Mountain lion in my back yard!

[Deleted]

I was sitting on the back deck when I noticed something elongated (about 3 or 4 feet) behind the fence row of cedars.  I thought at first that it might be a dog although I have never seen a dog that elongated.  It did stop and look at me when I started talking to it (in case it was a lost dog).  It eventually passed the row of cedars, and I could see it had a cat-like face.  It then loped away in that graceful motion that only cats have, never dogs.

My neighbor says she saw it in the field in front of me yesterday.  That field adjoins her house.  The field behind me is a different neighbor.  She raises chicken and always has trouble with foxes, coyotes, etc.  Plus her field is 15 acres and filled with field mice.  I see domestic cats hunting there all the time.  And we have all sorts of wildlife here . . . the foxes, coyotes, etc.  But also deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks.

I'm not worried.  I might be if Abby was here, but I hardly go in my backyard except to water a flowerbed back there.  I could turn the hose on it hard if it came to it.  

Still, it was momentarily unnerving.  That thing could run!

[Tennesseer]

@bamafan1954 - can you refresh my memory please:  in what state do you reside?

Thanks.

[weltschmerz]

Jul 3, 2020 19:51:18 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

I was sitting on the back deck when I noticed something elongated (about 3 or 4 feet) behind the fence row of cedars.  I thought at first that it might be a dog although I have never seen a dog that elongated.  It did stop and look at me when I started talking to it (in case it was a lost dog).  It eventually passed the row of cedars, and I could see it had a cat-like face.  It then loped away in that graceful motion that only cats have, never dogs.

My neighbor says she saw it in the field in front of me yesterday.  That field adjoins her house.  The field behind me is a different neighbor.  She raises chicken and always has trouble with foxes, coyotes, etc.  Plus her field is 15 acres and filled with field mice.  I see domestic cats hunting there all the time.  And we have all sorts of wildlife here . . . the foxes, coyotes, etc.  But also deer, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks.

I'm not worried.  I might be if Abby was here, but I hardly go in my backyard except to water a flowerbed back there.  I could turn the hose on it hard if it came to it.  

Still, it was momentarily unnerving.  That thing could run!

Cool! They're beautiful, but i wouldn't let my pet out if there was one roaming around.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2020 20:02:02 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

@bamafan1954 - can you refresh my memory please:  in what state do you reside?

Thanks.

I live in Alabama.

[Deleted]

That's an amazing sight to see!  As others have said, I wouldn't be chilled if I had a pet out in range, but other than that, what an incredibly beautiful animal.  

[Tennesseer]

Jul 3, 2020 20:51:02 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Jul 3, 2020 20:02:02 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

@bamafan1954 - can you refresh my memory please:  in what state do you reside?

Thanks.

I live in Alabama.

Tyanks. I thought so. I was trying to figure out the range of mountain lions.

[Deleted]

I think wolves, mountain lions and other wild animals are interesting, some even beautiful. That doesn’t mean I’d like them in my backyard though, because I’m scary. I’ve had enough trouble trying to wrap my mind around the idea of coyotes roaming where I live. Really, I’m struggling with all the critters around here that I’m not really use to. A mountain lion would probably be the last straw. Beautiful creatures, but I prefer to admire them from afar, like in pictures and videos, NOT in real life, and especially not near my home.

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2020 21:34:41 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I think wolves, mountain lions and other wild animals are interesting, some even beautiful. That doesn’t mean I’d like them in my backyard though, because I’m scary. I’ve had enough trouble trying to wrap my mind around the idea of coyotes roaming where I live. Really, I’m struggling with all the critters around here that I’m not really use to. A mountain lion would probably be the last straw. Beautiful creatures, but I prefer to admire them from afar, like in pictures and videos, NOT in real life, and especially not near my home.

I wasn't scared, but that's because I don't think he would come for me from out there.  I wasn't close enough to be a threat, and I was basically two stories higher if you count the railings on the deck.  The steps are gated off and to the side; there is no room for a running start.  And it is a small enough deck on that side that I am mere steps from an unlocked door.  I could move fast enough if I saw something coming at me.

Most animals prefer flight to fight.  Not all, of course, and particularly not if they perceive you as a threat.  But I wasn't close.

This is what you get, though, if you live in rural areas.  There are only 5 houses on my road.  We have wildlife.  The ones that piss me off are the deer and the rabbits.  Pierre le lapin and I are a FB joke among my friends. Pierre is currently winning.

[busymom]

Very cool!  When we first moved to our current home, there was still a lot of undeveloped land, so we would see all kinds of animals:  deer, fox, pheasants, and even saw a wolf once.  But, once more houses were built, we gradually saw less wildlife.  Although, I did see one large fox within the last month, (we still have rabbits)  so not everything is gone.  

