Messi the puma cat, named after the famous Argentine footballer, has been living with his adoptive parents Aleksandr and Mariya Dmitriev in their apartment in Penza, Russia, since 2016.
Messi was one of three cougar cubs born at the zoo. The wild cat was sold to the Saransk Zoo when he was three months old and suffered from health problems.
With the zoo unable to fully take care of the sick cub, and the couple quickly falling in love with him, the Dmitriev’s pleaded to the zoo and asked if they could buy him.
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