THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — What was initially believed to be a young mountain lion wandering through a Thousand Oaks neighborhood turned out to be nothing more than a large domestic cat, wildlife authorities have confirmed.
The confusion began when a local resident, Kelly McGee, and her husband saw an unusual animal through their home security camera. “We’ve never seen a mountain lion and when I first saw it I thought it was a cat because we get a lot of neighborhood cats,” McGee shared. The appearance of the animal initially led them to suspect it might be something more exotic.
Upon closer inspection of the footage, doubts began to emerge. “When I zoomed in I was like I don’t think that’s a cat, and my husband looked at it and was like no it’s not a cat,” McGee recounted. This prompted concerns that the creature could possibly be a juvenile mountain lion.
The McGees are no strangers to local wildlife. “We’ve had coyotes, we’ve had a bobcat, raccoons, but even in all the years my parents have been here we’ve never seen a mountain lion,” McGee said, highlighting the variety of animals that have passed by their home over the years.
However, after an investigation, a spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife’s South Coast and Inland Desert regions clarified the situation to the Los Angeles Times, confirming that the suspected mountain lion was actually just a house cat.
Further discussions with neighbors revealed that more than one resident had captured similar footage, suggesting a mountain lion was in the area. In one instance, a Ring camera from a neighboring house recorded a video where the so-called mountain lion was seen chasing a smaller house cat.
The incident caused quite a stir among the neighborhood residents, prompting them to be more cautious. “You have to be reminded that you live somewhere where you share your space with wildlife,” McGee remarked before the actual nature of the animal was confirmed. She emphasized the need for extra caution, especially at night. “Now that we have this baby mountain lion and knowing mom may be nearby we’re going to be extra cautious at night when we let the dogs out, take the trash out, things like that.”
Relief came when it was reported that the house cat seen in the Ring video had safely made it back home, with a neighbor confirming to ABC7 that all was well. This revelation helped calm the nerves of the community, reassured that their neighborhood was safe from the presence of a predator.
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