/Maine Coon (take your pick), but they are part of a secret plot to take over the world. So they live as under cover sleeper agents disguised as a black cat, a tabby cat, and a tuxedo cat.
They are very good at their jobs - particularly the 'sleeper' part!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Isn’t 16 a pretty average to old lifespan for a cat though?

Yes. One time I actually did see a random person with a Russian Blue though!
I was almost afraid to ask if it was a Russian blue because I didn’t want to sound like those dumb people who ask: is your cat “this breed?”
But she had sparkling silver-tipped fur and deep green eyes. She certainly looked like one.
And she really is! Apparently the owner got her from a breeder because the breed is more hypoallergenic and her mom is allergic so it was the only type of cat they could get. “How much did she cost?” I asked. “Too much.”View attachment 3700631

They can live into their 20s. My grandparents cat did and their other cats were late teens too later than 16

 

[Nabiki]

Isn’t 16 a pretty average to old lifespan for a cat though?

Yes. One time I actually did see a random person with a Russian Blue though!
I was almost afraid to ask if it was a Russian blue because I didn’t want to sound like those dumb people who ask: is your cat “this breed?”
But she had sparkling silver-tipped fur and deep green eyes. She certainly looked like one.
And she really is! Apparently the owner got her from a breeder because the breed is more hypoallergenic and her mom is allergic so it was the only type of cat they could get. “How much did she cost?” I asked. “Too much.”View attachment 3700631

My cats usually live 18-21 years. I lost one of my 18 year olds a few months ago. Her sister is still doing okay, though. 18 seems to be the age where they usually go for me.

 

[K0k0shka]

Aww my breedless beauty is 16 and my heart is aching already. The vet said she looks no older than 5 though, so I'm hoping I have a lot more snuggles left!

 

[Amer]

In full agreement here as well! The ones that get me are the 'my cat is half the size of a true Maine Coon but is a longhaired tabby so must definitely be part/full Maine Coon'. Rather reminds me of people trying to identify their chicken's breed, only ever looking at the plumage coloring and never at any of the other traits. Breeds are more than just a coloration!

People are constantly asking me if my cat is a Ragdoll or Himalayan or Siamese/Balinese, or simply just referring to him as such when reacting to his pictures, but, well, he didn't wander out of the woods with any pedigree papers in paw or anything, so as far as I'm aware he's just a really pretty domestic longhair. I have some suspicions because there is a Balinese breeder in the area and he has the traits for the breed, but until / unless I have him DNA tested or something I will always tell people he's a domestic longhair. I love him so much that I don't care if he's not some exciting purebreed. I'd never heard of the term moggy before now!

My boy Shiloh may look like a Ragdoll but I know for a fact his mother is a longhaired white barn cat, because I own her. And his father is presumably a shorthaired black and white tom cat.
Still, it is interesting that the original parent of the Ragdoll breed was a white cat. So I guess my Ragdoll doppelgänger is Ragdoll 2 electric boogaloo.

He actually does kinda flop in your arms but he is a very medium sized cat. Nothing close to a ragdoll.
It’s amazing how different cats look in the summer vs winter

 

[ShrekDawg]

My boy Shiloh may look like a Ragdoll but I know for a fact his mother is a longhaired white barn cat, because I own her. And his father is presumably a shorthaired black and white tom cat.
Still, it is interesting that the original parent of the Ragdoll breed was a white cat. So I guess my Ragdoll doppelgänger is Ragdoll 2 electric boogaloo. View attachment 3700844
He actually does kinda flop in your arms but he is a very medium sized cat. Nothing close to a ragdoll.
It’s amazing how different cats look in the summer vs winterView attachment 3700845

He’s gorgeous!!!

 

[Nabiki]

My boy Shiloh may look like a Ragdoll but I know for a fact his mother is a longhaired white barn cat, because I own her. And his father is presumably a shorthaired black and white tom cat.
Still, it is interesting that the original parent of the Ragdoll breed was a white cat. So I guess my Ragdoll doppelgänger is Ragdoll 2 electric boogaloo. View attachment 3700844
He actually does kinda flop in your arms but he is a very medium sized cat. Nothing close to a ragdoll.
It’s amazing how different cats look in the summer vs winterView attachment 3700845

Getting darker in winter and lighter in summer kind of makes sense since the points are heat based. The melanin develops on parts of the body that get colder than a certain temperature. That's why Siamese kittens are born white and develop the points on parts of their bodies that get colder.

 

[Amer]

Getting darker in winter and lighter in summer kind of makes sense since the points are heat based. The melanin develops on parts of the body that get colder than a certain temperature. That's why Siamese kittens are born white and develop the points on parts of their bodies that get colder.

I know!
He also is different from year to year.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

My boy Shiloh may look like a Ragdoll but I know for a fact his mother is a longhaired white barn cat, because I own her. And his father is presumably a shorthaired black and white tom cat.
Still, it is interesting that the original parent of the Ragdoll breed was a white cat. So I guess my Ragdoll doppelgänger is Ragdoll 2 electric boogaloo. View attachment 3700844
He actually does kinda flop in your arms but he is a very medium sized cat. Nothing close to a ragdoll.
It’s amazing how different cats look in the summer vs winterView attachment 3700845

Oh, I love him! My guy Casper is the same way, very 'floppy' when you pick him up and move him, tolerant of just about anything, but definitely not a big enough cat for a Ragdoll, and not fluffy enough either, I don't think. I was sure he was going to be a bigger cat when he was younger because his paws were so HUGE compared to his body, but he definitely falls in that medium category now, a little over a month shy of his 3rd birthday as estimated by his vet.

I... actually don't have very many pictures of him that actually show him in his entirety unless he's laying in a weird position like a goober, but he has a whole thread of various pictures here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/its-time-for-me-to-admit-i-have-a-problem.1508954/page-112






....Anyway, in the interest of getting back on topic Today, I wish I could say that that hawk will never be back so I won't have to worry about it attacking my birds again.

 

[K0k0shka]

Beautiful kitties! It's very cool how their bodies know whether they should change to a winter coat or not. When we had barn cats back in the day, whether short or long haired, they always looked twice as big in the winter because of their extra fluffy winter coats. My current 16-year-old cat is indoor only and has never been outside (except in a carrier to go to the vet for checkups), and her coat is the same year-round. If anything, she sheds more in the winter, because she likes to sit by the heating vents and roast herself, so her body must think it's the height of summer