C.O.U.S.'s... Personally I don't belive they exist. There's been some
roumors, around the fire swamp & all.  But the next thing you know, you'll
be believing in six fingerd men....

In article
<VP2SpNyJrzMZ-pn2-Fxu8QIKg1tNR@adsl-63-207-135-60.dsl.sndg02.pacbell.net>,

-> Several people have independently refered to my cats as Monster cats.
-> They never seemed that big to me.  I decided to weight them by holding
-> them while I'm on the scale and then weighing myself.
->
-> One of them is 21 pounds and the other is 20.  These just regular
-> short hair cats and they aren't fat.
->
-> Are they C.O.U.S.es (Cats Of Unusual Size)?

That's a tad bigger than average. Could it be possible that
they are a breed that is bigger (maine coon, for example)?

Can you post pics to the binary group? We always like to see the kittys.

Oh Jesus, do we have a PC term for fat cats now?

Hi Mark,

I have a male cat who is a big boy.  He is 15 pounds and not overweight at
all.  So if your guys are about 20 lbs and you're positive that they're not
overweight, then I would definitely say that they are BIG for a cat.  Are
they related?  Where did you get them?  There are definitely certain breeds
of cats that are known to get very large, but it's not unusual to see big
cats in regular domestic strays either.  My guy is just a regular domestic
short hair orange tabby... no purebred of any sort.

Kelly

Well, they're certainly way bigger than average!  Male Maine Coon cats are
often that big, & maybe some other breeds - or mixtures of breeds.  For a
(limited) comparison, my cats have been approx. 8, 7 - 8?, 10 -13?, & 14?
pounds.

Cathy

Yes, they're enormous, assuming your (US?) pounds are the same size as ours
(UK - 454 g), that  works out at a tad under 10 kg. That's about twice the
weight of an "average" puss. However, the important question is, "Are they
overweight?". That's not as easy to answer. As others have said, Maine Coon
cats can easily grow to that size without being overweight. I think
Norwegian Forest cats are a similar size. Here's the entry from
www.guinnessworldrecords.com (there's a photo on the web page);

=============================
LEO THE MOG-NIFICENT

If Frieda Ireland's pet cat Leo were a human being he would weigh about 73kg
(160 lb) and stretch over 2.5 m (8 feet) tall. As it is, the mammoth moggie
is as long as an 8-year-old child and has paws so big they can fit into a
size 2 child's shoe!
Verismo's Leonetti Reserve Red - otherwise known as Leo - is a Maine Coon
cat owned by Frieda Ireland and Carroll Damron of Chicago. Normally a large
breed, Maine Coons often weigh as much as 10 kg (22 lb), but Leo weighs in
at a mog-nificent 15.8 kg (35 lb) and measures a record-breaking 121.9 cm
(48 in) from nose to tail - making Leo the new Guinness World Record holder
for the world's longest cat.

"We have to keep our eye on him when we're cooking," says owner Frieda,
"because he can stand up and put his paws on the kitchen counter." But Leo's
not trying to steal food. "He enjoys sweeping things off the counter, not
eating them! He's not a fan of home-cooked food - he prefers dry cat food,
green vegetables, basil, parsley and, of all things, blue cheese!"

"He's not overweight," stresses Leo's veterinarian Scott Rovner, DVM. And
Kim Lacey, who adjudicates all Guinness World Records animal claims, is
quick to point out that it's Leo's length - and not weight - that makes him
a record breaker. "We don't want to be encouraging people to fatten up their
pets just to become record breakers," she said.

So, think your cat's longer than Leo? If so, let us know!

PLEASE NOTE: Guinness World Records DO NOT accept gluttony records. DO NOT
overfeed a pet, as we do not acknowledge records for animal obesity.

==================

IMHO, if the cats are healthy, active and you can feel their ribs; there's
nothing much to worry about. At their next annual check up, ask your vet's
opiinion, even if only to put your mind to rest.

I've just found this, courtesy of google;
http://www.speedyvet.com/speedyvet/tools/pdf/3517%20WALT%20FBMI%20Scoring_A4.pdf.
You might find it useful.