Danger kitty living up to its frightening reputation.
Mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers, depending on where you are located are one of the most widespread and adaptable big cats in the Americas. Their range stretches from the Yukon, up in northern Canada, all the way down through the western United States into the southern Andes in South America. A small population can be found in Florida, commonly known as Florida panthers.
Adult males can weigh between 100 and 180 pounds, with females generally smaller. Their lean, muscular bodies, long tails, and powerful hind legs make them exceptional hunters capable of sprinting and leaping great distances.
These solitary and elusive cats are an apex predator in many North American ecosystems, hunting deer, elk, and smaller mammals like raccoons and rabbits. They're ambush predators, using stealth and cover to stalk their prey in close before making a quick and lethal pounce. Despite their ferocious nature, mountain lions will usually avoid human contact whenever possible, and attacks are very rare.
Although cougars are primarily nocturnal, and it's rather uncommon to run into one, encounters with mountain lions can be pretty damn frightening. This Alberta, Canada, family learned that firsthand when one attacked their barn cat, Oreo, and then showed up at the back door looking for more.
Disturbing footage was shared via the popular wildlife account Nature Is Metal, but be warned, the footage is not for the faint of heart, especially if you're a cat lover:
Man, absolutely psychotic behavior from that mountain lion. I mean, what kind of sick SOB murders a family pet and then shows up at the house to taunt the family? Just awful...
Officials from Alberta Fish and Wildlife paid a visit to the house, and reportedly told the homeowners that this kind of behavior from a mountain lion is rather unusual, but it's possible the cat saw its own reflection in the door:
"They said it's a young cougar -- probably 18 months-ish based on size and some markings on its fur and that it was probably just after the barn cat. But it is a weird time of day for it to be out, so they kind of just told us to keep an eye on things and be safe."
Frightening stuff, eh?
But it gets worse... the cougar came BACK to the house later that evening. Wildlife officials suspect it returned for the cat carcass, which it left in the yard. That wouldn't be all that uncommon for a mountain lion to do, however, showing up to stare into the door again, seemingly unafraid of people, is definitely rare.
The family was terrified:
"It was banging its head on the window... I felt like I just stopped shaking. I was up the rest of the night, couldn't sleep. It was terrifying. It just makes me more scared that this is an aggressive cat."
Alberta Fish and Wildlife are investigating the incident.