Playing in a crunchy pile of leaves might be one of the most universal childhood pastimes ever. Countless generations of human children have enjoyed this. Now, a couple of cute clouded leopard cubs are enjoying it, too. And on National Cat Day, no less!

In this video, precious clouded leopard cubs Gemma and Meru got to enjoy playfully pouncing in a crunchy leaf pile, and it was totally adorable!

They just had the best old time, rolling around in these leaves, and pouncing all over the place in the most playful way possible.

Even though they will grow up to be some very fearsome big cats, they are every bit as playful as a couple of curious kittens!

These playful cubs are currently at the Nashville Zoo in the Critter Encounters area, which they share on a rotating basis with the zoo’s other clouded leopard cubs, Joker and Quinn.

Unsurprisingly, the Internet loved how happy and playful Gemma and Meru were in this video.

Related: Precious Leopard Cubs Playing With Giant Eggs at the Nashville Zoo Are Too Cute for Words

Instagram user deborah_underthepalmtree commented that watching these precious clouded leopard cubs play in this leaf pile reveals something timeless and universal about childhood, regardless of species, when they wrote, “Crunchy leaf piles are the Rosetta Stone of childhood playtime. It translates to all species.”

Meanwhile, Instagram userzoologyrick thought that this was the perfect way to celebrate a day dedicated to feline appreciation when they wrote, “The purrfect post for National Cat Day!”

And Instagram user lori_ann.m wrote that they were super happy to see these two precious cubs living the best life in captivity like this, “That leap off the log, though! Oh, my heart is happy for these two! Great work @nashvillezoo!”

More Cute Clouded Snow Leopard Cub Playfulness

In this other adorable video, a precious clouded snow Leopard cub enjoys some very appropriately fall-themed pumpkin playtime.

This precious little cub is just having an absolute blast rolling around with their pumpkin. It’s absolutely wonderful to see the Nashville Zoo allowing its animals to engage in fun, seasonal enrichment activities like this!

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This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Nov 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.