Posted on 12/18/2017 3:22:57 PM PST by mairdie
The bottom keteh!
Syoma is described as ferocious - although, when he wants to be, he can be friendly enough.
When he was a kitten, he was nearly carried off by a bird of prey, and since then he has never offered a second chance to any animals that come to visit.
He spends his days keeping the mice away from his home - an entry point to the Kronotsky Nature Reserve.
But Sergei Krasnoschekov, who took these pictures, added that the cat is friendly enough to humans, once he gets to know them.
He said: ‘I learned it from the first few seconds of our acquaintance. My attempt to pat the animal ended with him hissing, scratching and biting.
‘Of course, he tolerated me after that - it was only for show.’
Even with the fox, there was not much maliciousness involved. Sergei said the cat and the fox were playing - but added it seemed a thin line between playing and fighting.
Sergei added: ‘The fox in my opinion, is just teasing the cat, making him play and run.
‘Yet both seem to be having fun, and this does not appear to be an all-out territorial battle.
Kronotsky Nature Reserve is one of the few places in Russia with active volcanoes and geysers, and - like Iceland - is sometimes called the Land of Fire and Ice.
Mine was a big cat with such beautiful large green eyes.
He was smart too.
The kittens of the NFC are really plump and adorable too.
I hope they get to go inside if they wish...when it’s 50 below zero.
I’d really like to rescue them all
Here, near Boston, temps around 20 and we’ve turned the heat lamp on over the wild animal bed in the garage. Used to put up more lamps but not sure if more than one living there this winter.
I wish my boy wasn’t such a wimp. He hasn’t been outside since the snow last week.
Beautiful!
I once had a Maine Coon. He was an awesome kitty......and such a baby.
Clearly the original Viking Kitties
True! And I adore dogs, too.
I have a Tortie. Major diva.
They each have unique personalities. :<3
A friend of mine in North Dakota has an outdoor cat she never feeds.
Negative 30 degrees, and that thing still lives in the unheated barn catching mice for food. Fat. Happy. Barn cat.
Most of the time that's true with our four cats. But, a few years ago we lost one to cancer, I was really fond of that one (Freddie), and cried like a baby when the vet came to our house to put him down.
After the vet left with Freddie I went into the bedroom and cried like a sissy. Our oldest cat, Chandler (now 16), snuggled up to me face-to-face and gently put his paw on my cheek. I believe to my dying day Chandler felt my grief and was expressing his sympathy.
I put out cat food and bread in the protected cat house under my window, and bird seed, peanuts and bologna on the table that holds the cat house. There’s a step ladder for animals to climb up. The raccoons seem to be sleeping for the most part now, and there’s just a young possum and the wild cats that I see. Even the skunks aren’t coming to dinner lately.
I am so deeply sorry about Freddie. Very few losses equal it.
Wow, these are stunning pics! Thanks for posting.
I think they basically saying, it’s ok to pet me a little bit, but otherwise don’t mess with me....
Thanks for the link.
We hadn’t had a cat in the house for 35 years until Smitty followed me and the dog home from a walk last Christmas Eve.
We live out in the woods so it was a dump job by someone. He’s a great little pal and the pooch loves him too.
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