Would You Trust A "domesticated" Big Cat?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26485494
Ok this zoo may have come up with a way to domesticate a lion but how confident could anyone be they are correct? Cold comfort once it's bitten your head off!

[237SJ]

trt - was that at Tiger Temple? Someone was mauled by a tiger there last year.

[wolf63]

Having spent most of the night fighting over space on my bed with a 5kg cat (and failing to gain more than a third of the bed) and then having to peel said cat off my head so that I could get up I feel that to have a Tiger, Lion, Liger or Tigon would require a larger bed.

[ludwig]

I wouldn't even trust a domesticated small cat. They can lash out unexpectedly at any time, on whatever whim crosses their feline mind - it doesn't have to be aggressive, it can just be being playful. Trouble is, when a lion lashes out playfully, your head ends up separated from your body.

[wolf63]

ludwig - correct. I read once that a dog needs a reason to bite its owner, a cat bites its owner because it wants to.

[ludwig]

People who think animals are their friends are stupid and don't understand animals. That's why we keep seeing these regular tragedies with dogs and small children.

I love animals, but I respect them for what they are, and they're not always safe.

[wolf63]

I know of someone who travels by train with a cat on a lead. In theory it sounds acceptable. Alas any unexpected noise and instinct will take over and it will claw and bite at anyone in reach. Dogs are much more sociable animals and mixing with humans is mostly fun to them.

Non-human animals are intelligent, they understand much that we do not. We are animals too - we have a flight or fight instinct that cuts in sometimes.

Much as I would love a pet Tiger or Wolf it is not fair on the animal and I would be terrified of trying to gain territory on the bed without injury.

Can you imagine the size of the hairballs that a big cat would barf up - never mind the other end. Clipping claws would be suicide. I have to pin one of my cats down to do her claws as it is.

[ToraToraTora]

As a minimum you'd have to make sure it's never hungry!

[B00]

Why do you clip their claws wolfy?

[wolf63]

BOO - if I don't clip claws then Merlin has a habit of getting hers stuck in her brother's face. Frankie usually gets his claws stuck in the side of the mattress. I don't do it regularly and I just take the tips off.

[B00]

Ahh right cheers wolfy. It's not relevant to the post, and I apologise for that 3T, i was just curious. I've never trimmed Indi's claws, and I was sincerely hoping it wasn't something that was needed, I really do quite like my limbs where they are!

[ludwig]

There's a bit in one of Chris Rock's (comedian) DVDs where he's talking about the trained tiger that attacked Roy out of the Siegfried and Roy magic act, which goes something like this...

"People are saying that the tiger went crazy and attacked Roy. The tiger didn't go crazy - it went 'tiger'. When it was jumping through hoops, and riding around on a monocycle with a german helmet on, that's when it was crazy."

True enough.

[woofgang]

here's a less wonderful tiger temple video. the animal is being shoved along with a hoe by three "zoo keepers" allegedly the tigers are drugged, this ne certainly didn't look fully awake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XELJ9_Fy0ag

[viv38]

If this was my thread BOO would get best answer.

[viv38]

^For her 19:34 post yesterday.

[B00]

Thanks viv.

That video of woofy's had made me incredibly sad. To see such a beautiful animal degraded in such a way for our entertainment sickens me.

[woofgang]

me too B00, I just wonder if the latin American "system" is at all similar.

[wolf63]

I was thinking about this today. Was there not an old Blue Peter episode where one of the presenters got whacked by the most adorable little Lion cub. Even a friendly swipe would pack one he'll of a punch.

Tigers are beautiful but they are loners, they should be out and about doing Tiger stuff and crapping in other people's gardens.