BIG Cats Are Beautiful. Should They Be Pets?

Throughout my years of living in Colorado and Nevada, I've heard and known of people keeping lions, tigers, jaguars, etc. for pets. Have never seen one of these "pets", but that's okay with me. As a very young animal, they can be adorable, cute, and downright funny.

But then they grow up!

You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can't take the adorable out of the cat. Here are 30 big cats being adorable.

Big cats can act like house cats in many ways. One of the reasons why our love for cuddly little house cats extends to the largest members of the cat family is because of how similar big cats and small cats are.

Are you thinking now that I'm in favor of keeping a big cat as a pet? No, I'm not for several reasons. The first would be the cost of keeping a big animal as far as maintenance such as food and vet bills.

A lion can eat as much as 10 to 15 pounds of meat a day and so if you only (under) fed the lion 8 pounds of meat a day, it would be nearly $40 a day (at $5.00/lb) or $280 a week to feed that lion at minimum amount. That’s certainly a lot less than those two small cats in the picture.

Since trading exotic animals is regulated, there is a huge black market for them. They are often not transported properly, cared for properly, and they're sold off to the highest bidder regardless of that person’s ability to properly care for them. Right now there are more captive tigers than wild tigers. There is something definitely wrong with that! This cat is very lucky!!

Big cats are wild animals at heart. It is in their nature to travel, stalk, and hunt down their prey. If that opportunity is taken away, they can become very frustrated. A frustrated, big cat is not necessarily a good thing to have around! Add 500 pounds to this cat and you'll see what I mean.

Big cat cubs are adorable, cute, and cuddly and usually not very dangerous. However, when they're grown, their play is pretty rough because it's training for hunting. Sometimes they just don't know their own strength; it's best not to take a chance. This cat just thinks he's tough and scary.

Captivity of big cats causes them great stress which can potentially lead to psychosis. This is often exhibited through pacing and acts of aggression (even on trusted caretakers). Many big cat attacks that occur from aggression are born out of this frustration. If you have a big cat as a pet, you're not only living with a natural born killer; you're living with one that can literally go crazy on you. Think I'll stick with my house cats!!!!

Besides, they only think they're a big cat.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667