FAQ

Yes, Cheetahs are very adaptable for cold climates and in many areas where they are found, they endure temperatures below freezing. They grow a winter coat in colder seasons, just as their nearest relative, the Cougar. In fact cheetah evolved in North America.

Define Dangerous? Last month in BC a child was killed by a hockey puck. Should we stop playing hockey? Over 2000 people a year are killed in Canada in vehicle accidents. Should we stop driving? There is no record in 4000 years of recorded human history of a cheetah killing a human. Many years ago cheetahs were kept as pets. They are actually very social and enjoy being around people. Cheetahs have many dog characteristics. In fact in Africa there is a legend that cheetahs have two black lines running down from their eyes because they cry all the time trying to decide if they are a dog or a cat. Their claws do not retract because the cheetah uses them for running but it means they are not as sharp as other big cat species. Cheetahs do have a dew claw that is very sharp and is used to trip animals it is chasing. Cheetahs have small jaws and much smaller teeth than other big cats because they are a specialised hunter. They also have only about 400 lbs. of jaw pressure. Our dog Ricky has nearly 800 lbs of jaw pressure. Cheetahs can still give you a nasty bite though. It is wise to remember they are a wild animal.

Not Many. One hundred years ago there were 100,000 cheetah spread all over Europe and Africa. Now there are roughly 7,100 left in the wild and another 1200 to 1500 in captivity. The wild cheetah population is declining at a rate of 1000 per year. They will be extinct in the wild sometime in 2024.
There is only one reason for this extinction: People.

Yes, They are half dog and half cat. In fact there is a legend in Africa that the cheetahs have tear stains below their eyes because they cry not knowing if they are a dog or a cat.

They are affectionate, trainable and bond significantly with owners. They are very easy to leash train. They are an obligatory carnivore. They must eat protein. They cannot eat an omnivore diet. That means about 3% of their body weight each day with some no-feed days. They love walking and running (though walking them is a very slow business since they stop often). Cheetahs are also diurnal which means they are the only daytime cat and they sleep through the night. There is no record of a cheetah ever killing a human, including children, in 4000 years. Cheetahs are VERY unique. They have their own taxonomy and are not considered the same as other big cats.
Of the “big 7” the cheetah is the only cat considered a pursuit animal rather than an ambush predator.
Of the “big 7” only the cheetah cannot retract its claws.
Of the “big 7” cheetahs and lions are the only cats that bond or stay in groups. Male brother cheetahs often stay together for life called a “coalition”.
Of the “big 7” the cheetah is the only true diurnal cat. They hunt during the day.
Of the “big 7” only the cheetah and its cousin the cougar can purr. Cheetahs cannot roar.
Of the “big 7” they are specialised hunters that kill by suffocation. They do not have the tools to tear or crush.
Of the “big 7” cheetahs are the best hunter. They are successful every second time they hunt. The tiger is successful only one of twenty tries.
Of the “big 7” cheetahs are known to be very clumsy. They cannot climb well and can often be seen falling off things.

Not many.

A hundred years ago there were 100,000 cheetahs roaming much of Europe. Today there are less than 7,100 and we are losing 1000 a year. They will be extinct or nearly extinct in the wild in 2024. That leaves about 1200 to 1500 captive cheetahs in the world. The only way the cheetah is going to survive is with direct help from man. Saying they should all be left in the wild is like standing on the deck of the Titanic as it sails towards the iceberg and asking for another cup of tea because you are cold. You don’t understand the problem and it’s about to get much colder.

Up to 70 mph.

The record speed for a race horse is 55 mph. That is roughly the top speed for game animals in Africa. The cheetah can run faster than that. They can only do top speed for 3 minutes or so and require a long period to rest and cool down. Ricky, our Golden Retriever can run about 20mph.

Spotted One.

The word cheetah is derived loosely from Hindi and can be termed “Spotted One”.

Catch them.

Capturing a socialised cheetah that has escaped is a highly technical affair.

First, get at least 5 BC Conservation Officers each in their own truck with traps, dart guns, and dogs and at least one helicopter and at least 3 TV news crews and tell them the cheetah was “spotted” going through the drive-through window at Tim Hortons.

