Is this the UK's biggest #cat?

Meet Ludo the supersized Maine Coon moggy who is THREE TIMES the size of the average puss (and is still growing)

• The huge cat already tips the scales at 24.5lbs (11kg) and is 45 inches long
• He is only 17 months old and is set to continue growing
• Maine Coon cats are known as ‘the gentle giants’ of the cat world 
• Owner Kelsey Gill says: ‘Even though he’s huge he’s friendly and lovable.'

By Harriet Sime for Daily Mail

Published: 11 March 2015

Weighing in at three times the average cat, most would presume Ludo the Maine Coon cat was fully grown.

But the super-sized feline, who tips the scales at 24.5lbs (11kg) and is 45 inches long, is only 17 months old and is set to continue growing.

Ludo belongs to Kelsey and Matthew Gill from Ryhill, West Yorkshire, who bought him from a breeder around a year ago.

Super-sized feline Ludo, who tips the scales at 24.5lbs (11kg) and is 45 inches long, is only 17 months old and is set to continue growing

Mrs Gill, 28, who runs a chip shop with her husband, said: ‘When we bought Ludo, he was no bigger than any of the other kittens in his litter as Maine Coon’s are quite chunky as kittens.

‘But as the months went on, we noticed he quickly overtook our other cats, who are a few years older than him, and he’s now double the size of them.

‘He’s a lovely cat- he’s very friendly and affectionate but some people who visit are scared of him as they’re used to seeing dogs that size, not cats.

‘When I pick him up, it’s like picking up a baby – he’s huge’

The Maine Coon belongs to Kelsey and Matthew Gill from Ryhill, West Yorkshire, who bought him from a breeder around a year ago

She said: ‘I’m not sure if he’s the biggest in Britain yet, but he’s definitely close.

‘We realised he could be one of the biggest when my husband looked it up on the internet and found Ludo was slightly above all the other cats,

‘There’s a debate about when they stop growing, but he’s only 17 months so I think he’s still got a lot of growing to do. I can’t imagine how big he will get.

‘It’s strange as our other cats are much smaller but they eat so much more than he does.

‘The breeder we got him from told us his relative was the longest cat.’

‘We’ve had Maine Coon’s for a while, but never one this big. The other two Maine Coon’s that we have at the moment are much smaller than Ludo and they’re about four years old. He overtook them in weight and size when he was five months old and he was 18 pounds at nine months.

‘Even though he’s huge, he’s so friendly and lovable. He’ll often come over and lay on the bed or flop out on the floor to be stroked. 

‘He doesn’t cost us anymore than the other two as he doesn’t eat that much - the smallest one eats the most. He just has a standard amount of the Maine Coon royal canin cat food. 

 

Mrs Gill, 28, who runs a chip shop with her husband, said: ‘When we bought Ludo, he was no bigger than any of the other kittens in his litter as Maine Coon’s are quite chunky as kittens'

‘Although he’s big, we’re still able to pick him up and take him places if we want, but he is very heavy.’

Maine Coons’ – which are known as ‘the gentle giants’ of the cat world - produce some of the biggest domestic felines. 

Native to the American state of Maine, the cats are distinctive for their long, heavily-furred tails, and can grow to over 40 inches from nose to tail

Native to the American state of Maine, they are distinctive for their long, heavily-furred tails, and can grow to over 40 inches from nose to tail.

Maine coons’ growth levels at nine to 14 months, and then they keep fleshing out till the age of four.

Male Maine Coon cats tend to grow up to 18lbs (8kg), while females tend to grow up to 11lbs (5kg).

The world’s longest domestic cat, Stewie, a Maine Coon, measured 48.5 inches before he died in 2013 from cancer.

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