It's cool to have a cheetah in the strip.  On Animal Planet, they said the Cheetah is one of the safest big cats to watch in the wild because they tend to avoid attacking humans.  I wonder if they're also one of the safer bigs cats in captivity.

I haven't had too much experience with cheetahs in captivity.  I would have to think they're safer than most other big cats, though - in both size and temperament.

Duma was quite the cool cat.  

The local sanctuary here (wildaboutcats) has a few cheetahs. The one from the mtn.dew commercial was from there.
They are really cool and look much more "tame" than the other big cats.

Cheetahs have been used as hunting cats in the past.  And given that they really aren't part of the Panthera family, there are likely a lot of things about them that we just don't know.

I've never had the opportunity to meet a cheetah up close, although it's on the to-do list! But here are some random observations about the temperaments of some other felids:

Tigers: Pretty laid back.

Leopards: Very, very aggressive.

Cougars: Not so aggressive, but definitely playful. Think "Tigger"-style playful. Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy!

Lions: Very social. I mean, in-your-face social.

Bobcats: Can make you think they're a house cat. That is, until you inadvertently annoy them.

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stian wrote : I've never had the opportunity to meet a cheetah up close, although it's on the to-do list! But here are some random observations about the temperaments of some other felids: Tigers: Pretty laid back. Leopards: Very, very aggressive. Cougars: Not so aggressive, but definitely playful. Think "Tigger"-style playful. Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy! Lions: Very social. I mean, in-your-face social. Bobcats: Can make you think they're a house cat. That is, until you inadvertently annoy them.

LOL.  If by in-your-face social for lions you mean 'sock you in the mouth and then get concerned when you stop moving', then definitely LOL.

And the leopard always gets the bad rap as the "aggressive" one  They just so happen to be one of the only members of the panthera family with natural predators

Cougars are most definitely playful, particularly when they're growing up.  Think more along the lines of a hyperactive puppy than a kitten.  A hyperactive puppy with razor sharp retractable claws and a penchant for jumping on your back when you aren't paying attention, that is.  ;)

I'll second the bobcat remark too... Just don't try to take away "their" toys. Even if it happens to be your cel phone, socks, lunch, etc...

Have you ever tried to exit an enclosure only to find you can't because there's 250 lbs of adolescent lioness attached to you LICKING a hole in your shirt? That's in-your-face social. She never socked me in the mouth though -- probably a good thing.

As for leopards and bad raps, ever hear about "biting the hand that feeds you?" With at least one leopard I know, that's very, very literal. But she's adorable most of the time.

-Stian

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stian wrote : Have you ever tried to exit an enclosure only to find you can't because there's 250 lbs of adolescent lioness attached to you LICKING a hole in your shirt? That's in-your-face social. She never socked me in the mouth though -- probably a good thing.

Generally speaking I don't let lions (a social cat with some instinct for team attacks) outflank me.  Blocking your exit definitely qualifies as being outflanked and they will move.  They know better than that...

However, it again depends on how many cats you're in with at a time.  One is different than two versus three, etc.  If they eagerly decide that you need nuzzles under the chin they tend to underestimate how fast they need to bring their head up and thusly *crack*.  

I appreciate tigers for their gentleness at times, because working lions is part wrestling match and part football.

It's great to learn so much about the big cats from people who work with them.

I've heard that the leopard is one of the smartest of the cats.  Is that right?

One lioness at a time is generally enough for me. Cats in general, and lions in particular (being group hunters in the wild) like to circle you. The benefit of going in with one cat at a time is that you can always keep your attention focused on that cat.

-Stian

Hi Kristina,

Leopards are definitely smart, but this is a trait of cats in general -- and wild cats more so than domesticated ones.

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Kristina L. wrote : It's great to learn so much about the big cats from people who work with them. I've heard that the leopard is one of the smartest of the cats.  Is that right?

Perhaps most tactically sound, but I would not rate them high on 'processing power'.  They are somewhat primative as compared to the other cats...you're going to see problem solving in all of them (a trait of intelligence) but they tend to lack that extra 'thing' that you'll find in lions and tigers.  Leopards tend to react to stimuli and therefore can be easier to train (major caveat: CAN BE)  But more handlers are killed by their own leopards because they are so agile and don't have the range of readable facial expressions.  Furthermore, they will readily displace if the preferred target is not available which can be VERY dangerous to any handler.

With regards to wild versus domestic, I have found it mentioned in literature that brain size actually shrinks in the domestic cat on a per-pound basis versus the wild cat.  Ostensibly increased processing and decision making power is less necessary than tractability in those creatures which our species has elected to label as 'domestic'.  Yet anyone can readily see the instinct did not die, as evidenced by our out of control feral population.

Keep in mind, however, that intelligence is a moving target--we haven't defined it in our own species and yet regularly attempt to apply its tenants to other species.  

The only big cat I have had the pleasure of meeting up close was a six week old tiger cub. All it wanted was food and to be pet. It was cute and adorable, this was at a renaissance festival and the cubs trainer had several other tigers there for a magic show.

Tigers are my all-around favorite cats to work with (no offense, Sandusky -- cougars are second!)

The lioness I mentioned in a previous post I no longer go in with, because I don't feel I can do so safely. But I still spend time with her through the fence, and I'll get "aoooos" from several hundred feet away when she hears me coming.

I've helped raise cougars, a lion, a leopard and various smaller cats.  Lions are deffinatly brats as cubs though extreamly social.  
Leopards are very very smart, and they will constantly test you to see what they can get away with.  With Leopards, never turn your back, and never let them out of your sight.  They aren't aggressive exactly, just too playful and smart.  It is the testing of what they can get away with that gets them the aggressive tag.  If properly disciplined each time, they are mostly well behaved.