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Showing posts from April, 2024

AI does not let me down with this r/aww image on Reddit.com of a Maine Coon barn cat

I asked Bing Co-pilot to create an image on the following instructions: "Create an image of a ginger tabby Maine Coon cat head butting a stable horse on the head while standing on a fence with the sun setting behind them both." As you can see DALLE - 3 did some great work. This AI computer is amazing. It is the image quality that astonishes me. I got the idea for the instructions from many images that I have seen on the internet of barn horses with friendly barn cats. Cats and horses often get along like a house on fire. So many wonderful relationships between these species despite the enormous size difference. A definite r/aww image which was uniquely created by AI to the instructions: "Create an image of a ginger tabby Maine Coon cat head butting a stable horse on the head while standing on a fence with the sun setting behind them both." Cool image. by u/broadsurf in aww

In the UK, Maine Coon cats likely to be the most expensive to insure

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I'm going to refer to the experiences of a journalist for The Sunday Times. His name is Ali Hussain and he has had a bad experience with his pet insurer concerning his Labrador dogs. His insurer refused to pay out after a vaccine to the back of the neck caused an abscess requiring treatment. He decided eventually after transferring his insurance to Tesco that they were no better and he should simply save money and run his own insurance policy through personal savings. I have advocated that all along. Essentially insurers make their policies overly-complicated. I would argue too complicated for the average pet owner. And I would further argue, perhaps provocatively, that pet insurers deliberately do this so that pet owners fall into the trap of not being able to make a successful claim because insurance companies know their policies and they pick up on a clause which forbids a particular kind of claim which the owner is entirely unaware of. After that rather negative introduction, I...

Full-time indoor Maine Coon visits his new catio (video) for first time

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This TikTok video is a great advertisement for the catio, which is a facility that all Maine Coon owners should have if at all possible because Maine Coon cats are normally kept indoors full-time and they need this halfway house between the safety and security of indoors and the mental stimulation of outdoors. Screenshot of the moment this beautiful Maine Coon goes through his cat flap for the first time into a utopian world of smells and sounds. RELATED:  14 links between stress in domestic cats and health implications . In the modern world of cat caregiving, the catio (combination of 'patio' and 'cat') is the answer to many cat owner's concerns about the insecurity of the outside particularly for a Maine Coon cat because they are so impressive while also being concerned about ensuring that their cat is mentally stimulated and that their environment is enriched. A cat caregiver in Abu Dhabi built one for $800 !. RELATED:  Check if you need planning permission for y...

Social media user asks why Maine Coon cats are expensive. I answer.

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Sometimes people think that Maine Coon cats are expensive and they ask why. They could ask the same question about any purebred cat although there is some variation between them in terms of price. For example, the first filial Savannah cats are far more expensive than any other purebred cat. And within the Maine Coon cat breed you will see a variation of prices. Why should the price vary; sometimes considerably? Why are Maine Coons expensive? Are they?  The price of purebred cats including Maine Coon cats depends on market forces essentially. And the better the quality of the Maine Coon cat the more expensive they are. Because market forces dictate the price, the price is always right! It is always correct. 🤔👍Anyway, what are you measuring the price of a Maine Coon against? Of course, there are expenses to cover for a breeder. They have overheads to meet which provide a baseline above which they can start to make a profit. That said, nearly all Maine Coon breeders are hobby breed...

Woman regrets training her Maine Coon to play fetch (sort of)

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The world, now, understands that you can teach domestic cats to play fetch so never think that you can't train cats to do things that dogs do. Beware of what you might be getting into.  That's because they can enjoy it so much sometimes that they want to do it at a time of their choosing which will often be in the middle of the night; a time when cats can be fairly active and certainly far more active than their human caregivers. This is not Meatball but a fictional Maine Coon playing fetch in an image created by AI. Thanks AI (DALLE). This is the problem described by Eve who said that she always wanted to live with a Maine Coon cat. She tried to find one at a shelter but it is near impossible for the obvious reason that there are very, very few Maine Coon cat owners who abandon their cat to a shelter. She was told by her sister that Maine Coon cats need mental stimulation as they get bored easily. Comment: this would apply to any domestic cat by the way. But in response to tha...

381,000 Likes for black Maine Coon licking his paw. White fur and 'rust' also.

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I must be missing something because I am unsure how this video ramped up almost 400k Likes. But then he is a gorgeous Maine Coon with paws that remind me of those on the Canada lynx - big and furry for protection against the cold. Tufted paws are a vital feature of the Maine Coon as per the breed standard . @lokimainecoonofmischief I have to keep my murder mittens well maintained 😻 #mainecoon #polydactyl #mainecoonlovers #catloversoftiktok #meowcats #catlover #fyp #foryoupage #trending #cat #catsoftiktok #pet #cute #LokiMCofMischief #claws ♬ Cypher - Sam Marshall The video is very short as well. Nothing happens except this gorgeous Maine Coon licks his right paw which tells you how popular this cat breeder is. It's the most popular cat breed in the UK and 3rd most popular in the USA under different surveys. The breed's popularity is increasing year on year.  It would not surprise me if the Maine Coon becomes the most popular cat breed in the world over t...

"King" a Maine Coon plays Lucio in new Netflix series 'Ripley'

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Steve Zaillian, the director of the new Netflix series "Ripley", said that the cat in the series needed to be recast twice before he was initially unhappy. He said that owners would bring cats into the office believing that they could do some tricks but what he wanted "was a cat that could just be really chill, and comfortable with people and cameras." Lucio. Screenshot from below video. He says that it wasn't easy to find the right cat but King is the right cat and he happens to be a purebred Maine Coon. Zaillian said that he had written the cat into the scripts. He admits that he did this with "some trepidation". He said that he had the idea that "the only witnesses to Tom's crimes would be animals that couldn't testify and people who might be uncomfortable testifying. The cat, of course, was the tricky one." All eight episodes of Ripley are streaming on Netflix. It is in sumptuous black-and-white, which is a trending genre nowadays...

