Cougar In The Neighborhood

[jonnyschicks]

We have a cougar in the hood my friends at the end of the road lost two goats to the cat last night..

so we are on the hunt for a kitty!!!!!! my coop and pen is secure but a cougar might put my work to the test.. hope we can get it before it gets something else....

 

[CMV]

Yikes! Good luck.

 

[desertdarlene]

We have them near me, too.

Just a word of caution, though. If you are going to kill the cat, make sure you're following all laws regarding such. We had a man in our county who was arrested for killing two cougars of which one of the ones he killed was done so in a suspicious way (apparently the cat went up a tree and was shot there). In our area, you can kill cougars who are threatening humans or livestock/poultry (but, not just for being in the area), but otherwise would get you into big trouble if you can't prove it was threatening you at the time.

I don't know how it is where you live.

 

[WillieBoy]

Losing two goats to a predator is pretty bad for one night.Knowing the big cats around and killing
livestock, i'd prepare to hunt too !! Can you set up a game cam, for extra eyes...?
If i saw the beast around my property/coop i'd SSS, just to keep my birds safe, and to avoid any problems with the law..

 

[Brody's Broodello]

OMG! That is a huge kitty problem.

 

[CMV]

I've got to tell you guys, I have just about every predator there is, tromping through my backyard. I don't have big cats, though. And I am so thankful for that. I would be terrified to leave my house after dark... and I am not a coward by any stretch of the imagination.

How do you manage? Electric fences? Dogs the size of Land Rovers? I am curious.

 

[Ibicella]

Quote:
I'd rather have a cougar than a bear, personally!

And yes, all of the above is your best bet when you live in lion territory.

In general, just good common sense is the way to go. Build enclosures well, lock up before dusk, keep food picked up, stay alert, and don't go near underbrush, rock ledges, or other places a cougar can hide.

Your livestock, pets, and children have more to worry about than you do. A mountain lion would much rather have a goat or a few chickens than a human.

 

[jendodd]

Cougars are WAY scarier than Bears!!! We have both prowling our city during the year and the big cat is something that I never want to see ever..... bears on the other hand we see quite often!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Couger have been known to hunt humans; black bears do not; polar bears will, along with the occcasional grizzley.

 

[Ibicella]

I disagree on that! Bears scare the **** outta me!

Plus it's a LOT easier to cougar proof a coop than bear proof one. I HATE the fact that bears will just happily shred through anything and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage for a meal.

Cougars at least would rather not do that.