Junior Cody Smith strays away from the ordinary when it comes to what pet he has roaming around his home. Smith had a tame mountain lion as his childhood pet, but it passed away a couple of years ago.  Jewels, the family’s mountain lion, lived until the age of 17. Smith’s mother bought the lovable pet as a present for his father from a mountain lion farm in Buffalo, Minnesota even before Cody was born.

“She is no different than a dog, except she is much larger in size and doesn’t eat dog food,” said Junior Cody Smith. Although Jewels’s favorite dish for dinner was chicken, she also enjoyed a variety of other meats. Jewels was no wild animal. She was trained and was able to roam around the house like any other pet. Sometimes, Jewels would spend time in her cage, but not as a punishment for being too rough. Jewels was very gentle and never bit anyone her entire life.