African Cats

Family: Family Felicae
Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus

Cats are the most developed of the carnivores for the hunting of live prey. Their main diet is meat.

Cheetahs are coved with black spots. Leopards have round rosettes of spots. The King cheetah have variants of spots and stripes.

The cheetah is skin is short, soft hair. Up to 12 weeks it has a short mane from the back of the neck to the shoulders.

The claws of a cheetah is permanently exposed, unlike other cats. In this way it is more like a dog.

The total length of a male cheetah is 2 metres. Their weight: 60kg. The female's weight can be up to 48kg.

NEW BABIES

About a year ago my husband, Johan and I attended his 20 year school reunion. A School friend of his, Schalk has a farm, about 70km from Gobabis. He told us about the big problem that they have with wild cats killing of about 40 - 60 calves of his herd of cattle. Especially cheetahs. I asked him if they ever get a mother with babies. He replied: sometimes. I told him that it was always my dream of raising a cheetah cub. He promised me that he would phone me as soon as they would get any.

Well, on the 25th of August, one year later. Schalk said that they have a mother with one cub caught in a cage. There is also 3 more cubs walking around the cage and do I want them. I was awe strucked for seconds. My answer: "Of course. What do I have to do to get them?"

He said that if I will come and collect them he, will try to catch the other 3 cubs as well.

Johan and I was so excited, that we could almost not think what to do. Johan asked me: "How old are they?" And of course I did not have a clue. I was so happy about the cubs and so overwhelmed at "4" of them, that I totally forgot to ask.

It turned out that we traveled the 170km to the farm collected the four babies. They were already 8 weeks old. This was a bit of a worry to me. I wondered if I would ever be able to tame them, because of the fact that they were so big already? About 70cm high when they sit up straight. They were very wild, hissing and try to scratch you.

I was so extatic, but worried if I would ever be able to win their trust. Will I ever be able to touch them, scratch them, fed them by hand. They were so wild and of course very scared of human beings.

THE FIRST WEEKS

The first Saturday, all the cubs was bathed in my bathroom, nails were clipped. Needless to say Johan, got a lot of scrathes and bites, as he was the one handeling the little "hell cats". Thank you, my darling.

We moved them to a bigger cage. I was now able to go into the cage, feed them by hand, and try to stroke them when they are eating.

We also give them their "cat-flu" injections. They are now getting more tame by the day.

Please help me to keep on caring for these wonderful animals.