Have you ever gone to someone’s house and realized that they are not like other folks? Well, if you went to Annel Snyman’s place, you would know just why some people get really shocked when they go to her house. There is one good reason why this is so… Annel actually keeps a lion in her house. She keeps this lion as a pet and also takes care of a dog. These animals are actually very fond of each other too. So how exactly did this animal lover get to keep this amazing feline in her home? What is their daily routine like?
So you might be wondering, how can this lady be keeping an animal in her house as if it was an ordinary cat? Where is she from and does her family not have anything to say about her bizarre pet? Well, the lady who keeps this wonderful pet is Annel Snyman. She resides near Bela Bela in the Waterberg region, South Africa and has always been a lover of animals.
And so since she had always loved animals so much, Annel had always been involved with them ever since she was a little girl. She had always been fascinated by all the different animals she gets to see or meet in and around her neighborhood. So when she grew up she did something that most people would find weird. So during springtime, she adopted a lion cub. The cub needed shelter and care so she took charge…
So after she decided to take in the lion cub, Annel soon realized that this was not an easy task. She found out just how tiresome maintaining a huge feline actually was. However, it was not like she was not prepared for it, She had actually done some training to keep the car in her house. The training was for her to be well versed in taking care of a lion. So, Timba the lion cub was soon house-trained as well.
And just like other ordinary pets, Timba was quite the troublemaker. He was constantly plotting against the owner and would always be caught. He would frequently steal some food kept in the kitchen but would always be caught later. He acts like how other cats do, however, there was one thing he was actually good for. Timba would often help around the house!
Since Timba was only a baby when Annel took him in, he was fairly easier to handle and take care of. After all, little cubs also have the cuteness factor that adds to their charm and allure. But as time went by, he grew into a huge size that was getting hard to handle. As he grew bigger, Timba soon learned how to walk with his owner and the dog.
Since he was brought up Annel, he was very protective and possessive of her. In a way, you could say that he really felt like she was his mother. His attachment was blatant when other people came into the house. Whenever there were guests, Timba would turn really jealous and would place himself in between Annel and her guests. She had this to say about him…
Annel loves her pets so much and so she always wants to keep both her ‘cat’and her dog happy. But since the animals love her so much, they often get a little jealous of one another too. ‘Relationships can be a challenge though, as there are often some jealousy issues about who is going to snuggle up with who on the couch,’ explained Annel.
She even revealed that Timba was not one to back down when there is a competitor who tries to take Annel’s attention or the attention he gets. She revealed later to interviewers that he would want all the attention he could get. She even went on to say that it sometimes got difficult to even ignore him! So how did her dog react to the huge cat sharing their home?
And as she spoke about the lion, Annel had plenty of funny stories to tell about the two of her pets. Since the dog and the cat belong to ‘families that are ‘sworn enemies’, you would have to assume that they fight a lot. We have all seen or heard about dogs and cats fighting because of just about anything. But the way that Timba and Annel’s dog fight ,is something so sweet…