Yes, that's Bruno Mars posing with a black panther. We're nervous, too.

We never intended to start a fight with Bruno Mars, but seeing him pose with an EFFING BLACK PANTHER on the cover of Entertainment Weekly's "Summer Music Preview" issue is just another reminder why we will NEVER start beef with the singer. We repeat: Bruno is chilling with an IRL wild animal like NBD, which obviously means he has proudly joined Rick Ross and Michael Jackson in the ranks of musicians who do not fear wildcats. Now, excuse us while we back away slowly while repeatedly saying "nice kitty," because, um, THOSE CAT EYES AREN'T MESSING AROUND! Bye!

The "When I Was Your Man" singer was snapped with the ferosh-looking feline on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and based on his picture, it's pretty obvious that Bruno is really into two things: cats and covers (remember when he wore leopard print on the cover of Rolling Stone?). But before you're all intimidated by Bruno's badassery, his interview instead portrays his humorous side: "I can't wait for the reunion tour when I'm just huge and bloated, singin' my songs seven keys down in Palm Springs. And it's gonna happen." Well, um, we can maybe see how he'd be into that, but what we really CAN'T WAIT for is when Bruno unveils his newest single, "Treasure," during the Billboard Music Awards this weekend! We're pretty sure the new song will be purrrfect. (WHAT?! You knew you weren't leaving this post without at least ONE cat pun.)

Photo credit: Entertainment Weekly