Contrary to what many cartoons would have us believe, cats and dogs really do get along. To us, it seems unlikely that a baby cheetah and a lab puppy would become such good friends, but apparently it’s not that uncommon. (Does this mean that coyotes and roadrunners are real life friends too?)
Solidifying the dog/cat friendship is a case out of Busch Gardens in Florida. Almost a month ago, the Gardens took in a cheetah cub whose mother wasn’t caring for it. Now, the animal care team has pared the little cheetah up with a 16-week old female yellow labrador puppy for a companion. The two have been playing together ever since, and will eventually live and travel together.
It’s the first puppy-cub combo at the gardens, but Busch Gardens’ animal curator Tim Smith said “Male cheetahs are social and often live together in coalitions…this social bond will be a very similar relationship, and they will be together for life.” We also remember another cat-dog combo where some abandoned liger cubs were nursed by a dog for survival.
After a lengthy Facebook “Like” voting process – where guests were able to submit and vote on name suggestions – the pair have finally been named: Kasi the cheetah and Mtani the puppy. Sure, they don’t really roll off the tongue but Kasi is Swahili for “one with speed” and Mtani is Swahili for “close friend”, so it’s the meaning that counts.
Personally, we would have named them “Gloves and Mittens” (Mittens being the cheetah), but the voters have spoken!