[Jeff Higgins]

That's just a bit spooky, Wolfe. I can't "read" her like I can a dog playing like this. At times it looks like she really means it.

My old man had a buddy (way back when we were little kids) who had a female mountain lion. And a male St. Bernard. The cat pretty much stayed inside, and the dog outside. Him and his buddy would have no qualms about leaving all of the kids unsupervised in the living room with the cat. She was very friendly and playful. They would get really pissed if we tried to go out in the back yard; they were always afraid the dog would bite one of us. Weird, now that I look back on it.

When I was older (about 18-20), a buddy living out on Hobart Road had a pair of bobcats. Every Tuesday was poker night, and a couple of us would ride the Harleys from Kirkland to go out there and play cards. The bobcats were just like a couple of dogs; really quite unlike domestic cats. Friendly and playful.

Now that I'm a bit older (and arguably wiser...) I think I'm just a bit more leery of such "exotic" pets. Something is different in them than "domestic" pets. There is an instinct, or an outlook on life, that is different. Too many stories of the family pet turning on a long time master.