# Cat/squirrel mix??



## Jackson Smith (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi, I found the forum looking for information concerning my cat's diet. I found lots of good info. Decided to join and share a few pictures of my pet. I'm an accidental cat owner, Jackson was found in the garage behind my house. He was very hungry, had ear mites and worms. I fed him and treated him for the mites and worms, but he still acts hungry. I think he tends to overeat a bit because he remembers starving. I don't know, no idea really about how long he was living rough, just my theory. I've limited his daily intake to one 5.5 oz can and two 50cc scoops of dry food (half can and one scoop twice a day), which seems like a reasonable amount from what I've read here.

He was tiny when we found him.









Going to the vet









Jackson like to get into plastic bags and bubble wrap and stuff.









He likes my new skis.









Most recent picture. I think he's around 8 months old now. He's famous for his bushy tail. I think he might have some squirrel or **** in him.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

I have a cat who over ate fro quite a while after I got her because she had gone through lean times.

See the "M" marking on the forehead. That means Maine ****.


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## Jackson Smith (Dec 7, 2009)

No kidding? When I said ****, I meant raccoon. Maine Coons tend to be big, don't they? I don't know much about cats. I wonder how big Jackson will get. I assume he's a mix.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Something I picked up from CATS 101 on Animal Planet. They do get large. 

I don't have a Maine **** but other people here can tell you if he fits the bill.

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/cats ... -****.html


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

Lots of other tabbies have the M on thier forheads. See the picture of my Bengal Teddy (picture on the left) below.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Dave_ph said:


> See the "M" marking on the forehead. That means Maine ****.


No, it doesn't. Tabbies all have M's unless they have white that obscures it. Not sure how this myth got started!


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

hoofmaiden said:


> Dave_ph said:
> 
> 
> > See the "M" marking on the forehead. That means Maine ****.
> ...


hoofmaiden - I see your tabby has the M as well. A very distinctive one at that!

I know they have tried VERY hard to breed it out of the Bengal "Marbled" tabbies but it is so hard to breed out.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

hoofmaiden said:


> Dave_ph said:
> 
> 
> > See the "M" marking on the forehead. That means Maine ****.
> ...



Everything I "know" I learned here or on CATS 101 so I'll blame Animal Planet.

ON Edit: I checked the Video. Animal Planet spread the "M" rumor. They lied to me.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

raecarrow said:


> hoofmaiden - I see your tabby has the M as well. A very distinctive one at that!


Both tabbies do! Calvin and Jonah.  It's very rare to see a tabby who doesn't have it -- some are less clear than others, and if obscured by white (as my dear departed Gabriel's was) of course you won't see it then.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

That picture in the carrier on the bike is in the running for the cutest picture I've ever seen. I bet he wasn't too thrilled with that ride, though!

What a cutie. That bushy tail is too much!


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## Jackson Smith (Dec 7, 2009)

Thanks, interesting link. Almost all of the cats in the video have tufts of hair on their ears (Jackson does not), except the one at the beginning of the video. That one looks so much like Jackson, though. Jackson is a bit shorter haired, but he's got the thick tail, and the 'snowshoes'. He has hairy paws (tufts between the pads) which I thought was from playing with himself, because he's all alone when I'm at work, but now I think it's because he's part ****. We'll see how big he gets!

He is not afraid of wet or cold, unlike the cat I had before, he will go outside when it's raining or freezing cold. That maybe further evidence of his Maine roots.


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## Jackson Smith (Dec 7, 2009)

October said:


> That picture in the carrier on the bike is in the running for the cutest picture I've ever seen. I bet he wasn't too thrilled with that ride, though!
> 
> What a cutie. That bushy tail is too much!


Thanks. He was pretty tolerant of the bike ride. The vet is only about about six blocks from here. I put in a car mat that was rubber underneath and fabric on top so it stuck to the plastic floor and Jackson could easily cling to it. I rode very gently, reaching back to steady the box when going over rough spots...


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## wEngelw (Jun 25, 2009)

Awww!! What a cool cat! He's very handsome and I love his floofy tail.. :luv


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

You sound like an awesome kitty Dad, and your little man is extraordinarily handsome.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

OMG his tail is WILD! I love it!

I've had a few cats with bushy/floofy tails. In fact, one is named Floofy because of his 'floofy tail'. 

