Theo's fascination with "big cats" begins while he's watching a documentary. He doesn't watch much TV, but when a tiger walks across the screen as he stalks his prey, Theo is mildly curious.
"He's one of your ancestors."
The rule with Theo is to keep things simple. No elaborate stories. He doesn't have the patience.
Of the 38 species of cats on this planet, most are small cats. Theo doesn't realize it, but the tiger is the most similar to the small cats. They share about 95.6% of the same DNA, which is remarkable when you think about it. Or is it so remarkable?
There are differences. Size, of course. Small cats purr. A tiger roars, and his roar can be heard for 5 miles due to the specialized structure of his vocal chords. Tigers also love to be in the water and will often bathe in a stream or river to cool off. The shape and color of their eyes (tigers only have hazel or copper eyes) are different, too, but that's about it.
Is Theo really a miniature tiger in disguise?
We set off for the zoo to see a tiger in person, up close and personal. An Amur tiger lives at the Philadelphia Zoo. As we approach, the tiger is doing what tigers tend to do--sleeping when they're not marking their territory. Tigers choose an area, then mark the perimeters with their scent by scratching their nails vertically across tree bark. It's their calling card. It's their way of saying this is where I live. If tigers share a territory with other animals, this helps the others know when it is safe to enter so there are no surprise encounters.
Tigers also follow a regular schedule for checking their area, to refresh their scent and/or patrol the grounds.
"Look, Theo. He's doing what you do all the time."
No comment.
Theo stands watch at our patio door for any intruders onto the patio area. Squirrels, birds and especially other neighborhood cats. He'll literally pounce at the glass to scare them off, then run around the house, looking out of all the windows, to see where they run off to.
Tigers also like to perch in high places. They will climb a tree or a mountain to get a good view of the surrounding area. They want to be able to see everything.
Theo, Mico and Sienna do the same thing. They prefer to be up high--on the back of a chair, on a table, on top of a door--looking down, observing, getting the lay of the land. They particularly like looking out the upstair windows. They can see everything from their perch.
"I don't know Theo. We're going to have to start calling you "Il Tigre," Italian for "the tiger."
Theo doesn't think that's funny.
Tigers and cats both have 30 teeth. They groom their fur on a regular basis. Tiger cubs wrestle, bite, and paw each other. They stalk each other before pouncing in preparation for when they're adults.
Theo fits the bill. He hides behind a chair and will jump out as Mico unsuspectingly saunters by. He'll jump over Mico and land right in front of him, just because he can. They'll race after each other, up the stairs, and when they get to the top, stand there and stare at each other. Sometimes they then groom each other. Sometimes they wrestle on the rug.
I point out to Theo what I've observed. He shrugs.
Tigers also use the slow blink at each other. It's their way of calming the other tiger down or offering reassurance.
"I've seen you do that," I say to Theo.
I'm looking for a concession. I want Theo to admit he is more like a tiger than he thinks. But he won't go there.
Finally, as we're leaving the exhibit, Theo comes face to face . . . with a tiger?
He stops, crouches, and then blinks. Then he realizes the tiger isn't moving. It's a cardboard cutout of a tiger. Yeah, Theo goes over to sniff him just to make sure.
That's as close as Theo will ever get to a real tiger. God willing. Because there's no doubt in my mind, if they ever did meet face to face, Theo would be just another tasty meal to a hungry tiger, ancestor or not.
PS The tiger is an endangered species. Of all the "big cats," the tiger is the closest to extinction. Only 3,500 tigers remain in the wild. There are no wild tigers living in the United States. Approximately 5,000 tigers are captive in zoos, sanctuaries, and private facilities.
