So we sat, in tick infested grass listening to the Deputy ask people to take a few pictures and move off because we didn't want to scare the cat any further. But I was a Game Warden's daughter, waiting for my Game Warden friend to get there - so I pretended he wasn't talking to me. Pretty soon Matt and Casey and their 4-year-old (bait) daughter showed up and Casey and I sat in the tick infested grass until I decided I must have my camera so I ran back home.
After another Game Warden friend and 2 biologists arrived and after much discussion, they decided the cat was a very young one and mama was still probably near. Their only options were to dart it and take it to a zoo (booooo), destroy it (BOOOOOOOO!), or leave it alone and hope it would come down during the night and leave the area. They knew that if they tranquilized it and relocated it that it would most likely be killed by a larger male.
We had left earlier but Casey reported that the announcement was made to the crowd as to the options and that the that they had decided to leave the cat alone for the night and see if it would go away. Our wonderful Hidden Springs residents cheered! I was really happy to hear that and hope that this morning he/she has moved away.
It was an awesome way to spend 3 hours on a Sunday and I love the fact that we had the opportunity to see this beautiful animal.
9 comments:
Matt said he had a phone message at 0745 that the little kitty had come down out of the tree and wasn't visible anywhere in the area. Lets hope that means he skedaddled for the hills and found his mama!
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I am so glad they made that decision. I'm proud of you guys.
We stopped by and it was good to see so many people there ---who cared and weren't just lookie-loos. The residents of Hidden Springs are aware of and care about the wildlife, both furry and feathered. I love living here !
Marvelous pictures, Jod ! Thanks for sharing !
Tell me you did NOT have to pick ticks off of yourselves afterward.
What a wonderful story, Jodi - and I am so glad your neighborhood was rooting for the cat. I'm sure the cat was glad, too. YAAAAAYYYYYY!
Great photos, sis! I'm so glad they decided to leave him alone so he could come down and reconnect with his mama. He was probably way more scared of all of you than anyone was of him!
Well that is what happens when you build homes on land that they hunt and live on. That is always the price you pay to live out in the country setting. I would have to say that if you have small children, they need to be told to stay away from the wild animals.
Anonymous, this is exactly why I live in Hidden Springs. No sirens, just coyotes, bears and the sounds of birds and other critters. I'll take that over city living any day!
You're famous! I was getting breakfast at the Merc today and there was your name along the bottom of the cougar news story! ha!
WHAT???? You were at the Merc today? You need to come in some time when I'm working!
They saw my pictures on Fb and emailed me and asked if they could use them.
Very cool sis. I'm glad it worked out with a happy ending. Yea for the the Hidden Springs folks!
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