After they race off, use a stainless steel dinner bowl, preferably the one used to feed the cheetah and take a knife or fork and bang loudly on the side of the pan in the area where you lost the cheetah while calling the cheetah’s name. This may go on for five or ten minutes. When the cheetah comes running up to you, give it a reward snack and attach a leash to the collar. Then instruct the cheetah to jump into the back of your vehicle and take it home.

GPS.

Annie and Robin wear Garmin GPS collars whenever they are outside their enclosure. Should the worst happen, such as Annie seeing a deer and running off after it (they are hard wired to do this) They can be tracked with the Garmin hand unit which works in real time, points out the direction of the animal, and indicates how far away it is. The system is designed to work up to 10 miles distance and can track up to 9 animals simultaneously.

Annie is normally walked on a lead because we do worry about her seeing a prey animal. Robin with his limited eyesight has never posed a flight problem. He finds it very difficult to run. He does love the independence of being able to walk himself off-lead and has always walked off-lead but we are always there if he gets himself into a situation.

Yes.

A pet cheetah will require SUBSTANTIAL devotion and commitment. Here are just some of the responsibilities you will be committing to:

15 + years of ownership. Don’t even think of getting a cheetah if you can’t have the animal its whole life. They bond significantly with people and suffer substantial depression when separated from owners. THEY DO NOT RE-HOME WELL. Cheetahs are a nervous and fearful animal. They thrive better with a solid home continuity.

They need 2 to 5 hours a day of your devoted time each day. Cheetahs need attention to thrive, both physically and mentally. While they do need continuity as I have just said, they also need challenges and variety. They need to be walked every day and exercised at least 2 or 3 times a week chasing a lure to best replicate their life in the wild. Current studies are now showing cheetahs not only atrophy muscle tone and physical conditioning, but develop chronic and debilitating illnesses if their daily routine is not matched closely to their behavior in the wild. Spending time walking a cheetah is not exactly a hardship, but it is a responsibility and it must be done on “cheetah time”. When a cheetah isn’t chasing something, it is walking very, very slowly with lots of stops. Bring a thermos of coffee and a book to read.

Substantial capital expenditure. Be prepared to spend $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 for a cheetah kitten from a licenced breeder in Africa. If you are interested in a King cheetah or cheetah with the King cheetah X-gene, (there are only roughly 60 of these in the world) costs can run up to $100,000.00 just for the cat. Further, there are brokers, travel costs and taxes that may add another $10,000.00 to the cost of importing the cat. The US Department of Agriculture also has the habit of BLACKMAILING anyone wishing to import a cheetah by forcing them to donate a large amount of money to animal welfare groups before they will issue an import permit. At this point remember, female cheetahs live by themselves when mature but male cheetahs often spend their whole lives with their brothers from a single family unit. It is advised to get a dog (of a calm type breed like a lab) to mentor and accompany a single cheetah but if you are getting male cheetahs you may want to consider buying brothers. Males are traditionally more social than females. If you are working with a big cat license holder in the States or Canada to import the cats, you will have to consider a fee for them as well. Completing proper permits can be daunting. We suggest getting help from someone who has already imported a cheetah.

CAZA and the AZA?

How do the AZA and CAZA fit into this picture? The AZA (American Zoological Association) and CAZA (Canadian Accreditation of Zoos and Aquariums) have a unique relationship with Cheetahs. Until recently, the AZA and CAZA had complete control of cheetahs in North America. This was because of the great difficulty in breeding them. There was a continual vacuum for kittens from Africa. It was almost impossible for anyone outside their circle of influence to acquire a cheetah in North America. It has only been in the last 10 years that non accredited facilities have been able to import cheetahs and that was only with great difficulty. This kept the number of cheetah captive in North America at around 300. Around 4 years ago the AZA wisely decided the cheetah population was doomed in Africa. They initiated the C2S2 Cheetah Sustainability Program to maintain worldwide genetic diversity. They literally started breeding a reserve population of cheetahs. This was a good thing. They increased the number of AZA cheetah breeding facilities in the US and Canada from 9 to19 and undertook progressive steps to increase breeding in each facility with existing cats. They have also increased the research into understanding the cheetah’s very difficult physiology and breeding issues. The upshot is that total kitten births in the US and Canada has more than quadrupled in the interim. The number of captive cheetahs now in North America is now above 400. However – zoos are a business and must make money. Having 20 cheetahs on display isn’t any more profitable than having 2 on display. The AZA has already shown signs of willingness to part out cats to non-aligned facilities. It is important to remember. CAZA and the AZA exhibit animals for a living. Most are for profit operations. They consider helping someone else get an animal akin to Ford Motor Company selling General Motor Company cars. Someone working with a professional sanctuary or cat facility MAY be able to persuade that owner to help you buy a cat from the AZA or CAZA which they may resell to you. The AZA and CAZA are control freaks. They believe (like many other animal people) they are the only ones with the experience, knowledge, and professional capacity to look after these animals. You will get annoyed with them very quickly. They don’t serve much purpose in what you are trying so do, so avoid them if you can.