Discussion about the forehead "M" and tabby cats.
ALL cats are tabby, carrying a matched or mismatched pair of genes for their tabby pattern; classic or blotched, 
abyssinian or ticked, and mackerel stripes, broken stripes or spots.
In order for a cat to *express* their tabby pattern in a visible manner (_excepting red cats, whose pattern *always* 
shows_) cats must have at least one "agouti" gene. Agouti expresses on black base coat cats, not red, though it can 
be carried and passed to offspring. Agouti is what makes the black/gray tabby cats. 
If the same cat did not have any agouti genes, it would be solid black or gray.
Some cat breeds have been selectively bred to eliminate the agouti gene from their gene-pool, though the tabby genes 
always remain. These breeds would be the Meezer types (_Siamese, Burmese, Tonkinese_) and the solid colored 'blue' (_black 
and homozygous/recessive dense genes on a black base_) Russian Blue, Korat and British Shorthair.
It is my opinion, that this Tabby "M" is also visible on solid colored AND white marked cats. Because agouti is a modifier 
that causes the tabby pattern to be visible to the eye, its' absence doesn't negate the fact that a tabby pattern is still 
there. I have examined my own many cats and have determined that the "M" is *still* visible on:
... solid colored cats who carry no agouti.
... tabby cats with white on their faces/heads.
What I have seen, is a difference in *hair length* on the forehead *in the cat's tabby pattern*. This difference in length 
has been observed on black cats. Blue cats. Red cats. Tabby cats. Tabby cats with white markings over their forehead.

In other genetic news/oddities, I have noticed that my cats with the floofy tails have fur that is of a different texture 
than what would commonly be expected. Their hair shafts express varying degrees of wiriness or kinking in the hair 
shaft and this helps "fluff" the fur out and makes everything 'floofy'.
Your kitty is lovely and I *love* his green eyes.

I don't want to take over your thread, but I do have photos available depicting the phenomena I have 
described about the various tabby expressions and I have photos showing differences in hair shafts 
and how they differ between cats.
heidi =^..^=

My favorite "M" story, and it is appropriate for the time of year:
(_it is just a story, paraphrased from a book I once read_)
In Bethlehem, and mother cat was hunting to feed herself and returning to her litter, nested in a protected area of a 
local stable when some boys throwing rocks hit and injured her paw. She limped home and cared for her young family. 
The stable was less crowded because the shepherds had taken most of the livestock out for grazing as the town filled 
with many people. The mother cat was disturbed late one night, when some people came to shelter in her stable and 
a woman gave birth. Because the shepherds had left, they had taken all of the extra blankets and linens and the 
baby was nestled in some hay and thin fabric. Because the baby was cold, it whimpered and disturbed the mother cat, 
who could not ignore her instincts to nurture. She ventured from her protected area and limping, slowly approached the 
manger where the baby lay. She looked in the eyes of the mother, and they both recognized the kinship of 'motherhood' 
within each other and the cat jumped into the manger to curl next to the baby to share her warmth. As the baby grew 
comfortable, he quieted and grew restful. The woman slowly stroked the mother cat between her ears, and the cat was 
surprised to find her hurt paw no longer hurt, and she was forever marked with an "M" upon her forehead, and all tabby 
cats are thus marked.


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

Beautiful boy :luv


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## Jackson Smith (Dec 7, 2009)

Hey, wtf?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

_Man!_ That is a beautiful cat! :luv Was that his first time in the snow?


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## Jackson Smith (Dec 7, 2009)

You guys are telling me he is so beautiful because you are really nice people, but he's just a normal looking cat, I think. Although his nickname is "Champion" and I tell people he is the first cat to win best in show at the Westminster Dog Show. No other cat has achieved that honor, but he's just a regular cat, believe me. He was just in the right place at the right time.

It's his first winter, he's seen in a little bit of snow, but nothing like this. He's not trying to go back out right now, I think he's waiting for it to get real deep.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

He's absolutely gorgeous! His coloring and stripes, and I like fluffy cats. 

It sounds like a lot of food to me, but maybe someone else can chime in. He's still young, but in a few months, you're going to want to cut back a bit. 

Then again, all my girls are small, so maybe it just sounds like a lot to me, but it's perfect for him and his activity level.

Although, if he is any part Maine ****, they keep growing for the first three years and do get large. 8O


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Nope, sorry. Not nice people at all. He is an extremely handsome fellow!
Surely a kitty/raccoon mix not squirrel!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Naw! We just like beautiful cats and he is gorgeous. I *love* great, big, fluffy cats 
and if they've got great big bushy tails, even better! I love the tabbies, too. I love 
them all, I just never get to choose my own cats, they always choose me.
h


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Rod said:


> You guys are telling me he is so beautiful because you are really nice people, but he's just a normal looking cat, I think.


Sorry -- no such thing. One of the great things about cats (and esp. tabbies IMHO) is that every one is completely different and completely gorgeous!


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Hey! My kitten looks kinda looks like that! Except for the tail, but my god, that's a very big, beautiful, bushy tail!

I dunno, some ppl seem to see a tabby and say, 'oh, your cat's just a tabby' as if it's some kinda of common, negative thing. It doesn't matter, I like all kinds of animals regardless of their 'purebreededness'! Your cat really is gorgeous! I love fluffiness!


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