Mountain lion or ‘freakin house cat’? Iowa officials end social media debate
_fitted.png "Police in Iowa shared video of what they say is a mountain lion, but many people have expressed doubt.")
UPDATE: The “mountain lion” that officials in Iowa warned people about is actually a house cat, wildlife officials said. This update comes after a feisty debate about what kind of cat the critter seen in surveillance video might have been.
“Initially, we did think it may be a mountain lion, at least enough so that it would be good to notify the public,” Iowa Department of Natural Resources biologist Vince Evelsizer told KCCI.
But now authorities confirmed this “cougar” was actually just someone’s pet, WHO13 reported.
“The debate is over,” police said.
The original story continues below.
Police in Des Moines, Iowa, are warning the community to be alert after a home camera caught video of a mountain lion wandering around a neighborhood. But there’s a problem: Many aren’t taking the sighting very seriously.
“It’s a freakin house cat,” a commenter wrote on the Des Moines Police Department’s Oct. 20 Facebook post. “Why would you publish this??”
It’s one comment, but it pretty well encapsulates the opinion of most people sounding off on the post.
“Is this a joke?” read another. “It looks like my gray cat that’s been laying on the couch.”
Police said they’re investigating the sighting along with the state Department of Natural Resources, which has confirmed the cat in question is a cougar, not a pet.
This response has not satisfied the doubters.
“Mountain lion madness. Thats a plain ol’ every day east side cat,” a comment read.
The cat, whether a mountain lion or a domestic, is not particularly big, the video shows.
This could be a trick of perspective, some suggest, or perhaps a function of the camera itself, or the surroundings, or both. Whatever the case, this cat is not matching viewers’ expectations of the impressive, muscled, fearsome apex predator that is the mountain lion.
So is this divisive cat failing to live up to its iconic image? Maybe so, but there may be a good reason for that.
DNR experts believe this is a young mountain lion, and as such, it is small, police said.
Mountain lions are known to wander the state, though they are rare. Earlier in October, a hunter captured video of a mountain lion as it walked past — one of several recent sightings in Madison and Warren Counties, both of which are near Des Moines.
While many are skeptical of the police and DNR, others expressed support.
“Wow the DNR is always looking for cat experts. Looks like this page is full of them,” a commenter said. “Just wait till it kills (your) pet.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Mountain lion or ‘freakin house cat’? Iowa officials end social media debate."