There have been reports in the news lately of cats being found, like the one in NJ that topped 40 pounds. Coincidence or not, the descriptions of the UM Cougar are at 50 pounds. That is not a cougar. Cougars weigh a lot more than that. And since eyewitnesses, especially college students tend to exaggerate things, the cat is probably in the 30-40 pound range. It is just a big house cat.

The descriptions don’t match of what we know of cougars. The area, which I live nearby is not what one would consider cougar territory. There are no animal sanctuaries or big cat sanctuaries nearby. College students don’t have enough life experience to guesstimate weight. And if they could guesstimate correctly, sometimes they exaggerate either intentionally or unintentionally.

When they finally do get a photo or when it is spotted by police or security, it will be a house cat. Remember the black cat that was spotted on CCTV near a gate. Everyone was thinking it was a black cougar. It turned out to be a house cat as well. Same thing here. Misindentification by witnesses because they lack experience or have never seen a house cat over 20 pounds, so it was foreign to them.

Keep us updated Loren!