I shifted from foot to foot at the checkout of the pet store, trying to wipe off my glasses, which again treacherously fogged up - both from the temperature drop and from breathing under the mask. Only I wanted to tell the seller what I needed, the glasses fogged up again, so I took a step back and let the not young married couple forward, who was standing behind me.
- We have something for the Maine Coon, just not very expensive, so that we do not go broke, because he eats a lot, and three more cats, - they immediately got down to business.
They began to confusely say that they kind of needed food in orange packaging. The seller said that for Maine Coons only the Royal Canin, but in general it is worth asking the breeder for sure what he was fed before so that there was no upset.
Then they began to emotionally tell that they had a cat, one might say accidental and rescued, and they fed him before him what they themselves were rich with, that is, scraps from the table.
Troubled Maine Coon (yells and eats a lot)
It turned out that the cat is already five years old. It was bought once by a young couple who wanted to have in their house not just a Barsik, but a fashionable beautiful large cat, which is now terribly popular and collects many likes on Instagram.
They did not castrate, because they regretted the feline masculinity and were thinking of earning extra money on breeding. Having matured, a large and serious feline began to show a character that young people were not ready to face in any way. They got a cat, but the character turned out to be like that of an unkind dog.
We decided to give the cat to their parents, who themselves have been cat lovers all their lives. The parents of course took the cat, but they did not immediately figure out what they were getting into. Maine Coon, who lived all his life as a single cat, began to build domestic cats, yell foolish and eat a lot. Neither the first, nor the second, nor the third pensioners with a bunch of affectionate yard pussies who ate borscht and "Whiskas" did not suit.
Self-walking and balcony
They found a way out: in the summer they took him to the dacha, and when they returned to the city, when he began to misbehave, they simply locked him up on the balcony.
This New Year's time, friends came to them (the same couple from the pet store). Hearing screams from the balcony, they asked, they asked what was going on. The grief-owners said that there was nothing terrible in general: a cat sits on the balcony, which does not know how to behave. And he yells because he does not like the rumble of fireworks.
- What else can we do? He's chasing our cats!
The balcony is glazed, but New Year's Eve was quite warm, then winter then really came into its own. This February, when the frosts hit hard, it turned out that the cat is still kept on the balcony for educational purposes. Moreover, the owners sincerely believed that an almost 20-degree frost would benefit the pet, which, perhaps, will freeze a little, and then it will become a little calmer and more agreeable. Well, sort of like with champagne: if you cool it well, it will only get better.
Escaping beauty (and health)
Once again, having raided their friends, the couple was horrified. The once handsome, large, brazen cat looked like a pitiful excuse for himself. Unhappy, thinner, shabby, with matted hair. They took the risk of begging a cat for themselves, since they themselves are also cat lovers.
- We already have three cats, we don't need more! But we just felt very sorry for him. Such a beautiful cat was, and what happened to him... Oh, and something for his wool, otherwise his wool is terrible.
The new owners took Maine Coon food, vitamins for wool, an anthelmintic and a couple of new bowls. The couple left to ennoble their accidental pet, which, after five years of life, may have found real caring owners.
***
My glasses had thawed out for a long time, and I was finally able to also put together a gentleman's set for my companion, who was catching mice at someone's dacha back in December. Only she is a free outbred "sprat" weighing 2.5 kg, the only cat that survived from the litter of someone who went on a spree at the dacha. And he is a Maine Coon from an expensive kennel. And what are the similar destinies ...
