Sunday, March 21, 2010

Hello, Kitty!

Last winter, the Bag Lady happened to meet up with one of her neighbours, and stopped to chat. The neighbour told her about a visitor she had in her yard. Apparently, she looked out her basement window one evening and something was looking back at her! After the woman recovered her wits, she had the presence of mind to run and get the camera.




The next morning, the cougar was back. It wandered around in the yard, then headed up the driveway.


And back under the deck!




The Bag Lady recently ran into her neighbour again, and the neighbour kindly offered to loan these pictures to her so she could share them with you.

As far as the Bag Lady understands it, the cougar had a companion (mate? almost-adult offspring?) and her neighbour saw them several times. They seemed to enjoy the cave-like atmosphere under the deck. Eventually, the cougars were *ahem* encouraged to re-locate.

23 comments:

solarity said...

[speechless]!!!

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Amy Mullis said...

Um, a ferret followed me home from the mailbox once, but somehow it just doesn't seem as exciting now.

Sagan said...

Holy *(&! That would be simultaneously amazing and terrifying. I've always thought that cougars are one of the most beautiful animals in the world... and they're also one of those things that I'll be thinking about and PRAYING I don't run into during the summer when I go back-country camping, heh. I think I'd rather run into a bear than a cougar.

Those are fantastic pictures your friend took!

the Bag Lady said...

Mary Anne in Kentucky - that's sorta how I felt the first time I saw the pictures!

Amy - I dunno, ferrets can be pretty ferocious, can't they?
:)

Sagan - I would rather not run into either in the back country! In fact, I'd rather not run into them in the front country, either! I agree about the pictures being great! I'm so glad she loaned them to me!

Leah J. Utas said...

Wonderful. I'd love to see a cougar in the wild.

the Bag Lady said...

I would too, cousin. As long as it was in the wild and I was in a vehicle... or a house.... or somewhere else with something between me and the cougar!! :)

We did have a couple of bobcats in our yard once, which was quite thrilling, but they were far enough away that I didn't get pictures. Sigh

Hilary said...

What a beautiful creature. I'd love to see one but not in the way that my raccoon dropped in. Maybe I should just enjoy these photos instead. Thanks for sharing them. And thanks to your friend too.

David Cranmer said...

Yeah, that would freak the you know what outta me.

Wow photos!

carla said...

see? ive been in the city too long.
I read the word COUGAR and think an entirely different thing...

the Bag Lady said...

Hilary - I am really glad she loaned them to me, too! It gave me shivers when I saw the first photo the first time!

David - Me, too! I don't know for sure what the neigbours' response was.... :)

Carla - those city cougars are probably more dangerous.... in their own way!

JavaChick said...

Beautiful but terrifying at the same time.

the Bag Lady said...

JavaChick - exactly!!

Terrie Farley Moran said...

Fascinating!

Geosomin said...

Wow...I'd be really nervous with a big cat like that about...

Clare2e said...

What else but WOW?! Dangerously gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

Holy Toledo!! The shock of those eyes staring at me in that first photo! They are beautiful creatures but I never want to meet one in person like that.
I should have guessed that you weren't referring to the cute little cartoon, but I admit your title threw me off, so I was extra-surprised by the photographs.
Please thank your neighbor for me, for sharing the pictures.

Anonymous said...

I have to ask... how does one encourage a cougar to relocate?

Missicat said...

EEEEKKKKK!!! Great pics! I used to be excited as a kid when raccoons would come up on the back porch to eat the cat food.

messymimi said...

All that follows us home is kittens and stray children.

Beautiful and a bit scary.

Reb said...

Beautiful! I hope they have since enclosed the space under the porch?

Levi said...

Who crawled under the deck to take the cougar's photo? Or does your neighbor have cameras (or CRAMras as Hannah refers to them) all over?

Nice kitty though.

the Bag Lady said...

dfTerrie - thanks!

Geo - a lot of people were nervous about those cats.....

Clare - they are gorgeous, aren't they?

kcinnova - to be totally honest, I'm not sure how they got rid of the cats.... I like to think they just talked some sense into them!

Missicat - we don't have racoons this far north, so we have to make do with cougars! :)

Messymimi - I'm pretty sure I'd rather have a stray kitten follow me home than one of these big cats!!

Reb - I hope so, too!

POD - I think she took the pictures of the cats under the deck from the safety of her basement.

Redbush said...

I haven't forgotten that picture of the cougar since I last saw it, Bag Lady! That was just too close for comfort. I'm thinking Bonzi or any one of us could be lunch in a situation like that! Wat great shots!