Big Cat?
This story is
believed to be true, as unbelievable as it seems:
This is amazing! Rodger Degagne, a former employee with AECL
(Atomic Energy...) in Chalk River, may be embarking on a new
career as Feline Breeder. Relaxing in his spacious home on the
shores of the Ottawa River, Mr. Degagne recalls how 15 years ago
he befriended two stray young cats on the old AECL research
facility at Chalk River. The kittens had appeared in late summer
and apparently had gotten under a security fence around the old
labs abandoned since the late 50's.
With the help of his tuna sandwich, Mr. Degagne was able to coax
the kitties close enough so that he could pick them up. A self
described animal lover, he did not want to place the kittens in
the local Humane Society. In this largely rural area, cats of
all stripes and ages largely go unwanted and are humanely
disposed of after a few days.
Later that evening his wife Louise and their two children,
Nicole And Kelly came to a family decision to keep the kittens
which they named Lost and Found. Lost turned out to be female
and Found a male. When nature finally took it's course, a litter
of kittens was born 6 years later.
One of the litter was a big white female with a
unique black markings on her side and tail. Something about the
kitten captured the hearts of the family and while her siblings
eventually found homes elsewhere, Snowball stayed with the
Degagne's. While Lost and Found are no longer with us, their
progeny live on.
In her 9 years, Snowball's size has seemed to snowball. Put
simply, Snowball is no ordinary cat, she measures 69 inches from
nose to tail and weighs in at 87 pounds. She started out a big
kitty and she just seemed to keep growing. She always meowed for
more food and would climb up on the counter to eat food which I
forgot to cover.
Chicken is her favorite. "Once I left a cooked chicken on
the table that I was going to use for a boat picnic, an hour
later the chicken was gone", Louise said. We knew that
snowball wasn't your average cat when the neighbor's German
Shepherd ran yelping away from his first encounter with her. She
Just isn't afraid of any animals.
After we found a half eaten raccoon out by the garage, we
decided that maybe Snowball should be kept fenced in. We soon
discovered that while we can keep snowball in the yard, we
couldn't keep raccoons from Snowball. At least it kept the food
bills down, Rodger laughed "Like all female cats she is
very territorial, but with us she is just a big ole kitten"
he said.
So what does a 87 pound cat eat? Snowball goes through a about 3
lbs. of cat food a day, along with cooked chicken, supplemented
with deer and moose that Rodger hunts in the fall. She likes
Pike a lot, so I don't throw them back any more. Snowball often
accompanies Rodger fishing on the Ottawa, eagerly peering over
the side of the boat as soon as his line goes tight.
So what do the Degagne's attribute Snowball's size to? Rodger
says "Well, the vet thinks it could be her thyroid, but she
isn't fat, she's just a real big cat. I think maybe her parents
got into something at Chalk River that they shouldn't
have".
(Okay - It's not true. Sorry. But it's still a
great picture! Snopes.com)
