Coonies Question

[Kestrel]

I was reading Damia for the first time and came across the animals called "Coonies" in the book. I remember that the book states that these animals are "raccoonish" but I keep getting the impression that they are a type of cat.

Therefore I pose this question: How do you picture Coonies in the book?

What do you think:
1. Pure Raccoon
2. Pure Cat (think Maine Coon Cat reference?)
3. Cat with raccoon markings
4. Somewhere between cat and raccoon with one or the other dominant
5. Red Panda-like
6. None of these?

[Brenda]

Another question - are they even related to any Terran species?

I picture raccoons; having read "Rascal" by Sterling North so many times, I have no trouble picturing raccoons as cuddly!

[edith]

They sort of flick between racoon and cat and they're supposed to resemble barque cats in one book- can't remember where- probably Damia. (I've read all of the TaTH books (almost- I'm 1/2 way through the last one) in less than a week

[Kath]

Try a relation of the Maine Coone cat...

[Also popularised in Julian May's Intervention and Galactic Milieu trilogy.]

They can get rather large...

http://mainecoonkittens.co.uk/193_9364_copy.jpg

[Dux]

I picture somehting close to Kath's pic, but with more raccoonish coloring and markings.

[Pernita]

That gorgeous huge cat is a KITTEN still!!

[Brenda]

Okay, I still picture raccoons but it does make sense to have started calling Maine coon cats "coonies"!

[Kestrel]

Big cats! Now I want one darn it!

[Kath]

That gorgeous huge cat is a KITTEN still!!

No, the website is a breeder's, but I don't think that guy's one of the kittens...

[Bamy]

I picture them as cats with racoon like markings. The barque cats I see as the large type of cat like the one in Kath's picture.

[Faren]

I picture them as a cross between a cat and a racoon. Cat-like body with the face of a coon and a huge bushy tail. Mrow!

[Greenrider Tresa]

Hm.. cat with raccoon markings, I think. Or redpanda/cat mix. The barque cats would be the Maine Coons, with their size.

[Sandi]

On page 60 of my Ace Books paperback copy of The Rowan:

"They were as special as pukhas, only alive and as independent as the bobcat, from which they had mutated* in the century of space exploration and travel. Some say they had evolved from those early felines as far as man had evolved from the ape. And with a suitable increase in intelligence."

* bold by me.

[Mayhem]

On page 60 of my Ace Books paperback copy of The Rowan:

"They were as special as pukhas, only alive and as independent as the bobcat, from which they had mutated* in the century of space exploration and travel. Some say they had evolved from those early felines as far as man had evolved from the ape. And with a suitable increase in intelligence."

* bold by me.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that refers to the Barque cat?

[Sandi]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that refers to the Barque cat?

You are correct. I just posted that to show that barque cats are not coonies. Coonies are just a breed of domestic cat most noted for it's size.

[Brenda]

Ah, but we don't know that they are Maine Coon cats! I have always pictured raccoons myself! They could be another wierd crossbred/mutated thing like the barque cats!

[Mage]

They could also be genets, civets, etc. Civets aren't actually feline, but were once called civet cats. Genets look nearly nothing like a cat, but (if I am not mistaken), they are.

[Brenda]

I picture a raccoon shape. Not the same shape as a cat, different shaped head etc. And of course much smaller than the barque cats.

[Kugai]

I picture a raccoon shape. Not the same shape as a cat, different shaped head etc. And of course much smaller than the barque cats.

I agree with you Brenda, considering that on several occasions they are described as sitting on one or the others characters shoulder. Try as I might, I can't see something like a Maine Coon doing that!

[Greenrider Tresa]

I agree with you Brenda, considering that on several occasions they are described as sitting on one or the others characters shoulder. Try as I might, I can't see something like a Maine Coon doing that!


And I doubt Damia could hold a Maine coon in one hand... ;)

[Brenda]

Maybe it's like a very small breed of raccoon - they can get pretty big!

[persephone]

I was gonna say, I can't really see a raccoon sitting on anyone's shoulders, either, since most of the ones I've seen have larger bodies than cats, even if their legs are shorter. Of course, most of the raccoons I've seen are also road kill. But I think the comparison is valid even if they are dead.

[Mayhem]

Just been rereading Damia. They are named as raccoon type beasts. I'll get a page reference and write down the quote as soon as I can.
Ringul was also described as "washing" each mouthful of food Damia was feeding him

[Brenda]

That's a pretty good indicator right there! :laugh:

[Sandi]

Just been rereading Damia. They are named as raccoon type beasts. I'll get a page reference and write down the quote as soon as I can.
Ringul was also described as "washing" each mouthful of food Damia was feeding him

You beat me to it! I've been re-reading Damia too, for the first time in a couple of years, at least. They are described as raccoon-type animals but they have been through a lot of "adaptions". I guess I had just mis-remembered and assumed that they were cats because of Anne's fondness for them. (I am a member of the sievehead thread, after all) :blush:

[Madrigal]

I was gonna say, I can't really see a raccoon sitting on anyone's shoulders, either, since most of the ones I've seen have larger bodies than cats, even if their legs are shorter. Of course, most of the raccoons I've seen are also road kill. But I think the comparison is valid even if they are dead.

A woman I know who had a pet raccoon as a child has mentioning it climbing on her shoulders. I don't know about staying there for any length of time, though, and it might've been less than fully grown at the time. I'll see if I can work the conversation around to that again sometime...

[Brenda]

A young raccoon could, and might not want to admit when it can't anymore...

Seriously, if anyone hasn't, they need to read "Rascal" by Sterling North. The story of a boy, his pet raccoon, and the resultant chaos.