The largest animal among the cat family is considered to be the tiger, or more specifically, the Ussuri (Amur) tiger. Its weight can reach 300 kg, and the body length is more than 3 meters.
However, the Guinness Book of Records lists an animal called a liger. Hercules the liger was born in 2002 as a result of mating between a tigress and a lion at the Institute for Rare and Endangered Species in the United States.
Hercules weighs over 400 kg and is 3.6 meters long. Domestic cats are more modest in size compared to these giants, but there are large breeds among them.
10th place: Kurilian Bobtail
The rating is opened by the aboriginal (natural) breed. This cat can reach a weight of up to 10 kg, although most often it varies around 7-9 kg. Representatives of the breed are playful, easily trained to fetch a ball, are not afraid of water and can catch fish. But the most interesting thing is that they have a very short tail (from two to eight vertebrae).
9th place: Arabian Mau
The Arabian Mau is another breed that appeared without the participation of breeders. The weight of a male can reach 10 kg, although females are significantly smaller (6-8 kg). These cats come from Arab countries, so the breed is often called the Arabian Mau. These cats are devoted to their owner, but are not friendly to strangers.
8th place: Ragdoll
The maximum weight of a Ragdoll is 10 kg. The breed has two distinctive features - blue eyes and the ability to relax in the hands of the owner so much that the breed was called Ragdoll ("rag doll").
7th place: Siberian cat
The maximum weight of a Siberian cat is unlikely to exceed 10 kg, but due to the fact that the animal develops a collar of fur and feathering on the hips, cats of this breed visually seem larger.
6th place: Turkish Van
Turkish Vans are famous for their love of water and swimming. This is also an aboriginal breed, living on the shores of the Turkish Lake Van. In addition to their passion for swimming, these cats are quite large, weighing 7-10 kg.
5th place: British Shorthair
The British can also reach large sizes and weigh up to 12 kg. However, the problem with these cats is that they are phlegmatic and sedentary. Because of this, there are many obese animals among the representatives.
4th place: Norwegian Forest Cat
In terms of weight, Norwegian forest cats do not stand out among their fellows, whose weight is within 10 kg. But thanks to their long hair, they seem much larger, for example, than short-haired British cats.
3rd place: Maine Coon
The top three is opened by the Maine Coon. Until recently, these cats were considered the largest in the world. For example, the Guinness Book of Records included a Maine Coon named Stewie, whose body length with tail was 123.2 cm. As for weight, the largest is considered to be the Maine Coon Pikkis from Finland, who weighs 16 kg.
2nd place: Chausie
Chausie is a breed obtained by crossing an Abyssinian cat and a wild jungle cat. It is the most expensive breed in the world. The animal becomes attached to its owner if he is strong, kind and fair enough. Along with the tenderness received from domestic cats, the Chausie displays wild character traits inherited from the jungle cat. The weight of the animals reaches 15 kg.
1st place: savannah
Savannah is another hybrid of domestic and wild cats, or more precisely serval. It is the largest cat, reaching 60 cm at the withers and weighing 15 kg (sometimes more). Savannah has a flexible graceful body and a spectacular coloring, inherited from the serval.
If you decide to get a large cat, remember that each breed has its own characteristics. For example, animals obtained by crossing with wild representatives of the feline family require a lot of space and are not suitable for an apartment.
