I was stalked and nearly attacked by a pair of mountain lions 26 years ago this month (likely a mother and almost full grown cub). Scary. I once touched the claws of dead lion on display and they are needle sharp. They could rake you to pieces.
No worries. They just use them to hold onto you while they crush your neck in their mouth.
I wasn’t stalked but warned off by a mountain lion while hiking in the east side of the Guadalupe Mountains in New Mexico. The snarl scared the hell out of me I backed down the trail then turned slowly to walk back the way I came from. Never saw the mountain lion, just heard the snarl close by.
Basically, if a person sees a wolf or mountain lion in the wild, you can assume they have been stalking and sizing you up for dinner. Long before you have seen them, they have known you are around.