Russian couple adopts young Cougar from a Russian petting zoo. The Cougar is 1/2 the size of a normal one and has health issues. I came across this randomly and have watched some of the videos and I'm taken aback how tame and trained the animal is.

https://www.youtube.com/channe...FKAw-gA6y-brQ/videos

Their first video.

I've had dreams about a Russian cougar.

I've told this story a bunch of times, but I once got called out to do a house call on a pet cougar.

First thing the owner told me of importance was "whatever you do, don't run...." I'm like "Whaaa...?"

There were 2 concrete "T" shaped clothesline posts about 50 yards apart, with a braided wire line in between. Attached to the line was a roller, on which was attached another wire leader that led into a very large dog house at the other end from where I was standing. I was within probably 10 feet of the near clothesline post.

The second thing he told me that was significant was "we are already well within the range that you won't get away even if you run." Me: "Wait... what?"

She shot out of the dog house at mach 1, covered that distance like the fastest slow motion scene you ever saw, and landed on my back about 10 feet from where I'd been previously standing. I say my back, because I found out something that day:

Even if you are told not to run, when you are adequately frightened, the fight or flight reflex takes over, and it turns out you don't control it as well as you thought.

Facts:

1) a fully grown cougar is not to be trifled with
2) I cannot at this time, or at any time previous in my lifetime, outrun a big cat
3) I do not, it turns out, enjoy being prey
4) I do not enjoy practicing on exotic big cats.

At one point in my lifetime I probably uttered some absurdity about what I'd do if a big cat/bear/whatever attacked me. I now know I'd be lunch.

Just look at your house cat. Then multiply everything about him / her X10.
Then consider the size, weight, speed and power of the animal that you have just created.
And then shack up with him / her.
And what are these people using for a litter box? A cattle tank?

A girl that I had a lot of wildlife mgmt. classes with in undergrad school had a pet cougar. She used to bring polaroids to class of her on the couch with it and various other poses, this was way before cellphone cameras.

One week she didn't show up for class the whole week. A few days later the professor came in and told us she had been mauled by her cougar. She lived but had thousands of stitches.

The sheriff's deputies had to shoot the cougar to get her out of the house. She never came back to school afterwards.

There is no tame large cat. I say this also as a veterinarian that works on exotic animals and as a wildlife rehabber that released the first cougar with a satellite collar in the state of Texas.

Tommy

Hey look. A kitty!

That pet cougar look like a cute house cat compared to this. I present to you at onetime the baddest man on the planet Mike Tyson and his pet tiger. Enjoy and God Bless !!!

It popped up on my youtube feed a couple weeks ago or something. Now I keep an eye from a distance. It really behaves like a dog a lot of the time. Super cool creature, but I'm on the side of cats don't love you. They just aren't killing you or attempting to kill you currently. Cold like sharks. Hope this doesn't go bad.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Just look at your house cat. Then multiply everything about him / her X10.
Then consider the size, weight, speed and power of the animal that you have just created.

People who've never had house cats for pets won't get this. People who have, will. Especially anybody who's ever tried to force-feed their cat a pill.

How to Give a Pill to a Cat is about right

We actually used the towel method on a rather large Maine Coon we once had. Now, I'm no Charles Atlas, but I do work out regularly and I'm no 90-pound weakling, either. It took all my effort to hold that cat, thoroughly rolled-up in a large, thick towel, while my wife got a pill down his throat. As soon as that was accomplished and I relaxed my grip just a skosh ><, he shot out of that towel alike out of a cannon.

I disagree Slippery Pete. Some cats will defend humans in some circumstances. I know this because I have witnessed it many times. One of my cats is VERY protective of my son. I’ve seen the cat threaten even attack people it perceives as threatening or about to attack my son.

Oh boy! I feel better now...

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
I've had dreams about a Russian cougar.

Heh, heh... good one.

As far as I know we have no four legged Cougars living close by.
But we do have Bobcats, the local residents are about twice the size of our largest house cat who weighs in at 17.5 lbs.

Housecats are very fast, paws are a blur when they whack something, my big Siamese grabbed and killed a large Woodrat, so quickly I didn't know what was happening until it was over. Giving him a pill the second time would be a dangerous undertaking.

I doubt that Bobcats move faster than an aroused housecat, but the Bobcat is so much more powerful and it's long legs allow it to cover ground so much quicker, that it is very dangerous. I saw one make a standing leap to a tree and reach the top before I could follow it with my camera even though I was alert, anticipating the move, and had the camera near my eye.

I am with slabsides.45, I think the people who feel they need a firearm with several rounds available for protection against dangerous animals seriously underestimate those animals speed.
The African big game guides typically use a double rifle and feel very well armed. Many of us would be fortunate to get A shot off.

So I am afraid we would be on the menu.

(By the way it is said that Cougars roam the streets of some Northern CA towns after dark. CA has a no Cougar hunting law.)

"And then one day it ate him."

I'd normally be in the "they are crazy" camp, but after watching the video, perhaps not in this case.

He is 1/2 size with health issues and from a petting zoo. They are just 2 adults with no children. They are giving him a good life and the cat really seems pretty gentle.

Plus, the most dangerous thing they do in Russia according to youtube is not owning exotic pets...it's driving!

OTOH, a full size cougar from a zoo or exotic animal dealer? Hell to the nah-nah-nah!

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
< chomp >
2) I cannot at this time, or at any time previous in my lifetime, outrun a big cat
< chomp >

Foolish hairless ape, you don't need to out run the feline, you need to out run the foolish hairless ape next to you.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I disagree Slippery Pete. Some cats will defend humans in some circumstances. I know this because I have witnessed it many times. One of my cats is VERY protective of my son. I’ve seen the cat threaten even attack people it perceives as threatening or about to attack my son.

I hear ya. I'm not 100% sold on it, but I've seen enough firsthand and other hands to think they are cold. The cats I've been around kinda steal affection. Seems to me having a puma around is just a ticking time bomb. He may seem great and gentle and cuddly, then WHAM, your throat is gone.

In contrast my dogs would die for me. Doesn't seem to me cats are wired that way.

I do get a kick outta messi. Great name too by the way. But when it makes noises I'm reminded that thing is a killing machine. Like when it's playing with that fish in the bathtub. Crazy

in the late 70"s the lincoln/mercury dealerships had a traveling cougar cub for public relations photos... had one taken with our daughter on the hood are of a COUGAR automobile....FAIRBANKS,ALASKA.... you could tell it was going to growup and was not your regular house kitty........... drill sgt.