Phoenix

Phoenix (right) with 2 of his sisters, age 8 weeks

Phoenix is an American Maine Coon, one of the oldest naturally developed pedigree cat breeds in North America and one of the largest domestic breeds of cat. Maine Coons are very large, tall, heavy boned, muscular cats. Males are much larger than the Females reaching an average weight when fully grown of between 13 and 18 pounds (6-8kgs) and the Females between 9 and 12 pounds (4-5.5kgs). Maine Coons develop very slowly, achieving their full size in three to four years. They have a wonderful disposition. They remain playful for all of their lives and are commonly called the gentle giant of the cat world as they have a very laid back attitude towards other cats, preferring to be friendly rather than aggressive
They also have a very endearing quality of chirping, a delightful and gentle noise considering their size! Another rather strange quality is their affinity to water, they can often be seen playing with their paws in the sink, bath, shower, they often like to come and sit on the edge of the bath and seem fascinated with the movement of the water. When they drink from their water bowls, they scrape the surface of the water for imaginary leaves, this is presumably an inherited quality from the time when they drank from pools.


April 2004 Taken at his first cat show (on his 1st birthday) where he did very well	Summer 2004

growing fast
	My gentle giant


This is Wilma, a bunny who thinks she's a cat. She was just a tiny baby when I brought her home in December. She was brought into the surgery where I work by a truck driver who found her sitting in the road. Since then she has quadrupled in size and is still growing. She lives in the house with the cats and gets on well with all of them, joining in with their games and curling up by the fire when they do. She is intelligent and affectionate and completely litter trained. A model bunny in fact!	Phoenix and Wilma January 2005
Wilma adores Phoenix and follows him around all the time. . . He's not impressed, but he's so laid back he puts up with her attentions.