The wildlife folks dismissed sightings by farmers in Kansas for years--mistook it for a bobcat, they said. Like people who live off the land wouldn't know the difference.
(Then one showed up on the University of Kansas campus. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/jan/28/cougar_sightings_cause/) But wildlife types were still saying it could have been a pet that escaped.
The old timers simply say that where you have deer you'll have cougars.
The government fellows are quite right. Many local petting zoos, farmers, and meth-cooking motorcycle gangs keep these warm, lovable, sleek-coated cats as pets. *
It is not very patriotic of you to doubt our government fish and game people on this issue.
*Or quite possibly vice-versa.