Here’s an “action” shot of Steve after I finished brushing him. He’s growing out this supremely awesome mane for the winter, and when he walks around the house after I brush him, with his multiple toed paws and that big floofy head, he just makes me think of Aslan without the pious bullshit and CS Lewis religious flair:
He’s really a beautiful animal, and very sweet and loving. If you look at that picture, you can see his what I call “Tunch Spot,” this white patch in the middle of his chest, which makes me think that Tunch drove me to him.
Stop laughing. Half of you believe in an invisible sky deity.
I seriously am in love with Maine Coons. I want another. I’ve never had a cat who just wanted to be with me this much- Tunch was around me all day, I thought, until I met Steve, who is just on top of me all day long. And he just loves his brushings, which I think are more therapeutic for me than they are for him.
He also “owns” me in a way Tunch never did. Tunch would sleep next to my head and purr. Steve sleeps on my side and puts his paws and head on my chest as if to claim me. Tunch would sit on my lap. Steve sits on the arm of the chair with his butt on my thigh and his over-sized mitts on my arm, again, as if to claim me. And from what I have read, this is not an anomaly for Maine Coons.
Little Boots
that is a sweet cat.
Little Boots
and I’m posting pet shop boys, dammit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHaA1beOwrY
JeremyH
We had a Maine Coon when I was a kid. Beautiful animal, but she wasn’t warm and friendly like your Steve. I think she was an bit of an outlier though – we adopted her from the SPCA, so who knows what her first few months of life were like. I don’t think she ever really fully trusted humans.
Little Boots
I miss that. I have dogs and a cat, so the cat is not able to just sleep next to my head, cause the dogs go crazy when she tries. so jealous, in other words.
Comrade Nimrod Humperdink
We have a Maine Coon, and she’s the biggest attention whore in the history of kittydom. She’s basically like having a dog, except she’s more effective at hunting bugs. Never had another cat that begs to have her tummy rubbed all the time. Oh, and every time you mention Steve, THIS gets stuck in my head:
Steve! Steve! Steve!
Mj_Oregon
Such a handsome boy! You’ve been blessed with the best that Bastet could muster up for you after Tunch’s loss. Many aspire to be owned by a cat but few manage to achieve it properly. You, sir, have that honor.
Little Boots
where the hell is omnes?
sm*t cl*de
Have some more Mrs Spat.
PurpleGirl
Steve is a fine looking floofy cat.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Little Boots: Maybe I scarred him off with the Pink Lady vid.
Little Boots
@BillinGlendaleCA:
maybe, but just in case, monkees:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts
Little Boots
and also, partridge family:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJYSu2OVCGM
Yatsuno
Ah. Papa Stevedore Hemingway in all his glory. Just wait until he sheds that shit.
Little Boots
I do love omnes, but he must be punished. in this case:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o
Jerzy Russian
If you get him a buddy, call him Adam, so you can have Adam and Steve.
Little Boots
@Jerzy Russian:
oh, if only.
Little Boots
now for something actually fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ojRQ15My7s
wasabi gasp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpTDAow4XU8
Yatsuno
@Jerzy Russian: This. Must. Happen.
Little Boots
@wasabi gasp:
sweetest sitcom opening ever.
max
Moderation struck twice! Sheesh.
Maine Coon in a window.
Car – NiN & Gary Numan.
max
[‘Because.’]
wasabi gasp
@Little Boots: So sweet, you almost feel obligated to watch the episode…for kindness.
max
Harry Nillson – You Can’t Do That
max
[‘Blender.’]
TG Chicago
That really puts the mane in Maine Coon.
Sorry.
NotMax
That way lies madness.
tjmn
@Yatsuno: Furminator to the rescue. Mind the fur if Cole is furminating in the buff.
Luci
Oh my… that is one handsome guy and so much floof too!! Some cats seem to be a bit psychic, so perhaps he is feeling that you need or like the attention, and so he’s giving it to you. I imagine he likes it too. :) Or, maybe some cats are better judges of character than others are. I do hope you are doing well John Cole and that things are proceeding for you as they should. :)
gogol's wife
Steve is a beauty!
