Big cats--animal trainers/zookeepers/exotic pet owners, describe your best experience with big cats?

Question

I tried asking this question before and just got yelled at by a bunch of people telling me how stupid it is to try to interact with a wild animal, especially a big cat. Before you yell at me some more, though, listen. I am NOT going to ever buy/touch/get close to a big cat, nor am I saying that anyone should. I know they're better off in the wild and that lots of people treat them cruelly and they're life-threatening if you get close, etc. etc. etc. BUT
I am writing a FICTION novel that has big cats in it (not endorsing interaction with wild animals, by the way), and I want to know for purely THEORETICAL purposes, what your most interesting moment was interacting with one or more big cats. I will give a "thumbs-down" to anybody who chews me out about the evils of interacting with big cats, because I'm NOT DOING IT, and NOT GOING TO DO IT, and NOT ENDORSING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you very much.

Answer 1

Bottle feeding a tigre (not miss spelled) cub. Natives killed a female tigre which had two cub. Their eyes were not open when we was given one. Had to bottle feed it baby formula. What got me was it's hair. It's hair was a mass of little knots until it got older.
When he was young just like any other kitten only a lot bigger and could do a lot more damage playing. Had to watch him because of that when playing with him.
Used to sleep with him on one side of me and my dog on the other side of me in the bed and me in the middle.
Another thing I used to like listening to was him when he was purr growling.

Tigre is what the natives called a Jaguar by the way.

Answer 2

i have fed tigers before.
whole chickens minus the feathers.
you drive up with the truck , they know whats going to happen and just wait, you throw the chicken over the fence and they go right for it
another experience was a tiger was on the other side of the fence, i walked up to it and he tried to spray me with urine :( not fun but i got outta the way in time!