Speaking of cats, while I don’t have a photo, a few nights ago I woke to a terrifying sound. I looked outside, and I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but I did manage to get a recording. My daughter also heard it, and said it sounded like a girl screaming. My neighbor went outside, and that’s when I saw something run away in the field behind the house, but it was so fast it was hard to make out. It was definitely larger than a housecat. I know a few wildlife people at work, and from talking with them and my own research, it was likely a mountain lion. I live in a fairly urban area, but we do have a lot of natural areas interspersed. And several years ago, one was hit on the highway not far from here.
If you’ve never heard a mountain lion before, give it a listen. It’s been said that if you’re in the woods at night and you hear a woman screaming, go the opposite direction.