Australia's Biggest Cat

Many people think that feral cats grow to enormous sizes, but that's really just a popular urban myth. Several years ago we made a program about feral cats called 'Fatal Instincts'. We trapped lots of feral cats, and found that most of them were significantly smaller than average sized cats. However, domestic cats do often grow very large, so we thought that it might be fun to try and find the biggest cat in Australia.

Rum

The first contender for the title created quite a stir at this year's Royal Easter Show in Sydney, when he was put on display for a giant cat competition. Rum is a four-year-old domestic shorthair owned by Chris and Kristy Bentley. He weighs in at an impressive 12 kilograms, and measures 96cm from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

Is your cat bigger?

If you think your cat is bigger than Rum, we'd love to hear from you. Send a photograph together with your cat's details (weight, length etc.) to Burke's Backyard, PO Box 929, Willoughby, NSW, 2068, and don't forget to include a stamped self addressed envelope if you'd like the photo returned.

Copyright CTC Productions 2000