I think I just saw a puma here in western Pa.

[rhino47]

I was just driving home from the local coffee shop with my daughter.This huge cat (a bit bigger then a large golden retriever) jumped the whole way across the road.It was a fawn color.However it`s tail didnt seem more then maybe 18 inches long ( I am do not approximate well).
It stop and froze for like three seconds then ran off.I live in western Pa and in an area that lies next to a state park.However where I live is not sparsely populated.Is this a puma with a tail cut or some kind of other cat?Could this be an escaped cat of some sort?
If it is a puma is there anyone to call to report this.I do not want some redneck taking a shot at it.The thought of it coming to harm distresses me.

[Bunny]

1. Holy crap that's wild!

Could it have been a bobcat? We have them here. Here's the PA Game Commission page on bobcats:

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?A=469&QUESTION_ID=150293

[rhino47]

3. I totally discounted bobcat because of its size.

I actually had the sad experience of seeing a bobcat that someone hit with a car.The cat I saw tonight had more of a fawn colored coat and around the face it was smooth.Do you think it is possible maybe deer park ( petting zoo YUCK) had a lion or something get loose?

[Bunny]

5. Well, anything's possible. Maybe a petting zoo critter got loose.

Or maybe someone had an exotic pet that got loose, or they released because they didn't want it anymore? Still, that must have been pretty freaky!

[Critters2]

2. Cool. I once sa w a cougar drinking from a creek here in N. Central Illinois

I was working at a camp at the time, and took an early morning hike before the campers were awake. There, at the point where the trail crossed a creek, was a cougar taking a drink. I stopped a bit up trail and just watched. Beautiful!! He finished drinking and headed off into the woods. I know it was a cougar (wildcat, panther, mountain lion--pick a term), but couldn't get anyone to believe me. A few weeks later, a cougar crossed the same path in front of a whole group of kids and counselors.

That was 20 years ago. Now, they're a fairly common sight in rural areas around here.

Aren't they magnificent?!

[rhino47]

4. Whatever I saw totally gobsmacked me.

I just hit the brakes ( I was only going like 5 miles an hour ) and expected it was a large dog.
When it turned I noticed it was a cat.I can not imagine how cool it would be to see one like you have.I am still thinking perhaps it was a pet or belonged to a zoo.Where I saw it was too populated I think for a wild animal.

[madrchsod]

12. where in north central illinois?

that`s where i live..

[Patiod]

6. That was no Puma - it was a Nittany Lion

On a serious note, about 5 years ago, my SO's mother, who lives in a row house in the city of Philadelphia, called him and said there was a puma in her backyard. We figured that after 65 years, she had just started drinking. Damned if the next day, there weren't reports on the news about a "big cat" in the city. Some golfers saw it on a city course right next to his mother's house.

Maybe the mountain lions are coming back...

[achtung_circus]

7. Info

The map below presents all confirmations documented by the Cougar Network to date. It provides an excellent illustration of the increasing phenomenon of verified cougar presence in the eastern half of North America. Click on the map below to expand.



http://easterncougarnet.org/bigpicture.html

Conclusions to Date

Western cougar populations have been increasing since the 1960s, largely due to increased legal protection for the cats and to the growth and expansion of prey populations. Dr. Maurice Hornocker, a prominent cougar expert, was recently quoted as saying "There may now be more mountain lions in the West than there were before European settlement." The evidence that the Cougar Network has collected to date suggests that the species is beginning to re-colonize several of the adjacent prairie states, and possibly even some of the Midwestern and Southeastern states as well. The origin of cougars found further east is less clear. Detailed analysis and documentation for all of these events can be obtained from our Confirmations page.

[SPKrazy]

8. Probably Did

there are Puma all over North America

they are usually pretty hard to find, but they've been known to come around areas where people can see them. I've not seen one, but I know several people that have seen them in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

[lost-in-nj]

9. We had a cougar here in northern NJ

along with a few coyotes.
I wonder if they were pets someone let loose after the animals got to big and nasty.
Did you report it?
I remember listening to my police radio one night while they were chasing
one of the coyotes. It was hysterical.
lost

[tinfoilinfor2005]

10. The dreaded puma.

Wasn't that a Smother's Brother's skit at one time?

[greendog]

11. Several years ago I encountered a cougar while hiking...

...in some open space just south of Eldorado Springs, CO.

I noticed something moving about 1/8 of a mile ahead of me. At the moment I figured out what it was it saw me and stopped! We looked at each other for a few seconds and it took off in a slow run toward the foothills.

Beautiful animal.

Here in northern Montana we have cougars, bobcats, and lynx but I've never seen any of them. I have, however, seen griz and wolves!

[Dean Martin]

13. I see a half dozen or so every summer in Indiana

.....at an exotic feline rescue center, along with several tigers and African lions!
In fact, they've made news in the state last week, as one of their female cougars has climbed her 18 foot fence and escaped. They are sure she's still on the grounds. The entire grounds are also fenced in. Her brother stayed behind, I guess he was the smart one, knowing where his food is coming from! I really hope they find her safe. It's been over a week now and I get more concerned as each day passes and she's not found.

Oh, btw, they told me cougar and puma are really the only proper terms for these cats. They're not really lions, so they're not mountain lions. Panthera is a scientific term that actually refers to tigers, and possibly all large cats, so they're not panthers, specifically. Just a little boring cat knowledge.