There are few things in the North American wilderness more terrifying than a mountain lion.
Also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers depending on what part of the country you’re located in, these elusive big cats are the ultimate stealth assassins. Their range is quite large, stretching all the way from the Canadian Yukon down through the western United States and deep into the southern Andes in South America. There is even have a highly protected, isolated population down in the Everglades, commonly known as Florida panthers (like the hockey team).
To put their sheer physical power into perspective, a full-grown tom can easily tip the scales at 180 pounds of pure muscle. Utilizing a massive, two-foot-long tail purely for balance, a mountain lion can sprint up to 50 miles per hour, leap 15 feet straight up into a tree, and cover 40 feet in a single horizontal bound… just physical freaks in every sense of the word.
Because they are strict ambush predators, they don’t typically run their meals down over long distances like a wolf pack. Instead, they use heavy brush and rocky terrain to stalk within a few feet of their target… usually deer, elk, or smaller mammals like raccoons… before exploding out of the shadows. They are often referred to as “ghost cats” by outdoorsmen because if you actually see one in the wild, it’s usually because it wants you to see it… meaning, it saw you first.
Typically, these apex predators want absolutely nothing to do with human beings, and attacks on people remain incredibly rare. They prefer to do the vast majority of their hunting under the cover of absolute darkness. But sometimes, a cat gets overly bold, or overly hungry, and wanders a little too close to the porch.
Case in point: this absolutely horrifying incident out of Alberta, Canada.
A local family learned exactly how terrifying these predators can be firsthand when a cougar wandered onto their property and savagely slaughtered their poor barn cat, Oreo. And then to make matters worse, it had the sheer audacity to show up at the back door, covered in blood, to seemingly taunt the homeowners.
The disturbing footage has gone viral once again, and it’s really the definition of pure nightmare fuel. What kind of completely unhinged animal brutally murders a family pet and then stares you down through the living room window? Savages.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials paid the traumatized family a visit to investigate., and noted that this brazen behavior is highly unusual for the species. While it is entirely possible the cat was just mesmerized by its own bloody reflection in the glass, it’s still a terrifying situation for any homeowner to deal with.
Jessica Low, the homeowner, said wildlife officials just told her to keep an eye on it… not exactly comforting, eh?
“They said it’s a young cougar — probably 18 months-ish based on size and some markings on its fur and that it was probably just after the barn cat. But it is a weird time of day for it to be out, so they kind of just told us to keep an eye on things and be safe.”
But the cougar wasn’t done yet… as if the daytime visit wasn’t frightening enough, the danger kitty came back later that night. Mountain lions are notorious for “caching” their kills, which basically means they will often drag a carcass into the heavy brush, bury it under dirt, leaves, or snow, and return for multiple days to feed on it. Wildlife officials suspect the cat was simply returning for Oreo’s remains, which it had left in the yard. However, with something as small as a house cat, it’s possible to feast on the carcass in one sitting.
Regardless of the reasoning, the cat’s behavior had fully terrified this Canadian family:
“It was banging its head on the window… I felt like I just stopped shaking. I was up the rest of the night, couldn’t sleep. It was terrifying. It just makes me more scared that this is an aggressive cat.”
Alberta Fish and Wildlife investigated the encounter and had attempted to capture the aggressive mountain lion, however it is believed that it fled the area. Officials used dogs to try and locate the cougar, but were unsuccessful. Traps were not set.
Low says she was worried about her young daughter:
“It’s just really scary to think that she could have easily been sitting out there.”
Rest in peace to Oreo the barn cat, and consider this your daily public service announcement to keep your head on a swivel out there. Mother Nature does not mess around.
