#sorry for the rant i just see so many tigers and leopards kept as pets and posted to tiktok for clout

[hungee-boy]

hey if you see a cute wholesome video of a wildcat being treated like a pet, being handled by humans directly, wearing collars, etc. um dont share that shit period

i understand the handling especially if its cubs and/or the animal in question is sedated for medical care but like i hope yall can discern what is proper handling and what is not

wild cats, small or big, are wild animals full stop.

wild cats can display affection towards humans HOWEVER what makes them ill suited pets is the fact that they can and WILL kill you over small inconveniences

they are like toddlers, they cant control their emotions, if theyre upset for any reason, most of the time a reason you have no idea about, they will lunge and they will attack and kill you or at best rip your arm off

theyre not your cats, theyre not your pets, theyre not your babies

i love wild cats and me and my parents all are/were super involved in our local big cat sanctuary and one of the things im forever grateful for is that that experience taught me that you SHOULD fear them first and foremost

i had a tiger lunge at me because i was filling his water and forgot he had trauma related to being sprayed with a hose, along with various mental issues caused by inbreeding, and if that fence was not there he would have killed me

and i knew that, i had a fucking panic attack after he did it and needed 30 minutes to regain myself so that the other cats didnt sense my distress and come after me too

i was not cruel to that cat and hell i didnt even talk to him or pay him any mind, he still came at me with intent to kill because i accidentally triggered his trauma

we dont allow children younger than 7 years old during usual tours because the cats see small children and their instincts tell them its food

pregnant women are also seen as food, but its easier for them to not run and jump and make themselves an easier target like kids do

you have no godamn idea what youre doing if you own a wild cat in your home it literally does not matter where you learned your shit, where you got the cat

if you own a wild animal as a pet you know nothing about them and at best you will subject that animal to a life they are not meant to live and force them to live constantly in stress

and worst case scenario they will snap and kill you

(ps i am FIRMLY pro humane sanctuary, the PETA approach to releasing all animals, including those born and raised in captivity and who do not have the skills to survive in the wild is cruel. rehab should always be considered yes, but when you have a cat that was previously owned as a pet (weve seen so much of that jesus christ) releasing them into the wild is a death sentence)