Toddler great mates with big kitten - Polidicks

[img]http://images.ninemsn.com.au/resizer.aspx?url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/img/2011/national/0311_lioncub_a.jpg&width=310[/img] [quote]Little Maddi Robinson’s new pet kitten is nearly as big as her. After being rejected by her mother, three-week-old lion cub Sassie has made her home with Maddi’s family, which owns the Darling Downs Zoo near Toowoomba. Two of four cubs born at the zoo three weeks ago have taken up residence alongside the Robinson family, spending their days reclining on the couch and dozing on the lounge room floor. Maddi is happy to do her bit by helping keep the cubs entertained and it's they, not the two-year-old, who must keep their wits about them. "At the moment she's a bit rough with them. We're always telling her to be gentle but it won't be long before they turn the tables," mother Stephanie Robinson told AAP. While eventually Sassie’s teeth will be too big to have the run of the house, Maddi is making the most of her warm and cuddly playmate. For now, the pair is inseparable.[/quote] Source: [url]http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8370202/toddler-great-mates-with-big-kitten[/url] :3:

I read that in a way where I thought the toddler "mated" with the kitten.... But awww this is much more cute!

The lion is actually a kangaroo in disguise

Good to see the parents are keeping a close eye and understanding that it's got to go soon.

[QUOTE=Chickens!;33116308]Good to see the parents are keeping a close eye and understanding that it's got to go soon.[/QUOTE]I'd be surprised if they didn't

Lion cubs are super adorable.

It's a kid, what's so specia- Oh.

I think they should keep it, if they can. Grow up with a lion cub. FRIEND FOR LIFE.

I wonder if there will ever be some sort of process where scientists can permanently stunt growth at at a certain point. Kind of sucks that people would get attached to an animal like this, and than have to be separated :(

[QUOTE=StormHammer;33117213]I wonder if there will ever be some sort of process where scientists can permanently stunt growth at at a certain point. Kind of sucks that people would get attached to an animal like this, and than have to be separated :([/QUOTE] People apparently have something wrong with genetically altered pets for some reason. I remember when people were selling these sort of fish that change colors, but people were outraged by this a they had to stop selling them.

[QUOTE=StormHammer;33117213]I wonder if there will ever be some sort of process where scientists can permanently stunt growth at at a certain point. Kind of sucks that people would get attached to an animal like this, and than have to be separated :([/QUOTE] What a disgustingly horrible fate for the poor animal in question, and for such a selfish reason.

[QUOTE=TheBraddigan;33117272]What a disgustingly horrible fate for the poor animal in question, and for such a selfish reason.[/QUOTE] Explain why it would be a "horrible fate".

:3

[QUOTE=Mr. N;33117376]Explain why it would be a "horrible fate".[/QUOTE] Well, imagine if we stunted the growth of a human child to keep them at the physical age of 5. That child would never be able to reach puberty, which in turn could lead to severe psychological and physical problems as he gets "older." And I'm not even mentioning the problems he'd have with other people not taking him seriously, or him being able to have children. Wrong, no? Now imagine that, but in an animal. How is that in anyway more justified than doing it to a human? And just to keep it "cute?" Yes, I know I shouldn't be comparing pets to a human child, but think about what that would be doing to said animal by preventing it from reaching maturity. Tl;dr how would you feel if someone who loved you wanted to keep you the way you are...forever.

[QUOTE=itak365;33117544]Well, imagine if we stunted the growth of a human child to keep them at the physical age of 5. That child would never be able to reach puberty, which in turn could lead to severe psychological and physical problems as he gets "older." And I'm not even mentioning the problems he'd have with other people not taking him seriously, or him being able to have children. Wrong, no? Now imagine that, but in an animal. How is that in anyway more justified than doing it to a human? And just to keep it "cute?" Yes, I know I shouldn't be comparing pets to a human child, but think about what that would be doing to said animal by preventing it from reaching maturity. Tl;dr how would you feel if someone who loved you wanted to keep you the way you are...forever.[/QUOTE] Animals don't have that degree of understanding that a human does, and would sincerely doubt it would have some form of physiological problems if it was kept a cub. Plus a domestic pet wouldn't have to worry about others not taking him seriously. Also, the only reason I would object is if there was some horrid health risk for the lion. If it can still be happy and contented, I don't see anything wrong.

