You don’t have to take my word for it; you could ask a biologist who specializes in carnivore behaviour (I happen to know one as a matter of fact). Or do some unbiased research of your own. Or continue to believe in old wive’s tales what do I care. Your choice.
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I’ve never heard that sound in nature thank jeebus. I’ve been lucky enough to see lynx a few times in the wild but the only cougar I ever saw ran in front of my vehicle so fast I only caught a glimpse of its’ tail. But that tail! You’ll know you’ve seen a cougar by the enormity of its’ tail. Here is some video of a close encounter on Vancouver Island:
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Pamela J. Wilson, LVT, MEd, and Rodney E. Rohde, PhD = old wives. Riiiiiiight. Keep on truckin’, buddy.
Also, bonus snark: that cougar in the video is acting ssssssooooooo unpredictable, yo. I couldn’t stop watching because it was so riveting.
EMILY:
Twitter 1: You encounter weird stuff at night in the desert.
Twitter 8: Done tracking snakes for the night, I returned to my truck around 2am. I got out my sleeping bag and plopped on the desert floor , as was my routine.
ME:
Twitter 2: I never left my truck, and I locked the doors.
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How does a ‘field biologist’ not immediately determine the tracks around the den were big cat tracks? Then how does this same person repeatedly smell the same smell as was overwhelmingly pungent in the den and not, likewise immediately, come to the conclusion that they were being tracked by the big cat? Incredible.
Mine’s a senior, too (will turn 20 at the end of the month). The first time she did this, I almost fell down the stairs rushing to find out what was wrong. By the way she wailed, I thought she was injured or something else really terrible. It turned out that she just wanted to sit on my lap at 3AM. IIRC, my response was to refer to her as a female dog before going back to bed.
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Because she’s a herpetologist, and cougars are not snakes.
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When watching British mystery shows close-captioned by Americans, fox noises have, more than once, been subtitled as “woman screaming.”
Like many big cats, they prefer to strike from behind, against unwitting prey. (Even tigers do this, despite being fully capable of killing you when challenged, which is why one fairly effective defense is to wear a mask on the back of your head.) So simply being turned away from them registers as “prey.,” and running probably doesn’t help. Joggers, unaware of mountain lions, get attacked and killed disproportionately.
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I like that idea. Wonder if it works on co-workers and bosses, too.
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Perfect for cubicle dwellers, to discourage creepers.
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I’m sorry people, but I just peed myself reading that thread. OMFG!
(edit)
Also, raccoon fights are pretty terrifying, esp. if they happen up on the roof of your house.
we hear it and then as loving owners try and figure out why their tail is on fire. then we come to the conclusion they’ve entered their senior years and we are suddenly nursing home workers. 0_o
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Mine was already going into senior territory when I got her. In my Golden Girls scenario she seemed like Rose at first 
, then suddenly turned into Sophia. 
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