Home Audience 12 The largest cats. The largest breeds of domestic cats Huge cats

The largest cats. The largest breeds of domestic cats Huge cats

Typically, a cat weighs between 4-6 kg, is short in stature and small in size. There are, of course, individual specimens, but even they are not as impressive in their size as big cats. What are the largest cat breeds? Let's figure it out.

The biggest cats: top 5 largest

Animals of this breed have a large, well-developed body. Females reach 6-7 kg, females grow up to 12 kg. The fur of Siberian cats is thick and long, the tail is fluffy, and the color can be very diverse.

These cats are great for people who are allergic to animal fur. The character of these fluffies is quite capricious. They are not the type to purr while lying in their owner's arms for hours. They are excellent hunters, so the absence of rats or mice in the house is guaranteed. The price of Siberians ranges from 150 to 3000 UAH (600-12000 rubles).

Leaders in the nomination “Largest cat breed”

Today, two fierce rivals vying for the title of “largest domestic cat breed” are: the Savannah and the Maine Coon.

It is no secret that the third competitor intended to be a representative of the Asher family. But, as it turned out, this breed was a fictitious creation of a felinologist and, as such, does not exist, but was simply given out by Savannah under the guise of an allegedly new unique Asher individual.

After exposure, this participant was disqualified from the competition, but it is worth knowing about some nuances regarding this case. Indeed, to this day no court decision has been made regarding this breed.

A thorough genetic examination is being carried out to reveal the truth about the creation of the Ashera. The owner of this newest species, Brady, assures that these two cats are completely different breeds.

He explains that the only similarity between these breeds is the serval gene, and the Asher also contains the genes of an Asian leopard cat and a predatory cat (see photo of an Asian leopard cat).

I place – Savannah breed

Breed characteristics

This species is considered a large cat in terms of weight, and is also distinguished by the height and length of its body.
Weight: 12-15 kg (about the same weight as Maine Coons, although it is known that there are other representatives that reach more weight, about 20 kg).
Height: about 60 cm.

One can argue for a long time about whether this breed belongs to the domestic representatives of its own kind, since it was created by a combination of the African serval species with a simple cat. But if you think about it, the ancestors of most domestic pets were wild.

The heiress of this breed, a cat named Trouble, was the first to get into the Guinness Book of Records. Her height then reached 48 cm at the withers. Therefore, she had the title of the highest.

In addition to these achievements, this type is, by far, the most expensive compared to others, the maximum price is twenty-five thousand dollars. Also see what is the most expensive cat in the world.

2nd place – Maine Coon breed

Description of the breed

Maine Coons are not only large cats, but also charming pets with sharp tufts on the tips of their ears, like lynxes, fluffy fur and a variety of colors.
Weight: from 8-15 kg.
Height: up to 41 cm.
Stewie, a purebred cat from this region, broke the record and became the longest cat in the world. The length from the tip of his fluffy tail to his nose was 123 cm.

III place – representatives of the Chausie breed

Description of the breed

In addition to the above two legitimate contenders for the title of “biggest cat,” one can introduce a representative of the jungle cats, the Chausie breed (also known as Chausie or Houseie).
Weight: reaches 18 kg.
Height: 40cm.

The main goal for creating this breed by crossing a jungle cat and an Abyssinian (see all photos of a jungle cat) was the idea of the breeders to get a variety of domestic cat to protect wild cats from being imprisoned in captivity.

See also what is the largest cat in the world, its weight and dimensions.

The goal was achieved and today the Shawzi gets along well with people and is quite loving towards them.

IV place - charming ragdoll cats

Description of the breed

Although the Ragdoll cat breed differs in size from ordinary cats, it is difficult to call it gigantic. Considering that the big ones in this breed are mostly males, and not all of them.
Weight: 9 kg.
Length: 1 meter (record).
These cats, especially their breed, are also called rag dolls. And all thanks to their genetically built-in passionless ardor, cuteness and non-aggressive behavior.