[QUOTE=Repulsion;33117107]I think they should keep it, if they can. Grow up with a lion cub. FRIEND FOR LIFE.[/QUOTE]I have ALWAYS wanted to do this. Cept with a wolf. :D A white wolf if anything.

True. But what I'm trying to suggest is that if you deliberately kept a lion at a young physical age, you would probably need to keep it at some sort of post-pubertal phase. Because like I said earlier, preventing the onset of puberty or its equivalent in any animal is going to result in a very affected animal. Think about how much testosterone affects how the male brain thinks, for example. Then again, if it was truly possible to literally keep an animal at a young phase completely, without any risks, that would seem acceptable except for it being considered unfair to the animal. But this technology is likely years away, so I doubt it'll become an issue anytime soon.

[QUOTE=Mr. N;33117680]Animals don't have that degree of understanding that a human does, and would sincerely doubt it would have some form of physiological problems if it was kept a cub. Plus a domestic pet wouldn't have to worry about others not taking him seriously. Also, the only reason I would object is if there was some horrid health risk for the lion. If it can still be happy and contented, I don't see anything wrong.[/QUOTE]Any animal with stunted growth can have severe physiological problems. Weak skeletal structure, thinning coat, and organs not developing correctly, which will eventually lead to a painful death far earlier than a non stunted animal.

[QUOTE=Repulsion;33117107]I think they should keep it, if they can. Grow up with a lion cub. FRIEND FOR LIFE.[/QUOTE] Problem is they can kill you in one hit. Even if they are friendly and love you, its like a cat, if you accidently step on its tail its gonna take a swipe at you whether you meant to or not, right? Imagine that but 10x bigger and can rip you open in one hit.

Glad to see man and beast can mate and nothing comes off wrong from it

Misread as toddler "Great mates with Kitchen" This story is way cooler.

Small children are never gentle with animals. Whoever thought this was a good idea is retarded, that thing must be pissed off 24/7.

Awesome. Sad for the kid and lion tho, they've got to separate once.

[QUOTE=itak365;33117544]Well, imagine if we stunted the growth of a human child to keep them at the physical age of 5. That child would never be able to reach puberty, which in turn could lead to severe psychological and physical problems as he gets "older." And I'm not even mentioning the problems he'd have with other people not taking him seriously, or him being able to have children. Wrong, no? Now imagine that, but in an animal. How is that in anyway more justified than doing it to a human? And just to keep it "cute?" Yes, I know I shouldn't be comparing pets to a human child, but think about what that would be doing to said animal by preventing it from reaching maturity. Tl;dr how would you feel if someone who loved you wanted to keep you the way you are...forever.[/QUOTE] Your argument basically boils down to we wouldn't do something like this to a human, but by that logic we also wouldn't cage human beings (AKA slavery) to be our pets. So, basically you are saying that having any sort of pet would be wrong, because we wouldn't do this to a human and we don't/shouldn't enslave humans.

They're cute now, but will get big a lot quicker than that kid will. Expecting a story in a few years about an Australian 4-year-old being eaten by the family's pet lion.

[QUOTE=StormHammer;33117213]I wonder if there will ever be some sort of process where scientists can permanently stunt growth at at a certain point.[/QUOTE] you could stick it in a suitcase for a decade or so

Lions are cool as a baby, but when they are older they are pretty much spoiled dicks letting only certain people touch them.

[QUOTE=Chickens!;33116308]Good to see the parents are keeping a close eye and understanding that it's got to go soon.[/QUOTE] Well they do own a zoo, so it's not like they're a couple of clueless randoms who impulsively bought a lion.

Aww, what a cute couple :3 It reminded me of this. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNTdWbVBgc[/media] Who put onions behind my screen!

[QUOTE=TheBraddigan;33117272]What a disgustingly horrible fate for the poor animal in question, and for such a selfish reason.[/QUOTE]Aren't domesticated dogs, very simply and roughly put, wolves just "locked" in their infant, docile state? I may be wrong, but isn't sort of, keeping animals in their infant behavior one of evolutions tactics to make a species less hostile? If we could do that to animals as gentle as evolution can over a couple thousand years, that'd be fine. Domesticated animals are happy.