At the Weltevrede lion farm in Heilbron/South Africa you can come very close to a cheetah. His name: Juba. Was awesome to hug him and to lay right next to him while he was snorring like a little kitty...
In case you ever will be in that region, go and visit the farm. They are very friendly, open and they even have accommodations to stay there over night. It's worth a visit.