Why would you shoot the cat? He wasn’t threatening anyone. Peoples ignorace baffles me. This kind of attitude is what leads to mass extinction of big cats and other animals in africa and elsewhere. You leave them alone they leave you alone. Besides they help control the deer populations.
Actually, facts are quite different. You should read the experience the Lib/Green/Nuts from Boulder, CO have had about large predators in residential areas. The large cats are dangerous, and humans are not safe. The problems arise from tolerating predators in nonwild environments. The animals need to know that there are boundaries between their territory and human territory. My explanation is oversimplified, but read about the Boulder experience.
There are many phobias for people. Afraid of heights, claustrophobia, arachnophobia, well I'm mountain lionphobic. So I'm sure PETA can sue me for that, but I have nightmares about them things.
The horrid stories of young children, pets, joggers, ect... being mauled by mountain lions is insane.
I put out a challenge (besides democrats) what species in the United States of America is more aggressive towards humans than mountain lions?