"Actually you would. Most cats are night predators, including leopards. Man has always been afraid of the dark. Hence the invention of religions."

That's a good point, but doesn't quite describe the situation.

I lived in under a repressive regime, and the people who ran it "locked down" the inmates at night. We weren't even allowed to get up to answer nature's calls, had to attend to functions where we were and lay in it. Yep, in the mess.

There was a small light in the "cell" which was always on, so we were never in the dark. The beds must have been too low for a snow leopard to hide under as regular nightly searches did not ever turn one up.

Gradually, as we developed the motor skills to be purposefully ambulatory, we were required to use the facilities, and were trained at gunpoint in the proper methods.

"God" was invented by us as a means of retribution for the keepers, as in "You won't get away with this, God'll get you", but only after we learned the language. That was modelled by hearing "God help you, I swear if you don't use the facility instead of those diapers I'll shoot!"

The few snow leopards we may have had must have been kept out through the lockdown procedure, and by an inherent lack of any snow within 500 miles.

All in all, I think the snow leopards might have been preferred.

Arf