Talk about a bummer for the cats & dogs!

This really stinks! First rabies, now cougars...what's next??? I got a call on Friday from my neighbor. One of the heifers(that would be a cow ) died of rabies. All of the cats & dogs have their vaccs, but I am still worried(I wouldn't be a good mommy if I wasn't). Then, I got a call from the neighbor today. There is definately a cougar in the pasture/slew. There are tracks & they have lost one heifers or calf every night for the past couple of days. the cougar got brave enough to kill a heifer during the daylight hours today. S/He was spotted by the elderly neighbor(the guy's about 90 years old)chasing the cows. Of course, the neighbor won't shoot it. He wants it trapped & rehomed somewhere safe.

Now, our dogs are often walked through the pasture(with us). It's so peaceful out there. We can't go through the pasture anymore. The outside kitties have to be watched super close. I was getting to where I would let them spend time outside unsupervised. They're too lazy to go anywhere. I'd set a pan of food out & leave them sunning on the deck. I could come back hours later & they are still there, in the same spots. I don't even trust them to be safe to do that much anymore. They spend most of their time in the garage staring out the windows. One dog will stay with us no matter what, but the other dog always did patrols where every once in a while she would wander out of sight. The dog that wanders out of sight now has to be let out in a kennel or on a cable. We used to walk around the yard without leashes on, but I now leash both dogs everytime we walk out the door, just to be safe.

This really is unsettling for the people in your area, Natalie. Of course, you're an excellent Mommy to be concerned and so smart to be taking these precautions.

I am so glad that you are so wonderful to take such precautions for your babies. What a wonderful mommy you are! Even though the poor animals don't like the new changes, they are for their own good, and hopefully temporary. But good luck with all of that, and congratulations on the great parenting skills!

I think a couple of the other neighbor's are shutting all of their cats & dogs inside, too. The one neighbor has ferals though, that she can't catch. I hope they are all OK. I said a little prayer for them.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I think a couple of the other neighbor's are shutting all of their cats & dogs inside, too. The one neighbor has ferals though, that she can't catch. I hope they are all OK. I said a little prayer for them.

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Oh my gosh Natalie! There are cougars back home now? Where the heck did they come from?!
Thats really scary!

Wow-that is scary!! Your taking some great precautions as I would do the same. I would be terrified to even go out doors!!

Originally Posted by babyharley

Oh my gosh Natalie! There are cougars back home now? Where the heck did they come from?!
Thats really scary!

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There's been cougars for awhile now. They've never been this close to me, though. Your parents like in town, right? I live in the country, so it isn't that unsual....it still stinks. It scares me to think that this giant cat could eat my babies..... I hope it will stick to cows!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

There's been cougars for awhile now. They've never been this close to me, though. Your parents like in town, right? I live in the country, so it isn't that unsual....it still stinks. It scares me to think that this giant cat could eat my babies.....

I hope it will stick to cows!

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Yup, they live in town - but still, thats so scary!

We camp year round @ Flying Goose in Fairmont - I dont want that thing wandering our way!

I hope all will be okay at your house with the cougars etc. I live out in the country and we have bobcats.

Keep them in Minnesota!!!! Actually the problem in this area is about 30-60 miles north of Green Bay closer to the Michigan border there have been lots of wolves spotted-even during the early evening hours. My one SIL won't take walks outside due to this. Plus more black bears have been reported in the news lately too.

The cougars should NOT be shot, they should be left alone. That is THEIR home. Yes, no one wants their pet to become a meal for larger prey. That is why your cats should not be allowed to roam free. Maybe you can build an outdoor enclosure for them so they can still enjoy the outdoors in saftey We humans MUST realize that WE are encroaching on wild animal's territory. We have to take precautions to keep our pets/kids safe, but that does not include killing the wild animals. They have no where else to go, since we humans don't care what we do to the land. I am proud of your neighbor for not wanting to shoot that cougar.

Cougars are moving into a lot of places where they had been pushed out of previously. There were sitings of them in my old neighborhood, and we actually found a deer carcass in the back of our property that had obviously been killed by a large cat.

Frankly, I was a bit unsettled for a while but didn't go out walking the woods unless the dogs were with me. A cougar is not going to take on 2 large dogs and a person when there is plenty of other things to eat (like deer). And feral cats are just to small to be worth the bother.

I was very happy to see that cougars were reclaiming their lost territory. This is their home first and foremost and we are encroaching on their territory.

Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat

The cougars should NOT be shot, they should be left alone. That is THEIR home. Yes, no one wants their pet to become a meal for larger prey. That is why your cats should not be allowed to roam free. Maybe you can build an outdoor enclosure for them so they can still enjoy the outdoors in saftey

We humans MUST realize that WE are encroaching on wild animal's territory. We have to take precautions to keep our pets/kids safe, but that does not include killing the wild animals. They have no where else to go, since we humans don't care what we do to the land. I am proud of your neighbor for not wanting to shoot that cougar.

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DItto that ...

I remember being 8-9 and having a friend get upset a mtn lion aka cougar was in her backyard .... she lived on a mtn... duhh

You can't blame a cougar for people building houses on their territory.

