For over 6 years now, like clockwork - Each morning I wake up to my cat pouncing all over me and racing across the room as if being chased by an imaginary ghost in a world of her own. The playfulness of cats, especially during early morning hours - spans across their species including the one as seen in the picture - Leopards.

Of over an hour spent with this beautiful cat and her cub as the very first faint light of the day spilled over them, I spent most time savoring the moments looking through the viewfinder than shooting - with a big smile on my face. The playful behavioral patterns of how this cub annoying her mom and the stalking - chasing - pouncing - biting that comes along with it - were more or less predictable for me - as this is no different by any means to what my furball does at home. Shutter didn't have to burst away hoping for a chance pose but rather I more or less knew how this cub would behave and when the decisive moment would show up. In between all the games and fun, there would be a session of disciplining the young cub as seen in the moment above.

The Leopard mother usually hides her young cubs and moves them from one safe location to the next until they are old enough to begin playing and learning to hunt. Given Leopards are solitary creatures, when the cubs are about two years old, they are usually shooed away to live on their own and build their own kingdom. But one of the unique features of leopards is the maternal bonds, so much so that their offspring at times have reunions with their mother even post being independent.