‘Mountain lion’ spotted at Oregon park turns out to be house cat, experts say

A warning of a mountain lion sighting at an Oregon park turned out to be a bit overstated, state wildlife officials reported.

The orange feline seen in a video shot at a Tigard park was actually a house cat, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said on Twitter, now rebranded as X.

“How do we know it was a house cat not a cougar?” the agency said. “The video is grainy but the #1 indicator is its size compared to the tree and compost/garbage bin. Also the fence is likely 6 foot which puts the cat at less than 1 foot in height.”

The cat also was the wrong color, officials said, noting it was more orange than tan.

The city reported the sighting at Cook Park in a Thursday, Nov. 16, post warning residents to “please make sure to be aware of your surroundings and leash up your dogs.”

On Friday, Nov. 17, state wildlife officials called in by the city cleared up the case of mistaken identity.

“This happens more than you think,” the agency said. “You’d be surprised how often other animals (dogs, house cats, coyotes, bobcats) are reported as cougar sightings.”

Tigard is about 10 miles southwest of Portland.

This story was originally published November 19, 2023 at 2:22 PM with the headline "‘Mountain lion’ spotted at Oregon park turns out to be house cat, experts say."