Neighbors mistake giant California house cat for a bobcat

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- San Jose, Calif., cat owner Colleen Pizarev has grown used to concerned neighbors approaching her front door to inform her of a wild animal in her home.

As the owner of a 27-pound Maine Coon named Spock, Pizarev has to deal with a number of challenges, from frightened neighbors to earthquake-proofing her home.

"He likes to spend his days looking out the window, which is where the problems began," Pizarev told the San Jose Mercury News. "One person chastised me for having a wild animal in the house, saying they thought it was a bobcat."

Apart from worrying the neighbors, a typical day for Spock usually involves consuming a pound of meat and watching YouTube videos before bed.

"He's an indoor cat so we like to help him think he's chasing squirrels," she told ABC News. "It puts him to sleep. We call it his bedtime stories."

While Spock's status as an indoor cat helps protect the local squirrels, the same can't be said for some of Pizarev's more fragile belongings as the massive cat doesn't quite know his own strength.

"They are so big, but they are just normal cats so they have no idea that they're like these feline wrecking balls," she said. "When they jump up on a table the table goes over. And they've got enormous paws. His paws are 2 inches wide."

Pizarev has taken to earthquake-proofing the house to keep Spock from causing too much trouble. Deep down, she says, Spock is a gentle soul.

"We like them because they're so gentle," she said of Maine Coons. "They don't bite, they don't scratch - as long as you're not a squirrel."