Large cat!!

[lacrego]

I was just out at the coop in the dark and was charged by a very large cat! Scared the living **** outta me!! This is the girls second night out in that new coop. I need help figuring out what he was and what to do with him and my chickens! Looking at google images he looked EXACTLY like a lynx. My heart is still racing... What do I do?

 

[Mahonri]

Get a trap large enough to catch him!

SCARY!

Glad you are OK

Do you have a dog? I wouldn't walk out there in the dark anymore.

 

[Kevin565]

Have you already set a trap?

 

[TinTennessee]

Buy a gun!!!! & bullets !!!

 

[lacrego]

My boxer/mastiff mix was out there with me when it happened. Gun and bullets are handy now! I'm going to look into a trap tomorrow. Still too scared to even sleep now....

 

[ll]

what did your dog think of it?

 

[Ixyavi]

If you are in an area where you can fire a gun then I would not waste time. It's sad but a large wild cat with no fear of coming near humans is an accident waiting to happen.

But I guess it also kind of depends on what type of setting you live in.

 

[lacrego]

I live out on 40 acres in Montana. It was "Montana dark" outside and I had a headlamp on, I saw the eyes charge and bound at me out of the corner of my eye. At first I just thought it was another stray and told my dog to "get 'em" (she likes to chase the strays away). She started sniffing, the cat must of finally realized the dog because he turned around and jumped right on the fence post. My dog was sniffing like crazy, she could smell him but couldn't see him on the fence. I approached the fence to sho the stray away, when i got close enough to see him fully in the light I about peed myself! I got about 10-15 feet away from him I started to walk backwards, I wanted to keep the light on him and the dog took some convincing to follow me. But i'm glad the dog didn't find him, he could have done some damage!

 

[Extra Java]

That's scary. Thank goodness your dog was there. I'd hate to think of the outcome if the dog hadn't been there to distract it!

I'm glad you're alright. Do you think it was a mountain lion? We have those here. Mountain Lions are an ambush predator and some bicyclists and joggers here in CA have been killed.
A Mt. Lion won't eat anything it hasn't killed itself. It's helpful to know that they are "crepuscular" meaning...they prefer to hunt during twilight, dawn and dusk.

Here is how one fellow goat owner dealt with the situation...

*Warning graphic* as it does show what the MT. Lion did to the goat.

(Notice the time it returned to it's kill).

 

[clucky3255]

geepers that is scary.!!!where you from?