Would you want a pet Cheetah?

Originally Posted by CharmsDad

Where did you hear this???? This is so far from true (and so easily checked) it's unbelievable you'd even say it. Humans are remarkably weak for their weight when compared to other similar sized animals. Wolf bite strength is in excess of 1200 lbs/in with domestic dogs running over 900 for German Shepards. Having been in the position on multiple occasions to need to subdue adult wolves and large dogs I can tell you I could not do it safely without supporting equipment, and a large animal requires multiple people working as a team. Big cats are even stronger for their weight with a bite strength a bit less than wolves and varies by species but is still much greater than humans. A young gorilla has roughly 9 times the arm strength of a similar sized adult human and 4 times the bite strength, and a 150 lb Orangutan can easily pop a coconut with one hand.

Humans are NOT great apes, they are a completely separate class of primates (the sole surviving species of humanoid). Great apes are chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and bonobos.

Cheetahs, like all cats, are remarkably strong for their weight. While you might be able to knock one over the result would be making it mad, not subduing it. You started with claiming an average sized man could "easily" overpower a cheetah, then later claimed he could 7 out of 10 times. You've greatly contradicted yourself here, and even if it was true it would only take one of those 3 out of 10 times for the cheetah to inflict serious wounds - which they will when they're cornered and feel threatened. The reality is a human without equipment or support can not reliably or readily overpower a cheetah. While they may not be as agressive as some other cats, there is still a risk. In addition, cheetahs have a the notorious history of becoming quite frail when kept in captivity, particularly when not kept in a sufficiently sized environment or where climate conditions are unfavorable (read "cold".)

Interesting claim since the very few documented efforts to do this have been in India or Asia and mostly unsuccessful.

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I am thinking you getting this all wrong. A human leg has more stenght than jaguars leg strenght for example. Infact, one good roundhouse kick from a well-trained martial artist can break a jaguars skull. The problem is, Jaguars like other cats are a lot more agile and quick than we are and we wouldn't have the chance to hit them.

You are also mistaking PSI (pounds for square Inch) with bite force. PSI is the total force all four teeth can bite. Guess what our PSI is, 800! Bite force is different. Just to clarify, here below are some sample average bite forces in pounds of pressure, NOT PSI;

Human: 200 (Humans have special techniques to increase their bite force, for example the world record is 935 pounds of pressure. ANIMALS don't know about and it can raise your bite force to over 450+ pounds of pressure).
Cougar: 300
Wolf: 500
Tiger or Lion: 1,000
Polar Bear: 1,800
American Aligator: 3,000
Gorilla: 1,300

If you don't believe me you can look on google yourself. But biting is not the best way to win for us anyways. Our limb strikes can be stronger, because we know techniques to increase our limb strenght using our brains, the greatest weapon of a human. A boxer's punch for example can go up to 1,000 pounds of pressure or more. No, humans are not that strong. There is a special technique boxers use to raise their bite forc can e. Gorillas don't and can't learn this special technique to punch, which it will make a Gorillas an astronomical punch. Gorillas are 20 times stronger than humans. Oh and yes, we are the weakest of the Great Apes, male chimps can be 4-8 times stronger than a normal man. However a humans leg is equally as strong as a chimp's arm. Think of this similie; humans are to legs, as chimps are to arms.

I am talking about comparing humans to other animals. While normal humans most likely would not be able to beat a cougar for example, a cheetah of similar size would stand a lesser chance against man. Like I said, cheetahs ARE NOT BUILT LIKE OTHER CATS! They are much more lean and built more for speed. Yes there might of been attacks on people, maybe even some have gotten killed! Many humans are usally to gentle to fight if they see a cut, but some humans are tougher than others. Remeber humans have the most diversity in habits and bodies of many animals. For example how obese humans can get.

Oh and yes, we are Great Apes. Primate first of all is a class, and humans belong to a family of primates called Hominidae. Yes, we are the last species of our genus. The nonhuman great apes have varying degrees of DNA similarity to humans. Just to clarify, Chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans share 98.4 percent of the same DNA sequence. Gorillas share 97.7 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. Orangutans share 96.4 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees, bonobos, humans, and gorillas. For more detailed information on this issue, as well as general information on primates, you may want to reference Dr. Robert Shumaker's book Primates in Question. It is an excellent resource if you are interested in learning more about what I am talking about.