V place – short-haired pixie-bob (domestic lynxes)

Description of the breed

The next, but not the last, representative of the cat giants is the artificially bred short-haired pixie-bob, the domestic lynx. These cats are not much different in appearance from lynxes.

They are like representatives of these animals, but in miniature: the same sharp tassels on the tips of the ears and color. And also the pixie-bot will have a short tail (5 cm, sometimes 7-10 cm)

Weight: males - 8kg, females -5kg

VI place – representatives of the North, Siberian cats

Description of the breed

Representatives of the breed are Siberian cats from Russia. Among their fellow tribesmen, they stand out for their size.
Weight: for males the maximum reaches 12 kg, and for females up to 5-6 kg.
The peculiarity of this individual is their external fluffy and nice appearance. They are like a big and bright ball of affection. At the same time, scientists guarantee that Siberian cats are among the hypoallergenic breeds, which means they do not provoke an allergic reaction in sensitive people.

Curious cases

One of the criteria for giant cats is also their weight. And in this case, the winner was none other than SpongeBob, who was included in the Guinness Book of Records under the category of the most plump cat.

His weight was 15kg. Today, this cat had to be put on a serious diet. And according to a certain decision of the book’s founders, this section of the record was withdrawn for the safety of the feline representatives, so that breeders would not sacrifice their health to win.

Over the course of a long time, similar nominations have been awarded several times, and the most impressive result was that of the Austrian cat Khiimiya. He weighed about 21 kg and subsequently died from obesity.

Of course, having the biggest cat in the house is nice and partly becomes pride, but the main thing is, first of all, love for the animal and caring for it.

Domestic or purebred, docile or with a harmful character, a cat usually appears to us as a small creature, comfortably curled up in a ball on the owner’s lap. There are many rumors about large cats. Like, they are clumsy, and you will have to forget about order in the house. What are the largest domestic cats? How does their size affect their lifestyle? Is a large cat capable of living in a standard Russian apartment?

All cats once lived in the forest. The domestication of forest savages began 10 thousand years ago. Among the more than 600 million animals living next to humans today, there are cats of different breeds:

The weight of female Kuril Bobtails is 3.6-5 kg, males – 6.8 kg. Although at first glance, this is not a very large, nondescript cat with a strange whisk instead of a tail and lynx tassels on the ears.

Originally from the wild, large Kuril Bobtails are excellent fishermen and can even dive underwater for fish. At the same time, they know how to hold their breath. And local residents take cats for hunting instead of dogs, with whose duties they cope well.

The Kurilian Bobtail has short fur, which completely stops shedding when the cat is 1.5 years old, so there is no allergy to them. In addition, the cat does not mark its territory.

The character of the large Kuril cat is similar to that of a dog. The animal is infinitely devoted to its owner, loves to meet and sniff guests and run after toys. But he caresses like a cat - if he wants to.

Carthusian cat is its second name. Large yellow-eyed cats of the native French breed weigh 6-7 kg, female cats are slightly behind - 4-5 kg. Females create a deceptive impression: due to their short limbs and compactly built body, they look small.

These big cats never lived in the courts of French kings. Their natural habitat was the streets and houses of common people. Big cats were valued for their hunting skills, because they saved the French from a rat invasion. In times of famine, cats served as food for people, and their skins were highly valued by furriers.

The short, fashionable coat of the big Frenchie cat has a blue-gray color of different tones, and the undercoat of the same color creates the impression of a double coat. Such a skin requires rare combing during the molting period. It will take time to bathe a Chartreuse cat - water has difficulty penetrating through the thick layer of fur.

Chartreuse cats are cats with a calm disposition. They will not panic if they are left alone for a long time. They rarely give voice and can purr when the mood strikes. They respond to the owner's caresses with a slight movement of the head, as if butting heads.

Chartreux cats are intelligent and unobtrusive. They do not have the habit of getting involved in conflicts, are not aggressive and have a philosophical attitude towards everything that happens in the house.

