California Couple's TV Night Interrupted By Mountain Lion Looking for a Bathroom
One California couple had a surprise visitor Sunday night.
Edward and Kathy Sudduth were relaxing in their home, watching some television, when a mountain lion suddenly appeared in their living room.
“We were just watching television and then all of a sudden, we heard a big bang,” Edward told Fox 40 News.
The large predator had been allegedly chasing their neighbor’s cat, when it accidentally ended up in the Sudduth home in Sonora, Calif.
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“We thought it was a dog,” Kathy told the outlet, explaining that it took a moment for her and her husband to register what was happening.
The lion was so close to the couple that it even touched Edward. “His tail was pretty close to me, so I just ‘thwipped’ it a little bit,” Edward told Fox 40.
Their interaction with the animal sent the big cat running for cover a bathroom, where it accidentally locked itself inside. Edward and his wife took shelter in another room, behind a barricaded door, and called for help.
“911 had a hard time understanding what I was talking about because I probably was jabbering a lot,” Edward said.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home, broke the bathroom window and coaxed the large animal out. The mountain lion eventually left the house by jumping out of the window.
“He did get a stern warning about the break-in before being released,” the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office joked on Facebook.
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Authorities noted that they do not consider mountain lion sightings a public safety concern “as long as the lion is not exhibiting aggressive behavior towards people.”
The lion has not been spotted since the incident, though the neighbor with the cat claims to have heard it, according to Fox 40. The Sudduths hope that was the last time they have an uninvited guest during one of their evenings in.
“Won’t leave the door open anymore,” Edward joked to the outlet.