I hope this information helps;


Family Hominidae

Species: Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Subspecies: Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus

Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii

Pongo pygmaeus morio


Species: Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

No subspecies currently recognized



Species: Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)

Subspecies: Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)


Species: Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei)

Subspecies: Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)


Species: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Subspecies: Pan troglodytes troglodytes

Pan troglodytes verus

Pan troglodytes vellerosus

Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii

Species: Bonobo (Pan paniscus)

No subspecies currently recognized


Species: Modern Humans (Homo Sapiens)

Subspecies: Homo Sapiens Negroid

Homo Sapiens Cuacasoid

Homo Sapiens Mongusoid


Finally I just want to tell you, I am in training to get my degree in zoology. I have done Martial Arts and combat sports for over 12 years. If their is two things I specialize at is animals and combat. So don't think I don't know what I am talking about. I respect you and I know you have probably dealt with animals, maybe more than me with many species. Just keep in mind that I know a great deal of what I am talking about. Of the big cats, I have worked with tigers, cheetahs, and cougars during my studing.




In any case, how did talking about having a pet cheetah turn into a debate on human's strenght? All I wanted to do is show how cheetahs can make good pets compared to other wild cats. Spotz, I have no intention to brutilize animals, nor do I at all. Just everyone brought this small subject up. When I mean man to overpower a cheetah, I mean control him if he/she goes beserk and starts to attack people, which of course wouldn't happen. I was saying it in a "what if" situation.

I voted "no". I don't agree with it. The other members have argued the point for me, as I have arrived late in the conversation. And it is human arrogance to assume that we "own" any such thing. We have been blessed with the little ones in our lives, let's keep it at that, they are trouble enough!
I am lucky to be an artist, so I have a couple of cheetahs...& a white tiger.. & a zebra!

Cheetas are one of my favourite cats.
back when i was 8 or 9 years old, and before i moved to australia. I used to think you could keep kangaroos in your back yard with a leash just like a dog.
So i used to always ask my dad if we could keep one. Untill i got there and realised they arent like a cat or dog in any way!!

I think keeping them as a "pet" is rather hard for the conditions im living in at the moment.
But i would love to have wildlife in my backyard.
I used to be friends with this girl from Kenya, and Her grandmother has zebras running around her back yard!
I love zebras also so i found it pretty cool.

But i would love to have a chance to touch, hug, feed and love a big animal like that even if its only for 5 mins. It would really make my dream come true.

Under the right circumstances, yes. Provided I had the proper financial resources for excellent care and housing, proper permits (hard to get for and endangered species), and the ability to further the conservation of the species, I would love to have a cheetah. They are extremely endangered animals, and I would only feel comfortable owning one if by doing so I could participate in an SSP breeding program, use the cat in educational work to help raise awareness of their status in the wild and raise money for conservation, etc. I am completely in favor of private ownership of exotic cats, but I also feel that you take on a huge responsibility for helping aid the species if you are fortunate enough to own an endangered species.

I use to tell my mom that I wanted a tiger for a pet, but some how I don't think an 800 lbs tiger would like my apartment. Owning a wild animal is one of those childhood fantizies most people have, like marrying Prince William... It's just not going to happen!!!

Nope. I'm a smallish dude, and the cheetah would probably think of me as dinner, or a play thing, and rip me up pretty bad. Then someone would find my ripped up body, and the cheetah grinning with a bloody face, the dude would run out, call some animal control organization. The police would get involved, since some big animal killed someone, and would want the animal exterminated. And bam, the whole thing would turn into a big can of worms with laws making cheetahs illegal to own getting passed, and horror stories of how a cheetah ripped up some poor guy start floating around. So I think it's best not to even go there.

Omg, imagine the legal suits if someone's cheetah ate someone's kid! I mean a house cat can bite or scratch someone's kid but the kid won't die, on the other hand, the cheetah will most probably kill a child. Imagine if some how the cheetah escaped, got lost in town, got excited and killed someone's dog (dogs are pretty jealously protected nowadays with insurance and everything). Hahaha, or imagine trying to take kitty to the vet!

Sierra would have nothing of it!

Originally Posted by Lemur 6

Nope. I'm a smallish dude, and the cheetah would probably think of me as dinner, or a play thing, and rip me up pretty bad. Then someone would find my ripped up body, and the cheetah grinning with a bloody face, the dude would run out, call some animal control organization. The police would get involved, since some big animal killed someone, and would want the animal exterminated. And bam, the whole thing would turn into a big can of worms with laws making cheetahs illegal to own getting passed, and horror stories of how a cheetah ripped up some poor guy start floating around. So I think it's best not to even go there.

Omg, imagine the legal suits if someone's cheetah ate someone's kid! I mean a house cat can bite or scratch someone's kid but the kid won't die, on the other hand, the cheetah will most probably kill a child. Imagine if some how the cheetah escaped, got lost in town, got excited and killed someone's dog (dogs are pretty jealously protected nowadays with insurance and everything). Hahaha, or imagine trying to take kitty to the vet!