Another large cat, similar to a lynx. It has a characteristic short tail ranging from 2.5 to 15 cm in length and sometimes ears decorated with tassels. A miracle cat weighs 3-5 kg, males - 6-10 kg.

is the only cat breed that is officially allowed to have multiple digits. Large cats can be born with a fan of seven fingers.

North Americans began consciously breeding the breed relatively recently - about 30 years ago. Although earlier, the ancestors of Pixiebobs lived in Canadian forests located near populated areas, and descended from an ordinary domestic cat and a red forest lynx. The name of the breed was given by the first kitten bred within its framework, Pixie.

The pixie bob has excellent health and tolerates heat and cold equally well. But it is not recommended to export the breed outside of Canada and the USA. Therefore, big cats are rarely found on other continents.

But the lucky ones who manage to get Pixiebob into their family can fully enjoy his calm and affectionate disposition. Provided that he does not have neighbors - other animals. Cats of this breed are indifferent loners; they will never seek friendship with other cats and dogs. Although it is also not in their nature to stir up conflicts.

Long hair is the main decoration of the big Scandinavian cat. The cat's shaggy coat, long bushy tail, and distinctive neck collar make it seem incredible. Females usually weigh 3.5-7 kg, males - 5-9.5 kg.

The large forest ancestors of cats of this breed were excellent hunters and even knew how to get fish from under the ice. In addition to the name, Scandinavian cats got their powerful flexible body and hunting instinct from them. They will enjoy playing a real mouse hunt. If there are no mice in the house, an ordinary rubber ball or a rustling bow will do.

Like most northern animals, the Norwegian Forest has a freedom-loving and at the same time calm disposition. Education and good manners are in the blood of these big cats. They will never allow themselves to take revenge, especially in such a primitive way as shitting in their slippers. And they will endure even the most unflattering treatment.

Norwegian Forest cats do not immediately accept new people. Having looked a little closer and realized that a person can be trusted, big cats become affectionate and greet him every time like an old friend. They have no favorites in the family; they will be equally happy with all its members - even naughty children.

This large cat is one of the most ancient and rare on the planet. The length of an adult male from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail can reach 120 cm, and the height at the shoulders is 40 cm. A large Turkish cat weighs 6-9 kg.

Muscular, with large, graceful paws, Vans have a not very long chestnut-red tail and white lime-colored fur. There are cats of tortoiseshell color, cream or chestnut-red and white. The head is decorated with white ears. Eyes – blue or light yellow, sometimes different: blue and yellow.

The Turkish Van loves to splash in the water. Its fur is waterproof. The ancestors of big cats settled along the banks of streams and rivulets, in which they fished, completely immersing their paws under water. The fishing technique of these cats resembles that of a bear.

Large cats of the Turkish Van breed do not know how to be sad. They will always find something to do; lounging on the sofa in the folds of a warm blanket is not in their nature. Mobile and active cats do not tolerate confined spaces and spend a lot of time near the window. So walking is a vital necessity for them. It is best to walk animals near bodies of water, where they will be most familiar. Walking around the garden or lawn will also lift their spirits.

For a long time it was believed that the largest breed of cats is. According to legend, these animals first appeared in Maine thanks to the sin of a large domestic cat and a female raccoon, from which the breed allegedly inherited a bushy tabby tail.

Interest in unusually large cats and subsequent genetic studies showed that the breed was formed gradually in the harsh climate of the American prairies.

The most famous Maine Coon cat is Stewie. He has his own page in the Guinness Book of Records, where he is recorded as the longest representative of the cat world. Its length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail is 123 cm.

Savannah - wild beauty

Not long ago, American pride had a serious competitor. The Savannah breed, as often happens, received its name from the name of the first kitten, which was born completely by accident.

Breeder Judy Frank did not expect that she would get offspring from a simple Siamese cat and an African serval crossed by her. The amazingly beautiful cat soon became a mother herself. Among Savannah's kittens there was only one female. She became the successor of the breed of cats, so strikingly similar to African servals in appearance and just as strikingly different from them in disposition.

