335:". Pictures and videos published to these social media accounts show various aspects of daily life with the cougar. Messi's social media accounts quickly grew in popularity; by January 2018, the Instagram account already had almost 150,000 followers and over 50 million views. The Instagram account has more than 1.5 million followers; the YouTube channel has more than 2.49 million subscribers. Mariya is the manager of the social media accounts.
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named Kira but
Aleksandr always wanted a big cat and so they considered bringing Messi home, offering a high price to the zoo authorities. “So we went to the zoo and started negotiations to buy Messi. We were surprised ourselves when they agreed", Mariya Dmitriev recalled in an interview with Caters
244:
Messi was significantly smaller than other typical male cougars, and as the species is not native to Russia, he could not be released into the wild. He had numerous other health problems as well, which rendered him unable to live in a zoo or wildlife sanctuary either. Furthermore, workers at the
382:(he has since passed that mark) he may become more prone to dangerous behavior. They advise the Dmitrievs to send Messi to a wildlife reserve or sanctuary. The Dmitrievs, however, believe that Messi would not be able to survive in a wild setting, not least because he requires daily medication.
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in Penza. The hallway of the apartment was modified and was designated as Messi's play area. Messi uses toys such as empty bottles and balls. Messi has a gentle and calm personality, and has never attacked a person or another animal. The
Dmitrievs sometimes refer to him as "kitten."
377:
Despite mostly favorable attention on social media, some have criticized the
Dmitrievs for keeping Messi under domestic circumstances. Opponents of the taming of wild animals fear that Messi's wild needs will not be met, and that once Messi reaches
369:) called Kira; she lived in the house with little interaction with Messi. In April 2021, Kira met Gerda, but became very anxious and avoided her enclosure afterwards. She died of a dilated cardiomyopathy later that month.
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In 2016, Alexandr and Mariya
Dmitriev visited the Penza zoo and met Messi for the first time. The couple experienced "love at first sight," and noticed Messi's exceptionally gentle personality. The Dmitrievs already had a
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354:, named Gerda, who has a calm and gentle personality similar to Messi's. Messi becomes anxious when Gerda is present but relations between the two animals are improving. Gerda has her own
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named Ichel, who was given to the
Dmitrievs by a circus trainer in December 2019 and revealed in January 2020. Ichel died of lung cancer in April 2020.
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Messi lives in a two-storey house on property. Kira (a sphinx cat) passed away. Gerda (the cheetah) has her own house and aviary.
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couple
Alexandr and Mariya Dmitriev. The Dmitrievs live with Messi in a two-story house on a large plot of land in
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937:
776:
750:"Pet Puma Who Is Trained Like a Dog Is Making Waves on Social Media — Why This Is More Dangerous Than Cute"
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907:
952:
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639:
481:"Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar honoured as Russian zoo names puma cubs after Barcelona trio"
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per day to feed him. The couple regularly bathes Messi in a bathtub and sometimes trim his claws.
575:"Meet Messi, The 1st Domesticated Puma. He's Gotten 58 Million Views And Isn't Slowing Down Soon"
396:
229:. The cubs were given these names because Saransk was one of several cities proposed to host the
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facility and has learned around ten formal commands. The
Dmitrievs walk Messi regularly using a
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Messi also shared the property and attention of the
Dmitrievs with a 10-year-old female
209:, Russia. He was one of three newborn cougars at the zoo to be named after professional
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Messi is house-broken (trained) and prefers to stay inside when there is snow outside.
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82:
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channel for Messi, which became popular by 2018 and continues to grow in subscribers.
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607:"Couple Says Their Pet Cougar Is Part of Their Family: 'It Was Love at First Sight'"
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507:"Meet the 3 years old pumas named 'Messi', 'Neymar' and 'Luis Suárez' in Saransk"
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When they first purchased Messi, Alexandr and Mariya
Dmitriev lived in a small
798:
686:"Puma Rescued from Russian Zoo Lives Luxurious Life as Insta-Famous House Cat"
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772:"This Russian couple's pet cougar has become an internet sensation"
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The
Dimitrievs also had another feline in their house, a female
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Messi is fed twice a day, and his diet mostly consists of
636:"Russian couple keeping cougar as pet in small apartment"
420:"Life on the wild side – Couple bought pet puma from zoo"
275:
202:
163:
874:
799:"Gerda meets Kira! Cheetah and Sphynx - first meeting"
863:
449:"Suarez, Neymar and Messi find a home in Russian zoo"
181:, Russia. Messi was adopted in 2016 from a local
899:
661:"Russia's Messi, a puma - star in his own right"
542:"Russia's Messi, a puma - star in his own right"
274:Messi is regarded by his owners as similar to a
338:
796:
478:
822:
572:
855:, the Instagram account devoted to Messi
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658:
539:
900:
859:I_am_puma YouTube channel (in Russian)
825:"Our beloved baby went to the rainbow"
769:
747:
633:
573:Etemadieh, Arianna (18 January 2018).
