A big cat sighting

My wife, Wendy, saw a cougar last week.

Or she viewed a mountain lion, if you prefer.

I was within range of seeing it, too, but I didn’t get to lay eyes on it.

Here’s a description of the situation.

I was sitting on the big swing on the front porch at our place in the forest high above the Big Piney River west of Houston, and Wendy was standing nearby in front of the door. Suddenly, she pointed toward our lengthy driveway that meanders through the woods and said, “oh wow, there’s a bobcat!”

It wasn’t a bobcat – more on that later.

My view of where Wendy was pointing was blocked by a tree, so I moved in hopes of getting a glimpse of the big cat. But by the time I had a better angle, it had gone into the forest next to the driveway.

I said, “I’m going to get my camera” and briefly went into the house.

While I was coming back out, I could hear Wendy saying something like, “there it is again!”

She was looking south into a heavily forested area. By her description, the cat was apparently standing on a downed tree staring at her, and then took off bounding through the woods, taking huge strides as it hurried to move away from where human eyes could see it.

Just like a few moments earlier, by the time I reached the spot where Wendy had seen the animal gliding away (as only a big cat can), it was out of sight, having made it to where the land drops off a bit into a ravine.

Wendy was like, “wow, that was amazing!”

Based on her description of the way the animal was moving, I asked a question or two about it. Wendy said it had dark coloration around its eyes, was a tan color and was very large (she sort of put her hand above the ground at about its height).

I was like, “That was no bobcat. I’m glad you got to see it.”

And I wasn’t kidding, even though I was also sort of disappointed by how I missed out.

The incident marked the third time we’ve seen a cougar in the seven or so years since moving to where we now live. Wendy saw one about six years back, and I saw one about four years ago.

My sighting occurred when I was driving home and came to a corner on the gravel road and witnessed a big cougar leap from a grassy area in front of an abandoned house into the adjacent woods. It was like it happened in slow motion; I stopped the truck and spent about a minute almost paralyzed by total amazement.

Mature cougars range from four to eight feet in length. The one Wendy saw was probably about in the middle of that, and I’d say the ones we saw before were about the same size.

For the record, the Missouri Department of Conservation has confirmed numerous cougar encounters since they’ve been documenting them, averaging eight a year since the mid-2000s. MDC officials say that genetic samples obtained from some animals that have passed through the Show Me State indicate that many are young males coming from western states. On the MDC website is the statement that there is (so far) “no evidence of mountain lions establishing a breeding population within our state.”

As I’ve written before, I find that difficult to believe. I also have heard more than one person talk about how they had seen “cubs and a mom” on their property.

Also, on the MDC website (in the “field guide” section), cougars’ habitats are listed as caves, forests, woodlands, glades, dry rocky areas, prairies, meadows, rivers and streams, wetlands, marshes and bottomlands. In other words, pretty much anywhere. And that list includes a whole lot of environments that can be found in Missouri. Kind of makes you wonder why none of them would want to call Missouri home, right?

A cougar’s diet is described with one word: Meat. That comes as no surprise.

Interestingly, when Wendy first saw the big cat, it was standing only a few feet away from a tree where we have a “Cougar Crossing” sign mounted. Maybe this kitty could read, right?

Of course, I have a special liking for cougars since I’m a graduate of Washington State University (once a Coug, always a Coug).

Anyway, Wendy and I kind of wonder if the cat she saw was the same one we observed in our other sightings. They are known to be pretty territorial, so I’d say there’s a strong chance we’re repeatedly viewing our “neighborhood cougar.”

But who knows? It could be three different animals.

Whatever the case, seeing one of these big cats certainly results in mixed feelings – a bit of fear, but a lot of excitement, respect and admiration.