OTTAWA — Science has spoken. It’s not puma concolor but felis catus. In English, the recent feline sighting in southeastern Ottawa wasn’t a mountain lion but a monstrous kitty. The Cougar Network’s Bob Wilson said his group’s national experts have looked at photos taken of an extremely large cat near KOFO this week. Based on the shape of the cat’s head and ears and the coloring, Wilson said they conclude that the camera kitty is a domestic cat – although an extremely large one. However, if Ottawa isn’t cougar town this week, Kansas Wildlife and Parks biologist Matt Peek said that won’t always been the case. After a century of absence, at least five mountain lion sightings have been confirmed in the last three years, he said. That’s not a cause for panic – mountain lions tend to avoid contact with humans and incidents involving the big cats and people are rare and far less likely than attacks by dogs or bees, he said.
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m.
