PEOPLE HOLDING DANTE (PLUS BONUS PIC)

It's been a while since I've shown some of these pictures, and some have never been posted before at all.  It will give anyone who is not familiar with the size of Maine Coons a reality-check.

Here are people -- some short, some tall and some in-between -- who have all taken on the hefty task of holding Dante.

Carm Cole (aka Crazy Cat Lady Carm)

SHORT

 Randy Cole (Carm's husband)

TALL

Della Graham of Jondelcoon (Maine Coon breeder)

SHORT

John Graham (Della's husband)

TALL

 Dante's Daddy

TALL

Kelly, Vet's Assistant

IN-BETWEEN

Neighbour, Zach

SHORT

Petsmart Customer

IN-BETWEEN

Petsmart Employee #1

SHORT

 Petsmart Employee #2

SHORT

And, as an extra added bonus, here is Dante's hairball which he gifted to me two Christmases ago.  Note that he even wrapped it in green ribbon.

Ribbon is one of Dante's favourite foods, so it was even more touching when he gave it back to me.

Dante's Hairball, measures 8 inches long

GIGANTIC

So how many of you could take on the task of holding the mighty beast?  Think carefully before you answer.


(Pee Ess:  We are aware of the dangers of cats eating ribbon, and have actively discouraged the practice, much to Dante's dismay.).  

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DANTE: KNEE DEEP IN IT!

(Biggify for best effect)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM DANTE!

Dante wants to wish all of his American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving Day!  He is Canadian and had his Thanksgiving way back at the beginning of October.  He loves turkey so much though, that he has wangled his way into his sweetheart's family gathering.  (Of course, he loves Sascha, too, but turkey comes a close second.)

Dante wants to thank Sascha's brother Brian of "Brian's Home" for inviting him to dinner!

Brian obviously has a fetish for poultry costumes.  He dressed as a chicken on Halloween, and now he's a turkey.  Whether that's fitting or not, I'll leave to you to decide.

All that he asks is that you don't GOBBLE him up!

Dante and Sascha dressed up as John Smith and Pocahontas.  Just in case you were worried, the turkey on the table isn't Brian (who is also chowing down on the stuff as well as the stuffing).

Dante seems to be hogging all of the side dishes, though Brian says he's willing to share (nice of him isn't it, considering he's the guest).  Sascha is busy telling efurryone 'corny' jokes and hasn't touched her supPURR yet.

Sascha asks:  "Why does Brian have such a husky voice?"
Sascha answers:  "He ate the corn without shucking it!"

Yuk, yuk, yuk!  Poor Brian seems to be the butt of many a joke today, even though -- or maybe because his butt is covered in feathers.

Dante says:  "I YAM very thankful to be here at this bountiful table with my sweetheart and her loving family.  Now let's eat!"

And so they did.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DANTE: THE BRUSH OFF!

DANTE: WHAT YOU SEE ISN'T NECESSARILY WHAT YOU GET!

Maine Coons, like Dante, are classified as 'semi-longhair'.  I've often wondered about that because Dante is one of the floofiest cats around.

'Semi-longhair', to me, makes it sound like they are sort of longhaired, but not really.  I guess looking at one of my recent batch of pictures, it all became clear to me.

When you look at Dante from the back, he looks like many other cats, although his tail is rather huge.  This shorter, oilier coat is slicker and protects the Maine Coon cat in wet weather.  The water just runs off their back (like a duck).  I guess that makes it a kind of  'rain slicker'!

But turn around, and Dante goes 'poof' with the floof!  Does this look like a semi-longhaired cat to you?  Who would have guessed that the cat in the previous picture was hiding this massive coat underneath?  Once again, it's for protection, but this time against the cold.  The undercoat is silky soft.  Maine Coons originated in the State of Maine where the winters are frigid, but the breed has become one of the most popular the world oFUR.

I think we should take the "i" out of Maine and just call them "Mane Coons", don't you?  

It's definitely more uniFURSal!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DANTE: TAILS, YOU'RE IT!

DANTE ART GALLERY II: THE FIRE COLLECTION

Today we are not wordless despite the fact that these pictures are rather breathtaking.  The late afternoon sun afforded me the pleasure of capturing Dante both alight and in deep shadow.  The contrast made for some fantastic photography.

Dante's truly on fire.  Quite appropos for the 1st Hot Mancat of the Blogosphere, don't you think?

 The pale creams and the vibrant reds of Dante's fur just pop in the autumn sun!

 The light filtered through the wicker chair makes for an interesting pattern on Dante's back, while his face virtually glows.

 The shadow brings more depth to Dante's features and fur.

 Dante's so HOT he's melting the frame!

 This close-up provides a detailed look at all of the different shades of red in Dante's tabby face.

 The right side of Dante's face has turned auburn in this mix of sun and shade.

 Dante closes his eyes and bends his head against the FURocity of the sun's blaze, coincidentally making a sundial out of his left ear.

 Dante's whiskers are the highlight in this one!

 The lighter shades in Dante's fur sparkle like gold.

 Dante goes up in flame!

 Dante's ruff nearly reaches his giant toes!

And bringing up the tail end of this collection is, of course, his tail!  Whisps of fur dance lightly in the air as Dante bids you all a fond farewell --fur now.

Time to put this fire out before you all burn up!

And thanks to Ann of Zoolatry for the new blog header she made from one of yesterday's pictures.  We love it.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: DANTE'S ART GALLERY I

(Biggify any or all for the wow factor!)