Possible Clues:

• Fictional animal half-heartedly represented real one
• Indomitable one
• Reginald turns to it in feline fashion
• Zoo animal Roger Waters "Broke Free"?
• Biggest of the big cats
• Soldier raised in short period of time: he has his stripes
• Clemson mascot
• LSU mascot, e.g.
• Princeton's mascot
• Reg gets a striped back with it