A couple of days ago we broached the topic of big cats in the UAE, and all that it means … most of it bad.

In this piece today a writer for The National addresses head-on the concept that it is legal for people here to own big cats of the lion-tiger-cheetah sort, and outlines some tips to owners for keeping the cheetah out back healthy.

Seems that you don’t want your lion anywhere near the feral house-type-cats of the UAE, because they often carry diseases that can kill your conversation-starter.

A key stat in his story? A medical guy in Dubai has done postmortem examinations on “more than 100” big cats, and once was kept quite busy when four big cats — dead — were dropped off on one day.

More than 100? That’s a lot of dead big cats.

Big cats are not indigenous to the UAE (at least, not lately), so all those animals are being brought in — though some seem to suggest that some of the animals are bred locally in the UAE.

Said the doc: “The number of big cats has definitely been increasing, and cheetah is the largest population we’re dealing with. It is known in the literature that most cheetahs kept in captivity will be under chronic stress. This added stress definitely contributes to the diseases we see in cheetahs, and also to the low reproductive success in the species in captivity.”

Oh, and if you’re wondering what the going rate is for a baby cheetah, this story notes that one was being advertised on a regional website, at a price of 30,000 dirhams (about $8,100), before the ad was pulled.

And this story from January quotes a veterinarian in Dubai who said that the illegal importation of big cats is on the rise.

I didn’t know it was this big a problem. I thought it was the random tiger or cheetah. But apparently they have become fashion accessories for some wild and crazy guys.