Zeus the Maine Coon cat typically spits and hisses when he sees squirrels, dogs or other cats on the other side of the sliding glass door at Gail Loveman’s house in the foothills north of Boulder.
But the 11-year-old house cat was unfazed by a young mountain lion peering in at him Thursday evening, calmly staring back at the big cat.
“I think he thought, ‘Hmmm, this is different,’ ” Loveman said Tuesday.
She photographed the 5-minute feline faceoff and then followed the cougar with her camera as it turned away from Zeus and began investigating a bronze sculpture of a mountain lion in the yard.
Loveman, a volunteer firefighter with the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District, watched the cougar from a second-floor balcony and saw it join a much larger lion, possibly its mother, jump a fence and disappear.
The Boulder County foothills are prime mountain-lion habitat, but human encounters with them are rare.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said residents in lion country should not encourage a visit. They should try to scare big cats off of their property with loud noises. Pets — even large dogs — are potential prey for mountain lions and should not be left outside alone.
Loveman said she didn’t feel threatened by her feline visitors but that she’ll be more aware when outdoors.
Meanwhile, the thrill of the encounter remains fresh.
“I feel blessed,” she said.
