Our Little Smoke Cloud

Our Little Smoke Cloud

by Tina
(Idaho)

Quin - a black smoke Maine Coon - Photo added by Michael (Admin) - Photo copyright Helmi Flick

Quin - a black smoke Maine Coon - Photo added by Michael (Admin) - Photo copyright Helmi Flick

I had just finished my workout and was heading to my car in the parking lot of my local YMCA on a very cold December 2005 day and heard a pitiful little "meow". I called out "here, kitty, kitty, kitty!" and a teeny little kitten that looked so much like a little puff of gray cloud came running as fast as his little legs could carry him.

I picked him up and could feel his ribs, and boy howdy, could he purr!!! I took him to PetCo and picked up a bag of kitten chow which, once we got home, he almost dived head first into, he was so famished!

We hadn't intended to keep him initially, but it took him very little time to worm his way into our hearts that afternoon and we sure are glad we kept him.

Our then family of 7 (we're down to 5 now, as our kids are growing up) voted to name him Smoky and his antics have made us laugh and laugh. It was soon obvious that he was a very unusual kind of kitty, as he would come running at the sound of running water--faucet or toilet flushing, or *ahem* USING the toilet, so we had to be careful to have our boys shut the bathroom door or he would make a running leap for the toilet seat just to investigate!

As a young kitten, it wasn't uncommon to find him playing in a sink, flapping at the water with his increasingly large paws, or playing in a toilet one of the children forgot to close.

Those paws eventually grew great tufts of fur from between the toes, and his coat became longer and softer and fluffier than ever. Oddly, his shoulders, back and legs didn't get long fur!

Between a friend's comment, our vet's best guess and our research, we hazard a guess that our Smoky is part Maine Coon, and those odd things about his coat are part of the breed's physical characteristics. He does love to "talk" to me, with his little chirpy meows that sound like the kitty equivalent of someone rolling their "r"s, and only really meows when he's hungry. It is amazing that his tummy can tell time! Right on the dot; 6:30am for breakfast and 5:30pm for supper, although he's known to try to fudge his supper a bit and ask for it starting at 5:00pm, just in case we are feeling generous. LOL

Smoky is now 4 years old and we think he has finally stopped growing. His coat fluffed out and fluffed out and fluffed out some more, so that he now has what appears to be a very regal ruff of fur beneath his neck and around his cheeks. He never fails to receive comments from company and friends, along the lines of how BIG he is, how beautiful he is (many folks think he's too pretty to be a "he") and just can't stop being amazed. Of course, the doorbell rings because these people come to see him! At least that's the way Smoky sees it, and he comes running every time.

We love having him as part of our family so much that we are keeping our eyes out for another Maine Coon mix who needs a forever home in our area. (Idaho)

Tina


Hi Tina... This made me laugh on more than one occasion. Great story. It seems that lost kittens call out to us (humans) as there are a number of stories that say this and it happened to me too.

If you have a photo we would love to see him:

mjbmeisteatgmail.com

substituting at for @

Michael Avatar

Our Little Smoke Cloud to Maine Coon Cats

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Our Little Smoke Cloud

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Jan 18, 2010 My Maine Coon
by: Sarah

I am now just these last few days realizing my Ruby is a Maine Coon Mix also, i always wondered about her HUGE fluffy tail, and how it looks like she has a lion mane..so regal! lol Then when i read your story, and about the water..WOW! Ruby is almost 1 yrs old, and she LOVES water! when we are in the bathroom, she loves to play in the sink, and will only drink from the sink! she uses the water bowl to stand in, and play in! lol When she was about 10 weeks old she not once..but twice jumped in the toilet to play! lol im laughing now..not so much at the time! 🙂 she also has the most beautiful LOUD purr..and she also doesnt meow..its more like a purr..with a lil rolling of the r's like you said! She is the most amazing cat ever! she plays fetch with my 8 yr old son, and thinks she is a dog! i just wanted to share my story, as yours brought so many smiles to me. Just one more thing, my 19 yr old son's girlfriend had a cat..who had kittens (6 of them), they all found homes but 1, the father was going to take it to the pound that day, i asked her if she could bring it over, JUST TO LOOK AT HER..she stole my heart..and she is my Ruby!


Jan 14, 2010 Cool Cat
by: Brooke

Gosh all mighty these main coons are neat cats. I adopted a main coon from the pound not knowing anything about her except that she was really big and had a cold. I believe she was given up because her cold was really asthma and treatment was too expensive. Spitt is a real beauty and has lived with me for two years now. Her character is unlike any other cat I have ever met. I thought about getting another main coon rescue cat because they are an amazing breed with a great personality but Spitt seems to be happy with just the two of us. Can't say that I will ever be lucky enough to adopt another main coon from the pound because they are highly sought after. I guess I was just lucky to meet up with her. I'm sure you will have as much fun and admiration for Little Smoke Cloud as I do for my Spitt.


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