So, some people on the island actually captured cougar photos! Can you see it? It’s near the upside-down kayak on the bulkhead.
I’ll crop it:
These are a little clearer (note the highlighted box in the 2nd pic):
They are blurry (pretty low-res—why do people post low-res pics?) (Aha! These two are from an outdoor webcam), but I think it’s quite clear what it is. This one was north of the bridge, so probably 6-8 miles from our place. Other sightings have been south of us just a little ways, like 2-3 miles tops. There may be two of them (or more?), or else this guy covers a lot of territory. Apparently cougars do.
Yikes.
Update: Another Harstine resident captured this on his outdoor webcam:
And here is one that was posted in a news blurb somewhere (not here!) that was a PET! 80+ lb. cougar as a PET? Apparently it’s on the way to a wild animal sanctuary, similar to the one here on the island. (Have to say, they sure are purdy…)
But still, yikes.
Then, speaking of wild animals. Holy weird, Batman. We heard thunder paws on the deck, which isn’t particularly unusual because Nikki especially is inclined to run full-tilt the length of the deck, just because. But this sounded like TWO animals, and my first thought was, “Is Nikki chasing Wylie?” Nikki came flying through the window in our bedroom (floor level) and continued flying into the bowels of the house. I went into the bedroom and here was a calico cat with a collar standing on the window sill glaring at me, hissing and spitting. WTF?! I chased her off and figured that was that.
A short time later, here is the calico inside the house chasing both Nikki and Wylie down the hall, into the studio, back down the hall, into the closet and bedroom! It was a spitting/hissing three-cat circus! This strange cat* was bold. Frighteningly so. John and I finally corralled her in the living room to try to get her out of the house through the deck doors and she actually lunged at John, making him take a couple of steps back. She hissed and spit and lunged again! We finally herded her out the deck doors and closed everything up—the window, pet door, deck doors. Luckily we were able to get OUR cats inside, but we decided to keep them locked up for a day or two. Sure enough, calico cat came back and John had had it, so he squirted the hose at her, which she did not like at all. We saw her once after that and all John had to do was pick up the hose and threaten her with it. Then she was gone.
*I’ve seen her before, last summer I think. She was sleeping on the deck sofa. She must belong to somebody, what with the collar, but we don’t know anybody else along our little beach community who owns a cat except for one cool orange cat named Skipper. Did you know that 99% of calicos are female? It has to do with the X chromosome. I read up on it, and it’s pretty technical, but interesting. Still, her aggression and boldness was upsetting! (And yes, she was quite pretty. Except while baring her teeth).
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