Julie wrote:Need my mask, can hardly breathe! Incredible! The only other person I've seen get that loose with big cats is "Roy" of Siegfried and... when he rode one, which I still can't believe. Yet even knowing how wild they are, it seems so natural for it to happen - I think we've gotten so distanced from nature in our silly 'civilized' world that we don't know what we're missing.
Actually, I have seen a lot of people ride their cats, lions especially.
After being prompted by another thread, I decided I needed to finish Rudy's story, even though this thread is a year old. I had forgotten I had even created it.
In July of last year, Rudy showed me the ultimate respect that a lion can show a person: On a couple of occasions, he would roll over on his back in front of me and expose his belly. This is a display of ultimate trust, and is one of the most special things one can experience as a cat keeper. (It is also an invitation to play, but he was not in a playing mood at that time.) This made our alone times that much more special.
About mid-August, Rudy started to not feel well. At first we though it just the hot weather, which often takes away the appetite of our cats for a few days. But in Rudy's case, we found out he was terminally ill with kidney failure.
The next few weeks were supposed to be a busy time for me, but every time I tried to leave town, etc. something went wrong. Although I was frustrated about this, it created a lot of opportunities to spend extra time with Rudy. He really appreciated me being there.
Finally, the sad day came when we decided it was time for him to 'go home'. Rudy's human 'parents' came and spent most of the day with him. When they left, it was our turn to spend time with him. Even though there were a number of other people there to pay their respects, no one joined me when I went down to see Rudy. What followed was one of the most incredible times of interaction with a big cat I have ever had.
Rudy was very ill by then, and did not have a lot of strength left. But as the sun set, and it started to get cooler, he would use his remaining strength to get closer to me. As this was happening, I wondered where everyone else was. I called up to the main building and told people to come down. But, they never did. So in the end, I spent the last 90 minutes of Rudy's life alone with him. The only other 'person' there was Kenya, our 'normal' male lion (and the one in my avatar). He loved Rudy as well, and he kept watch for us.
Eventually, Rudy laid down so his head was touching the fence. I laid down, and we slept together for an entire hour, heads touching. During that hour, I could sense Rudy being totally at peace, with nothing to fear. He had been my 'watcher' a couple months earlier. Now, it was my turn to be his 'watcher'.
When the vet finally got there (and it was good she was over an hour late), Rudy was ready to go. He lost consciousness watching me (and I him), still at peace, and he died in my arms a few minutes later. We wrapped Rudy in beautiful gold and blue cloth and buried him next to my liger friend who had died 2 years earlier. I go out and sit with them whenever I get the chance.
Rudy has a tremendously strong spirit, and for the next two weeks, I frequently 'felt' Rudy around me. Then one day, his spirit was gone, and I have briefly sensed him maybe once or twice since. I'm sure he spends most his his time around his human 'parents' who loved him like an only child.
Lions can and do snore....
