Talk:Messi (cougar)

first cougar pet
That claim seems rather questionablw and porrly sourced. See for instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXpsbDA5nUQ --Kmhkmh (talk) 14:21, 29 June 2018 (UTC)
 * I removed it altogether. This kind of claim needs a more "academic" source (unfortunately no academic studies seem to have been done on this cougar). I'm also going to remove it from another place that calls him the first. PseudoSkull (talk) 16:35, 29 June 2018 (UTC)

Notability
12 references are given thus far. All these references mostly span a period of several months in 2018. I even found primary and secondary sources explaining Messi's early life at the zoo.

These citations are by no means trivial. These news outlets are not directly affiliated with the Dmitrievs or the cougar, and almost all articles listed talk in great detail specifically about Messi, which means he was not just trivially mentioned in a sentence or two in these articles.

Also, the entire topic is significant because owning an exotic pet, especially a cougar, is exceptionally rare. Messi is somewhat of an internet celebrity who has gained significant enough news coverage to have his own encyclopedia article. Also keep in mind that there will most likely be many more news stories about Messi in the near future. This is only the start of an interesting story of a human-animal relationship. Opinions of interest aside, the references are all good and support my claims well, IMHO. PseudoSkull (talk) 02:00, 30 June 2018 (UTC)

Criticism - section should read:
Despite mostly favorable attention on social media, some have criticized the Dmitrievs for keeping Messi under domestic circumstances. Opposers of the domestication of wild animals fear that Messi's wild needs will not be met, and that once Messi reaches sexual maturity he may become more prone to dangerous behavior. They advise the Dmitrievs to send Messi to a wildlife reserve or sanctuary.[4][10] The Dmitrievs, however, believe that Messi would not be able to survive in a wild setting.[4]

Messi has been neutered for his own health which removes typical aggressive behaviour in cats. The Dmitrievs treat him just like anyone else with a pet cat would treat that cat. They play with him, groom him and cuddle him. The play includes chasing toys including balls both inside their house and out. From observing Messi's behaviour via YouTube, Messi clearly does not normally display ANY wild behaviour - he does not chew on furniture or destroy property - other than the odd cardboard box he is given for the purpose. An activity he does enjoy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.225.0.221 (talk) 23:04, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

ichel's death
i have no clue about how to edit wikipedia pages, but i just wanted to drop this link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCPAoop_QUI&t=203s

this is the video where they announce ichel has died — Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.219.246.254 (talk) 02:42, 8 September 2020 (UTC)

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