OMG!!! First Game Cam pic ever. Huge Funny thread

[chicknjane]

Quote:
Mountain Lions and Cougars are the exact same animal. Did you mean to put the dimensions of a different type of cat?

I think comparing dimensions is a great idea. Don't forget about the paw prints!

You know, I now that you mention it, I vaguely remember learning that oh about 30 years ago. I'm just glad no one can see my red face.

 

[Catstar68]

I still think it's a mountain lion. A juvenile since it's a bit on the small side. The angle of the head is slightly away from the camera so the head looks less angular although immature MLs may have rounder features than adults. The ears may look pointier but, again, I think it is the angle of the camera and the ears look perked forward so the rounder ears may appear pointier from a side view. The tail I believe may look short because it is curved away from the camera and hidden by the caudal top half of the tail.
Although ML kittens stay with the mother for 1-1.5 years this one could have lost it's mother or have wandered off to explore on it's own. The spots and striping that kittens have generally fade by 1 year of age so the faint striping some say they see may be further evidence that this is indeed a youngster.
MLs breed all year long but the highest percentage of kittens is recorded to be in the fall. If this is an early Fall-born kitten then it would put him/her at the right age to be on it's own (perhaps a bit early but we never know what happened to Mom), to have that size (not full grown yet), to have faint kitten marks and to be looking for new territory.
That's my 2 pennies.

 

[robbdebbie]

I was at the Zoo today, and had to take a picture of the moutain lion. If you can see the kinda flabby tummy? Anyways, I think they are one in the same.

 

[Catstar68]

That is one well fed kitty!

 

[horsejody]

I think it'a bobcat.

 

[Wifezilla]

Bobcat. It is about 2-3 times the size of Mr. Domestic Kitty in photo 2.

 

[racuda]

It is a domestic house cat, maybe the same one as in the daytime shot.

First, I scaled both images so that they are the some relative size, and adjusted the distortion so they they match each other. I also enhanced the contrast. Then I adjusted the angle of the "mystery cat" from a full profile view to a 3/4 view to match the yellow tabby. I colorized the B&W cat image, and overlayed it on the daytime photo.

After these adjustments notice how similar the heads are, and how the body lengths are about the same.

 

[spectrumranch]

What an interesting topic, I have been hoping you would get more photos of the mystery cat.

We have Mountian Lions, Bobcats and domestic cats.

My first impression was it is a domestic cat. It appears to be a little closer in the photo then the pic during the day of the house cat.

I do not think it is a Mountian Lion or a young Mountian Lion. Most young ML are slimmer built. Even though the cat in the photo is hunched up & legs close together, a young ML should be longer bodied. The legs should also appear thicker if it is a mountian lion.

Here is a friend with one of our young Mountian Lions- for body comparison:

Comparing the weeds in front of the cats in both original photos- I still think house cat, just a big one and sort of an optical illusion because the night photo makes it stand out more and the cat is closer and angled different in it.

JMO- Randy

 

[beefy]

cool Felis concolor!


how about tossing an adirondack chair in there for comparion. lol.

 

[emys]

This post has taken on a dimension all its own. How funny. I have to change the title!

Anyhow, no new photos - nothing moving out there the past 2 nights. (I do know for certain it wasn't my cat - he is 19yrs old and never allowed out at night-doesn't even try.)