233:in Russia. Messi was later sold to a
103:Being kept as a pet, his intelligence
770:Sharma, Ruchira (21 February 2018).
743:
741:
739:
737:
479:de Menezes, Jack (5 December 2015).
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185:. In 2017, the Dmitrievs started an
748:Brooks, Natasha (11 January 2018).
684:Chorney, Saryn (16 February 2018).
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308:. It costs the Dmitrievs about 630
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323:In 2017, the Dmitrievs started an
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245:petting zoo originally planned to
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969:
846:
763:
734:
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540:Ganguly, Sudipto (22 June 2018).
457:. 4 December 2015. Archived from
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350:The Dmitrievs own another female
278:. He has been trained at a local
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634:Hooper, Ben (21 February 2018).
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331:channel for Messi, both called "
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816:
790:
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659:Ganguly, Sudipto (2018-06-22).
221:, and the other two were named
797:I_am_Cheetah (13 April 2021).
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290:through various environments.
241:when he was three months old.
1:
713:"messi the puma dog training"
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196:
162:; born 30 October 2015) is a
928:Individual animals in Russia
823:@i_am_puma (29 April 2021).
777:International Business Times
717:dev.delicatessen-edition.com
509:. Panamá Today. 20 June 2018
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339:Relations with other animals
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385:
10:
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918:Cougars in popular culture
640:United Press International
358:channel, "I_am_cheetah".
159:
139:
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107:
99:
91:
69:
46:
38:
24:
217:; Messi was named after
913:Animals on the Internet
397:List of individual cats
853:l_am_puma (in Russian)
392:Exotic felines as pets
213:players formerly from
16:Cougar owned in Russia
201:Messi was born in a
938:Lifestyle YouTubers
231:2018 FIFA World Cup
21:
933:Individual felines
908:2015 animal births
752:. One Green Planet
613:. 20 February 2018
424:Caters News Agency
171:Internet celebrity
83:Internet celebrity
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953:Russian YouTubers
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114:Alexandr Dmitriev
63:Saransk, Mordovia
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461:on June 29, 2018
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57:30 October 2015
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32:Puma concolor
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948:Male mammals
943:Lionel Messi
834:– via
828:. Retrieved
818:
806:. Retrieved
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725:. Retrieved
721:the original
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550:the original
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459:the original
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432:. Retrieved
428:the original
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327:account and
322:
314:
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286:, coat, and
280:dog training
276:domestic dog
273:
265:
251:
243:
219:Lionel Messi
215:FC Barcelona
200:
169:, model and
151:
150:
144:Lionel Messi
133:Penza Oblast
95:2017–present
92:Years active
59:(age 8)
30:
923:Exotic pets
235:petting zoo
183:petting zoo
173:, owned by
140:Named after
902:Categories
783:2018-06-29
756:2018-06-29
727:2021-08-28
697:2018-06-29
670:2021-08-28
645:2018-06-29
617:2018-06-29
581:2018-06-29
556:2018-06-29
513:2018-06-29
492:2018-06-29
465:2018-06-29
434:2021-08-28
403:References
363:Sphinx cat
255:sphynx cat
197:Early life
70:Occupation
53:2015-10-30
836:Instagram
373:Criticism
333:I_am_puma
325:Instagram
247:euthanize
187:Instagram
125:Residence
386:See also
211:football
135:, Russia
65:, Russia
866:Portals
830:26 June
803:YouTube
665:Reuters
454:Reuters
356:YouTube
352:cheetah
345:cheetah
329:YouTube
306:chicken
288:harness
207:Saransk
191:YouTube
175:Russian
156:Russian
26:Species
958:Cougar
892:Russia
808:15 May
691:People
310:rubles
304:, and
298:turkey
258:News.
227:Neymar
223:Suarez
167:cougar
284:leash
249:him.
239:Penza
179:Penza
160:Месси
152:Messi
129:Penza
108:Owner
79:model
20:Messi
880:Cats
832:2021
810:2021
546:WDEZ
302:beef
225:and
47:Born
42:Male
295:raw
237:in
205:at
203:zoo
164:pet
76:Pet
39:Sex
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