'Massaging' and 'begging' cat draws attention
Published on: Wednesday, October 01, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: A Maine Coon tabby attracted netizen's attention with its "massaging" and "begging" skills which was uploaded on social media recently.In one video, the cat can be seen kneading on its owner's back, while the second video showed it stood 'begging' with its paw lifted up and down. Its owner, Ronny Soon, a Maine Coon breeder in Sabah, registered with the American-based Cat Fancier Association (CFA), said it belonged to a friend who is also a Maine Coon breeder in Kuala Lumpur.ADVERTISEMENT "She was just four months old when I first saw her in 2010 and even at such a young age, she could already 'beg'," he said, adding that he bought the kitten after it won his heart. He said the cat is now a four years old and weighs about six kilogrammes.Soon, who is a professional diver said he first realised that has "massaging"' skills when it started to knead his abdomen while he was asleep on the sofa as if it was marching on the spot on his body. "The 'massage' was nice but a bit painful because of its sharp claws, so one day I decided to sleep with my back facing the ceiling and she began massaging my back instead," said Soon, who has 19 cats. ADVERTISEMENT He explained that it is common among cats, particularly Maine Coon cats and that the kneading and marching means that the cat is comfortable, happy and relaxed. "It is not me training it to do what it does, but it is part of its nature and if you encourage them, they will continue to knead even more," he said, adding that he is not willing to part with the cat , which has silver tabby white fur, because it is considered part of the family.
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Soon, who also takes active part in cat show competitions said Maine Coon cats are native American long-haired cat and are actually very quiet and very gentle, with some describing it as the gentle giant, because it is one of the biggest domestic cat breeds which could go up to 10kg in weight. On another note, he said he only gives out spayed and neutered cats to those who are really genuine and responsible cat owners. "I know most people are only looking for cats to breed and make profit instead of really giving it the care and love it needs," he said. "It is not that I do not want to share, but to be responsible for the breed because you see a lot of stray cats outside and there are not many who are willing to spay and neuter them, nobody wants to care for them because all they think about it to breed for profit," he said. He said he declined many offers to buy his cats for breeding and to gain profit instead of really caring for the cats.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"If you are a responsible pet owner and genuinely care for the animal, you have to be able to ensure that it is well taken care of, spend time with it and have a sense of responsibility. "I set aside a budget of RM1,000 a month for cat food and medical expenses. Cat maintenance is high, but if you have the passion for it, then you would not mind," he said, adding that he agrees with spaying and neutering cats because it would make the cats happier, healthy and free from breeding stress.