Savannah is:

a small head with huge wide ears, the distance between which is minimal. Specks on the ears indicate the purebred of the breed;
long, powerful, athletic body;
slender, sinewy legs with small oval paws;
rough, dense wool with a soft undercoat.

Compared to the previously listed large domestic breeds, Savannah is the largest cat. She weighs about 15 kg and grows to 60 cm at the withers. Despite its impressive size, it is a very active animal. Savannah loves to frolic, and it is unlikely that an ordinary Russian apartment will be suitable for her games. This cat is inventive and smart; she can easily overcome a height of three meters and restore order on the mezzanine.

The first two generations of Savannah cats are not very sociable and strongly resemble their wild relatives. But now the third generation behaves more friendly and calmly perceives others.

A large cat does not require special conditions. Unless you just need space for games, and a large brush if the pet has long hair. And attention and love will make the big cat a great friend for the whole family.

Many people, as children, dreamed of taming a wild animal, for example, making friends with a lion or a tiger. Of course, having matured, people understand that it is not so simple: to win the favor of a wild animal. However, there is a way to get a little closer to your childhood dream: to have a huge cat. For those who want to adopt an impressively sized furry cat, we offer the top 10 largest cats in the world, in which we will tell you about the largest cat breeds.

Norwegian Forest Cat

The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of semi-longhaired cat. Cats of this breed are usually slightly larger than female cats. An adult cat of this breed weighs approximately 5-7 kg. A Norwegian Forest cat reaches full development at about 5 years of age.

Carthusian cat

The Carthusian cat breed is also called Chartreux. This is a breed of short-haired cat. A representative of the Carthusian cat breed usually has a height at the withers of up to 30 cm. A cat of this breed usually weighs 6-7 kg. A Carthusian cat generally weighs 4-5 kg. This breed usually has orange or copper eye color, without any greenish tint. However, he does not become like this right away. Before this, he goes through several transformations. Kittens of the Carthusian breed are born with blue eyes. Then the blue eye color gradually turns into gray. And the gray shade is transformed into the final color: orange or copper.

Pixie bob

This cat breed is also called short-tailed elves. The pixie-bob breed was bred artificially, wanting to create a cat breed that looked similar to lynxes. The weight of a cat of this breed is usually 5-8 kg. The weight of a pixie-bob cat is generally 3-6 kg. Despite the second name of the breed (short-tailed elf), ordinary long-tailed cats are also found in the pixie-bob breed. Therefore, in order to determine that this is a pixie-bob cat, you need to know all the other criteria of the breed standard.

British shorthair cat

At maturity (that is, at about 2-3 years), cats of this breed usually weigh about 5-8 kg. Cats of this breed are smaller in size than males. There is a variety of this breed with semi-long hair: the British Longhair cat.

Maine Coon

Maine Coon cats originated from cats that lived in the United States, in Maine. Cats of this breed grow to their full potential size at 3-5 years of age. The height of an adult Maine Coon can be 25-41 cm. The weight of a Maine Coon cat is usually around 5.9-8.2 kg. The weight of a cat of this breed, most often, is approximately 3.6-5.4 kg.

Ragdoll

This is a semi-longhaired cat breed. The average weight of cats of this breed is approximately 4-6 kg. The average weight of cats of this breed is approximately 6-9 kg.

Siberian cat

This cat breed is semi-longhaired. Cats of this breed are smaller in size than males. The weight of a Siberian cat is usually approximately 6-9 kg. The weight of a Siberian cat is generally approximately 3.5-7 kg.

Ragamuffin

The Ragamuffin breed is the result of crossing the Ragdoll breed and outbred purrs. What happened in the end? The appearance is basically similar to the Ragdoll breed, but the colors are much more varied. The character often resembles the Ragdoll breed. Ragamuffins have no hunting instincts. Cats of this breed are often larger than cats. Usually the weight of a ragamuffin is 5-8 kg, but there are cats weighing over 10 kg. Cats of this breed reach full maturity at approximately 4 years of age.

