The Hidden Secret for Fending Off Bears and Mountain Lions

Predators of the trail, mountain lions and black bears loom large in the fear center of many backpackers’ brains.  Rightfully so, they kill upwards of one person per year in the US (source, source).  This is approximately infinity more deaths than are caused by unicorns.  Just the hard facts.

So how can you keep yourself safe in the face of these dangerous murder beasts?  It appears the answer has been right under our nose, or more accurately, curled up into a ball on the loveseat, all along.

Cats.  Specifically the domesticated house cat (unfortunately feral cats possess too many survival skills to engage in such a lopsided affair).  We know, it sounds crazy.  So don’t just take my word for it,  the evidence is below.

For the hopefully non-existent minority of readers who may have missed the sarcasm, house cats are not a viable form of protection from any animal larger than a mouse. Both of these videos surfaced recently and it was too coincidental to not share. Despite the very low rate of human deaths, wild animal encounters can be dangerous and you should know how to protect yourself against bears and giant kitties if venturing into their habitat.

Affiliate Disclosure

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

What Do You Think?