Kiburi, a two-week-old cheetah cub at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park, opened his eyes last week.
According to keepers, the cub purrs for his milk bottle, an unusual thing for cheetahs to do. Story, cute video here.
THIS JUST IN: Cute Cheetah Claws!
December 1, 2010 By
This time you got me CO I just went Ahhhhhhh! out loud in my cubicule and got weird looks from my co-workers.
But I don’t care AHHHHH! so cute!
better than me, I squeed myself a little and got funny looks…
I gasped and then awww-ed. What a darling baby! I want a turn feeding it!
Holly- Thats a cheetah. I know it’s only 2 weeks old but having a turn feeding it could be traumatic for your nipples.
He’s pretty adorable — and energetic, for a two-week-old cheetah cub.
I´m so ded and gone to heaven. A-frakin-dorabuhls.
Just purred a little myself. Gorgeous!
tee hee hee
rarr!
and, oh! those baby blues!
Those eyes are to die for, aren’t they? Oh my gawsh…
It’s funny because I’ve been playing with my baby daughter, putting her arms like a kitty’s paws (much like in the picture above) and going, “Raawr!” Nothing makes my husband get into stitches like that does. Now I have to send him this picture.
Acksually– cheetah claws don’t retract. They’re the only cat with non-retractable claws.
(eeeeeeeeeek, baby cheetah!)
Nicely spotted.
I see what you did there.
Beat me to it (at 60 mph); I was just about to post on that fact.
oh, exploding rainbows!
I’m now craving Chee-toes!
WIN!
I’m arriving late to this party. I was gonna go for a comment about the leetle clawsies needin’ to be Orunj…..
Cosmically prosh!
This shows how old I am, but years ago when Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show, Joan Embry of the San Diego Zoo brought two cheetah cubs on the show. Carson held the babies up to the microphone and they were purring their little heads off. So cute. I’ve always heard that cats that can’t roar can purr, but cats that roar can’t purr. So cheetahs and mountain lions purr but lions and tigers cannot.
You’re not the only old timer here, I remember that show too
I also remember almost passing out laughing at the one where the marmoset peed on Johnny’s head.
Well, marmoset there’d be days like that.
I just snorted Cheerios out of my nose. Thanks…
Heee! Skippymom, just won the thread!
that’s hilarious!
yep. this time it’s Skippymom for the win.
whoa. you’re good. you’re like, clappity-clappity good.
260Oakley? it’s ON.
HAHAHA! Good one!
[sigh] I miss Johnny. The Tonight Show just ain’t the same without him……
Entirely agree. I had that on my mind, earlier this week.
OTOH, ever stayed up late enough to get hooked on the LL Show/ Craig Ferguson??? Although it’s a pretty late hour…
THA MAN KNOWS how to be silleh & po. incorrect. Sidekick is a gay skeleton automaton/ robot who makes wisecracks; C. F. also has a kitten hand puppet; a two-person dancing Secretariat with 2 people inside ….
and a NICE JUICY Scots acksent ….
Actually, lions and tigers can purr, but because of the jaw and throat configuration they can only purr while breathing out. Housecats can purr continuously while breathing in and out.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_some_cats_roar_and_other_cats_purr
Yep. That’s what Answers.com says!
Years ago I volunteered at our zoo and remember once being in back where the back of the tiger cage was. He was rubbing his cheeks against the bars just a foot or two away and “prusting” ( I hope I remember that word correctly) which is what the keeper said it’s called when they “purr” but on the exhale.. a very rough purr but wow, exciting to be almost touching range of a huge tiger and of course I imagined he was purring for me. Actually, I think it was feeding time.
“Yum! New meat!”
Have you read “Life of Pi?” The sound you’re talking about is called “prusten,” is discussed in the book, and there are YouTube videos available for you to squee over.
A baby cheetah who purrs for his meelks. Life just does not get any sweeter than that.
Well, yes, it does (pulls out another Maggie anecdote). Last night, Maggie, who has learned to climb the stairs, climbed my pajama pantleg while I was Facebooking and proceeded to frolic about on my desk until I scooped her up in my left arm and let her snuggle on my chest while I closed my windows. She then did something I have never seen her do in the month we’ve had her: she began to knead. Ded, I was killed right there.
This Comment Has Been Rated X*
*Unsuitable for anyone with no kittens of their own. the overwhelming urge to find a kitten could be dangerous.
Shoot, I can haz a kitten and it gives me an overwhelming urge to get more!
*considers elder household cats* yep, VERY dangerous.
So, then, yes, in fact, you’re right: he was purring just for you :-p. Good thing you got away from his cage in time
.
