California Mountain Lion Shot and Killed in Residential Area with a Dog in its Mouth

True community is coming to the aid of your neighbors when they need it most, even if it’s to shoot an attacking mountain lion. That is the basis of this story line coming out of a small northeastern California town that involved a couple of dogs, a big old cat and some trustworthy neighbors.

According to reports, it was around 3am when a Downieville resident was letting her dogs out for some late night early morning relief. It was then that she noticed a pair of eyes glaring down at her and her pups from the hillside. She immediately attempted to gather her dogs, but when she called, only one of the two canines returned. 

With her husband out of town and unsure as to what to do about her missing pooch, the woman placed a call to her husband, pleading with him to do something to bring her dog back. After he hung up with his wife, the husband placed a call to his neighbor, who promptly responded with just enough firepower to take down whatever it was that supposedly snatched her dog.

With a shotgun in hand, the neighbor allegedly fired a warning shot in the vicinity of the dog thief and when the attacker didn’t respond, the neighbor struck what was now confirmed to be a cougar with his next shot. As this was all taking place, yet another neighbor arrived on the scene with a more high-powered option. While the previous shot was able to stop the lion, the cat was still breathing, prompting the second neighbor to finish the job with a well-placed shot to the head using his hunting rifle.

As they approached the animal, they found the woman’s dog still clasped in the jaws of the large cat. It was later reported that the woman actually stated that she had seen two cougars around the time of the incident, leading California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to investigate further.

The following morning, the husband returned to the scene and found another mountain lion feeding on the deceased animal’s carcass, confirming his wife’s suspicions. CDFW’s investigation revealed that there were actually three cats in the vicinity the night of the attack - likely a mother and two juveniles. Officials stated that they believed that one of the juveniles was shot and the other proceeded to feed on the flesh of its sibling following the incident. 

The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement last week warning local residents to refrain from exercising outdoors, particularly during the early morning or evening hours for the time being. With over 4,000 mountain lions calling California home and no formal hunting season since 1972, for many Californians it’s a big cat's world and they are just living in it.