Cheetahs are the one big cat with out a natural prey drive. They hunt to eat, and mothers have to teach their young how to hunt. Ancient Egypt used to keep them as pets to help chase down game. Other cats have the urge to hunt and kill, even house cats, but cheetahs would be content to just be fed a good diet and not hunt. The common house cat Has more of a prey drive, which is why they are such good mousers, but are bad around bird feeders, bat houses, etc. If I ever go to Africa, I’d have little fear of wild cheetahs unless it feels I’m a threat, where as even the smaller cats would see humans as potentially prey.
I follow Big Cat Rescue, the Lion Whisperer, and watch documentaries when others watch games or other tv shows. Cheetahs actually suffer on most big carnivor diets as they have such a high stress level, which they run off, and by eating the fat of their prey. A much better diet would be to offer them whole prey, such as rabbits bred for that purpose. The fat does the same thing to them it does to us, causes feel good chemicals to be released in the brain, easing stress, reducing the fight or flight system.
Eye Contact (Captive) by A & R Photography, on Flickr