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This would not happen if you are a responsible exotic cat owner. Also, when raised with humans from birth, these cats do get along very well with people. However, this does not mean you can let them roam where any just anyone can come into contact with the cat. This is where responsible ownership comes in. Yes, I would own a cheetah in a heart beat if I had the room, but I have my hands full as it is with my bobcats

Cheetah are beautiful! I would never pay to have one though. Never paid to have a cat yet! Always get the rescues...they're the best ! If I knew more about them and worked for a wildlife rescue...and if there was a circumstance where a Cheetah needed a home for a little bit...Why not?! Hopefully someday I'll be able to get into wildlife rescue, but for now it's just our beloved Felis catus.

I voted no, and i'll stick with what i know, the domestic!.

I'm not against people having cheetahs as pets IF they are responsible and capable people who are knowledgeable on how to take care of them. I live in a small apartment and don't know enough about caring for cheetahs to own one myself, so I voted no.

Originally Posted by eburgess

I use to tell my mom that I wanted a tiger for a pet, but some how I don't think an 800 lbs tiger would like my apartment. Owning a wild animal is one of those childhood fantizies most people have, like marrying Prince William... It's just not going to happen!!!

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I don't know...my childhood dream was to own a bobcat. I wrote it off as fantasy, but I somehow ended up with a serval! The reality is of course much different than what you would imagine as a kid, but I love the little spotted critter more than I can say.

I have always had cats in my life since the day I was born. When going to the zoo, my favorite place to go was to see all the wild cats. I always wanted to be near them. Now I have 2 bobcats and will soon have a 3rd. I would love to add a serval to my group as well. I have worked around the BIG cats; Lions, tigers, leopards and cougars. Of those 4, I have fallen in love with the cougar. I will never forget this past October when I got 2 big wet kisses from a cougar. To think back to my childhood at the zoo, I never thought something like this would ever come true. The bond I share with my bobcats and my cougar friend Shana, who lives about 160 miles from me, is a bond like no other. I would never give it up for anything

i have enough trouble keeping a domestic cat entertained, a cheetah as much as i would love one would be more than i could handle.

a bit off the subject but last night i had the weirdest dream that i had a bobcat the size of a lion called (originally enough) amber! i walked her on a lead and used her to fight burglars.... going to stop looking at the bobcat pics on here!

Nope - I don't agree with keeping wild animals as pets, and also, I'm quite afraid of animals that are large/strong enough to really cause me harm if they wanted to (including larger breeds of dogs, even).

a bit off the subject but last night i had the weirdest dream that i had a bobcat the size of a lion called (originally enough) amber! i walked her on a lead and used her to fight burglars.... going to stop looking at the bobcat pics on here!

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Wow, imagine Amber the size of a lion, now THAT would be a sight to see

I read the title of this post wrong. I thought it said "Would you like to pet a cheetah." YES I would love to pet one (and kiss it on the nose).

Cheetahs are the most gentle cats in the entire cat famaily. That was one reason why it was so easy for India to tame them. In fact, cheetahs are probably even more gentle and shy as a domestic cat, even in the wild. Savannah researchers welcome these cats on their trucks because they are so gentle. Researcher even hand feed wild cheetahs, and the cheetahs do not bite back. Now just imagine a tame cheetah like how they were in India, then you got a lovely gentle pet.

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve worked with exotics for quite some time. And have had kept exotics as pets. Keeping any exotic you really got to do a lot of research and make the big commitment as you cant decided you don't want it and take it to the pound. Or put in an add in the paper. I live in Las Vegas and there a very few restrictions on keeping an exotic pet here. And a lot of that is because of all the Vegas shows that have exotic animals in the acts. So Clark County has very open policies regarding keeping exotic pets. In fact until they moved back to Germany Siegfried and Roy lived a mile from our house and they kept many of the large cats at their house. And this was in a regular neighborhood. Yes they had high walls and a very large house but not out in the country.
So many people here have large cats. Of all the large cats I worked around the cheetah is the easiest of the wild cats to work with and tame. They unlike the tiger and lion, they were sort of domesticated by the Egyptians. So while yes they are in a since still wild they tame so easily. But unless you have a big house with a lot property this is not the pet for you. And you must have a working knowledge of exotic cats to have them. Their diet is very specialized and they need a lot of your time. I used to work for a department of Fish and Game and I had the time to play and care for the cats that came under our care. But if you work 40+ hours you will not have the time for your pet. And if you donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t live some place like here where we do have exotic veterinarians as most vet do not have the knowledge to care for your cheetah. But you must have an exotic cat and you really can really take care of one then maybe this is the big cat for you.

Nope, you would have to be VERY responsible to have one and I don't believe in owning wild animals for pets at all. I do think they are illegal to have unless you have a license to own one.