A recent photograph from Port Arthur, TX has sparked debate about whether the animal captured on camera is a cougar (mountain lion) or just an ordinary domestic house cat.
You can read the story and see the pics here at KBMT.
Southeast Texas is within the cougar’s range, despite some state officials downplaying their presence over the years.
They are not common here but they do inhabit the greater Southeast Texas area and are technically native to all of the Lower 48. Actually, they’re native from Canada all the way to Argentina.
Upon close inspection of the photo in question the animal in my opinion is a large domestic cat, made to appear more imposing due to its distance from the camera.
Jan. 2025 Update: Photographic proof of cougars in East Texas. Click here to see.
Perspective can play tricks, and this in my opinion is a classic case of misidentification—a phenomenon I’ve encountered many times in my investigations of alleged cougar sightings.
People make mistakes in identifying things in blurry pictures. It happens.
Over the years, I’ve analyzed numerous photos that were believed to depict cougars. In many instances, these turned out to be domestic cats or even bobcats, their true size exaggerated by camera angles or distances.
Something I noticed about the animal in the photos is the size of the paws. They are domestic cat size in proportion to the body.
Cougars have big paws from juveniles to adults. I have included a photo of me when I filmed with a young cougar in 2013 at a zoological facility.
See how big the paws are?
I have a full body cougar mounted in my office that I inherited years ago. The cat was probably 120 pounds. Notice the paws in comparison to my fairly large hand.
I cast a cougar track around 2010 in Orange County and had a sighting there when I was a teenager at a very close range that I have documented here.
These cats will show up in our area but I am in agreement with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department official consulted by the news agency here.
They said it was most likely a domestic house cat.
I believe it is one as well.
And this comes from someone who has written many articles about these cats in East Texas.
I just don’t believe we’re looking at one here.
I will be glad to be proven wrong with clearer photographic evidence but I don’t see that happening in this situation.
Chester Moore
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Chester… I have seen a Cougar on the property where I used to work. A property that you are very familiar with. I spotted it twice about 3 months a part. He / She was spotted by other staff on another occasion.I say she… because a board member spotted a Cougar walking across the local golf course after Harvey with a cub in tow. After my second sighting we found a half eaten pit bull on the property. And you know the pack of Coyotes that live on the property we’re not responsible for that.
There are definitely cougars in that area. I just don’t think this photo shows one. That area you are talking about is a perfect area for them!
That is a house cat. Besides your observation about the size of the feet. Look at the bowl. It appears to be a pretty standard size feed bowl. A Cougar would barely be able to put It’s nose in it.
Good observation!
Definitely housecat, incorrect ear markings can see tabby markings on the tail. Not cougar proportionate. We get lots of “cougar” sightings in TN too. 90% of them are bobcats. I’m always amazed at how people misjudge size and don’t catch tail length ect…
Over my last 35 years I have seen 2 in lower coastal SC.. in our Ace Basin.. a protected low land / fresh water tributary.. one was blackish .. at night in headlights and huge.. the other was the color of brooms straw.. it ran across the road in front of me! Beautiful animals.