Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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THE ROOF — Home security is pretty important to most people these days. We lock our windows and doors, we buy home surveillance systems and we keep the lights on when we're out of town.
But usually the intruders we think we're protecting ourselves against are people looking to steal our stuff — not a confused mountain lion that found its way to a California family's home, specifically the second floor bathroom.
The entire ordeal was recorded and the video was posted to Tuolumne County Sheriff's Facebook page.
It first shows a photo of the large cat looking startled in a disheveled bathroom. The video then starts playing and shows 40 long seconds of nothing. The suspense is high, and by the time second 35 rolls around, you might feel the urge to click out of the video — but then, right around the 40-second mark, comes the payoff.
Out of nowhere, the mountain lion leaps out of the roof and jumps out of frame.
Sheriff's officials said the cat actually made its way into the home through the open front door.
Once the animal was spotted, he tried to escape but wound up cornered in a bathroom. Fish and Wildlife officials were called to the scene and helped coax the animal out of the bathroom.
While officials say the cat didn't threaten the resident or steal anything, they still gave the cat a stern talking to about the break-in before he was released.
Authorities probably didn't want copy-cat crimes inspired by the adventurous fellow.
In all seriousness, officials said mountain lion sightings near residential areas aren't considered a public safety concern so long as the animal doesn't show aggressive behavior toward people.
Mountain lions are typically shy and extremely stealthy, the Facebook post noted.
However, it's usually best to keep doors closed and secure and to remember if someone does encounter a mountain lion, they should make noise, act defiant and not afraid, maintain eye contact, never run away, slowly create distance, and fight back if you’re attacked, the Facebook post said.
Thankfully, in this situation, no one was attacked by the intruder. As ABC News put it, this was not your typical "cat burglar."
