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The CAT is NOT Real !:
Jokes on the sender. Read the true story.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/library/blgiantcat3.htm
Snowball, the Giant Mutant Cat of Ontario
Presumably most Canadians get the joke, so, for the benefit of everyone else in the world, here's what you need to know: Chalk River, where Rodger Degagne and his elephantine cat supposedly live, is the site of a nuclear research facility run by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.
The premise, then, is that 87-pound "Snowball" is the mutant offspring of parents exposed to DNA-garbling atomic radiation.
You can believe this if you choose, but be prepared to endure some eyeball rolling if you admit it to anyone else.
Contrary to what the email tells us, the "old labs" at Chalk River were never abandoned. Not only is there still an active nuclear reactor onsite, two more are currently under construction. Bemused AECL spokesman Larry Shewchuk says a search of the company's files discovered no record of a "Rodger Degagne" ever working at the facility. True, the Ottawa Citizen has managed to track down a cat owner named Roger DeGagne (note the difference in spelling), living two hours away in Aylmer, Quebec ‹ but the 84-year-old real Mr. DeGagne says his cat is of normal proportions and goes by the name Chanel.
For those who aren't aware, the "Snowball" story has only been circulating since approximately April Fools' Day 2001, but the photo was making the rounds without accompanying text for fully a year before that. Several obvious reasons have been set forth for doubting its authenticity, including:
1. It's quite a task to do weight-lifting curls with almost one hundred pounds, yet this guy looks like he's holding no more than 10-20.
2. When holding a live animal this way, even a docile one, the animal's legs don't look quite so stiff and lifeless, and would dangle at a sharper angle to the "pits" or support points.
3. The animal has all the appearance of a toy, and the human nearly does too!
In blow-ups of portions of the photo published by Urban Legend Zeitgeist, it's easy to discern that the image is the product of creative manipulation.
Jerry
on 5/10/01 6:45 PM, WINTER at oxnardjo@gte.net wrote:00
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Bill,
The info I got off the http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/ - The Giant Mutant Cat of Ontario.
I just copied and pasted it. If you need anything from me, as far as I sent it to you, feel free to use my name, Jerry Wennerstrom and my comment. Let me know if you need anything else.
Jerry
The Issue of the Oxnard Journal that was instrumental in getting the Casino Issue Squelched.
Thanks for viewing the OxJo.