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Many people open their homes to cats. There’s nothing unusual about having a feline in the home. But this pet cat is very different.

Imagine if you visited your neighbor’s home for the first time, and you’re enjoying the company, when a vicious puma walks into the living room.

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This sounds far fetched, but at the home in this story, it’s just a fact of life.

In 2016, Aleksandr and Mariya Dmitriev decided to adopt a pet, Messi. They had wanted a cat for years. But Messi was no ordinary cat. She was a rescued Puma.

Messi began his life in a petting zoo in Penza, Russia. During his first three months in the world, Messi was a star. Visitors loved seeing the animal. But then there were issues. He had a range of health conditions that meant that he couldn’t survive in a typical zoo.

For a while, it looked like Messi would be put to sleep before his first birthday. But then the Dmitrievs stepped in.

They heard about Messi’s situation and went to visit him. Instantly, they fell in love with the big cat and realized that they had to take him home.

The couple already had a regular house cat. When Messi came, this regular cat was incredibly pissed off.

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As the months went by, Messi became more and more healthy. He kept on growing too. The regular cat really started to regret being mean to Messi at first. He was big when he arrived and only kept getting bigger!

And in some ways, Messi is more like a dog than a cat. He has been taught a range of dog commands, such as sit. The couple also has to take Messi on walks, which, as you may imagine, turn many heads and make people run in fear in their neighborhood.

The Dmitrievs really do have a unique pet. Of course, most pumas would be 100% unsuitable for domestic life, for obvious reasons. But Messi’s health issues mean that she poses very little danger, even to the regular cat at the home.

So Messi looks kind of terrifying. But due to the animal’s health issues, he’s gentle. He’s definitely formed a bond with his owners. Surely, he can appreciate how lucky he is. (The frequent meaty meals that the Dmitrievs give him also help.)

The only issue is that the Dmitrievs live in a one-bedroom apartment. That makes life with the normal-sized cat and the large-sized cat pretty difficult. After all, even though Messi is smaller than the average male puma at 90lbs, that’s still a pretty huge animal to have cooped up in a one bedroom apartment!

However, the Dmitrievs have done their best to make Messi comfortable in their home. They’ve even converted their hallway into a den, which includes a tree, bamboo and a hiding space.

Messi is also a surprisingly friendly animal. While he’s obviously formed a bond with the Dmitrievs, the puma is also kind to other humans. Of course, not everyone wants to get close to Messi. But the Dmitrievs insist that no one should be scared of their beloved puma.

Hopefully, Messi and the Dmitrievs will have many happy years ahead of them.

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Source: I_am_puma, Bored Panda