link to pictures of someone's pet bobcats and cougars

[Aurora171989]

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76630

amber the bobcat
boris the bobcat
nakoma ze bobcat
natasha ze bobcat, appears much later in the thread
and carmelo the cougar

They also have pixiebobs, domestic cats.

 

[BostonBanker]

While their cats are stunning, and they certainly seem well cared for, I just can't make myself feel good about it at all, especially as I read through several of the pages. Perhaps it is just me.

 

[mjb]

Not just you. They are stunning. I do wonder if any wild animals enjoy living a domesticated life. I admit to knowing nothing about it and not researching it, but it didn't give me that warm, fuzzy feeling.

Beautiful cats to be sure, though!!

 

[CaliTerp07]

That terrifies me...it's a ticking time bomb, in my opinion. Wild animals don't belong snuggling in someone's bed.

 

[KenyiGirl]

That's scary. I'll bet they don't get many visitors. If I knew them, I wouldn't visit, I don't trust wild animals not to act like wild animals.

 

[Aurora171989]

I wouldn't call them wild, they're several generations away from the wild, not sure how many generations captive bred and tamed.

 

[KenyiGirl]

Well I figured they weren't plucked out from the wilderness, lol! But even if they are several generations captive bred, I think they'll still have some wild animal instincts.

 

[Fran101]

they are very pretty ..but that said, id never consider getting one. I think wild animals belong in the wild and not as pets.

I went to australia and saw cockatoos in the wild, that KILLED my dream of having a pet cockatoo.. i just felt like, no matter how big the cage, i wont be able to give them THIS.
and i think the same thing applies with wild cats, etc..

 

[FoxyWench]

you dont DOMESTICATE a bob cat in "several" generations.

domestication of the wild dog to the pet we know today took CENTURIES.
and the domestic cat isnt truly domesticated at all...

dont get me wrong, they are stunning animals...
but please NEVER fool yourself into thinking they are good "pets" or are "domestic" they are NOT.
can they be kept at home by someone with a great deal of time, space and money, you betcha they could...are they currently loving their choice of "pet" you betcha they are, there probbaly realy enjoying all the attention it gets them too...
are they enjoying the money there likley making off pixiebobs (and likely eventually breeding these animals) very damned likely....

dont get me wrong...im all for people having the right to SAFELY keep exotic pets...
but these arnt exotic pets, there WILD animals that are, quite honestly being exploited for being just that...WILD.

im a wildlife rehabber, ive never actually raised a wild cat by myself but ive assisted, ive also worked as a zoo keeper in 3 differnt institutions.

i will say this, having a bob cat in the house IS much like having a domestic house cat...
they love to sunbathe and lay around, and they love to play and chase anything small that runs...
they are also incredibly independant and like the domestic cat can one minute be rubbing agains tyour leg the next minute deciding you look like a fun chew toy or climbing post and sinking teeth and claws into your flesh...
the difference? a bob cat can weigh upwards of 50lbs and has much larger teeth and claws!
when a domestic house cat says "i dont want to" you can generally pick it up and move it...youll get a few scratches, even a couple of good bites (which btw the bob cat has the same life threatening bacteria in its mouth that domestic cats do)
a bob cat decides it doesnt want to do something, your damned well not going to try and move it if you like your fingers!

again, stunning animals, but they dont belong in a house, they belong outside, with room to roam (and no 1/2 acre dose NOT provide enough space for an animal whos teritory can be HUNDEREDS of miles....)

as a side note their exotic cats are declawed.
their exotic cats are declawed if i remember correctly.

 

[Dizzy]

I don't think you can judge these people without knowing their backgrounds with these cats.

Sorry, but think those people with the negative 'toods are jumping in a little quick without knowing all the facts.

 

[Dizzy]

again, stunning animals, but they dont belong in a house, they belong outside, with room to roam (and no 1/2 acre dose NOT provide enough space for an animal whos teritory can be HUNDEREDS of miles....)

Why do they? If they are captive bred? In an ideal world, yes.... but we all keep captive bred animals in our home. I have a snake, he doesn't have all the room in the world to roam - should I not have him? He's not exactly domesticated?

And what about keeping rats? Or birds? Or zoos??

I don't agree with keeping animals for show. Full stop. Animals need to have requirements met. But I think these can be met in a pet home.

 

[BostonBanker]

I don't think you can judge these people without knowing their backgrounds with these cats.

Sorry, but think those people with the negative 'toods are jumping in a little quick without knowing all the facts.

