Messi (cougar)
| Species | Puma concolor |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 30 October 2015 Saransk, Mordovia, Russia |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Being kept as a pet, his intelligence |
| Owner |
|
| Residence | Penza, Penza Oblast, Russia |
| Named after | Lionel Messi |
Messi (Russian: Месси; born 30 October 2015) is a pet cougar, model and Internet celebrity, owned by Russian couple Alexandr and Mariya Dmitriev. The Dmitrievs live with Messi in a two-story house on a large plot of land in Penza, Russia. Messi was bought from a local petting zoo in 2016. In 2017, the Dmitrievs started an Instagram account and a YouTube channel for Messi, which became popular by 2018 and continues to grow in subscribers.