Cats are the coolest. They have style, they aren’t hard to care for (no one ever turns down plans because they need to go home and “let the cat out”), and earning their love actually means something. And that’s just domesticated house cats. Big cats — lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, etc. — are elegant, majestic creatures worthy of respect and admiration.

So long as you don’t turn your back on them because they will absolutely sneak up on you and rip your face off of your head.

This warning video from Big Cat Rescue, an animal sanctuary for abused, abandoned, and retired big cats, located on over 67 acres in Tampa, Florida, is actually a couple of years old, but it’s been making its way around the internet again.

It’s remarkable how quickly (and quietly) these cats pounce at a chance to turn their caregivers into quarries. Just because you may have seen a tiger at the zoo, or watched a lion tamer work with them at the circus, the experts at Big Cat Rescue want to make sure we all remember that these are wild animals and “they will always have their wild instincts.”

So while we can trust you would probably be on high alert if you found yourself out in their natural habitats, this is really to let you know these big cats are not viable options as house pets. At some point your guard will drop, and when that happens they will use that as an opportunity to turn you into a human scratching post, the kind that they then eat.

Cats are cool. The little ones make the best pets, but the big ones are wild death machines.

Which big cat is your favorite? Tell us right meow in the comments below.

Images: Big Cat Rescue