Lauren Taylor was shocked to find a visitor with a strong thirst for blood in her living room, but it certainly wasn’t someone she knew or invited. But Taylor wasn’t sure how to get out of this situation. She was completely caught off guard. Would she be able to deal with this unexpected surprise or not? Taylor had no way of protecting herself against the visitor, who made her heart race when it finally got up.
Nothing in her experience as a lawyer could help her out of this situation. She was in quite a predicament, and that predicament was lounging on her couch without a care in the world. But before Taylor even noticed the visitor, she had realized that this unusual houseguest was not exactly cordial. This became quite obvious after she came home and saw something on this life-altering afternoon.
When Taylor got home, she immediately knew that something was wrong. Usually, she enjoyed the large pond in her backyard because it was the perfect venue for her to clear her mind of the daily stresses. But that day, something wasn’t right. It looked as though there had been some kind of commotion in the area. But when Taylor followed the trail of clues left behind, she discovered something that scared the living daylights out of her.
While standing by the pond, Taylor heard a noise coming from inside her home. Carefully, she walked towards the source of the sound, which seemed to be emanating from her living room. It turns out that the doors to her living room were wide open. But had she forgotten to close them, or had someone broken into her home? Then, she heard another sound. This one was louder. And Taylor was stunned as she locked eyes with the intruder.
Taylor wanted to scream, but knew this would be a bad idea as she stared into the eyes that were staring back at her. She froze as the cougar eyed her with suspicion. She started to sweat with fear, but she didn’t know what to do next. So, she began to back away, which the cougar didn’t seem to like. It growled even louder. It seemed as though it was taunting her as she considered her next move. But then, Taylor came up with something.
Wild cats are common in Oregon, particularly where Taylor lives. Cougars have been sighted in the area all the time, but fortunately, no one had reported any attacks. But there’s a first time for everything, and she didn’t want to be the first case. But things didn’t look good for her now that the cougar was holding her against her will. Then, things got a whole lot worse when Taylor’s roommate arrived.
Taylor’s roommate had pulled up to the driveway, but she found no comfort in this. She was afraid that her roommate would make a lot of noise, and that that cougar might react in an unexpected way. Then, Taylor’s roommate walked in and she screamed when she noticed that there was a cougar in the living room. But she didn’t wait. She simply closed the door and ran. This upset the cougar, but Taylor was still in the room with it.
The cougar was in a corner and Taylor realized that the odds were not in her favor. She could have run, but it would have come after her, and she knew she was no match for the wild animal. Even as her anxiety grew, she managed to suppress her fear. She realized that she had to use her brain, and not her legs, to get out of this in one piece. So, Taylor decided to try a tactic that wasn’t just risky. It was totally unthinkable.
Taylor quieted her nerves and decided that keeping a cool head was the best way to get out of this difficult situation. Besides, she knew that wild animals could sense fear, which is why she did her very best to give off the illusion that she was completely calm. But this was easier said than done, especially since she had a 140-pound cougar looking at her like she was the last ham sandwich in hungry town. Then, the animal started to move.
The cougar started to pace around the room, but Taylor would have preferred it had remained sitting in the corner. Now, a million thoughts raced through her mind as the animal continued to pace. Was it trying to figure out how to make her its next meal? Taylor tried to push those worst-case scenarios out of her head in order to stay calm. Meanwhile, the cougar continued to pace for what seemed like forever. Then, something amazing happened.
Eventually, the cougar walked behind the couch and laid down on the floor. Taylor was stunned. She had been locked in a stare down competition with the wild animal for quite a while. After a couple of minutes, the cougar began to breathe deeply. This gave Taylor that chance to back out of the living room and make her way to the front door. But the cougar was asleep, and it stayed that way for six hours. But when it woke up, something more miraculous occurred.
Lauren and her roommate brainstormed on how they could get rid of the cougar without causing any harm. Dawn was nearing and the cat couldn’t slumber much longer. Lauren and her roommate decided to begin drumming. Slowly, the cat woke from its nap. As they continued to focus their energy on softly drumming, the cat got up and walked to the door and out of the house. But why in the world would a mountain lion be attracted to her house in the first place?
Taylor’s home was nature-inspired. The living room itself was full of plants. Her staircase was designed around a tree. So, she assumed that the cougar felt like it never left the wild when it casually made its way into her living room. Usually, Taylor and her roommate try to infuse the indoor of their home with elements from outside. But no one expected the response this story received when Taylor shared it.
Taylor had shared her encounter with the cougar on Facebook in real time. But she never realized people would love her for doing this. They praised her for showing the animal kindness and they appreciated that she didn’t make the cougar seem like the villain in her narrative. Naturally, Taylor wanted to prove that most animal encounters can have a happy ending if the creatures are treated fairly. But sharing her experience was certainly not the end of this story.
The number of cougars in Oregon continues to rise even as Taylor has continued to express her love and appreciation for all animals. She believes she can deal with any wild cat she encounters in the future. The experience was truly rare, and she wouldn’t change a thing about what happened. This may be one of the best ways for a human to experience nature and fortunately, she lived through it!