Meet Kefir, the Kitty Who’s So Large People Often Mistake Him for a Dog

Meet ‘the world’s largest feline,’ a kitty so enormous that people often mistake it for a canine – and he’s not even done growing!

The curiously large puss is owned by Yulia Minina, who lives in the little Russian town of Stary Oskol.

She purchased Kefir – named after a well known, smooth fermented drink – nearly two years ago as a little Maine Coon baby cat. Presently she says many people tend to think Kefir is a canine upon first seeing him or at a glance.

What’s more, there’s a valid justification why certain individuals have confused not only this Maine Coon, but others for dogs or even wildcats like bobcats – they’re enormous! Maine Coons can weigh around 9 to 16 pounds for females and about 13 to 18 pounds for a male. Certain individuals like to say Maine Coons are the largest domesticated feline breed, however they actually fall closer between the Norwegian Forest Cats, which can weigh as much as 16 pounds, and Ragdolls, which can weigh up to 20 pounds.

Yulia explains of her pet, “I couldn’t imagine an ordinary kitten could become so big. He’s very smart though, and always behaves calmly.”

While Kefir has an impressive appearance, she says he is an extremely affectionate kitty.

“When friends and acquaintances come to the house—all the attention is on him and he willingly allows himself to be stroked,” She continued. “But when strangers come to the house, everyone confuses him with a dog.”

Now, at his massive size, Kefir has one peculiar habit. Around evening time, he enjoys climbing on Yulia to sleep. “When he was a kitten, it didn’t cause me any inconvenience,” she says. ”But now he has become big and heavy, of course it’s difficult to sleep like that.”

Kefir is almost two years old and weighs a whopping 28 pounds! As impressive as that is, it’s actually quite normal for a Maine Coon, he’ll continue to develop until the age of three or four. That’s a good amount of time to finish developing not only his great size, but his other instincts as well. Since Maine Coons evolved to endure cruel winters by developing large paws that act as a sort of ‘snowshoe’ along with a thick, ragged tail that can be folded over their bodies when they’re cold.

Their crowning feature is a thick, water-repellent coat that is longer on the stomach, ruff, and flanks. These shaggy segments keep a Maine Coon’s lower body warm when it sits on or strolls across snow and ice. The fur develops more lightly on the shoulders, allowing the kitties to cavort through the forest without getting trapped by tree limbs or bushes.

This special puss which is normally large enough, being even larger than normal tends to be questioned whether Kefir is really as big as he seems, Yulia has just one thing to say: “I don’t use Photoshop.”

With that being said, you might be thinking to yourself – Well where did the large kitties come from, or how did they become domesticated. Well despite popular belief, the Maine Coon isn’t the result of a raccoon and feline mating. Furthermore, it’s similarly far-fetched that they were sent over to America by Marie Antoinette during her thwarted escape attempt from France, as some would propose.

What is truly known is this: The Main Coon is the oldest domesticated feline breed native to America specifically, the province of Maine, and it’s possible the breed began when the Vikings and other European sailors showed up in America with long-haired felines which were reproduced with local short-haired felines and presto! The Main Coon breed was produced.