15. Snowball the Giant Nuclear Mutant Cat. Snowball gained Internet notoriety in 2001 when emails circulated around the world, saying that the 87-pound cat is a mutant cat found in abandoned nuclear research facility run by the Atomic Energy of Canada: Rodger Degagne, a former employee with AECL in Chalk River, may be embarking on a new career as Feline Breeder. Relaxing in his spacious home on the shores of the Ottawa River, Mr. Degagne recalls how 15 years ago he befriended two stray young cats on the old AECL research facility at Chalk River. The kittens had appeared in late summer and apparently had gotten under a security fence around the old labs abandoned since the late 50's. With the help of his tuna sandwich, Mr. Degagne was able to coax the kitties close enough so that he could pick them up. A self-described animal lover, he did not want to place the kittens in the local Humane Society. In this largely rural area, cats of all stripes and ages largely go unwanted and are humanely disposed of after a few days. ... "We knew that Snowball wasn't your average cat when the neighbor's German Shepherd ran yelping away from his first encounter with her. She just isn't afraid of any animals. After we found a half eaten raccoon out by the garage, we decided that maybe Snowball should be kept fenced in. We soon discovered that while we can keep Snowball in the yard, we couldn't keep raccoons from Snowball. At least it kept the food bills down!" Rodger laughed. "Like all female cats she is very territorial, but with us she is just a big ole kitten" he said. The story turned out to be a hoax, perpetrated by Cordell Hauglie, who just wanted to make his daughter laugh by super-sizing their cat Jumper with Photoshop! Since Snowball is a fake, he comes in at No. 15 of Neatorama's Fat Cat List. Link | See also: Tourist Guy with a Cat: a Hoax Within a Hoax.