'Cougar' sighting in Tigard, Oregon was just a large house cat: Oregon Fish and Wildlife

Oregonians can breathe a sigh of relief, because what was thought to be a cougar sighting in the state has instead turned out to be a large house cat.

The state agency said that the "cougar" seen in Tigard, Oregon, a city about 10 miles southwest of Portland, on Nov. 16 was in fact, a house cat and was no cause for alarm.

"This happens more than you think," the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife posted on X, confirming the animal was not in fact a large, wild and dangerous predator.

In a grainy video of the cat posted on X, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the biggest indicator it was not a cougar was the animal's size compared to a nearby tree and compost or garbage bin. The fence, also seen in the video, is likely 6 feet tall, the agency said, which puts the cat at less than a foot tall in height.

Tigard has had confirmed cougar sightings in the past, the city's public works department posted on social media, but thankfully, last week's sighting was not one of them.

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Where do cougars live in the U.S.?

While they were once found in all over the contiguous 48 U.S. states, breeding populations of cougars are now found in just 16 states, primarily in the Midwest and Western regions of the country, including Oregon. They are also found in Texas and Florida, according to the Cougar Fund.

They are classified as game species and can be hunted for sport in 13 states: Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas and North Dakota.

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