[weltschmerz]

Jul 3, 2020 21:34:41 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I think wolves, mountain lions and other wild animals are interesting, some even beautiful. That doesn’t mean I’d like them in my backyard though, because I’m scary. I’ve had enough trouble trying to wrap my mind around the idea of coyotes roaming where I live. Really, I’m struggling with all the critters around here that I’m not really use to. A mountain lion would probably be the last straw. Beautiful creatures, but I prefer to admire them from afar, like in pictures and videos, NOT in real life, and especially not near my home.

Are you sure you're not in THEIR home? Vanishing habitat is a big problem.

[Tennesseer]

Where I worked in Memphis, our headquarters were by and on a golf course.  One year a mated pair of foxes decided to dig their den under the corner of one of our buildings.  Because the building windows were somewhat tinted, we could see out but people outside could not see in.  Nor could foxes see in.

We were able to watch the fox pair raise there kits from like ten feet away from us.  When the kits were old enough they played outside the den.

I mentioned the golf course because the foxes would hunt for food out on the course.  Canadian geese were usually breakfast and dinner fare.  Plenty of geese bones and feathers outside the den.

[tskeeter]

Jul 3, 2020 21:58:39 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Jul 3, 2020 21:34:41 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I think wolves, mountain lions and other wild animals are interesting, some even beautiful. That doesn’t mean I’d like them in my backyard though, because I’m scary. I’ve had enough trouble trying to wrap my mind around the idea of coyotes roaming where I live. Really, I’m struggling with all the critters around here that I’m not really use to. A mountain lion would probably be the last straw. Beautiful creatures, but I prefer to admire them from afar, like in pictures and videos, NOT in real life, and especially not near my home.

I wasn't scared, but that's because I don't think he would come for me from out there.  I wasn't close enough to be a threat, and I was basically two stories higher if you count the railings on the deck.  The steps are gated off and to the side; there is no room for a running start.  And it is a small enough deck on that side that I am mere steps from an unlocked door.  I could move fast enough if I saw something coming at me.

Most animals prefer flight to fight.  Not all, of course, and particularly not if they perceive you as a threat.  But I wasn't close.

This is what you get, though, if you live in rural areas.  There are only 5 houses on my road.  We have wildlife.  The ones that piss me off are the deer and the rabbits.  Pierre le lapin and I are a FB joke among my friends. Pierre is currently winning.

Mountain lions are a danger to humans.

We lived in Anaheim, CA for a number of years.  One year there were a couple of mountain lion attacks in a park about three miles from our home. One person was killed.  A week later, a second person only escaped death because their companion kept a death grip on her leg as the mountain lion tried to drag her into the brush by her head.

Investigators concluded that the first victim was most likely attacked as he was crouched down, making a minor repair on his mountain bike.  The second victim was attacked from above, as the mountain lion lept from an outcropping of rock.

The mountain lion was located and killed by wildlife authorities.  An examination of stomach contents confirmed it was the cat involved in the attacks.  The autopsy of the cat verified that it was healthy.  The attacks appeared to be attacks of opportunity on a potential food source.

I’d exercise a great deal of caution if I lived in an area where a mountain lion was prowling.  You don’t want your next weed pulling session in the garden to make you the mountain lion’s next meal.  A large cat can take down a deer, and it can take you down, too.

To a mountain lion, a residential area is like an all you can eat buffet.  Dog dishes with left over food outside back doors, trash cans that attract raccoons, manicured lawns that attract rabbits, dogs and cats untended in back yards, and water features galore for an after dinner drink.  It would get really exciting if you were to interrupt a mountain lion that was checking around your back door for a dog dish.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Jul 3, 2020 20:02:02 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

@bamafan1954 - can you refresh my memory please:  in what state do you reside?

Thanks.

Her big red “A” in script for her avatar doesn’t give it away, LOL!!

Roll Tide!

[Wisconsin Beth]

Every so often around here we hear about assorted wildlife being spotted on people's doorbell cameras. 

[Opti]

SS, is it possible it was a bobcat not a mountain lion? A bobcat sounds about the size you describe.


This medium-sized wildcat reaches a mature weight of 30 to 40 pounds and measures 31 to 48 inches long, from nose to tail. Their lifespan is 12 to 15 years. In Alabama, bobcats inhabit a number of regions and often live in close proximity to humans.

[TheOtherMe]

As people keep intruding in to the habitat of animals, the animals are forced to look elsewhere for food.

Are there new buildings/homes near you that could have forced the cat out of it's habitat?  

