Are Big Cats Still Cats?

[SoDesuKa]

I've never seen a big cat fold his paws underneath him the way house cats do. Come to think of it, big cats don't purr either. All right, they look like cats, and they sleep all day. But does a lion rub his head against a tree? Do they clean themselves like cats do? If you had a tiger for a pet, would he knead the bedding?

[Ptah]

1. Wait, what?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Big cats do purr. They just can't purr while both inhaling and exhaling like the little ones.

Tiger hunting and mating behavior is nearly identical to domestic cat hunting and mating behavior. If you have a cat, you have a little tiger.

[Roon]

3. Awww!

That's so cute. My cats hunt in the early evening and the eary dawn. I call their crazies.

[crispini]

4. And if you were three inches tall..

your beloved Fluffy would eat you with no compunction at all. I think about that sometimes. :D

[Yavin4]

28. As Seen on This TV Show

[jrandom421]

7. A quote that sums it all up

" God made the cat in order that humankind might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger."
- Fernand Mery

[DarkTirade]

5. A friend of mine worked for a corcus for a while.

They had tigers there. They'd give the tigers toys to play with, just like regular cats.

Only instead of little balls to bat around, the tigers would get bowling balls.

... and they'd leave half-inch deep scratches in them. :P

[DarkTirade]

8. He worked at a circus too.

Damn editing time. :P

[SoDesuKa]

20. Loons and Togers

What did he do at the corcus? Feed the loons and togers?

[DarkTirade]

31. I'd assume not, he came back in one piece.

:P

[Lorien]

26. The tigers I know get big plastic oil drums to play with

they turn into giant kittens with those drums!

[rurallib]

6. When the kids were little and we'd go to a zoo

when we were lucky enough to see a lion or tiger awake (usually a lioness) we were amazed by the similarities in behavior. And yes we have heard them purr. Much lower sound.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Big cats do what we call "eye squinties" like little kittehs do

If you squint your eyes at a kitty, they'll usually do it back -- a sign of contentment and communion.

[Lorien]

25. I call them "love squints"

and yes, I've seen big cats do them too!

[elana i am]

10. yep

except that while not all big cats purr like housecats, some do. cheetahs do, bobcats do and cougars do. lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars do not. but then cougars and bobcats can also roar while cheetahs can't. cheetahs make a kind of barking sound, but they also meow like housecats. also, not everyone classifies cheetahs, cougars and bobcats as "big cats".

all cats have typical behaviors though. it's just that a housecat that plays is pretty harmless, while a tiger that plays can be deadly.

i think the most fascinating is the cheetah.

here's cheetahs meowing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K-0om3gaoQ
here's a cheetah purring... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drq_ww7Ytzw

[nickinSTL]

14. that's not entirely true...

I heard a large cat purr at a zoo once - it was a black cat, either a jaguar or a leopard, but I don't remember which. In fact, it was so loud, we were a few hundred feet away and behind the cat's cage, and walked back to see what the sound was. It was a bit of a surprise that it was the purr of a large cat, but it clearly was.

[elana i am]

15. it was likely

a black panther, which is also called a cougar, puma or mountain lion.

[nickinSTL]

19. no, black panthers are black jaguars or leopards...

Believe me, I know the difference between a jaguar or leopard and a cougar.

In fact, with many black panthers, you can see the spots underneath the black coloration.

"Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are commonly called black panthers."--http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/leopard.html

"Some jaguars are so dark they appear to be spotless, though their markings can be seen on closer inspection."--http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar.html

"There are no authenticated cases of truly melanistic cougars."--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

[Shell Beau]

17. I am totally fascinated with the jaguar.

Which, IMO, is the most beautiful of all big cats.

Cheetahs are awesome though.

[cemaphonic]

22. The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle has a newish Jaguar enclosure.

Not only is it an incredibly beautiful cat, but the enclosure is designed with some areas are only separated from the visitor area by a pane of glass. So pretty often, you can be standing just a couple feet away from it.

[Demoiselle]

11. Absolutely YES!

And "little" cats are fearsome predators. They'll catch and eat just about anything.
There was a tv special years ago that studied barn cats. They behaved just like a pride of lions...Females, mostly, with one favored Tom cat. Grown up males needed to find another place to live.
The pride hunted together and took care of the young together.

[conscious evolution]

32. I remember that show

I highly reccommend it.Wasn't on Nova or some other PBS show?

[Taverner]

12. Cat is a mindset

A psychotic mindset

But a mindset nonetheless...

[Hotler]

13. If I ever have another cat............

it would have to be a big ass Maine Coon cat.

[Lorien]

27. Maine Coons are awesome-but they're just big babies!

they're about the most gentle feline around. Mine looks intimidating, but he's both a wuss and a lovekitty.

Oberon, next to my average sized cat Puck:















as gentle as can be!

[Shell Beau]

16. Yep to all!!

They do in fact do those things. They are very much cats. They are huge wonderful creatures. I would love to hang out with a big cat if I knew it wouldn't maul me!

[Lethe]

18. i was reading an article by a cougar biologist once

and he made the comment that cougars are just like big, deadly housecats. a lot of their behavior is similar.

[swishyfeet]

21. Lions don't purr

I was just watching Cats - In The Womb (or whatever the show is on Discovery).

Lions and cats have a different structure for their vocal cords which is longer and flexible which allows for a deep roar. Cats don't have the same mechanism - but that allows them to purr.

Other differences: Lion's aren't solitary like cats, lions have smaller litters (3) and a longer gestation.

[crimsonblue]

23. After 50 pounds, they become miniature ponies...

That's why we have the Shetland.

[Lorien]

24. They're just like house cats, only bigger

and more intelligent. I've spent many days at Big Cat Rescue in Tamp feeding lions, snow leopards, panthers, etc. Training tigers, playing with lynx, bobcats, caracals, servals...plus I had a half serval as a pet. Tigers chuff and rub and purr when they see a friend, leopards and all other cats fold their legs underneath themselves, lynx are obsessively clean. I even had a bobcat slip out of her cage on me so I did what I would with my own cats; I went into her cage and started to play with her toys, just out of eyesight. She couldn't stand not knowing what I was doing so she ran back in. Typical cat; curiosity always gets the better of them.

Training tigers with my mom:



My bad boy Ashiki (that's a dog crate behind him):

[mike_c]

34. those are awesome pics....

I loved the pics of Oberon up-thread, too.

[silverojo]

29. Yes, they're still cats

That's why they're called "big cats", as opposed to "domesticated cats". Their similarities in behavior are amazing. :)

[Orsino]

30. Cheetahs purr.

Perhaps someone else here has petted Damara, the tamish cheetah at Oregon Country Safari. The purr must be experienced to be believed.

[Deep13]

33. Yes, except that they are big. nt