Mountain lion mistaken for large cat

CASPER, Wyo., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Casper, Wyo., woman said she initially thought the mountain lion resting on her back porch was simply a large house cat.

Beverly Hood said the cougar looked well groomed and she assumed it was someone's pet until it stood up and hissed at her, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Wednesday.

"I wasn't scared. I just thought, 'Whoops, I'm not going out there,'" Hood said.

She reported the 80 to 90-pound animal to authorities as a "big cat," leading Casper Police Officer Mike Ableman to the impression that he was en route to shoo away a "kitty cat." He said the dispatcher assured him he was dealing with a house cat and not a mountain lion.

Ableman said the assumption was quickly dispelled after he went into the yard.

"It stood up and looked at me, and I ran back in the house," he said.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Warden John Lund shot the mountain lion twice with a tranquilizer gun and took it into custody.

"Based on the animal's age and its behavior," he said, "we feel we are going to relocate this lion in suitable lion habitat away from people or livestock."