A Penticton woman wants to warn others after she witnessed a cougar kill her cat in front of her.
At 2 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, Roxanne Brower’s cat woke her up to be let out. Brower lives on Duncan Avenue East. She let her 14-year-old cat out and heard a noise a few minutes later.
“I came out to see what looked like a silent catfight,” said Brower on a Facebook post. “I yelled to break it up and saw what looked like a huge cat with a black mouse. I yelled again and he dropped what was in his mouth.”
Sadly, she discovered the animal in the cougar’s mouth was her cat. The large cougar then ran across the street to the bushes near the water reservoir.
Brower brought her cat inside but couldn’t save her.
“Kitty didn’t make it to 3 a.m.,” she said in her Facebook post. As to the size of the cougar, she said it was huge, making her fully-grown cat look like a mouse when it was in its mouth.
For the past few weeks there have been sightings of the cougar in the Penticton Creek area and Forestbrook Drive.
At the time, conservation officers said they were aware of the sightings but didn’t feel there was any public threat.
Conservation Officer David Cox said they are fully aware of what happened this weekend.
The Conservation Officer Services doesn’t believe the cougar poses a threat to humans but does pose a threat to house pets that are going outdoors.
“This event took place at 2 a.m. in the cover of darkness. A cougar killing house cats is not a public safety concern at this time. However, the COS would like to ask members of the public to exercise caution in the area when walking pets and allowing pets outside unattended,” he added.
READ MORE: Cougar gets up close on New Year’s Day
The COS said it is common to have cougars, bobcats and coyotes to follow food sources to lower elevations this time of the year.
“It is important for residents, especially on the edges of town to exercise caution while walking pets or recreating in these outlying areas. We ask people with livestock or hobby farms to practice good husbandry to prevent livestock depredation and conflict,” Cox added.
Please report any conflicts 24/7 to the RAPP line at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277).
READ MORE: Cougar kills deer in Summerland
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