This is a pet store in Fairplay, Colorado, USA with a cat shelter attached to it downstairs.
They took in a monster tabby cat for rehoming. His name is Andre the Giant Cat! And he truly is one of those exceptionally large cats which we see very rarely indeed. They think he may have some Savannah blood in him because he has some wild cat hybrid characteristics such as a different voice from the normal. It could be true. There is a Savannah cat breeder near by apparently and Andre does not like processed food. These are signs of a wild cat hybrid and a cat raised on raw food by a breeder.
Rather than rehome Andre they decided to keep him as a resident store cat. And what a good idea. Andre’s presence has been a boon to cat adoptions from their sanctuary. They have soared.
It seems that people have noticed Andre (how could you not?) and been intrigued. He has drawn people in and then they have adopted a rescue cat. Within a month of him being at the store things happened for the better:
“Within a month of us having him, people coming in to see him and to visit, the adoption rate for the rescue skyrocketed,” Miyuki Takeda, owner of High Paw Pet Supplies said.
He weighs around 25 pounds. When he was picked up wandering around downtown Fairplay he was underweight at 20 pounds. A vet said he needed to put on weight!
Andre appears to have a tendency to go wander. He escaped the store the other day. He disappeared. The community rallied around and found him in the snowy weather.
Precautions are being taken to keep him in. I hope they don’t make him an indoor cat, though. His nature will motivate him to roam and use lots of space, I suspect.
Lesson learned? Find a way to promote your shelter to raise the profile. How many animal shelters have a resident mascot cat or dog who can attract visitors and fire up the imagination?
Wow, Andre is huge. Probably the largest moggie I’ve ever seen.
He looks a little “wild” in the photos but that’s possibly due more to his mood at the time, than genetics. Those ears do not look like happy ones.
That is an amazing cat! I’m glad that he helps his fellow animals get adopted. Thanks Michael!
I think he ranks as one of the biggest I have seen. Sometimes, just like people, you get one almighty large one. This is one such cat.
Yeah, I’ve only seen three bigger and only in photographs. Still he looks bigger then that third one. He was 27-28 lbs. The other two were 35 lbs. Stewie and Leo, last two world’s longest cats. (Is Stewie still longest cat?)
I thought Stewie died. I think it is rarer for a random bred cat to be this large than a Savannah or Maine Coon. But he may have Savannah in him.
Yes, he did die from cancer just over a year ago. His mom posts reminders quite often. His brother Odin doesn’t appear to be as big. Here is his Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/LittleLongerCat
Apparently Odin has passed away now as well. I had no idea. They were both very young cats. There is a post where he speaks out about Mass Cell Disease. Too bad.
Sorry, Mast Cell Disease.
That is a fantastic idea! Too bad it would not work for the local shelter here. Our local shelter is so far down a dirt road that you don’t even know it is there. 🙁
Some other shelters have thrift stores that help defer some of the costs and promote pet adoptions by having different pets spend the day at the thrift shops.