Watch This Massive Jaguar Turn Into a Kitten For Belly Rubs

Written by Kyle Glatz
Updated: October 20, 2023
Share on:

Jaguars are large cats that can be very dangerous to humans. Although they don’t attack people often, such events typically result in fatalities. That’s why it’s a wise idea to avoid these creatures. Even more frightening is that jaguars attack from stealth, so they can easily stalk and bring down a human. Yet, the person at the start of this video is right next to a massive jaguar in an enclosure.

Check Out The Entire Video Below!

Jaguars can weigh up to 300 pounds, stand 2.5 feet tall at the shoulder, and can measure up to 5.5 feet in length! While this creature doesn’t look big enough to break any size or weight records, it’s still big enough to harm a person.

Getting Cozy with a Massive Jaguar

The video begins with the camera zooming in on the jaguar’s paws. They look like enlarged versions of a house cat’s paws. The jaguar is lounging, resting its head on the ground with its eyes open. The person filming the lion touches the big cat’s paws, and the jaguar slowly makes a grasping motion that briefly shows its sharp claws.

Strongest cats - Jaguar

Rose-shaped markings are characteristic of jaguars. These spots are called rosettes.

©iStock.com/Patryk_Kosmider

The jaguar, probably used to the person in the enclosure with them, relaxes as the person moves towards their stomach. She gives the jaguar a couple of pats on its stomach and rubs its belly. For a moment, the jaguar looks like it’s going to put an end to the interaction by sitting up.

The creature has a look that seems to indicate a mix of tiredness, resignation, and annoyance. The massive jaguar just looks at the person filming as they start to scratch his flank and side.

The jaguar realizes that the person is friendly, so it decides to at least get scratched in its preferred spot. It rolls onto its back, exposing the white and black belly for the person to continue scratching. The cat has its forelegs spread and completely reclines while the person goes about scratching its stomach. Essentially, this deadly predator behaves like a pampered house cat.

“You want the full-on belly scratches, huh?” asks the person filming the interaction.

Meanwhile, the jaguar is experiencing absolute bliss as it rolls as he keeps getting his belly rubbed and more gentle pats.

Realistically, this massive jaguar is probably used to being around people and being well-fed. Otherwise, it might start looking at the person filming a little differently. Make no mistake: jaguars are dangerous. While some trainers can get close to the animals that they have raised for years on end, they still could turn on them.

A jaguar’s attack method is brutal, too. They don’t go for the throat like other big cats. They bite near the bottom of the skull. So, while this is a very fun and intimate encounter with a big cat, it’s a bad idea to get too comfortable around them.  

Still, this interaction is too interesting and cute not to share.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © George Arenas/Shutterstock.com


Share on:
About the Author

Kyle Glatz is a writer at A-Z-Animals where his primary focus is on geography and mammals. Kyle has been writing for researching and writing about animals and numerous other topics for 10 years, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in English and Education from Rowan University. A resident of New Jersey, Kyle enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.