Although we’d love to spend our days cuddling our favourite big cats, there are several important reasons why Tiger’s can’t be kept as pets!

• Tigers are very cute and cuddly when they are babies, but they quickly grow up to be hundreds of pounds! Once a tiger cub gets big enough to push you over, it's probably a bad idea to be cuddling them. Even their "play" bites can be very painful. With canines several inches long, a bite from a Tiger would be very serious – ouch!
   
• Tigers can’t be kept indoors with humans, as they need wide open spaces that they feel secure in. They can jump, climb, and swim their way out of most enclosures. In the wild, they roam on several miles of land, something most people don't have access to. A large plot (several acres) of fenced-in property with access to ponds or small lakes, trees, and shelters is what a tiger needs to be safe from the world (and to keep us safe from them).
   
• Even though some Tigers are kept in Zoos and fenced nature reserves around the world, these tigers have usually been rescued, or bred in captivity – so can’t be released into the wild! Tigers have been known to escape from zoos and private properties, and an escaped tiger is scared and dangerous, something no one wants roaming the streets!
   
• On average a mature Tiger in the wild eats between 10 and 25 pounds of meat a day! They can eat much more than that, depending on what they can catch, but it’s certainly a lot more than the few packets of cat food that kitty eats each day.
   
• Tigers are happiest when they are able to live out in the open, living naturally. They are wild animals and, like our favourite furry friend from Judith Kerr’s tea-time tale, we can’t change them. And we wouldn’t want to!
•  

• The Tiger Who Came to Tea will be roaring its way back to London this summer! Playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End from 11 July until 4 September 2022, this is one of the best London attractions for kids aged 3+ this summer, so why not book your tickets and enjoy a day out to remember? The show runs for 55-minutes long and is based on the popular children’s picture book by Judith Kerr.