Holy cats!
Or maybe, not so holy.
Just went out, daring the early rush hour traffic, to do a little grocery shopping. Coming out of the store I saw a headline on the local paper about an “animal” attacking a local boy in the Sandias. The unspecified “animal” reference intrigued me; looking a little closer (which sadly entails my reading glasses - they’re a reason I wear ‘em constantly on a lanyard around my neck when out and about in the world) I saw that while the parents claimed it had been a big cat, “authorities” discounted the possibility it was a cougar.
Whoa! A mystery cat sighting of Burque’s own? Not to mention an actual attack?
Here’s MSNBC on the subject; for a local report, go here.
Yes, you can just about be sure that if NM catches national ink - and especially international - it involves something discreditable.
NM Game and Fish has narrowed their scope to a bobcat, a cougar, or a small bear. Yet it claims the injuries match none of them. Indeed.
It’s most likely a bobcat, although I know of no previous bobcat attacks on humans. But we never know. And of course the official explanation may or may not bear any resemblance to the truth…
Just another day in NM. That’s why I love it here. Well, not kids getting eaten; that’s a Bad Thing - although the child appears to’ve pulled through. What I love is that something goofy or weird is always going on.
In other news: I’m hoping to get the swamp cooler - evaporative air conditioning: it’s a desert thing - going before the pets and I melt. The problem: I’m terrified to go on my roof.
Back in the old days, when both the roof and the swamper were old, decrepit, and terrible, I knew no fear. Well, except when the New Mexico wind (ever helpful!) blew the ladder down in the backyard whilst I was on the roof, to the boundless amusement of my dogs. Nowadays I always take my cell phone aloft with me. Then again, nowadays I have a cell phone…
A few years back - I guess three, now - I got a brand new roof, the neat red metal one I’d been craving (actually I craved blue, but red is good. Especially when it’s affordable) along with a new fancy swamp cooler. And now that both roof and A/C are high-tech and awesome I’m scared to Frippin’* go up there because the wonderful metal pitched roof is slippery as glass. Sigh. I’ve been trying to prevail on my excellent friend Larry, who navigates the roof far better, or at least more insouciantly, than I, to help. He’s been tied up.
Isn’t that the actual definition of selfishness? When people refuse to lay aside their personal interests in favor of your personal interests? Well, of course it’s not the official definition. And - have you ever known anyone to accuse you, or anyone else, of selfishness when that wasn’t the case? I never have. That’s why my eyes narrow when I hear or read the word. And I never use it other than parodically.
Anyway - Larry can tend to his own business with my blessings. He’s gone above and beyond to help me in the past. As I’ve said, I’m blessed with wonderful friends. (Actually my fingers typed fiends. And I was really tempted to leave it, you may imagine.)
*Not to be confused with “Eno’ing.” (= ridiculously obscure 1970s prog-rock joke.)
Tags: friends, Land of Enchantment, mystery cats, official lies, selfishness, swamp cooler, Tim R. Mortiss
May 19th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I find it interesting that they differentiate between “mountain lion” and “cougar.” In California, we use the two interchangebly, as in a mountain lion is a particular type of cougar. To me, that is rather like saying than an animal is either a Saint Bernard or a dog.
Glad to hear the boy will be ok.
There were mountain lions all around campus at UCSC (up in Santa Cruz, CA). I saw one stalk a dn take down a deer once and it was was not unusual to see them stalk the meadow behind my dorm. None of us ever got et, though. Or even bitten, which considering how many nights we walked back through the woods from the Boonies where we had to aprk our cars abck to the dorms staggering drunk and oblivious in the dark (and I mean DARK, campus is in the woods) it is amazing we all lived to graduate!
May 19th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Huh. Hadn’t noticed they differentiated. A mistake: mountain lion = cougar = puma = catamount = painter (plus a couple non-exclusive names such as “panther” and the ever-popular tigre), and every swingin’ tail of ‘em = Puma (or Felis) concolor.
So you saw one stalk and take down a deer once? Wow. That’s impressive. I’ve never so much as seen one in the wild.
I did have one jump on my head once. Granted, we both were young. And one of us, fortunately, was declawed. But that’s different tale.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
There was a massive meadow on campus bordered on three sides by woods and the fourth by my dorm building. The view from my balcony was like watching Wild America.
The pot-heads used to go have thier 4:20 smoking circles there. It was a wonder none of them were ever eaten. But I hear mountain lions are totaslly turned off by the reek of patchouli.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I feel the same about patchouli. Be glad you didn’t grow up during the ’60’s.
I don’t care what recreational chemistry people engage in. Still, back when I was at Yale, I would’ve been overjoyed had pumas devoured the two clowns on the ground floor of my dorm who used to get loaded, open all the windows, and play bassoon/oboe duets at 2 in the morning. Sadly, this proved impractical for many reasons.