Scottsdale Wildcats!!

Photo u.arizona.edu

My neighbors thought I was crazy when I came home from walking my dog with tales of having seen a mountain lion.  Everyone thought, "Surely, she doesn't know the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion."  The tail was the first clue -- long and large.  She jumped onto a six-foot fence and into a back yard like my cat jumps onto the counter.  (They can jump 20 feet in height.)  She was small, maybe 70 pounds, and a plain camel color.  She had no furry jowls or tufts on her ears like the cats in this blog pictured 2/28 and 5/21.  Our neighborhood has washes running through it that connect directly to the desert of the McDowell Mountains, perfect terrain for these beautiful animals.  Even though I had two eye witnesses with me, the skepticism continued.  Since that day, many sightings have been recorded in the Scottsdale Ranch area.  The good news is cougars usually avoid humans.  If you encounter one, do not turn and run, as that may trigger a chase instinct.  Stand tall, extend your arms and open your coat (on the rare event you wear a coat), kick rocks at it.  Throw anything you don't have to crouch down to get such as a water bottle.  Don't bother to call the police unless the mountain lion is posing a threat, as cougars have a right to live here, too.