$2000 to $5000 per year on veterinary care. This is not optional. Although in a modern world of instant communication and information it is not hard to get competent vet care for a cheetah, they do need constant attention to their health and diet. It is important to remember that cheetah suffer substantial medical issues in captivity that they don’t have in the wild. Stress is the major contributor to this. They need regular physicals and depending on the social ability of the cats and the abilities of the individual vet and what is being done, the cat may have to be sedated. With cheetahs this is relatively dangerous. Cheetahs are very delicate and high strung animals. Their only defence from anything is to run away. As well, cheetahs suffer substantial genetic problems from lack of worldwide population as well as a bottle neck that occurred in world cheetah population around 10,000 years ago.

When Annie and Robin visit a vet, they walk in the front door on a leash like any other animal.

Roughly $3000 per year in food (per cat), vitamins, and minerals. Cheetah must eat protein. Not only that, because they are Africa’s best hunter (successful every second time they hunt) they normally only eat from a kill once. This is done to avoid other predators or scavengers. It also means the cheetah has an exceptional diet that is full of every type of nourishment their body needs. You must replicate this in captivity either with a pre-made cheetah food source formula or by carefully preparing your own diet for them. As indicated, they eat about 3% of their body weight each day with an occasional day of no feeding the same as they would in the wild. The average adult cheetah is about 100 lbs to 125 lbs. The number one killer of captive cheetahs is still gastritis. This is brought about from stress in captivity and dietary issues. Remember that in the wild, a cheetah will kill an animal, eat once, but up to 15 lbs or more of food and then not eat for several days. This is how their digestive system is arranged. You must be constantly vigilant and accommodate individual cheetah dietary needs. Annie, our female eats a prepared horsemeat formula done for the Toronto Zoo and thrives on it except for some constipation issues which we treat with psyllium. Robin has some gastritis issues and has never done well with horse meat. He is fed beef (at a substantially great cost) that is custom mixed with vitamins and minerals. We believe that Robin has a problem shutting off his stomach acid production once it starts and excessive acid production causes him to be sick and vomit and we are very careful only to feed him large meals with no snacks in between.
Insurance. Depending on the paranoia level of your local State, Province, or municipality, you may be required to have insurance. This can cost over $2000 a year. Hopefully over time you can convince bureaucrats and neighbors that your animals are very social or you may discover much to your displeasure that the world is actually full of idiots.

1 to 3 acres of property for an enclosure. This varies dependent of individual cases. If you spend substantial time exercising you cats, they do not need a large yard area. Like most big cats, they do spend the majority of their day sleeping. Unlike most big cats, exercise and mental stimulation are critical for day to day wellbeing. You can expect to spend upwards of $25000.00 for proper fencing. Most cheetahs are kept behind 8 foot fences now with hot wire topping. Cheetahs are not good climbers and they are not good diggers and if they are happy, they have no reason to look outside their enclosure. Having said that, they will climb if for instance they see a prey animal go by (and they are hard wired to chase prey animals).

They chew things. This may not sound serious, but it is. Owners must be constantly vigilant. Cheetahs can have trouble regurgitating indigestible objects in their stomachs and you may end up doing emergency vet visits otherwise. They will chew household items and furniture so you need to make a decision both for you and the cat whether or not to share a house hold space on a 24 hour a day basis when you can’t watch them.

