This man from Florida owns a 200lb mountain lion and he treats it like a family member. His nickname is ‘catman’ and he truly embraces it. While many of us would let a cat lay on our lap, ‘catman’ has taken it to the next level. The relationship these two share will shock you!
20. Catman
Image: Daily Mail
Meet Mario Infanti, a 63-year-old Florida resident. Living in Cape Coral, Florida, Infanti has had his fair share of animal sightings but none top this. You see, Mario has a real love for cats and has a special pet of his own.
19. Sasha
Image: Daily Mail
Infanti met Sasha, the mountain lion, when she was only a cub. He fell in love with her immediately and decided to adopt her. From there, their relationship only grew stronger and the two became inseparable.
18. Raising Sasha
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Infanti then raised Sasha into adulthood, taking care of all of her needs. He’s mentioned that the 200lb mountain lion now sees him as a ‘mother’ figure. However, as much as Sasha loves Infanti, she doesn’t get him all to herself.
17. His Wife
Image: Daily Mail
Mario’s wife, Lenore, has been around for all of Sasha’s milestones as well. She completely supports the relationship between the two. The couple treats Sasha like their child and the mountain lion loves the attention!
16. 200lb Daughter
Image: Daily Mail
“Sasha is more like family to me than a lot of my family. She’s the love of my life, she’s like my 200lb daughter. I would do anything for her,” Infanti was quoted saying. Sasha does indeed love Infanti, as she’ll often cuddle up with him. But the relationship has been scrutinized a bit.
15. Cougar
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Lenore has opened up about some of the criticism and jokes that have been thrown her way after people find out about her and her husband’s relationship with Sasha. She has stated that she often receives ‘cougar’ jokes but never lets the jokes get to her because she loves Sasha just as much as her husband.
So what prompted such an odd adoption?
14. Childhood Dreams
Image: naples.floridaweekly.com
The professional jazz guitarist opened up about his love for wild animals and how it influenced his relationship with Sasha. Infanti explained that he’s wanted to own a huge cat ever since he saw the movie Tarzan as a child. This also influenced his move to Florida…
13. Moving
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Due to his obsession with big cats, Infanti decided to make his big move to Florida. Florida has more relaxed laws when it comes to owning exotic creatures and Infanti thought it would be the perfect place to raise a big cat. That’s when he came across Sasha…
12. Bottle-Fed
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Once Sasha was in his care, he took raising her very seriously. Infanti bottle-fed her since she was a tiny newborn cub and would often stay by her side 24/7 in order to make sure that she was doing all right. The couple even had special sleeping arrangements…
11. Sleeping
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When Sasha was still a tiny cub she would often sleep in bed with the couple. Once she got bigger, however, she began to rip the bed apart. The sheets and mattress would often be torn apart due to her large size! Now she has her own area that she enjoys.
10. Habitat
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Infanti has built Sasha her very own 3,000-square-foot habitat where she can jump into the pool, play with her toys, and climb trees. Sasha is, however, still allowed to come into the house and she actually enjoys watching television curled up with Infanti.
But does Infanti ever worry about his own safety with a huge mountain lion in his home?
9. Not Aggressive
Image: Daily Mail
“I don’t think she’ll rip anybody’s face off. She’s not that kind of an aggressive cat,” Infanti explained. “The only time she gets a little dangerous is when she gets over-playful or over-affectionate. I have a little scar on my lower leg but it’s nothing. You could hardly notice it.”
Still, Infanti has a secret weapon just in case Sasha ever does decide to get too wild.
8. Secret Weapon
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Although he truly believes that Sasha would never turn on him, Infanti still keeps a bottle of vinegar with him just in case. Mountain lions cannot stand the smell of vinegar. Infanti still insists that Sasha is not aggressive and would not hurt him.
7. A Little Trouble
Image: Daily Mail
“I have never had a problem with Sasha. The only time I had trouble (with animals) was when I was training to get my license. I got into a little tussle with a 350lb tiger that I basically brought up. She wanted to play rough and I didn’t. The main thing is to show no fear,” Infanti explained.
6. Big Sacrifices
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Taking care of a huge cat hasn’t been a walk in the park for the couple. They’ve had to make some pretty big sacrifices, which include not having a family of their own. You won’t believe just how much money it takes to take care care of Sasha and her habitat.
5. Big Money
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The couple has invested a lot of money into Sasha and maintaining her area. All together they have spent a whopping $118,000. It cost them around $33,700 to create the custom-made habitat for Sasha to live in. However, the couple justifies the costs.
4. A Child
Image: National Geographic
“It is quite expensive to feed her but we look at her as one of our children,” Lenore stated. “So what we feed [her] would be money we would have otherwise put aside for a college education.” Still, the couple continues to get some pretty harsh criticism that they are quick to rebut.
3. Criticism
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Infanti and his wife often receive criticism for keeping a wild mountain lion captive. Infanti quickly responds back to those individuals by stating that Sasha is better off living with him than out in the wild.”There are a couple of diehards who say she should be in the wild – but how much wild is there left? I mean we’re taking all their wild away from them,” Infanti says.
2. Better Off
Image: Daily Mail
“She’s better off living with us, being fed everyday, being cared for medically, being loved and being treated like she should be treated rather than being chased off her territory or hunted or rundown by a car.”
1. Great Life
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Infanti is forever grateful to have Sasha in his life and wouldn’t trade the commitment for anything.
“I think she has a great life and she’s made my life a whole lot better too. But it’s a lifetime commitment, if you’re not willing to put your whole life to this thing then you shouldn’t own one of these pets,” Infanti said.Â