Cougars killing pets on west side

Walter Hampel was leading seven tourists on a leisurely Sunday morning horseback ride into Garden of the Gods when two mountain lions crossed Columbia Road.

“They had just killed a cat,” the Academy Riding Stables wrangler said. “They looked at us, but they kept going. They were full.”

Residents in the west-side neighborhood near Manitou Springs have reported missing or dead pets and big cat sightings in recent days.

Signs posted this week by the Colorado Division of Wildlife warn that mountain lions are in the area.

They are to inform, not to alarm.

After all, mountain lions are part of life on the Front Range, said DOW spokesman Michael Seraphin.

“There haven’t been any extraordinary spikes in mountain lions,” he said. “They are active year-round. They on occasion take small pets as prey. They don’t differentiate between a small dog orcat from a raccoon or a beaver or small mammal.”

They hang around as long as there’s something to eat.

Hampel said he didn’t see the domestic cat’s demise, but heard its “unmistakable loud screech” before two nearly fullgrown cougars loped by.

They might have feasted on Jamie Adamson’s kitten, Buster Boy.

Adamson was worried Sunday morning when Buster Boy didn’t come home for breakfast after bolting through a torn screen the night before, as he was prone to do.

“I had heard about the mountain lions being around,” she said. But she stayed positive. It was, after all, her 50th birthday, and she assured herself it was just another prowl for the orange tabby kitty she got six months ago to replace her 14-year-old cat that died.

Tuesday, her fears were confirmed 20 feet from her kitchen window.

She found Buster Boy’s remains next to a runoff ditch.

“They left his head, just like a trophy, sitting right like that, looking at us,” she said. “A head. No neck. Nothing but some fur.”

She warned her neighbor, Gernot Heinrichsdorff, to watch his adult cat, Skiddy.

But Tuesday night, Skiddy got out — and met the same fate as Buster Boy.

“It was the same way, the head of the cat, some fur and a hind leg,” Heinrichsdorff said.

Adamson blames herself, not the mountain lions, for Buster Boy’s death.

“I don’t want them destroyed; I want them to move,” she said.

Heinrichsdorff agreed.

“We do not blame the mountain lion, because the cats or even the dog are part of the food chain,” he said. “It is part of the lion to kill; it is unfortunate we were the victim.”

Hampel said his out-of-state riders didn’t panic when the mountain lions appeared.

“I told them to stay calm,” Hampel said. “They were pretty excited that they got to see the wildlife. Usually, all they get to see are bunny rabbits.”

TIPS

Some tips for avoiding mountain lion trouble:

INSTALL OUTDOOR LIGHTING: Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors. Eliminate hiding places.

WATCH PETS: Don’t let pets out unsupervised. Keep food dishes inside.

HIKE IN GROUPS: A sturdy walking stick can be used to ward off a mountain lion.

DO NOT APPROACH A LION: Especially one that is feeding or with kittens. Most will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.

To report a mountain lion, call the local Division of Wildlife at 227-5200 or the Colorado State Patrol, 544-2424.

STAY CALM: Talk calmly yet firmly to it. Move slowly. Running may stimulate a lion’s instinct to chase and attack.

THINK BIG: Do all you can to appear larger. Convince the lion you are not prey.

PROTECT: Pick up small children so they won’t panic and run.

FIGHT BACK: If a lion attacks you, throw stones, branches or whatever you can find.