Chausie

This breed of cat is also called Housie or Shawsie. She got her large size from a wild ancestor. The fact is that the Chausie is the result of crossing a domestic cat and a wild jungle cat. The breeders' goal was a cat with a "wild" appearance, but a "domestic" character. Chausie cats are larger in size than female cats. The height of a cat of this breed at the withers is approximately 40 cm. The weight of an adult Chausie is usually 10-15 kg.

Savannah

This cat breed got its large size thanks to its wild ancestors. The fact is that the Savannah cat is a hybrid of a domestic cat and an African serval. Cats of this breed usually reach their maximum size at about 3 years of age. At the withers, Savannah cats are approximately 60 cm tall. The weight of a cat of this breed is about 15 kg.

When choosing what breed of cats you want to adopt, you should definitely study as much information as possible about what kind of care cats of a particular breed require, and about the character of the purrs of the breed you like. After all, when you find a friend in the face... that is, the face of a furry friend, you take responsibility for him.

All cats, including the largest ones, are members of the cat family (Felidae). The term "big cat" was originally used to refer to four large wild cats belonging to the genus Panthera that are capable of roaring.

The expanded definition of big cats includes other large cats that do not roar. Find out which 5 cats are in the TOP 5 biggest cats in the world.

Fifth place – Puma

Other names for pumas are mountain lion, cougar, and panther. The puma belongs to the genus Puma. Lives in North and South America. Lives in bushes, swamps and forests. Mountain lions are solitary and territorial animals, with ranges ranging from 250 sq. km up to 950 sq. km. The puma has yellow-brown fur, straight ears, and a long tail. The animal is born with spots that disappear as they grow.

Males weigh on average from 50 to 100 kg, females - 30-65 kg. Pumas have large, strong paws and proportionately the largest hind paws in the cat family. This physique helps jump long distances (4-12 meters) and run fast (60-80 km/h).

The puma does not roar, it makes sounds of hissing, growling, whistling, screaming. Mountain lions are active at dusk, at night, and at dawn; These are predators that eat prey of various sizes - from insects, rodents to medium and large ungulates (especially deer).

The total mountain lion population is estimated to be less than 50,000. The average lifespan in the wild is 8-13 years, in a zoo it is about 20 years.

Fourth place – Leopard (Panthera pardus)

The fourth largest wild cat is the leopard. There are 9 subspecies of leopard (African, Indian, Javan, Arabian, Anatolian, Amur, Indochinese, Sri Lankan), which are found in Africa, East and South Asia. These cats live in tropical forests, deserts, savannas, grasslands, mountains, coastal zones, scrub and swampy areas.

Leopards spend a lot of time in trees and are active mainly at night. Leopards have a muscular, flexible body, they run at a speed of 60 km/h, and jump 6 meters in length and 3 in height. Like pumas, leopards are solitary, territorial, predatory animals. Leopards roar, growl, meow. Their roar is associated with the spraying of wood.

Leopard fur color ranges from pale yellow to tan or gold. There are dark spots on the body, which are called “rosettes” because they are shaped like a rose. Males are larger and heavier than females: 40-90 kg versus 30-60 kg.

Leopards are endangered. The rarest subspecies, the Amur leopard, is found in the Far East, Korea and northeast China, with only 30 individuals in the wild. The average lifespan is 12-17 years in the wild and up to 23 years in zoos.

Third place – Jaguar (Panthera onca)

The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world. The preferred habitats of jaguars are swamps and wooded areas; but they also live in bushes and deserts. The largest population of jaguar is in the Amazon rainforest. Jaguars roar, they have a powerful jaw, sharp and strong fangs, which gives a high bite force. The coat is usually yellow-brown, but the color sometimes varies from reddish-brown to black. Black jaguars, leopards and pumas that exhibit melanism are called "black panthers" or simply "panthers".

