Anyone who lives in areas that have mountain lions should know better than to go anywhere alone. I’m sorry to say, they pretty much deserve what is coming to them. Cats are solitary and opportunistic. They won’t do anything that risks themselves getting hurt. If you hike/walk/jog with a friend(s) (or large dog), they won’t attack. Look at all the cases where people have been attacked by mountain lions, they are always alone. A small dog doesn’t count as a friend, that’s just an appetizer.
A gun would be helpful, but that won’t prevent a cat from trying since they probably wouldn’t know what a gun is. You won’t see or hear them coming and they will usually attack from the side or behind. Trusting in a gun means you are trusting that their first strike doesn’t work, which is a huge gamble. You are safer with a large dog or another person (even elderly) than with a gun because the cat will see two large bodies and think it’s too much risk to be worth it.
Now, against wolves or coyotes, that’s where I’d prefer to have a gun. They don’t rely so much on element of surprise and since they hunt in packs, I want a full clip.
That is the biggest problem and why lion attacks have increased over the last two decades. Mountain lions used to fear men and their guns, but with little hunting pressure (or none at all like in California) their numbers have increased and lions now have little or no fear of people and see them as a potential meal.
Good advice.