Big Cat Sightings

We have bears mostly north of Orlando, but a couple years ago one was running around in in the hood of pine hills. It had to of traveled a few miles on roads and thru yards to get to where it was. 

Seen pumas several times in Oregon, both in the Cascades and SW counties...   most recently 2 years ago.  The cat got a kill real close to our cabin, and the bears and ravens were fighting for scraps.  Eons ago my buddy Ray and I saw one near Dexter reservoir, got Ray so excited he started a conservancy group for them, rehabilitating estranged cats before finding them homes (sometimes pets gone wrong, sometimes a mother got shot and had cubs, etc).  But his neighbor that bred snakes didn't like it, so they sued each other out of existence...   

They kill one or 2 a year 'round here. When wildlife control shows up first they try to shoe it away. If it don't run they kill it. Apparently we have enough here that we won't run out

Got em up the road in Vt - Catamount's. Never seen one.

Beautiful creatures running out of habitat like all the rest. 

I believe catamount, cougar, puma and mountain lion - are different names for the same animal.

^^^^^True.

We get a sighting every few weeks. Personally I've only seen one once. I was heading to work as a baker at 2:00 AM - this was around 1977 - and suddenly a full-sized cougar leapt across the road just in front of my car with a lamb in its mouth, jumped a six foot fence like it was nothing, and disappeared into the brush' Pretty cool.

But not so good for little pets around the hood.

Puma (mt lion) paw print at the cabin

A Florida panther would be awesome.  They are so rare though- they estimate around 160 or so and the only ones you hear about seem to be hit by vehicles.  :(

I live in North central Mass. near the N.H. border . My wife was hiking a couple weeks ago , and came across a big bird being flushed out of tall grass by what she swears was a Mountain Lion . A big cat with a long tail - not a bobcat which we see from time to time . Of course ,  local fish and game claim they don't exist in the Northeast ... Lot's of reported sightings , but they are all downplayed by officials ... She knows what she saw !

In the late 90's, I lived just north of the Headwaters Forest on the southern outskirts of Eureka, California.  I had an 8 year old cat who loved to hunt mice.  He'd go out at night, and knock on my window to wake me up and let him back in.  One morning, I woke up and he hadn't come back.  After I got back from work, my neighbors and I were looking for him in the second growth redwood forest by our houses, when a young mountain lion jumped out from behind an old growth stump about 30-40 yards away, hissed at us, and took off down the hill, across a horse pasture and into Headwaters.  We never found my cat, and figured he had been killed by the mountain lion.  Another neighbor lost a dog around the same time.

Saw a pretty large (dragging tail) cat just yesterday out by Robertson bridge, the confluence of applegate and rogue rivers. Broad daylight walking up the middle of the road.

Saw a bobcat at the cabin up in Fairplay recently. Little, house cats are vicious. I can't imagine trying to wrestle with a big cat. Nightmare material, right there.

This was in Natomas recently the neighborhood near the Sacramento airport.

A guy I work with tried to raise some sheep in Grass Valley in a fairly residential neighborhood. Had them locked up tight at night. It took about a week before the cat took them out in the middle of the day. 

Little, house cats are vicious<<<

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-oVhu2fu20

>>>> Little, house cats are vicious.

whats all this? 

Does John k still tour with his cat?

Saw a bobcat a few weeks ago. Such a beautiful animal.

Griffith Park, Los Angeles 

I've seen more that my share of kitties in the wild. Here is a shot rom this past winter. It jumped up on the log to get off the cold snow and was listen for rodents beneath the crust. I have larger tack sharp versions. Thing fell asleep I swear. It's ears would twick when it heard movement under the snow.  

Great shot, astro!

Yeah! Amazing pic Frenchie! 

Bobcats are funny in that more often than not they are gone so fast you are not sure you actually saw them. But I have had plenty of experiences where they just stay put and they know you are there. Probably watched this one 20 minutes.. took 150 shots and then I left. Wish I could post the hi-res so you could see details. Shot with just a 200mm F2.8 which I don't consider a true wildlife lens with only that much reach. I was close. 

Just for accuracies sake Mountain Lions are not considered big cats.  Big cats like Lions and Tigers can’t purr.  Mountain Lions can.

..

It is actually the ability to roar that separates Panthera from Felidae.

Saw a mountain lion about 200 yards away while hiking by myself.  It's a much better story than it was to experience in person.  Have seen plenty of bears, but have never had the same fear as with being that close to a mountain lion off in a remote area.   As soon as I was out of sight, I walked as fast as I possibly could then broke into a jog after being certain I wasn't being followed.  Kept looking over my shoulder the whole time.

Have also seen two lynx that were re-introduced into Southwest Colorado.  One on the ski area in Telluride in the middle of winter and another that crossed the road in Ophir.

Are lynx big-cats? 

Its been mentioned that mountain lions are NOT big cats so your first story might not qualify. 

I thought tigers could purr. They're pretty big TIMMY :-P

Are lynx big-cats? 

Its been mentioned that mountain lions are NOT big cats so your first story might not qualify. <<<<

I believe lynx are generally the size of bobcats.   At first glance, the one I saw at the ski area (bottom of Little Rose trees) looked like a "cheshire dog" ... it was very surreal .

Call the mountain lion whatever you want, it's still a creature that immediately prompts respect (and if it doesn't, it should)

Google images of Lynx:

https://www.google.com/search?q=lynx&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUK...

Oh yeah the ears! They’re handsome and look big to me. 

>>>>>It is actually the ability to roar that separates Panthera from Felidae.

It’s actually the hyoid bone that separates them.  Big cats have an elastic like segment on theirs and small cats hyoid bones are hard all over.  Enabling big cats to roar but not purr and small cats to purr and not roar.

But of course, appreciate the clarification.

how’d you get all that big-cat knowledge there Hoover 

I was a San Diego zoo annual pass holder for years.  Took the kids a lot.  Also, I married a biologist.

here at work a few years back there was a mom bobcat with 2 cubs. they hid in the shrubs up against the building but would sleep in the large window sills of the 1st floor. you could be right next to them looking at them sleeping through the glass. they didn't give a shit. was really neat being able to be inches away from a bobcat.