Cheetahs are not true cats because these wildcat can't roar, Cheeta has a different shaped head, the Cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth. They can't roar like other cats. These species also sit atop a small cat. Besides this one thing, everything else about them matches a typical cat in most ways. Other physical traits that separate them from being considered "true" felines include their ears that aren’t round but instead lay flat to the side of their head and they also lack any sort of claw shape attributed to most cats.