• Steve Dice@sh.itjust.works
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    17 hours ago

    Sometimes I conjure up the delusion that having a big feline is doable if raised from birth because my little feline is such an adorable baby that she shows her belly to literally everyone she sees even when she’s never met them. But even this cute ball of fluff will dig her claws into my leg to avoid falling when she rolls over while napping on my lap. Imagine if those claws were 4 cm.

  • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    SLIGHT NSFW WARNING

    This year, I had the privilege of seeing such friendliness in person:

    Shot on an ooold camera that still works.

      • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Thanks! It was Tanzania.

        More Images

        It was a group of 3 that made a kill. They just blocked the truck path, fat and panting without a care, then walked off into the sun across the Kenyan border.

        Their kill didn’t go to waste:

  • snoons@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    Cheetahs are apparently super chill as long as they’re not hungry, otherwise they’ll eat you so they can be super chill again.

  • idkwhatimdoing@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    Cheetahs are not actually dangerous to humans. Their skulls/jaws are pretty small and they are slender to be aerodynamic, and they need to be uninjured to hunt, so they avoid confrontation at all costs, especially with something the size of a human.

  • magic_internet_wizard@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Domestic cats are not actually much different than wild cats in any way. they’re just too small to eat us and raised to be more tame. If your loveable housecat was as big as a cheetah, they might not intentionally attack you out of aggression, but their predator instincts would kick in and would probably play with you until you died and possibly eat you like they do insects, lizards, and any other small creature.

    • Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      Cheetahs are apparently the most chill of the big cats, people do keep them as pets.

      My local zoo will actually let people meet the cheetahs, and I can’t imagine that happening with the tigers.

      • owenfromcanada@lemmy.ca
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        20 hours ago

        Apparently cheetahs aren’t “big cats”, they’re just large versions of small cats. They share features like purring and meowing, and their temperaments are closer to housecats than a tiger or lion.

    • sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      I read an interview with a zoologist which described cats as evolutionarily perfect. Their dna really only varies primarily for size. All cats all over the world have survived with no need to seriously adapt to their environment.

    • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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      1 day ago

      If my cat was that size, I might actually die from the farts in my face in the morning (like now), the signal he uses to say he’s hungry.

    • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
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      1 day ago

      I mean they aren’t lions, but are you telling me that they’re tamer than house cats? Because I definitely wouldn’t trust a cheetah-sized house cat.

      • ThoGot@feddit.org
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        1 day ago

        Depending on the individual I wouldn’t even trust a house cat-sized house cat

      • NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        They can be, depending on their temperament. They’re not large cats, they’re big small cats and they very much behave as such, they are behaviorally a lot more like a house cat than a lion. They are far more likely to avoid you than attack you if they’re not interested in getting your attention and the social ones can be very social.