Lush, just hanging out on the deck.

[Siwsan]

I've noticed that Lush and Carys both have a white outline around their eyes. And Lush has that tabby "M" in the middle of the forehead. I kind of suspect Lush is using the shelter on the deck. I'm going to try and sneak out to the screened in porch to take a peek.

[BlueSky3]

1. Lush definitely

lives up to their name!

[Siwsan]

3. It can be a struggle to name a feral when I don't know the gender but Lush just fits this feline

And I'm thrilled that this beauty has become a regular at the feral cafe.

[SheltieLover]

2. Such a beautiful kitty!

Ty for sharing!

[Siwsan]

4. My niece and nephew want to help me build a Catio, this Spring

Hopefully Lush will decide to take up residence.

[Nittersing]

7. Omigosh that would be awesome!!! nt

[Karadeniz]

5. So gorgeous!!

[Srkdqltr]

6. Beautiful cat. Just want to pet it.

[MuseRider]

8. I get lots of nice feral cats

and some are very pretty but never have I seen one like this. WOW! That is a real looker, lol.

[wnylib]

9. OK. That pic of Lush seals it for me.

Siwsan, Lush is a 100% Norwegian Forest Cat. It has the ear tufts, the small triangular face, the fluffy ruff, the eye shape, and the full tail.

I am guessing from its size that it is a female. The male NFC is larger than the females. But, they take up to 5 years to reach their full size and maturity so it could be a 2 year old male.

The NFC is large, but not as big as the Maine Coon, but it does resemble them in some ways. That's because genetic tests prove that the NFC is one of the ancestors of the Maine Coon.

But Lush has the smaller, triangular face of a NFC. A Maine Coon face is larger, with a bigger, wider muzzle.

Lush is a perfectly good name for this beautiful Norwegian Forest cat. But when you know the gender, a Norse name might be more fitting.

The coat is in such good shape that it's possible that Lush has a human home somewhere and just cats around with the ferals. Or maybe it got lost not too long ago. But I am completely convinced from this pic that Lush is a NFC.

[Siwsan]

10. Lush hung out and watched me fill the food bowls, this morning. That's new behavior

Normally when I approach the bowls, Lush darts off and watches from a distance.

I keep working the 'slow blink' strategy.

One thing for sure, there are no other local cats, that I've seen, that look anything even close to Lush - except for Carys' white outline around her eyes. Scooter and Spooky are long hair cats and Spooky, in particular, always looks very plush and groomed but she lacks that 'mane' and is more of a blue/grey.

[wnylib]

12. That mane is typical of both

the Maine Coon and the Norwegian Forest cat. It is an identifying feature of them. It is more prominent in some than in others and its appearance also changes with the season, being less thick and prominent in warm weather.

Lush could be a young Maine Coon not fully developed yet, but it looks more like a NFC to me. That mane is a dead giveaway for being one or the other.

[wnylib]

11. Norwegian Forest cat descriptions

https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/cat-breeds/norwegian-forest-cat#:~:text=The%20Norwegian%20Forest%20Cat%20is%20a%20large%2C%20heavily%20boned%2C%20heavily,is%20strong%2C%20but%20slightly%20rounded.

https://www.dailypaws.com/cats-kittens/cat-breeds/norwegian-forest-cat

Pictures:

https://www.google.com/search?q=norwegian+forest+cat.+pictures&client=ms-android-americamovil-us-revc&ei=v_brY7erCeSjptQP-K2K-AE&oq=norwegian+forest+cat.+pictures&gs_lcp=ChNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwEAMyCQgAEBYQHhDxBDIGCAAQFhAeMgkIABAWEB4Q8QQyBggAEBYQHjIJCAAQFhAeEPEEMgYIABAWEB4yCQgAEBYQHhDxBDIJCAAQFhAeEPEEOgoIABBHENYEELADOgUIABCiBDoFCAAQgAQ6CAgAEIAEEMkDOgUILhCABDoKCC4QDRCxAxCABDoKCAAQDRCABBDJAzoHCAAQDRCABDoMCAAQFhAeEPEEEMkDSgQIQRgAUPoNWLJNYMZbaAFwAHgBgAHVA4gBrhOSAQowLjEyLjEuMC4xmAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp#imgrc=2JoDj7KysWPZxM

[niyad]

13. What a sweet, sweet baby.