Face the animal head on. Don’t look away and don’t run away. The animal threatening you is a cat. Have you ever seen a housecat chase after a mouse, bird, insect or a simple ball of yarn? The cougar will do the same to you and like the housecat, it will go for your neck. Don’t run because if you do, you'll increase your chances of dying or sustaining serious injuries. Make lots of noise, flail your arms and make as much of a commotion as you possibly can. There remains a chance that the disoriented animal will choose to go look for a fight elsewhere. A cougar is big to you, but you are not exactly a rabbit in its eyes either. Make yourself look as big and mean as possible. Sometimes, that is enough.
In a bear attack, playing dead is your best chance for survival. However, a cougar will toss you around like a housecat does a dead mouse if it thinks you are dead. Cats play with their food and a mountain lion is no different. Don’t play dead. Instead, fight, bite, scratch, kick, punch and whatever else you need to do in order to cause the animal some pain. It’s a tough creature, but it feels pain.
When the animal saunters away, (it won’t run), wait until you can no longer see it before heading the opposite direction. Bind your wounds as best you can, by ripping your clothing into bandages. It is essential in the event of an attack to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. While medical help will be important, your body only has 4 gallons of blood in it and 4 gallons can escape through a cougar claw wound all too easily if not treated. If the cougar leaves, it’s unlikely that it will come back. Bind those wounds and get help.
