Sick Looking Cougar Ate Rat Poison And Has Mange

This Californian cougar looks very unhappy and so he should because he has mange which makes his fur look motley and it makes him look unkempt but it is also because he has eaten rodents which have been killed with rat poison. He must feel awful. He looks miserable.

AP Photo - Mountain lion suffering from mange and rat poison

As a result the cougar has been poisoned with rat poison. Not so long ago he appeared strong and healthy when he was wandering through a wilderness park in the middle of Los Angeles. And now he looks a mess and it is unclear whether he will survive. Although he has been treated and sent on his way.

This mountain lion has been trapped before and wears a radio collar. The cat has a number P–22.

Read much more on this well-known cougar

There may be a connection between this cat getting mange and being poisoned by the anticoagulant rodenticide.

Apparently, mange in wild cats is rare and only two other mountain lions in the 12 year National Park Service study have developed mange and both of them died of rat poison.

It makes me wonder whether there should be some sort of local regulations which ensures that wildlife is protected from eating animals that have been killed with rat poison.

For someone like me, it is unpleasant to think about a mountain lion dying of poison, slowly while simultaneously suffering from a highly irritating skin condition. This cat must feel very uncomfortable and ill.