I didn’t see the original Adam so can’t gauge the adjustment, but in lightening the animal there seams to be a flattening of colour and light contrast. I did a quick auto contrast fix and introduced some more red into the colour saturation and it fixed it right up. The focus and detail is spot on however and it is a very nicely composed piece.
Looks absolutely amazing at full resolution on a 19-incher! I too lightened the image a little, which really throws the cheetah into high relief and makes him/her stand out so much you can practically stroke its fur. Great shot and a most unusual take. Well done!