Read this before giving Librela or Solensia to Maine Coons with hip dysplasia

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Both of Librela and Solensia are solutions for injection to be given subcutaneously (under the skin) for cats or dogs. They are used to alleviate pain caused by arthritis.  However, a business concerned with canine rehab and hydrotherapy say that pain relief and supplements for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia can be given Librela which is injected into the mouth. The drug is effective in reducing pain caused by hip dysplasia.  Arthritis and hip dysplasia are similar in that they both affect the joint and both can and do cause pain depending on their severity. Don't authorise your vet to use this on your Maine Coon suffering from hip dysplasia until you are completely satisfied that it is safe and will not cause severe side effects. Image: DALLE. This is a fictional image. Maine Coons are well-known to suffer from hip dysplasia. The Maine Coon is synonymous with hip dysplasia (HD). Now for the last piece in the jigsaw. Another website (Yahoo Finance) tells us that the manufac...

Maine Coon most popular in the UK (Pets4Homes)

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This short note to publicise the good news for Maine Coon cat aficionados that the breed has become the most popular in the UK according to the UK's biggest pet sales website, Pets4Homes.  They should know from the fact that the most cat sales from the purebred category are of Maine Coon cats. Incidentally, the second most popular is the Oriental Shorthair and the third is the Savannah . They say that last year 185,173 cats were sold on their website up from 179,273 in 2019. The Maine Coon cats sold for as much as £2,600 on their website. This does not surprise me. They can cost more or less depending on quality. Beware of scams. Don't by Maine Coon mix cats if you want a purebred. You might know that the Maine Coon cat was not always as popular - see link below. RELATED: At one time the Maine Coon cat was highly unpopular . The change in popularity has probably been brought about by the Internet. There has been a lot of discussion on Internet about this breed because of it...

Sensitive, female Maine Coon left her paw print on journalist's heart

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The story is by Kathryn Hearn of The Guardian newspaper. It's perhaps not that untypical a story but it does come from a journalist and it does concern a beautiful and sensitive female Maine Coon cat whose name was Lizzy. I've used the past tense because Lizzy has now passed over the Rainbow Bridge because of that common feline killer in old age: kidney disease. “Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same.” - Well known saying. Beautiful Lizzy 'on her throne' in the words of Kathryn Hearn. Photo by her. But Lizzy played a very important part in the life of Kathryn Hearn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And it should be said that at the outset of her relationship she adopted Lizzy because the breeder suggested it as she was very close to another Maine Coon cat called Ollie. They were inseparable actually. And so Ollie and Lizzy were adopted together. Lizzy was considered the runt of the litter and almost...

"Whispers of the Moon Clan" a Warrior Cats story with Maine Coons!

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Let’s embark on a feline adventure in the world of Warrior Cats. It was written with the assistance of AI in the style of Warrior Cats. Whispers of the Moon Clan Chapter 1: Shadows in the Pines Blackstar , the majestic leader of Moon Clan, stood atop the ancient pine tree. His glossy, midnight-black fur shimmered under the moonlight. His eyes, like twin pools of obsidian, held the wisdom of countless moons. The clan gathered below, their pelts blending with the shadows. Among them was Snowpaw , a young white Maine Coon with eyes as blue as the frozen lakes. She admired Blackstar from afar, her heart swelling with respect. “Listen well, my clan,” Blackstar’s voice echoed through the clearing. “Our ancestors watch over us, and the moon whispers secrets in our dreams. Tonight, we honor their guidance.” Snowpaw’s ears perked up. She longed to prove herself, to be more than just the medicine cat’s apprentice. Perhaps Blackstar would notice her dedication. As the moon climbed higher, Blackst...

Causation from dry cat food to polycythemia in a Maine Coon cat?

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I am speculating here but I like to do that sometimes to see if I can push the boundaries of what we know. But this form of causation or series of events could happen to a Maine Coon cat and the article starts off with a Maine Coon cross suffering from a rare disease called polycythemia aka erythrocytosis, which was reported on the AVMA website in a recent study. Maine Coon eating dry cat food. The label describes a disease in which there is high concentration of red blood cells in the circulatory system. This makes the blood thicker and less able to travel through the blood vessels. The symptoms are linked to the nervous system: ataxia (balance and coordination problems), weakness, seizures, blindness and behaviour change). Although it can be hard to find the underlying cause of polycythemia, dehydration will naturally make the blood thicker. Dehydration according to the the PetMD website leads to an increase of red blood cells (RBC) in proportion to the fluid level of the blood. The ...

Short story of a long-haired cat from Europe brought by ship to Maine on the east coast in 1750

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As I have more or less run out of new topics for this website as there are already over 800 pages, here is a short story about a longhaired cat from Europe. These longhaired cats were the forerunners of the Maine Coon cat today. So let's celebrate these early feline immigrants as without them there would be no Maine Coon today unless you believe the Vikings imported Norwegian Forest Cats into North American hundreds of years before the European immigrants. Let’s embark on a journey back to the year 1750 , where the salty sea air mingles with anticipation, and the creaking wooden hull of a ship carries secrets across the Atlantic. Our protagonist is a long-haired European cat , her fur as dark as midnight and her eyes as green as the emerald forests she once roamed. Whiskers on the Wind Chapter 1: The Maiden Voyage The S.S. Seafarer cut through the waves like a blade through silk. Captain Ezekiel Hawthorne stood at the helm, squinting against the sun’s glare. His cargo was unlike ...

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