PASADENA, Calif. () — A Pasadena resident who first noticed unusual droppings on the roof of his guesthouse earlier this month later came face-to-face with what he believes was the animal responsible — a mountain lion standing just yards away in his backyard.
The rare sighting is putting neighbors on alert for cougars on the prowl.
“I looked up, and I saw poop on the roof,” recalled homeowner Bill Dabney. He said it was clear the droppings were not from a bird.
“It was like four separate stools,” he said.
Dabney said he soon discovered the source only about 10 yards away. “All of a sudden I look over and (there’s a) mountain lion staring at me,” he said.
Home security video captured the somewhat scrawny mountain lion lounging in his backyard on May 3.
“He was in the position mode, like he was going to spring,” Dabney said. His reaction was immediate.
“Time to go!” he said. “I took off running!”
Dabney’s home on Martelo Avenue is just a few blocks south of where another mountain lion sighting was reported a couple of days later.
“It’s very possible it’s the same cat, but we just don’t know,” said Kevin McManuse with the Pasadena Humane Society.
McManus said mountain lion sightings in Pasadena are extremely rare, but recent environmental changes could be pushing wildlife farther into residential areas.
“The Eaton Fire had massive, devastating effects, not too far away from the cougar’s natural habitat, so it’s very possible they’re here looking for food, water and shelter,” he said.
Wildlife experts advise anyone who encounters a mountain lion to make themselves appear large and make loud noises to scare the animal away.
Dabney said he now checks his surroundings carefully each time he steps outside.
“I’m looking like this,” he said, spinning around to demonstrate.
Despite feeling sympathy for the seemingly underfed animal, he added, “He looks hungry. I felt bad for him, but not that bad.”
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