They are hard to housebreak. In the wild cheetahs poop and pee in their nest areas and on high ground. They are the only animal we have ever seen (both male and female) that pee while sitting on the ground. This coats their entire rear end with urine which means where ever they sit they leave a urine mark. This is great if two cheetahs are trying to find each other in Africa, not so great on a hardwood floor. The feces are usually solid and easy to dispose of. We place rubber backed mats in various places in our house where the cheetahs chose to lie and we spray them with a garden hose each day to clean them. Unlike some of the other big cats, cheetahs do not have a substantial smell profile. It may be possible to house break them. We have never tried.
They are a wild animal. Don’t ever forget that. They can bite and cause good puncture wounds. They also do a grab and bite with their front paws – and their dew claws especially can cause some pretty good damage. We know when we see them first thing in the morning what kind of mood they are in. They have bad days and good days just like people. Respect them, be patient with them. We work on “cheetah time” whenever we are with them. That means you do a lot of waiting for them to decide to do something. They can be stubborn, in the same way as a house cat. Ours treat dogs they meet in the same way a house cat would. They may sniff noses if the dog is careful and has good social manners but if a dog runs up like the village idiot, there is a good chance of getting a hard paw on the side of the head. I saw a very excited 120lb boxer run up uninvited to Annie and get sent rolling off into the grass for having poor manners. Cheetahs are not exceptionally strong but they are quick and their legs and tails are like mahogany and they do not suffer fools.

Cheetahs are not fighters. Their main defence is running away from danger. They will hiss and growl to show displeasure (cheetahs cannot roar) and they have a unique way of stomping their front feet when fearful. After that they run. I say this because it is important to understand they are a nervous animal. They need a calm and stable environment. You have a duty as the owner, and if you also have a companion dog, to supply this stable environment for them. A companion dog can help to calm a cheetah and teach them social markers on dealing with human society. The idea of companion dogs was started by Dr. Laurie Marker hoping to use Anatolian Shepard’s to guard local flocks in Africa. What she discovered was that the two animal species actually got along. Since then current thinking is to use a friendly, low energy dog to help calm and direct your cheetah. Pick a dog roughly the same size as your cheetah and preferably with the same life span, though I have seen dachshunds and Chihuahua’s used as companion dogs for lions…

Have a plan. Have a well-conceived and organised plan in place before you approach any other animal people or you will be disrespected and laughed out the door. Animal people, it goes without saying, are difficult people. Most of them would say they like their animals more than people.

Most States and provinces allow animal sanctuaries to legally sell animals; many do not sell them to private individuals for moral reasons (which generally means another giant ego to overcome). Once they have imported the cheetah for you, they can legally sell it to you but check all laws first.

From start to finish expect the process of getting a cheetah to take 2 years. In the US, permits often take a year to process which means your cat in Africa will be at least a year old when it arrives. There is a very negative downside to this because you are missing the crucial socialisation time frame when the cheetahs are young. Cheetah breeders do offer Ambassador training in Africa but that will be an additional cost. If you feel especially committed, fly to Africa and spend time bonding with your chosen cub before it arrives. Breeders like that.
Know all of the State, Provincial, Municipal, and Federal laws. Laws vary state to state, province to province, and in municipalities. Some have strict laws, some have none at all. Federal governments do NOT want people involved in any way with exotic animals and make country to country transfers as difficult as they can. International purchases must be done through a reputable buyer and seller. That is a given. State and Provincial governments vary. Ontario and Nevada for instance, have no exotic animal laws at all. Municipalities have their own laws. Make sure the city or town you are in does not have regional code. Bear in mind Bureaucrats didn’t get where they are because of intelligence. They got there because they are very good at kissing ass. Many of them mistake this for intelligence. If you research the top 10 jobs in the world employing high-functioning sociopaths you will find bureaucrats and politicians in that group. There is an upside to this – they also mistake ego for intelligence. If you meet resistance, don’t spend two years fighting them. Get a lawyer right away. Remember the most important thing about a bureaucrat is that they have no “skin in the game” and they all pray to the same Greek God: Hypocrisy. If you find something that interferes with their eight weeks of yearly holiday, pension plan or yearly vacation in Cancun, you may get more co-operation. The main drive of any bureaucrat is easy to understand: they want every day to be the same and the only decisions they want to make are ones that ask nothing from them tomorrow. Work with these basics and things will go faster.