When a wild cat pet is necessary

For me, wild cats should not be pets. In the video they make it clear that she is not a pet but tame. I am not sure there is a lot difference; is there? The difference is socialization. This cheetah is socialized so I’d call her a cat companion. However, I like this. The video maker is ensuring that people treat wild cats correctly. There are occasions when it is necessary for a wild cat to be looked after by humans. This is one such occasion.

https://youtu.be/nXxnI7tJJMo

There are always exceptions to a rule. As you discover in the video, this cheetah was inadvertently and badly injured by her mother. They decided that she would not be able to survive in the wild and that decision is probably correct because the cheetah, as we know, survives through her speed and if that is compromised survival would be at best hard and at worst impossible. She makes a nice ‘pet’ (let’s say cat companion) and has been leash trained.

It makes me wonder how often a baby cheetah is injured by her mother and dies in the wild quite quickly. I should think that it is quite rare but the survival rate of baby cheetahs is quite poor. It is difficult to study the mortality rate of cheetahs because mothers do such a good job of hiding their offspring.

However, in 1987, Karen Laurenson documented cheetah cub mortality. Twenty females were radio-collared. Thirty-six litters were born to seventeen mothers. Of these only three of four litters survived to fourteen months of age¹.

Of all the wild cat species, the cheetah is one of those with a temperament suited to being a companion animal. They’re quite reserved and are less aggressive that typical wild cats, it seems to me. There is a long history of cheetahs being human pets and hunting animals at the direction of humans. They are also very exotic and therefore make exotic pets for wealthy and powerful people who like to boost up their image with the trappings of success.

Note: 1. Wild Cats Of The World page 29.