Ollie - What might he be?

[haleyrae]

So I am fairly certain he is just a domestic short hair. He was actually not a very handsome kitten, but some how he has transformed in to a handsome stately man cat. At the end of may he will be a year and a half old. He weighs 21 SOLID pounds, not fat or chubby, his back is 1.75 ft off the ground and he is about 2.25 ft long (not including his tail)...in other words he is HUGE. He walks with a stalking gait like he is hunting something all the time, is quick and always wants to be on the highest point in the room. Honestly if you watch him or look at him do things he looks like a mountain lion or panther. Despite the fact that he is gray, he really truly resembles a wild cat (not just a feral outside cat, but a Big Game type cat). The shape of his face, and body (his back his slightly higher over his back legs (they are a little longer), he can jump higher and further than any cat I have ever seen (I've seen a lot of cats). So my question is: Is it possible that he has some type of wild cat in his gene pool way down the line that is showing its presence? I know all house cats have tendencies of their ancestors, but this is different. Every one that sees him says the same thing. Are there any other people with this same situation? What have you found out? Also, aside from that what breed does he favor most?

Thanks!

Haley

ollie2.jpg

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

ollieLK.jpg

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

olliesmile.jpg

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

olliesoap.jpg

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

olliewindow.jpg

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

ollie stand.png

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

Olllieeee.jpg

• haleyrae
• Apr 17, 2013

 

[sivyaleah]

Wow, what a good looking boy he is!  Usually when a cat is that large they look overweight, but he looks really healthy and fit.

I see no other kind of feline in him other than the Domestic Shorthair that he is.  He's just big-boned 

Love your gray giant! Welcome to TCS!  

 

[StefanZ]

I agree with SivyaLeah.

Welcome!

 

[bluebird gal]

My only expertise is in the compliment department and Ollie is one very handsome man cat.    I like that term man cat for a kitteh that large 

.   He does look as fit & tone as can be.

 

[maewkaew]

 i think Ollie is probably pure Western domestic shorthair and mostly takes after cats of northern European ancestry.  He  is probably similar to some of the foundation cats of the British Shorthair.   with the heavy boning and muscular body.   Looks like the coat texture might be similar, too.    Obviously he has other features that don't look like the British Shorthair standard: he  has a  longer muzzle and head less rounded , ears bigger,  and the body is longer.   so in some ways closer to American Shorthair though they are usually not as massive as the Brit. 

 I see what you mean that he has a sort of Big Cat look about him, not just the size  but some of his features like the wide nose and sort of puffy whisker pads.  He has an interesting structure of his face.    Now obviously he can't be partly mountain lion -- way too much size difference for them to breed with domestic cats -.   but   if you are in America (which I am guessing because of the mountain lion reference),   I suppose it might be  possible he could have some bobcat ancestry.  Well, opinion is split on whether that is possible.  I think it may be. There's a size difference but not so extreme as to make it impossible,  and it would be genetically possible since they have the same number of chromosomes.    There are a lot of stories about bobcats mating with domestic farm cats  and kittens born of such matings.  However, I think so far DNA testing done on some cats suspected to be descended from bobcat has come up negative for wild genes.   but other people have pointed out that may be more about the current limitations in DNA testing.   It can only find what they know to look for  because the DNA testing is not yet specific enough ...    some tests of known first generation wolf x dog hybrids have been tested and the results did not find any wolf.    I also recall hearing about a university experiment that did find wild cat markers in a hair sample from a cat whose parents had previously tested negative . 

   The solid blue on his coat would probably rule out an actual bobcat father  but I doubt you are even thinking it would be that close. 

Another possibility if thinking of wild ancestry is he could be maybe partly some hybrid breed that originally came from crosses with a wild cat species like a Bengal grandparent, great grandparent etc. 

BUT....  on the other hand,  domestic cats do come in a wide range of sizes and shapes.   Look at Maine Coons.  they are purely domestic cats but they can be very large.  and with prominent square muzzles.  Also Ragdolls can get very big -- and they have back legs longer than front. .  Ragdolls were a breed developed from random-bred domestic longhairs.   but shorthairs can also have back legs longer.   

. British Shorthairs  themselves  could be 20 pounds without being overweight,  though that would be bigger than normal.  

And Brits also tend to have a wide nose,  but it looks different since it is shorter than Ollie's.

Things like walking with a stalking gait  and wanting to be on the highest point in the room,  and being an amazing jumper   is something that he has in common with many cats that are purely domestic.  

Basically you'll probably never know for sure.   but yousure do  have a very handsome stately Man Cat  

 I like this big boy    

.      I had a cat 2 feet long not counting the tail ,  so I know how to picture him being another 3 inches in length and that is  indeed a major  cat.