Having an adorable pet in the home is the dream of many children and adults alike, and while it’s not particularly difficult to adopt a dog or cat, it might be a tad more difficult if you’re looking for something more exotic. After all, not everyone’s dream pet is a Garfield-like cat or a German Shephard, but a different animal entirely.

Just take a look at the married couple Aleksandr and Mariya Dmitriev from Penza, Russia, for example, who have recently adopted a puma!

The lucky animal’s name is Messi, and this adoption has even made national news as it’s quite uncommon for pumas to be able to live at home. Pumas are wild animals and can’t be domesticated, but it appears that the affectionate and calm Messi is the exception to the rule. Messi has been the family’s ‘large house cat’ for a couple of years now and everything goes smoothly.

Messi was born in a zoo, but it quickly became clear that he couldn’t stay there because of health reasons.

The puma was born in Penza and was welcomed to the world together with his siblings Neymar and Suarez. In case you haven’t noticed, all of these cubs were named after famous soccer players. Unfortunately, something seemed to be off about Messi. He was very small compared to the two other cubs, and he was also having undisclosed health issues.

It didn’t take long before the staff figured out that Messi wouldn’t be a good fit for the zoo – his health issues would make that absolutely impossible. There was also no way that they could release Messi back into the wild because the animal species isn’t native to the area (or Russia, for that matter). He probably wouldn’t even make it, since he wasn’t even born in the wild.

The owners of the zoo contemplated putting him down, as they saw no other option.

Luckily, Aleksandr and Mariya came to the rescue at just the right time.

The couple was actually looking for a pet, and Mariya always wanted to have a very large cat. They visited the zoo and had always adored Messi, but when they heard Messi’s story and that he would likely need to be put to sleep, their hearts broke.

Aleksandr and Mariya considered adopting the animal, although there would be many hurdles to go through. His health was a major concern, but they were also worried that the puma wouldn’t have nearly enough space in their relatively small apartment.

However, the couple decided to go for it, and they adopted Messi.

They had to make a couple of adjustments at their apartment to make sure that Messi would be safe and comfortable. The hallway, for example, has been completely redecorated and now has bamboo walls and a climbing tree, Messi’s own special place.

Ever since Messi moved in with the Dmitriev’s, his condition improved greatly.

He especially likes cuddling and napping with both of his owners, although he’s also got a stuffed lobster toy if there’s no one else around. Messi also loves taking baths!

The puma’s health isn’t critical anymore, although Messi still is significantly smaller than the average puma at just 90 pounds. The couple takes him on walks twice a day to keep him busy. As for his personality, Messi acts just like a large cat! In fact, he even knows and responds to several different commands.

The story of Messi hasn’t gone unnoticed, and he’s now even an Instagram celebrity with over 1,3 million followers!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YyauHol-l/

Source: BoredPanda, I Am Puma (Instagram)