quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
I'm sure they could kill him in a second if they wanted to. But they don't seem to.
Link to original video: https://youtu.be/XwCeqJMliYM

From my viewpoint that seems like a really stupid thing to be doing.

On the surface I don't disagree. He's letting the cats have there way with him. But I have a feeling he raised them from cubs, and they seem very affectionate to him. He may actually know what he's doing.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
I'm sure they could kill him in a second if they wanted to. But they don't seem to.
Link to original video: https://youtu.be/XwCeqJMliYM

From my viewpoint that seems like a really stupid thing to be doing.

I have an 8 Lb. feral/stray who is finally taking to the indoors (it's below freezing outside, 19* to be precise) snoozing in a comfy chair behind me. Her claws are so long, she has trouble walking across carpet w/o them getting snagged.

She accidentally cut my hand when the first time I tried to pick her up. I can't imagine what she could do on purpose.
Sorry for the lighting.
Try not to look her in the eye.
I posted her here before while she helped me raise her little ones: https://imgur.com/08pt3oj

quote:

Originally posted by DaveL:
Earlier this year my family and I visited an exotic animal sanctuary in north Florida. We got lucky and had a 2+ hour tour given by the owner. It was a great experience getting to view all of the animals up close but a couple of things he said really stuck with me.

Was this at the Catty Shack Ranch?

A half feral cat we had when I was a kid was solid muscle and would beat the shit out of anything that he could reach. He used to attack horses.

quote:

Originally posted by Leemur:
A half feral cat we had when I was a kid was solid muscle and would beat the shit out of anything that he could reach. He used to attack horses.

Hell, the cat I wrote about in my previous post used to chase deer, and dogs five or six times his size out of the yard. He was not tolerant of trespassers in his yard

One time a pair of yappers from a neighbour two doors down came to visit. They were about twice his size. He chased 'em both all the way back home, then came back strutting

Then there’s this leopard house guest, also in Russia. Good pictures in the article. Good video too. Big kitty!

“A leopard left heartbroken after his former zookeeper moved away is now 'feline' fine once more, after his best friend agreed to share his home with him.

Alexander Volkov, 30, moved a three-year-old leopard named Caesar into his home, after leaving his job at Penza Zoo in Penza, central Russia.

Caesar, was cared for by Alexander for around a year, and began to miss his best friend when he moved on from his employment.

When he began refusing all food and water, the zoo director begged his old employee to take him in.

He said: 'Caesar has his own room. He'll spend half the day in my room and the other half around the house.

'The main difficulty in keeping such an animal at home is understanding that this animal is a savage predator.

'So I need to be realistic that Caesar is quite dangerous and not just a friend. I have a responsibility not just for Caesar, but also the people living nearby.’ …”

https://mol.im/a/7689415

Cougars are beautiful and interesting animals, no doubt about that.
However, keeping an animal like that as a pet seems ill-advised at best.

Cats in general tend to be unpredictable, and a cat the size of a cougar can be extremely dangerous.

For me the most important theme in both the OP and Leopard story above is that both cats had no other options and would likely die otherwise...and the adults taking them in are making an informed choice knowing the risks. The are choosing to assume that risk for the sake of the cats and they aren't the ones who put the cats into captivity nor are they supporting the exotic pet trade through a purchase.

That is worlds different that someone seeking out an exotic pet and getting in way over their head or taking in a stray wild animal.