I've been drawing those cats since I was a kid in '98 or even earlier but never gave them a proper description.
The Lagupard (Panthera ravus?) is the largest cat in 'my world' and also the largest carnivorous mammal. All larger predators are dragons. They know they have nothing to fear (except aforementioned dragons, of course), so they're not afraid of anything and will attack about everything that looks edible to them. When mankind still ruled earth, most predators were eradicated. So the Lagupard, who can handle almost every kind of habitat, spread freely and formed a number of subspecies. They vary in color and size. Some subspecies developed short saber teeth, others have maned males, just like lions. Lagupards can be found in all of Europe, Asia and parts of North Africa quite frequently (even though it's strongly recommended not to go looking for them).

If for some odd reason someone wants one of his or her own, feel free to use the species but please drop me a line.