That was the reason I saw so much wildlife by my last years in Boulder.  Didn't see much in town when I arrived in 1975.  By the time I moved here, it was a common occurrence because of so much building in the foothills, in to their habitat.

[saveinla]

We have mountain lions & coyotes here. I have seen coyotes in the summer when they come down because they don't have food.

[Tennesseer]

Jul 3, 2020 23:48:53 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Jul 3, 2020 20:02:02 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

@bamafan1954 - can you refresh my memory please:  in what state do you reside?

Thanks.

Her big red “A” in script for her avatar doesn’t give it away, LOL!!

Roll Tide!

I thought she did but wanted to make sure as I said earlier I was trying to determine the range of mountain lions. While it is thought a few Tennessee residents might have seen a mountain lion/cougar/panther in Tennessee there is no official state confirmation.

One can also be a 'Bama' fan and not live in Alabama.

[Bonny]

Jul 3, 2020 23:04:33 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jul 3, 2020 21:58:39 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

I wasn't scared, but that's because I don't think he would come for me from out there.  I wasn't close enough to be a threat, and I was basically two stories higher if you count the railings on the deck.  The steps are gated off and to the side; there is no room for a running start.  And it is a small enough deck on that side that I am mere steps from an unlocked door.  I could move fast enough if I saw something coming at me.

Most animals prefer flight to fight.  Not all, of course, and particularly not if they perceive you as a threat.  But I wasn't close.

This is what you get, though, if you live in rural areas.  There are only 5 houses on my road.  We have wildlife.  The ones that piss me off are the deer and the rabbits.  Pierre le lapin and I are a FB joke among my friends. Pierre is currently winning.

Mountain lions are a danger to humans.

We lived in Anaheim, CA for a number of years.  One year there were a couple of mountain lion attacks in a park about three miles from our home. One person was killed.  A week later, a second person only escaped death because their companion kept a death grip on her leg as the mountain lion tried to drag her into the brush by her head.

Investigators concluded that the first victim was most likely attacked as he was crouched down, making a minor repair on his mountain bike.  The second victim was attacked from above, as the mountain lion lept from an outcropping of rock.

The mountain lion was located and killed by wildlife authorities.  An examination of stomach contents confirmed it was the cat involved in the attacks.  The autopsy of the cat verified that it was healthy.  The attacks appeared to be attacks of opportunity on a potential food source.

I’d exercise a great deal of caution if I lived in an area where a mountain lion was prowling.  You don’t want your next weed pulling session in the garden to make you the mountain lion’s next meal.  A large cat can take down a deer, and it can take you down, too.

To a mountain lion, a residential area is like an all you can eat buffet.  Dog dishes with left over food outside back doors, trash cans that attract raccoons, manicured lawns that attract rabbits, dogs and cats untended in back yards, and water features galore for an after dinner drink.  It would get really exciting if you were to interrupt a mountain lion that was checking around your back door for a dog dish.

Mountain lion attacks are very rare. We have them all over here with regular in person and door cams pix posted on Next Door. We are a suburb but with a lot of dedicated open space. I'm sure they walk through our yard all the time. While we are on less than a half acre our lot is part of a chain of green belts. We had a mountain lion kill (a deer) two doors down. The way they kill looks very different than a coyote kill.

Despite all my hiking I've never seen one in the wild. Plenty of bobcats but no mountain lions.

[Deleted]

Bobcats aren't whitish or beige.  

Other people in the area have seen it and have said it looks like an extremely large cat.  As in really, really large.  Bur I guess that feral cats can get extremely large.  He/she just looked a little lean to me to be so large.  It wasn't a fat cat.

Who knows.  He wasn't back today.  He may never be back.  He may be tracking the deer that are plentiful around her.  He may be tracking my pesky rabbit neighbor (Pierre le lapin) who is after my garden.

I live in the country.  It is what it is.

[sesfw]

This area of AZ we get javelina and coyotes.  Once in a while a bobcat will come into the back for water.  About the only thing I chase out of the yard is a road runner.  They are looking for gecko lunch and I like my geckos.  All the birds disappear from the yard when our local friendly hawk comes by.

Desert wildlife is interesting

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2020 22:33:50 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Jul 3, 2020 21:34:41 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I think wolves, mountain lions and other wild animals are interesting, some even beautiful. That doesn’t mean I’d like them in my backyard though, because I’m scary. I’ve had enough trouble trying to wrap my mind around the idea of coyotes roaming where I live. Really, I’m struggling with all the critters around here that I’m not really use to. A mountain lion would probably be the last straw. Beautiful creatures, but I prefer to admire them from afar, like in pictures and videos, NOT in real life, and especially not near my home.

Are you sure you're not in THEIR home? Vanishing habitat is a big problem.

