Mountain lion spends 24 hours prowling in Simi Valley resident's backyard
The resident's surveillance camera caught the cat roaming around and even capturing a raccoon to eat.
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A Simi Valley neighborhood is on high alert after several mountain lions have been spotted roaming throughout their area.
In the most recent sighting, a cat was spotted prowling through a resident's backyard in the southeast area of Los Angeles and Sycamore drives.
"We had seen footage from the camera in the back that it had showed up around 7, and my wife opened up the back slider and made eye contact with the cat, and then slowly closed the door," said homeowner Jonathan Kline.
Kline told Eyewitness News the mountain lion stayed in their backyard for 24 hours. It left early Wednesday morning.
"The last footage we have of it was at 5 a.m.," said Kline. "Then, I went out and checked it at 6:30 with my heart pounding, hoping that I didn't find it. Because we've got some hiding places, a shed and lots of little hiding places."
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Police told the couple they couldn't do anything unless the mountain lion attacked.
Animal control told ABC7 it doesn't handle mountain lion sightings, and state wildlife officials said they also couldn't do much since the cat didn't attack anyone or show any aggressive behavior toward people.
"People need to know to be vigilant or just be on the lookout, just be aware," said one resident.
"I was a little scared especially because I have two little ones at home," said resident Stephanie Molina. "We just made sure to stay inside the house."
Wildlife officials said they're aware of Tuesday's mountain lion sighting at the Kline residence.
They said the cat isn't collared - meaning it's not being tracked - and said it's appears to be a young mountain lion that may have lost its way and has hopefully moved on.
