I went with a rug on my leopard for similar reasoning. No real space for a full mount, and now is able to hang on our bedroom wall instead of being relegated to a too small corner that doesn’t do it true justice. Couple pieces of things to consider from personal experience, discuss with your taxidermist whether it will primarily be hung on a wall or placed on the floor as that can affect the backing and border as well as if it is going on the wall, the taxidermist can place some wood underneath the head that can be drilled into a stud. Obviously you’ll need a much bigger wall space than I did if you go that route! Also, if it’s going on the floor where it might be stepped on discuss what to do about the claws, the claws on my leopard are razor sharp and could seriously injure a barefoot but could also be pretty easily broken by a boot. Would want to make sure they’re displayed to full affect without worry about them being broken the first time someone doesn’t look where they’re stepping.
In my opinion, if there is any full mount to consider that has a smaller footprint, there is a mount I see every year at DSC of a lion sitting on its haunches with no pedestal or anything. It is awesome to almost be looking the lion in the eyes, and I haven’t seen any other mount that shows the true size of a male lion. And because it’s sitting on its haunches, it has a much smaller footprint than a typical mount.
...way better than pedestal if you can
