Put Your Best Foot Forward and Climb to New Heights

A Mountain Lion is also known as a cougar, puma, panther or catamount.  A mountain lion is a large cat species native to the Americas. Vancouver Island located off the west coast of British Columbia has the highest concentration of mountain lions in North America.

Mountain lions are large cats.  Their bodies are mainly covered with tawny-beige fur. They have a whitish-grey belly and chest.  Mountain lion kittens or cubs have spots and rings around their tails that fade as they mature.

Mountain lions are very dangerous animals.  They are capable of killing creatures larger than themselves.  They have great hunding senses that help them spot prey.  They have sharp claws and powerful bites.  A single bite around the throat can be fatal to prey animals and to humans. You don’t want a lion to lick your skin.  Their tongues are rough and covered in spines that are sharp and face backward, almost like a barb.  Even a lick or two could cause serious injury.  

Mountain lions are solitary and avoid humans.  If you do encounter a mountain lion, give it a way to escape.  Running may stimulate a mountain lion’s instinct to chase so don’t run from a lion. You should make noise, raise your voice and shout loudly at a mountain lion. You can yell words or just scream so long as you sound aggressive. Screaming may also attract assistance from others that will help scare the mountain lion away. 

Mountain lions are most active between dusk and dawn.  Unless they are feeding on a large carcass over multiple days or the female is having kittens, mountain lions don’t tend to stay in one spot for more than a few days.  If you hear a mountain lion screaming, they are not trying to scare you.  Screaming is a part of their mating rituals. 

Mountain lions may be preyed on by other mountain lions, bears, or wolves when they are young or ill.  Overhunting and habitat loss are the major threats to mountain lion populations. They are also vulnerable to extinction in some areas. 

These are the sayings on the bookmark called Advice from a Mountain Lion.

• Stand Your Ground

• Put your Best Foot Forward

• Climb to New Heights

• Find Your Inner Strength

• Don’t be a Copycat

• Stay Wild at Heart

• Always Land on Your Feet!

Here are my comments about each of these sayings. 

• Stand Your Ground - Don’t run away from challenges but face it bravely. Look for solutions and hold your ground.

• Put your Best Foot Forward – Try as hard as possible to do something difficult. 

• Climb to New Heights - Keep pressing forward and reaching your dreams.

• Find Your Inner Strength - Discover your skills, behaviours and attitudes that keep you stable and adaptable in life.  

• Don’t be a Copycat - Share your unique ideas rather than just be a copycat. You have gifts to share with others. 

• Stay Wild at Heart - Go after your dreams.

• Always Land on Your Feet! - Even after having a difficult experience, be in a good situation or condition and land on your feet. Don’t give up!

Have a great day everyone.  Put your best foot forward and climb to new heights.

# living life abundantly  # published author  # travelling tuesdays