Dexter my black Maine Coon

I've had Dexter since he was a kitten, scrawny and short haired at first. I woke up one morning and it's as if his tail poofed out overnight. Then the long hair began to grow. He's probably the sweetest cat I've ever had, always greets me by the door when I come home from work and lays on my chest with a paw on my chin or across my legs while I sleep.

He's 9 years old now, never had any health problems apart from tartar on his teeth and the sometimes seasonal matting of his fur which I snip off before it gets too bad.

I did have him groomed once in the summer and the vet couldn't get the clippers into his hair because it's so fine close to the skin. They had to put him to sleep to clean his teeth because he doesn't like to be handled for more than a minute and I had them clip his hair because it was very badly matted while he was under (I left the tail fur of course because he would have never forgiven me if I allowed someone to touch his tail).

I have his sister too who is black and white and despite what I've read, he doesn't much care for other cats including her. He does like the dog though. He would have preferred being the only cat but they've all been together for so long, I wouldn't dream of separating them. "We're in this together, work it out" I always tell them. He's not vicious but he is a male house cat and they do need a good romp every now and then but since I live in the city, there's no yard for them to play in.

He's mellowed out a bit as he's gotten older but still loves to play with things made of rubber that bounce. He can't be bothered with cat toys and looks at me as if I'm insane if I try.

His claws are very sharp and one accidental swing has me bringing out the peroxide for the wound. He's got an amazing, mighty swing that knocks the feathers off a cat toy in one swipe (hence the "are you kidding" stare he gives me). He's not much of a photography model but I do catch him sometimes and he never disappoints.