Penticton resident warns community after cougar kills cat

Photo: Roxanne Brower

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Photo: Roxanne Brower Photo: Contributed Photo: Contributed Photo: Contributed

A Penticton resident's Birthday started out horribly on Sunday.

Roxanne Brower says she woke up at 2 a.m. to let her cat out to the bathroom and heard what she thought was a cat fight, only to find her pet in a cougar's mouth.

Brower says she lives on Duncan Avenue East.

She tells Castanet she yelled at the cougar, and that's when it dropped her cat.

"He ran across the road towards the water reservoir and my kitty decided to lay on the driveway and I went in and grabbed a towel and it took him 30 minutes to breathe his last breath."

The cat, named Kitty was 14 years old.

"I am just so thankful I was able to break him up and keep him otherwise we wouldn't know where he was. It was an unbelievably huge animal," Brower added.

Brower says the cougar has been spotted in the area for several weeks.

She is hoping her story can remind pet owners to be careful late at night.

"I want to make sure everybody is aware."