Oh well, I didn’t know I can prust, but I can. I was just disappointed, that I couldn’t imitate my cats purr fully, but could only purr on exhale.
hmm, this is conflicting info but this is what I’ve learned from being zoo personnel for several years. lions and tigers DO NOT purr. the only large cat that can is the cheetah. i don’t know about answers.com but getting info from there is even less reliable than wikipedia. maybe “prusting” is another word for it but the sound that tigers make when they’re pleased or happy or just content is called “chuffing,” at least in my neck of the woods.
I have heard the wunnerful peeps on An.Planet talk about tigers (or at least Big Wild Cats of some type) and they did specify “chuffing”. Have not before today, heard the other term but will gladly incorporate it into my Cuteness Thesaurus.
Perhaps “Chuffing” is the source of an expression used in the UK “I was dead chuffed” = I was very pleased. “When he said my painting was good, I was dead chuffed.”
GRRR.
Purrr…
Up on the house top, cheetah claws
Down comes a fuzzy santy paws… (sing song)
excellent lyric & incorporation of The Sanity Claws.
(approx derivation Groucho Marx)
(what I meant to type before hitting “send”, was that MY use of Sanity Claws went back to Gr. M., not the part you said)
(sigh)
Oh my!!!
Rawr!
It’s actually the San Diego Wild Animal Park… FWIW.
Actually they changed their name to Safari Park about a month ago. I still, and always will, call it Wild Animal Park tho.
Dear Santa,
I have been very good this year. May I have one of these for Christmas?
Your Friend,
Martha
His toe beans look like little milk duds.
I was thinking more Junior Mints. ♥
I want to knibble them, mint or not! Nom. nom.
He sleeps 22 hours a day and gets bottle-fed. I WANT that lifestyle.
He’s all, ‘RAR.’
Awww, wookit hims widdle toesies!! Who’s got the sharpest widdle clawsies? You do! You do!
To quote my ex: “Aw, he’s trying to kill me, but he’s just too little!” (best thing that came out of that relationship, itellyouwhat)
You musta had a relationship like I had, Lizzy… LOL
hi, lizzy! welcome to cuteoverload! that’s a super funny quote from your ex (and congratulations on losing that one!)
i just wanted to jump in here for a sec and give you a little heads-up, you know, just a little “fyi.”
the babytalk?
no.
babytalk is not the same as lolspeak, which started this whole mess and is approved by me, the moderator. the moderator dispenses spanks.
we good?
good.
but Sharpy-poo
I like-ums bebbeh tawk. I t’ink it’s keeYOOT!!!
Yes I do. Mama’s widdew baybee!!! Yes she IS!!!!
*snork* How did that pass through the ModMachine (aka Sharpy’s inbox)?
Careful with the moderator-baiting, there, my friend, or I might refuse to be your hero any more….
aw, shucks.
Zzz.. rikkum schmekkum mrhchskhmzhm… zzZZzz….. fremkchemeklmm.. yumyumONOMNOM .. grumbleumnlebumblegrrr …
WHAT TH-?!
WHO GOES THERE? WHO DARE POKETH THE SLEEPING BEATHT?!
Fi Fi Foe Fum
Here comes Sharpy
Quick Run
GRAR.
Sharpy, sometimes we can’t help it. We squee and the baby talk just falls out with it.
woah! we have a babytalk rule? since when?
since forever ago, duh!
OK you guys made me choke from laughing!
Umm. I read that as “the moderator dispenses sparks.” Which was pretty darned funny, if you must know.
i did that on purpose.
I pictured you as being like one of those old metal toys that made sparks (which are probably considered Too Dangerous For Today’s Children). Sharpy the Sparky!
i make that sound too! grakkrrrrzzrrKKrazztz! the important thing is to keep pulling the trigger, otherwise i just sputter out.
@ Sharpy: izzat a gun
in yer pocket, or ‘r ya jist glad to see us??
The baby talk cannot be contained – it is like a seizure induced by cuteness, and the best you can do is hope to not swallow your tongue as you squee uncontrollably on the floor.
(Also, “welcome”? My dear Sharpy, I have been a dedicated peep since CO was in its infancy.)
(*snerk*)
Was CO a kyoot widdwe baybee in its infancy???
(giggle)
(running REALLY REALLY FAST now…)
RRAAWWWRRRRR!!!
You shoulda seen its widdle fingerses and teeny tiny toesies and heard the wee widdle gurgly-burgly noises it made. So pwecious!
*holds up shield*
(Also, “welcome”? My dear Sharpy, I have been a dedicated peep since CO was in its infancy.)
sorry! it was just part of my little skit. it was very funny in my mind.
