Boulder cat has close encounter with mountain lion in Boulder

Zeus, an 11-year-old Maine coon cat, had a curious encounter with a young mountain lion.

The cats checked each other out — from opposite sides of a sliding glass door — about 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Pine Brook Hills area of Boulder.

Gail Loveman, Zeus' owner, said she was busy in the office of her home when she heard a noise and turned to see a young mountain lion on the porch.

"There was this cat 4-feet away from me!" Loveman recalled during an interview Tuesday.

That's when Zeus entered the room and got into a stare down with the mountain lion. Another house cat, Bacchus, a litter mate of Zeus, peeked in but decided he was better off staying in the hallway out of sight, Loveman said.Loveman, a volunteer firefighter with the Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District, grabbed a camera and started taking photographs.

The interaction between the cats went on for about 5 minutes.

Zeus typically stands tall, hisses and acts fairly aggressive when he sees other animals - mostly squirrels, other house cats or even dogs - through the glass door. But Zeus remained calm as he appraised the big cat.
"I think he thought 'Hmmm! This is different,' " Loveman said.

When the lion left the porch, Loveman went to an upstairs balcony and spotted a second lion, which Loveman thought was likely the mother of the first lion.
 
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