Big Cat

probaby not real...but quite amusing...getyourspeedreadon

Message-ID: <F5467CB44D94D311968C0090277A3A1AF40268@TCBHOUEX1<
From: "Ratcliff, Jennifer" <ratcliffj@tcbdallas.com<
To: Javier Chavira <chaviraj@tcbdallas.com<, Jeff Woodall
<woodallj@tcbdallas.com<, John Teague <jteague@halff.com<, Jon VanDeVoorde
<vandevoordej@tcbdallas.com<, Juan Morales <moralesj@tcbdallas.com<, "Mandy
Thiebaud (wk)" <m-thiebaud1@ti.com<, Marisha Negovetich
<marisha.negovetich@ltgov.state.tx.us<, Ryan Lewis <lewisr@tcbaus.com<
Subject: FW: Big Cat
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 14:27:40 -0500
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19)
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
boundary="----_=_NextPart_002_01C0CE8A.B88CFC70"

this is amazing...

< <How would you like to have this kitty?
< <
< < < This is amazing! Rodger Degagne, a former employee with AECL 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 Ibs. 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
< < < 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 about 3lbs of
< < < cat food a day,
< < < 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".
< < <
< < < (see photo of Snowball attached!)
<
< <<BigCat.jpg<<
<
<

- BigCat.jpg