What is the largest domestic cat breed available. I understood it to be the maine Coon but friends insist that there is a larger cat derived from an African wild cat of some sort recently.
Anyone know?

According to what I have read the Ragdoll is the largest domestic cat breed with males averaging between 12 and 20 pounds and females between 10 and 15 pounds. The Maine coon averages between 13 and 18 pounds for a male and 9 to 12 pounds for females.

Hope this helps.

I checked with Cat Fanciers.com website and they say almost verbatim what DD said regarding weight. Just providing documentation.

Cat Fancier.org

Bangels are a pretty interesting type of cat. They are breed from tigers, but to be domestic and much more sizeable to a house cat. Supposed to be extremly intelligent, friendly, smart, and expensive.

I thought that the answer would be Persian cats.

The Persian cats that I have seen have been fairly small cats just with a lot of hair. Give one a bath and you can see how small they can be.

According to what I've read, the Maine Coon (America's only "natural" domesticated cat) is the largest domesticated cat, with females weighing around 15-18 pounds and males weighing around 20-32 pounds.

I have a male Maine Coon, black and white, named Pasha. He's four years old and already weighs near 20 pounds. Pasha's father, Loops, weighs over 25 pounds.

The Ragdoll comes in a close second.