I read about 15 pages, in which the owners answered a lot of questions. One bobcat is a rescue and lives outside all the time. I can understand that to an extent; they are cleaning up someone else's mess as best they are able.

The other two bobcats and the cougar were all purchased from a breeder who breeds them for pets. So, I know enough of the background to know that I don't approve of the situation with those three cats. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I do get to have an opinion. Breeding wild animals as pets and then cutting their toes off so they won't hurt you when you play with them in your house isn't my idea of okay.

I have a snake, he doesn't have all the room in the world to roam - should I not have him? He's not exactly domesticated?

And what about keeping rats? Or birds? Or zoos??

I don't agree with keeping animals for show. Full stop. Animals need to have requirements met. But I think these can be met in a pet home.

My own opinion? I will never own an animal that needs to be kept caged a majority of the time. That includes birds, rodents and reptiles. Doesn't work for me.

To each their own, I guess, but I don't think there is anything wrong with expressing an opinion that we should leave wild animals wild except in extreme cases.

 

[puppydog]

I have to say, I am in the wild animals are not pets camp.

 

[Dizzy]

I am in that camp, but I am also not going to take a dump on someone who is not here to give their side of their story.

 

[sillysally]

The other two bobcats and the cougar were all purchased from a breeder who breeds them for pets. So, I know enough of the background to know that I don't approve of the situation with those three cats. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I do get to have an opinion. Breeding wild animals as pets and then cutting their toes off so they won't hurt you when you play with them in your house isn't my idea of okay.

I agree. It's one thing rescuing, it's another deliberately buying from a breeder. Not a negative attitude as much as a decision I just don't agree with and something I would not participate in--they don't belong in peoples' houses IMHO.

 

[puppydog]

I am in that camp, but I am also not going to take a dump on someone who is not here to give their side of their story.

Oh I agree. I didn't see anyone getting personal though. I might have missed it, I can't find my glasses.

 

[Gustav]

I'm not sure how I feel about the whole wild animal thing.. People have been trapping and training wild horses for centuries.. It still happens to this day. Does that make it different because of the type of animal? A wild horse IS as dangerous as any wild cat..

I have a friend that has a pet Fox, he found him as an orphan cub, and bottle fed him... Now he is just like a dog, trots around at heel, sit's, barks on cue, plays dead etc. The cub would have died if he hadn't taken him in, Foxes are considered vermin here, there's not much love for them..

Would I personally go out and BUY a big cat.. No, I admit to being drawn to them, I find them magnificent and awe inspiring, but I am just as happy with a cuddle up, sit on your lap domestic cat, that I KNOW is not going to rip my face off in a fit of temper.

Although, that doesn't give me the right to slate people who do chose to own them.. Whatever floats your boat..

 

[sillysally]

I'm not sure how I feel about the whole wild animal thing.. People have been trapping and training wild horses for centuries.. It still happens to this day. Does that make it different because of the type of animal? A wild horse IS as dangerous as any wild cat..

Well technically though, those horses are feral. They may run free, but at some point they were domesticated horses bred to work with people whose ancestors happened to get loose or were let loose.

 

[Gustav]

Well technically though, those horses are feral. They may run free, but at some point they were domesticated horses bred to work with people whose ancestors happened to get loose or were let loose.

And what about.. Przewalski's Horse?

Przewalski's Horse has never been successfully domesticated and remains a truly wild animal today. Przewalski's Horse is one of two known subspecies of Equus ferus, the other being the extinct Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus). The Przewalski's Horse is considered the only remaining truly wild "horse" in the world and may be the closest living wild relative of the domesticated horse, Equus caballus. There are still a number of other wild equines, including three species of zebra and various subspecies of the African wild ass, Onager and Kiang.

 

[Dekka]

Well technically though, those horses are feral. They may run free, but at some point they were domesticated horses bred to work with people whose ancestors happened to get loose or were let loose.

Very very true. The only real wild horses left are the przewalski horse. And they can't be tamed just like a 'normal' horse. From everything I have heard they are a lot more like zebras to work with than domestic horses.

The 'wild' horses that people catch and train are feral. They are usually just as easy to train as your run of the mill horse... esp if they are caught young.

Its a big dif from these people with their bob cats and cougars.

And no matter what they could say.. I don't think its fair to keep a 120 pound wild cat in a house. Now if someone was doing rigorous breeding for domesticness I would be much less offended. But that would/should drastically chance what they would look like/act like so I doubt people would be doing it.