From Kitten To Colossus, How Kefir The Maine Coon Became Internet Sensation

Cats are some of the most preferred pets in the world; easy to handle, no high maintenance needed and they can sleep anywhere. Apart from their easy lifestyle, people become cat lovers because of their laid-back nature, they might think they are dangerous but are just living stuffed toys. But not this viral gentle giant, who happens to be a cat.

We usually encounter small, even gentle cats roaming around a neighbourhood or on roads. They conveniently find a place and quietly nap all day. This strange-looking feline has all the traits of a normal cat. The only difference is that it is huge.

An image of this big white-furred cat was shared on the social media site Reddit, by a page called r/BeAmazed. According to the caption, the humongous yet adorable cat is named Kefir. The image shows a woman, the animal’s owner, holding it for the camera, to show how big it is. Kefir looks nearly the same size as the woman, staring straight at the camera, intimidatingly with its yellow eyes. The caption reads, “Kefir, the biggest cat in the world: it is so big that people think it is a puma, a lynx, or generally some rare breed of dog.”

The users react to the image in the comments below. A first user sarcastically wrote, “That litter box has to be a nightmare to clean.” Another user shared, “He’s a handsome beast.” While a third user wrote, “I’d hate to get scratched by him.”

Kefir is owned by a woman named Yulia Minina, a resident of Stary Oskol, in Russia. She runs an Instagram handle called @yuliyamnn, where she frequently updates on Kefir’s well-being. According to more information, Kefir belongs to a cat breed called Maine Coon, which tends to be bigger than normal cats.

In a 2022 interview, Yulia mentioned that she brought Kefir when it was a kitten. She says Kefir is harmless and lets other people touch it.