The jaguar has dark rosette spots on its body, in the center of which, unlike the leopard, there are black dots. Along the midline of the back there are a number of long black spots that sometimes merge into stripes.

The male jaguar is larger than the female and weighs between 100 and 160 kg. They establish territories twice as large as females and cross the ranges of several females.

Jaguars are endangered. There are an estimated 15,000 jaguars left in the wild. Life expectancy is 12-15 years, in the zoo over 20 years.

Second place – Lion (Panthera leo)

Known for his greatness, strength, beauty and nicknamed "King of the Jungle", lion is the second largest cat in the world. Lions live in grassy plains, savannas, open forests and bushes. The size and appearance of lions differ between the sexes: males weigh 150-250 kg, females 110-180 kg. Males have a mane that protects the neck and throat in fights with rivals. Lions have tufts of six at the end of their tail. Coat color ranges from light yellow to silvery white and yellowish red to dark brown. Lion cubs are born with dark spots on their bodies that disappear as they mature.

Historically, lions lived in most of Europe, Asia and Africa, but are now found in only two regions of the world and are divided into two subspecies:

Asiatic lions that live in the Gir Forest National Park in India. This population numbers fewer than 500 lions;
African lions live in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. There are fewer than 21,000 lions left in Africa.

Lions are active at night when hunting. Their speed reaches 80 km/h, and their jump is up to 11 meters. They hunt for 2-3 hours, resting the rest of the time. Lions have the loudest roar of any big cat, which can be heard 8 km away.

The lion is the most social wild cat. Lions live in groups called "prides" of about 15 animals. Each group has a territory that they defend from other predators. Its area is 20-400 square meters. km. Lionesses often go out hunting together. Lions live on average 10-14 years in the wild and longer than 20 years in zoos.

The biggest cat in the world

The biggest cat in the world is the tiger. Tigers have orange fur with distinctive black vertical stripes that help camouflage when hunting prey; There are black and white tigers with golden stripes, as well as white (albinos). The stripes on the body of tigers are individual, like human fingerprints.

Tigers live in South Asia, China and the Far East. The habitat includes a variety of places ranging from dry grasslands to tropical forests. Tigers are skilled swimmers who swim across lakes and rivers with a width of 6-8 km.

Tigers weigh from 65 to 325 kg, the largest of them - Siberian, also called Amur - weigh about 300 kg. The Bengal tiger makes up about half the tiger population.

There are 9 recognized tiger subspecies: Bengal, Siberian (Amur), Indochinese, South China, Sumantra, Malayan, Caspian, Javan and Balinese. The last 3 subspecies have become extinct over the last century, the South China tiger is extinct in the wild, the remaining subspecies are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as their numbers are declining due to habitat loss and poaching. Since the beginning of the 20th century, tiger numbers have declined from 100,000 to 3,200.

Tigers are solitary predatory animals: they spend a lot of time alone, traveling through their territories in search of food. The Siberian tiger has the largest range - up to 10,000 square meters. km. Tigers' food consists mainly of large prey (deer, wild pigs, rhinoceroses, antelope, buffalo, elephants). The average lifespan of a tiger in the wild is between 14 and 18 years.

There is a cat even bigger than a tiger. This is a "liger" - a giant lion with blurry stripes, resulting from crossing a tiger with a lioness. Scientists believe that the size of the hybrid is the result of the absence of genes that limit growth. Ligers grow to lengths of more than 3.5 meters and weigh more than 400 kg. There are about 25 ligers on the planet. The behavioral traits of this animal appear as a combination of the habits of both parent species.

Thus, fifth place in the list of the TOP 5 largest cats in the world is occupied by the puma, which is a member of the genus Puma. The highest positions are occupied by cats that belong to the genus Panthera - leopard, jaguar, lion and tiger, which tops this ranking. The cat, even larger in size than a tiger, is a liger - a hybrid obtained by crossing a lion and a tigress.

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