How fast does the cheetah take to catch its prey?

Cheetahs, being quite slender and built for speed rather than strength haven't got as powerful bite as the bigger cats, they usually kill by biting across the windpipe, choking their prey. Depending on the size, this can take up to a few minutes.

2nd Answerer says: Nature films demonstrate that the Cheetah will take down it's prey (from an ambush position) within about 20 - 30 seconds.