Maybe I am, idk. I mean, any developed area could be considered wild creatures’ home. 

Too bad I can’t come to an agreement with them.... this yard is “mine”, and if you don’t bother me and mine, I won’t bother you. But since that’s not how it works, I’m stuck with not wanting them wandering too close to “my” home.

[Opti]

Be careful then of whatever it was. Bobcats don't have that smooth beige and white coat of a mountain lion, but they do come in white and tan type tones. OT but interesting. I like to watch Hope In the Wild on Saturday mornings. Once they had several baby racoons. One was mostly white with light tan bands where you'd usually see black. It wasn't albino, but just very lightly colored. Nature does weird things. Maybe next time you can take a pic of it?


Here's a pic of one found in a New Mexico national park.

www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/nature/images/WHSA_bobcat-Doug-Burkett.jpg

[Opti]

Jul 4, 2020 20:22:22 GMT -5 sesfw said:

This area of AZ we get javelina and coyotes.  Once in a while a bobcat will come into the back for water.  About the only thing I chase out of the yard is a road runner.  They are looking for gecko lunch and I like my geckos.  All the birds disappear from the yard when our local friendly hawk comes by.

Desert wildlife is interesting

I like geckos too. 

[countrygirl2]

Saw a bob cat crossing the road down from us last year, never seen one before, pretty. I heard people were trying to kill them, how awful. they were close to a big turkey farm here.

Our problem is raccoons. My apple trees were loaded to the point I was going to have to pick them off. Apples weren't even half filled out, I guess  yesterday or night before, the damn coons stripped 95% of my apples off. I was going to have a bumper crop, I am not happy. Saw coon tracks allover the fabric in the garden but nothing bothered.  We are going to spray ammonia allover out there, from what I've read they don't like it.

We have coyotes, haven't seen any in awhile, nothing is keeping the deer or coons down out here. Awful

[teen persuasion]

We were visiting my parents today - as I'm parking the car in their driveway DH pointed out the deer in the yard next door. It calmly watched us, munched on the neighbor's bushes, not spooked at all (as they'd be in our rural area). They are bold in the 'burbs. A few minutes later it was settled down across the street in a shady spot near the sidewalk.

Apparently mom's neighborhood has had bear sightings in the last week, too.

Our local wildlife are a bit different. A month or so ago a fox tried to make off with one of our chickens. We heard the squawking, DH ran out and yelled, the fox dropped her. She was a bit injured but she's mostly recovered, a bit gimpy.

A few nights ago we were out roasting marshmallows in the fire pit and the chickens were wandering around the fringes of the back yard. A bunny bounced out of the treeline, spooked the chickens who skittered off, and the bunny got spooked too. It couldn't decide which way to turn - chickens, people, fire, oh my! It bolted off between the house and garage. Then another bunny came out, freaked by us and fire, but looking for something (mama?) and unsure where to go, too. They were immature rabbits, not babies, but not the full grown ones I'm used to seeing, either.

A previous summer when we were again at the fire pit, a big snapping turtle came towards us. He moved surprisingly fast. We don't have any water on our property, we could only assume he wandered in from the culvert a ways down the road, so DH took him back there.

[Tennesseer]

How often have folks seen a porcupine in their backyard?

I was once visiting my parents in Springfield, Mass.  They live in the suburban part of the city.  Behind and below their home was a dingle, a wooded area with a little brook.  

I was looking out the backyard picture window and saw their Siamese cat appear to slowly stalk something.  I looked ahead in the direction the cat was moving and saw an adult porcupine ambling across the lawn. 

I went outside and quietly scooped up the cat as he appeared to want to pounce on the porcupine.

After collecting the cat, the porcupine made its way down the hill into the dingle.

[Opti]

I might have seen one once. On one of the Saturday morning vet shows had a dog who went after a porcupine and got a quill stuck through his tongue. Good choice on scooping up the cat.

[Tennesseer]

Jul 5, 2020 9:21:49 GMT -5 Opti said:

I might have seen one once. On one of the Saturday morning vet shows had a dog who went after a porcupine and got a quill stuck through his tongue. Good choice on scooping up the cat.

Yea. The cat had zero idea what he might be up against.

[raeoflyte]

As a kid our dog got a nose full of quills. Thankfully she was smart and backed off after that.

Dh has treated dogs whose owners rescued them from being drug off from mountain lions. One was a golden retriever and the mountain lion almost had it over the 6 foot fence when the owner shot it. He shot his dog, but it was enough for the mountain lion to drop him and they did save him so it worked out.

We watch out for them when we hike and backpack especially with the kids, but we make a lot of noise which is usually a big enough deterrent.