Big San Jose house cat gets mistaken for bobcat

Lisa Amin Gulezian Image
ByLisa Amin Gulezian KGO logo
Friday, January 15, 2016
Big San Jose house cat gets mistaken for bobcat
Animal Control often gets called to a home in San Jose because people get freaked out by a huge house cat, thinking it's a bobcat.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- If you've walked through San Jose's Rose Garden neighborhood, you might have seen a large, furry animal staring out a window at you. Many people walking by think a wild animal, but it is not a bobcat. It's just a really, really big house cat.

"Spock" is no ordinary house cat. Holding him requires two hands and a strong back.

The large cat is 27 pounds, eats a pound of food a day and is nearly four feet long.

Spock is a Maine Coon and usually gets a startled reaction when people see him in the window of the home.

Animal Control has come to Spock's Rose Garden home plenty of times because people who spot him through the window get freaked out.

"I know Colleen has been approached on several occasions with people making a claim that she's got a wild animal in here," neighbor Terry Reilly said.

Colleen Pizarev is Spock's owner. To have a pet like Spock requires a lot of patience. He refuses to be alone, so he will open closed doors. He watches YouTube videos to help him fall asleep and he tends to break just about anything in his path.

"It's a lot like having a toddler in the house. We have to Spock-proof the house," Pizarev said.

She pointed out all of the decorative home items on top of the end tables are locked down with earthquake putty. It's the price for having a cat like Spock.