Majestic Puma Rescued From The Zoo Lives As A Spoiled House Cat

Mariya and Aleksandr Dmitriev share a one-bedroom apartment with an odd pet animal – Messi. No not the star himself, but his namesake – a 90lb puma. The Russian couple first spotted Messi at the Saransk Zoo in Penza when he was just eight-months-old and they decided to take a shot and have him.

However, unlike dog training, this lovable giant was not easy. The couple tried to find a wild animal handler but were not successful. Finally, they found a dog training school he could attend and now responds to about 10 different commands. "He convinced us with his behavior that he's a full member of our family and that he wouldn't be doing anything bad apart from some small naughty things. He's very kind and likes contact. He gets on very well with people," says Aleksandr.