A huge, odd friend lives with a couple in their small flat. The 90-pound puma not only has a massive frame but also a well-known name. He goes by the moniker of Messi, one of the most famous players in soccer history. Messi the puma was originally spotted by Mariya and Aleksandr Dmitriev at the Saransk Zoo in Penza. The lovely cat was just eight months old at the time.
One of three cubs born at the zoo, he was. The other two, Suarez and Neymar, were also given iconic player names in honor of the city hosting four World Cup games. Messi was sold to the Saransk Zoo when he was merely a three-month-old cub. He was having health problems at this time.
Mariya and Aleksandr have fallen in love with the puma at first sight. So they decided to appeal to the zoo in order to buy him.
Aleksandr, 38, had always envisioned having a large cat as a pet, but never a puma, according to his wife Mariya. Although it’s difficult to explain, we feel like owning this puma is a part of our destiny.
“We spent three days deliberating if keeping a puma was righteous and whether doing so made sense. However, nothing was able to stop our impulsive wish, Mariya, 28, told the Mirror. “So we went to the zoo and began buying Messi talks. When they consented, even we were taken aback.
In any case, the Dmitriev family faced many difficulties in caring for Messi. In addition to being a wild animal, the puma required medical care. He needed a lot of attention and was pretty frail, Mariya stated.
Messi requires a lot of attention, just like any other pet. He also has to exercise frequently. His human parents decided to buy him a special coat and harness so they could take him for walks because of this. He resembles a dog. Step by step, we began to walk with him. Aleksandr stated in an interview with RT that the animal hadn’t been very active previously, but that “now we walk a lot twice a day, as it’s supposed to be.” In this way, it is very similar to owning a dog.
Finding a wild animal handler wasn’t an easy task. But in the end, the couple found a dog training school.
He persuaded us via his actions that he belongs in our family as a whole and won’t do anything wrong aside from a few minor misdemeanors. He enjoys interaction and is really friendly. Aleksandr remarks, “He gets along quite well with others.
Messi, the puma, is well-known outside of only his family. Additionally, he has over 2 million Instagram followers and over 1780k YouTube subscribers! But given how adorable he is, this is hardly surprising.