AWW
What a cute widdle baby kitteh 
Those widdle claws are on the paws of the fastest cat 
fine. be that way.
just don’t come running to me when the baddies come and start saying mean things about you. who’s going to protect you then, hmmm?
(faraway voice with echo) you’ll be sorrrrr-rreee!
Call the cops!!! Someone stole his ear-nubs!! How can I nom on ears, if there are no earlets to nibble?!?!
Aw. I want one.
Such an adorably prosh baby. I’d love to hold him before he gets too fierce. It doesn’t get any cuter than this.
Kitteh has reduced me to burbling, monosylabic reactions: “Bawww. Daaa. Oooo. Ahhhh. Eeeek.”
WANT! WANTWANTWANTWANT!!! I know you’re not SUPPOSED to want one of those but I DO!!!!!!
Don’t cheetahs have the most FABULOUS facial markings?
Abso- blooming-lutely
What a great example of ‘tmesis’, today’s word of a day at AWAD (wsmith@wordsmith). Their definition is “stuffing a word into the middle of another word”. Very educational.
Why yes, yes they do! After I got done squeeing, alls I could see, besides those eyes, was the bowtie design of the top leep…such a formal look!
At my zoo at one time, you could walk right up to the fence where the cheetahs were enclosed. As I stood next to a grown cheetah lying against the fence, I could hear it purring. So I’m not sure just how unusual it is!
This is my imaginary conversation with bebbeh cheetah.
Me: D’awwwww sooo keeeyyuuute!
Bebbeh Cheetah: Look Lady, I’ve been having to listen to squees and baby talk from the second I was born, and I’ve had just about enough. I are NAWT Keeeyyuuute, or anyone’s fuzzy wuzzums, I are fewrochush beastie! Call me keeeyyuuute again and I will CUT YOU! (fwp fwp teensy claw swipeage)
Me: D’awwwwww lookit teh helpless little fuzzy wuzzums trying to be all fewrochush! So keeeyyuuute!
Bebbeh Cheetah: *sigh*
*note to Mz Mod: I r nawt prodding teh beastie, just transcribing what my brain said*
Are you sure it’s only your brain that said it? Because I think I heard the exact same conversation between me and bebbeh Cheetah.
*spank, spank*
(foot stomp)
Bebbeh Cheetah: *sigh*
Me: *spank*
LOL, hey at least I’m not alone in my hallucinatory conversations and spankage.
hmm, that doesn’t sound so good does it?
*shrugs and goes back to ooing and cooing over bebbeh cheetah.*
Is Spankage used on tax returns, on expenses for buying Spanx
Heh, I was thinking it was something like Dotage. Where one is allowed to be all eccentric and stuff. You know, where people just nod their heads in my direction and whisper, “Don’t mind her she’s well into her Spankage now. Just smile and wave, and whatever you do, don’t make any sudden movements or suddenly become cute and fuzzy.”
That, or it is related in a REALLY weird and scary way to Package.
i agree!
what were we talking about again?
Oh wow! This post/thread is fabulous! First of all, the cheetah is adorable being all little and sweet and grrrrrrrrrr. Then all the comments and Sharpy’s spanking of all the errant baby talkers is really funny! You guys all make my days over and over again!
The first time we heard Maggie emit a tiny kittenhiss, we (the hubby and me) were all “D’awwwwww.” Fsst! Fsst!
(verreh verreh quietleh so skippymom & sharpy don’t hear me)
)
(“GO, Metz, GO!!!
Where am I going?
We’re running to somewhere that it’s safe to make BebbehTawk and snuggle the bebbeh animaux ..
omg, it’s like an otter with toebeans.
LOL, two weeks old, and he’s like all “RAWR!”!
I have always thought, Cheetahs, amongst the most beautiful creatures on earth,
but Cheetah babies…..Thud
widdle
Reporter: “And for our headline tonight: Cheetah holds CO minions hostage, says won’t retract claws until given meelks.”
11 pm news:
“In a followup report, CO minions are Perfectleh Happeh with those terms of servitude and do not request rescue…”
ROFLMAO! Oh this is too good, you guys are cracking me up!
har!
*gives Kiburi meelks, stays anyway*
Teh clawses! Mr. Tiny Cheetahpants says “Ffft ffft.”
I, for one, welcome our new bebeh cheetah overlord.
TINEE TABBEE TOENAILS!
LOL!!
So cute! Too bad he’ll never prosper.
This is so sickenly (sp?) cute I can’t bear it.
THRILLER!