Angry Cats!

Game and Fish announced that its agents had killed the mountain lion which has been stalking hikers out in the Granite Basin Lake area. I have mixed feelings about this -- yes, cougars can be dangerous and apparently this young male was aggressive and fearless around humans.

On the other hand, I hate the necessity of killing yet another wild animal in his native habitat (Granite Mountain). So I dedicate these angry cats to his memory. Above, an American lion, as pictured at Big Cat Rescue. He is snarling because he cannot roar like a Real Lion. And because he is the largest of the "smaller cats," says chirpingbird.com.

"Cougars are the largest of the "smaller" cats which make up the Puma family ... What?! Even though it is a large animal, it is still considered a "small" cat because it can't roar! ... Cougars, like other "small" cats can't roar because they have a different kind of voice box from big cats. The bones inside the voice box of "small" cats are connected so tightly that they can't vibrate very much. Small vibrations make small sounds, so the cougar can purr, chirp, snarl, and females have even have their own special scream – but, sorry, no roar!"


Here's another angry cat -- Amber. At least that is what the neighbor and I figure is her name: folks up the hill on the next street call for "Amber" frequently and this marmalade puss has the coloration to fill that bill. The occasion for the picture: one of the regular stand-offs between the Amber interloper and my good cat buddy, Max. Here she's occupying his favorite lookout station.


Black Cat is also angry. Very. I see this man-sized poster every time I pass by a local blacksmith's open air workshop. Figuring that I should be familiar with the image, I checked The Google, both for pictures and for regular references. The nearest miss was a Chinese fireworks outfit whose closest retailer is in New Mexico.

Note: for more data about the cougar/puma/mountain lion/ catamount, check in here. Includes a good discussion of what to do if you meet up with one of these wild native animals.