“Wow. You growled in an attempt to scare off one of the big cats?
That’s a REALLY dumb idea. They think that’s a challenge to fight from another cat.”
Actually, what I do is honk the horn on the truck, turn the music on the radio as loud as I can to try to intimidate
the cats in the area. When I would go through this area I would make loud roaring sounds as loudly and savagely as I could. And then one night I got the distinctively cat-like, freaky, growl or roar from behind a fenced-off area. The cat was not visible to me, and I was not accessible to her. Although with a little change of locations on both our parts it could have been a different configuration much less favorable.
It was a damned memorable roar or growl though. It sent chills up my spine.
A growl is a challenge to fight from another cat? Is it now?
I thought it was better than being meekly and quietly passive.
What is really dumb is I have an apartment full of guns and am up there at night unarmed. Sometimes I think in terms of fighting them off with the metal rod I use to kill rattlesnakes if need be. Hell, what do I know, I am a purposefully displaced urbanite.
Well, generally it’s a bad idea to imitate another cat, as that might set off the “oh, you think this is YOUR territory???” reaction. Making lots of noise, good. Making noises like big cat (except with a friendly one), not good.