Grrr in Swahili

Meet Mabaka!! Isn't she the most beautiful African leopard? I'm convinced she would make the best christmas present ever! Or maybe not. But right now she looks so heart warmingly sweet and cuddly.
I love Big cats! Tigers, lions, panthers, leopards...the Predators. To me, they look warm with their forthright behaviour and pools of dark golden eyes. I once petted a huge white tiger though it was in Vegas and at a magic show so that might not count! But on a trip to South Africa, I got to carry 6 tiger cubs and feed them with a huge milk bottle! That was one of the most exciting things ever. They were Mabaka's size and had such soulful {or hungry} gazes that it completely melts your heart.

Here's the twist, I have to admit to a rather puzzling fear. I was scratched by a stray black cat when I was five! My grandma had taken me to the market and I accidentally tripped over the tail of a cat who had been sleeping under some boxes. As you can guess, it awoke snarling and gave me a nasty scratch on my leg! I still remember being told to wait at a bench in a nearby park while my grandma went to find some medicated cream. I spent the time examining the red claw marks in a daze. I've had a fear of all tabby cats ever since! Pictures of 'cute' kittens with their too light eyes give me the chills. Inexplicable as it seems, there you have it! Fear of the opposite. Do you have any unexplainable phobias?

J crew