# Arnold, the giant



## duodallas (Jul 11, 2004)

I saw him in a cage at the Dallas animal shelter when I was looking for my previous cat that disappeared (still looking). A week later he was still there. He had been fixed and the animal shelter people told me he had 3 days before he would be put down. I told them to call me before they did anything, and sure enough, when his number was up I had 4 hours to get him. He is a great cat. He plays fetch with nerf golf balls (usually at 4 AM). He follows me around the yard like a dog, though he will go off to hunt a lizard or bird.

I've adopted 3 orange males over the years and they all have been great. No behavior issues of any kind. He likes to sharpen his claws on wood, and prefers my wood fence to our furniture. Last weigh-in he was 19 lbs, all muscle.


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That is a big, beautiful cat! Thanks for rescuing him!


----------



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

He is *beautiful *and, surprisingly, NOT fat! (Most people who say it's all muscle are in denial.) :lol:


----------



## duodallas (Jul 11, 2004)

I'm amazed he can climb trees with all that weight, but he does. He may have some joint problems in old age.

I think he's a great example of the DSH and would make a great show cat if he lost two lbs.


----------



## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

He is stunning! I heart orange kitties.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Gorgeous guy! Kobi is built the same way...he's 18.5 lbs, vet couldn't believe how solid he is. I don't call him Kobi Monster for nothing...


----------



## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

I'm so glad you rescued him before his time was up  , he's a lovely kitty  .


----------



## Nell (Apr 7, 2005)

what a lucky boy! And he really is a gorgeous handsome man.

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your other cat, and I hope that one day he makes it home, but if not, at least some good came of it. The world works in mysterious ways sometimes, thats for sure.


----------



## jessamica8 (Aug 17, 2004)

Gorgeous orange boy!


----------



## Janice (Jan 12, 2007)

What a beautiful boy!! You are so wonderful for saving his life!!


----------



## hazelnut (Dec 17, 2006)

Wow, that's a magnificent cat. Very handsome!

I'm sorry to hear about your lost cat. I also lost a pet once, and I know how it feels. Good luck on your search


----------



## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

congrats to the both of you for finding each other! He is a very handsome boy! :luv


----------



## duodallas (Jul 11, 2004)

another pic, with the kitten we rescued from a Taco Bell dumpster. He will eat anything. They like Audi's.


----------



## cat1963 (Mar 9, 2005)

OOOOOOOOOOO more orange kitties.
Would someone please distract duodallas for me? Just long enough for me to make a get away with the two orange lads. :wink: 
Duodallas, Your two would fit in very well with my orange boy Boo. 
I used to dislike the look of orange cats until I rescued my boy Boo, and then I saw all of the different hues of orange that he was, and to me he was just beautiful. I have appreciated orange kitties ever since.


----------



## duodallas (Jul 11, 2004)

The cat genetics I've read about say the the orange cat is close to the genetic makeup of the ancestral African cat that the Egyptians domesticated. I was never a fan of inbreeding. I think the best cats and dogs are of the mutt variety.


----------



## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

He's so cute! Isn't it amazing to think about the timing. He has made such a big difference in your life (and of course, vice versa), and if you had gone to the shelter a week later he'd be gone.


----------



## duodallas (Jul 11, 2004)

George, the cat that I was originally looking for (pic at left), spent a month in an animal shelter and we adopted him at a car show. Lucky for him, since the next day he came down with a nasty URI and sneezed for 2 weeks (didn't eat either). I assume his chances at any shelter with a URI like that would not be good (for the sake of all the other cats).

Either way, George got 4 1/2 more years, and I got back rubs (he was pretty good at that). We get calls from time to time from people who claim they saw him, but orange cats look the same to most people. If he's still around he's be 14 about now. George also lost his fear of cars. Two weeks before he disappeared I watched him walk out into the street without looking. Lucky for him, a lady driving by stopped for him, but I'm sure that for every one who would stop for a cat there's a person who would speed up.

This morning Arnold reached up and turned the doorknob to our bedroom. I need to get a video of this.


----------

