Cats and dogs are usually considered rivals, but a popular TikTok account shows how a rottweiler and a big cat became best friends.
Luna the panther was born in a Siberian zoo, but rejected by her mother as a cub.
She was adopted by a Russian woman named Victoria, who had previous experience with big cats, and grew up with Victoria’s dog Venza. The two are now steadfast friends.
Victoria has set up a TikTok account, @Luna_the_pantera, to keep records of the big cat’s domestic life. It has more than 5.5 million followers and has attracted over 61.8 million likes.
A video shared on October 12th and viewed more than 600,000 times shows the close relationship between Luna and Venza.
It starts with the couple drinking from the same bucket of water, then moving on to the panther rearranging a blanket for the duo to sit on together.
Next, Luna licks the fur on Venza’s back and lovingly cleans her older brother.
The footage that can be seen here is entitled: “My best friend [heart emoji] #frienda #animalfriends #cute #cute cat. “
The clip also garnered nearly 75,000 likes and nearly 1,000 comments.
A TikToker, Badbagalut, wrote: “This is soooooo cute! Greetings from Germany! Wonderful relationship.”
Another user, Bwilson212, wrote, “I would love to have a panther as a pet. I have a few exotic animals right now and I want to add them to my collection.”
Beverlycockrum typed: “Hello sweet Luna! Glad to see you from Texas! So beautiful!
Karin Grand500 stated: “Actually INCREDIBLE, my heart is full of love when I see this.”
Torsten Krebs simply said: “You are lovable together.”
Not everyone found the video beautiful, however, including 110 Shades who commented, “How is that allowed ??? There is no more sanctity for wildlife.”
Ash_diddy_ agreed and wrote, “Set it back in the wild.”
User1809573557053 warned, “I think there will be a bad day and a loser … my chances of the cat winning … looks great now though.”
In Russia, keeping exotic pets was legal until an animal welfare law came into force in January 2020.
The legislation covers 33 species, including panthers, “which can be dangerous to their owners, as well as animals whose natural habitat is significantly different from the domestic conditions in which they are kept, which can affect their health or lead to death.”
However, if the owner bought the animal before January 2020, he can keep it.
Many countries have banned the keeping of big cats as pets. In the United States, 21 states have banned all exotic pets, including panthers and other big cats, according to Big Cat Rescue group.
Other states, including Pennsylvania, Texas, and Montana, allow large cats to be owned if the individual is given permission. Four states – Nevada, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Alabama, and South Carolina – have no laws regarding keeping dangerous wildlife as pets, Big Cat Rescue said.
Newsweek has approached Victoria for a comment.
Stock images of a panther and a rottweiler. A woman in Russia rescued a panther from a zoo and is taking care of it at home with her dog.
iStock