Originally Posted by AmberThe Bobcat

The cougars should NOT be shot, they should be left alone. That is THEIR home. Yes, no one wants their pet to become a meal for larger prey. That is why your cats should not be allowed to roam free. Maybe you can build an outdoor enclosure for them so they can still enjoy the outdoors in saftey

We humans MUST realize that WE are encroaching on wild animal's territory. We have to take precautions to keep our pets/kids safe, but that does not include killing the wild animals. They have no where else to go, since we humans don't care what we do to the land. I am proud of your neighbor for not wanting to shoot that cougar.

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I would really like to see the cougar trapped & moved to somewhere else safer(where, I don't know). I am sure a couple of my neighbor's itching to shoot it & are shining up their guns. As far as an enclosure for the cats....I'm working on that. We're still paying off some vet bills, so it has to wait. The theory is that this cougar was chased out of another area after being shot at. S/He deserves somewhere safe to live in peace.

Keep your fingers crossed the DNR will be willing to trap this cougar & find it somewhere else to live. If not, legally, the farmers can shoot it for killing livestock. Stupid laws.....

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I would really like to see the cougar trapped & moved to somewhere else safer(where, I don't know). I am sure a couple of my neighbor's itching to shoot it & are shining up their guns. As far as an enclosure for the cats....I'm working on that. We're still paying off some vet bills, so it has to wait. The theory is that this cougar was chased out of another area after being shot at. S/He deserves somewhere safe to live in peace.

Keep your fingers crossed the DNR will be willing to trap this cougar & find it somewhere else to live. If not, legally, the farmers can shoot it for killing livestock. Stupid laws.....

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In theory, this is a good idea, to relocate the cat. In reality, there is NO such place. We humans have made sure of that. Uncontrolled developement, all for the almighty stupid dollar, will see to it that no more land exists for these animals. That is why allowing private ownership of exotic cats is so very important. This will be the only place where you will be able to see these wonderful creatures. I hate it, no matter where I go, it seems like an ugly Wal-Mart or some other ugly big box store is going up somehwere. Here is a good idea. Lets start relocating HUMANS back to the city. I have another idea, but most people will not like it. It's called controlled population growth. We have enough people as it is and our natural resources are being used up at an ever increasing rate. If we don't start controlling the human population growth, the earth will see to it that the human population ends. I didn't intend to sound so bleak and depressing, I am not really like that Just trying to point out a few things.

I hope all of your babies are okay. We have coyotes, bobcats, and now that the government decided to turn loose wolves we have them as well in my part of Kentucky. I like all of these animals but the problem comes when they meet with our livestock I might be wrong for saying so but farms have a responsiblity to their livestock as well as to the cougars. And if you were a farmer you would understand how hard it is to stamp out a living nowadays. We have a huge problem with beavers here they cause our bottom lands to get flooded by building dams and we try to coexist but sometimes its hard to do. And the coyotes in two days they stole 30 of my chickens which were not running loose at night time. My cat thankfully is stricktly inside. But I have outside farm dogs in a fenced in yard. And we have to watch for their safety. Its easy to say its their home too but when you are loosing livestock left and right its hard to think about it being their home. And any good farmer truly cares about the well being of his livestock and the wildlife and its really hard to meet a middle ground sometimes. I have never shot anything but a stray dog that appeared to have rabies and that time I had no other choice but I have fired into the air to scare off coyotes and there was one time that I thought I was going to have to shoot one because it was after one of my dogs. I don't think the cougar should have to be shot unless it comes down to a no other solution but they do have to be respected as large predators with the possiblity of seriously damaging these poor farmers livelyhoods. Please don't bite my head off but I think like a farmer I have been a farmer since I was born. And as much as I love these wonderful big cats I love my livestock too. And if I was in the mans postion I would have fired shots into the air to scare off the cougar.

If I sounded all against the cougar I am not. I am just trying to show the farmers feelings. When you watch one of your cows get mauled and dragged off by a wolf you feel helpless especially when you aren't were you can scare one off. I hate shooting anything. Unless its for safety and a last resort. I actually have mixed feelings its hard being a farmer and believing all wild animals have a place in this world. I think they all have a purpose and one of the biggest reasons for going after our livestock is the lack of natural food. And the ease at which to catch livestock. Most farmers that are worth there salt try and preserve their land because they know if they don't there won't be any future for their kids and grandkids. I really hope this cougar isn't shot but I feel bad for the farmer's cows because I have a soft spot for cows.

I have no problems with the farmers, I understand their positions. My mom lived on a farm and I live out in farm country. If a farmer has problems with a cougar, yes, it should be moved instead of being destroyed if at all possible. My problem is with all the developments you see going in everywhere. People want to live in the "country", but don't want to deal with all those wild animals and they try to change it to fit their needs. My feeling is this. If you decide you want to live in the country, you deal with the wildlife and do not kill it because your subdivision is now on their land. If you have children and or pets and are concerned for their safety, you fence in your yard and keep your pets safely indoors or by/build a kennel. That way, you do not have to destroy the wildlife and your family is safe. If you do not want to take these precautions, then you should live in the city where the REAL DANGEROUS wildlife is, the people