I always feel that my cats are proof of the existence of the invisible sky deity. They are so perfectly formed, with each part so finely engineered.
Trinity
I share your love of Maine Coons John. We adopted two maine coon mix kittens in September, Bird and Louie. They are the most amazing little loves we have ever known. Hands down the smartest cats I have ever had. Bird is growing more of a mane this winter than Lou is. They are gorgeous. I can’t imagine ever getting another cat that isn’t part maine coon.
WereBear
Maine Coons are wonderfully social creatures, with big floofy hearts, too.
They are descended from the ship’s cats who called on New England ports. Ship cats caught rats, of course, but also became companions on the long sea voyages. Affectionate, inventive, and entertaining.
Are they all like that? Well, they all should be. Breaking those big hearts comes with penalties.
Rook
As a proud owner of a Maine Coon mix, I’ve come to appreciate the bonding that occurs between her and I. She will always claim my lap when I sit down and stretch out my legs. She also was known to herd me towards the bedroom when it was past my customary bed time. And she is a one person cat. No others get the attention I get.
different-church-lady
Actually, the Flying Spaghetti Monster never did much for me.
Thymezone
Owner of Frank Lee, 23 lb part or full Maine Coon here .. and ditto. The cat parks herself on me and dares me to escape. Hugs with paws, bats me in the face if I don’t comply with all wishes, sleeps on my arm … exactly like yours. Barks at me with a growly meow if I walk by without paying the proper amount of attention. Wants attention one hundred percent of the time if possible. Basically, a dog, with a meow, and shaped like a cat. I cannot sit down on the couch without the cat on me almost immediately demanding her due. Parks herself on the newspaper I am reading. Demands her share of whatever I am eating. Insanely jealous of the other cats … if I pay them attention, Frank glares and barks at me immediately. Hey, over here, forget that other cat. First to the food dish and the other cats don’t even bother until Frank has had her fill and moved away.
Skepticat
My fabulous Maine coon cat died of a brain tumor about a year ago, and I still miss him desperately for all the reasons you love Steve. People who hate cats loved him–perhaps because he had all the great qualities of a dog as well as the best of a cat, which seem typical of Maine coon cats. Please give Steve an extra scritch in memory of The World’s Most Perfect Cat.
Tokyokie
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Maine coon. I took in a cat who I thought was a Maine coon once (he wouldn’t say), but we eventually decided he was a Turkish van instead. He was large and long-haired like a Maine coon, but he was two-tone orange and white, more like a Turkish van. Never thought to toss him in the bathtub to see how he’d react. Anyway, I named him Floyd, because he was a pretty boy, and damn sure knew it. Pretty great cat.
Felonius Monk
@Jerzy Russian:
Unless the buddy is a girlie cat, then you can name her Edie. That way you’ll have Steve and Edie — perhaps they will harmonize for you.
dexwood
My son’s Maine coon loves the acoustics in the bathroom. He goes in there to sing, just sitting in the middle of the room and belting out a song or two. He has recently learned how to close the door behind him and open it when he’s ready to leave.
kc
He is spectacular.
phoebes-in-santa fe
Thanks, Cole, for a wonderful picture of a delicious cat!
Death Panel Truck
That white patch on his chest is called a blaze. One of our cocker spaniels has one.
mzad
Thanks for improving your picture taking, Mr. Cole. You’re getting less lame in the Steve-photo department. Check out my amazing cat Mingus in your upcoming BJ calendar and improve your photo aesthetic, por favor. Whatever you do with the dog photos is fine—they’re cute and all—but don’t you have sunlight where you live? I heard you had a yard. Maybe a window or something that’s not one of your dude couches? Or do you live in a giant couch house? Ha ha: just messin with ya: don’t freak out, but take better Steve pictures, mkay?
Rome Again
Well Gosh John. My Gray Shorthair actually hugs me, he does this numerous times daily. He wraps his paws around my neck (not all the way to the back, but, close). He’s even started taking to hugging ThymeZone also.