Which do you prefer: cougar, mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, or catamount?

Cougar or mountain lion is what they’re called around these her parts. Like, when you see one…“LOOK!!! IT’S A COUGAR!!!” Since we don’t have mountains you don’t hear mountain lion as often.

What prompted this question? Somebody not know they’re different names for the same cat?

I love the way that the word catamount sounds, but I tend to say cougar because that’s what they’re called in Washington State.

I’ll go with Puma

Are these new nicknames for the sex & the city girls?

I prefer Mountain Lion, for some reason.

I prefer catamount, but I’d probably never think to use it.

Mountain Lion

We have mountain lions around here, but I haven’t heard of sightings of any of the others. They should have name tags, so we could tell the difference. (what was that sign we were supposed to use if we were being facetious?)

:}~ (Like that Sunny2)

Growing up in CA, I only ever heard mountain lion but relatives in other states call them cougars.

Seems like where they have mountains they call them mountain lions (Coloma calls her occasional giant kitty wandering on to her land “Mountain Lion.) The Plains People call them ‘cougars.”

Here, where there are periodic sightings, we call them mountain lions. We have rolling hills.

Apparently, catamount is a shortened version of cat of the mountains, not to be confused with catamite, a boy kept for homosexual practices.

“Catamount”...I wonder if it’s an Irish word. As in “Cat’O’Mount.”

ORIGIN late Middle English (as catamountain): from the phrase cat of the mountain .”

Ah, but See This

“catamount 1660s, shortening of cat-o’-mountain (1610s), from cat of the mountain (early 15c.).”

Sounds like it was basically a made up word. Related to “Cattywumpus” and stuff.

Whichever one is in heat.

Round these here parts we call em mountain lions. Makes sense seeing as how it’s the mountains. They are quite prevalent. Luckily I have not had a run in yet.

I like catamount, but like @Dutchess_III, I don’t think I could get used to it. It sounds like something a cop might ask an animal hoarder when filling out a police report: What is your catamount?

I like puma; it’s one of those words that’s kind of fun to say and I had a pair of Pumas once, sneakers that is, that I really liked. And we can’t call them mountain lions because the second highest point in the state is, I believe, the Smyrna landfill. So, around here we call them, or maybe I should say it, “the cougar.” “Alice! I just saw the cougar! I saw the dang cougar, I swear!” Though after reading these comment about the cougar some people do call them pumas, and several people just referred to them as “big cats.”

“The cougar” might as well be a Chupacabra for all the real evidence there is of it. But John is hopeful, as he said: “Also forgot to mention, there has been 4 recent sightings on Virginia’s end of Delmarva, including one by a Dentist.”

Downstate Delawareans, like John, God bless ‘em. They’re the one’s that gave you all Christine O’Donnell.

@lillycoyote Smyrna landfill! ROFLLLLL!!!! Damn your eyes! I just spit beer all over my keyboard again!!!

@Dutchess_III We’d have to call them landfill lions. That would be embarrassing. For both us and the cougar.

@Dutchess_III You need to get one of these I think. Unless you have a laptop, but they make protective plastic covers for laptops too.

Hmmm…I used to prefer cougar, until reading this question. ‘Mountain lion’ and ‘mountain cat’ sound like descriptives used by people who don’t realize that it is a different species from a lion or cat. And while they don’t live in the region of the US that I do, I was aware that they don’t always live in mountainous regions. ‘Catamount’ is a new word for me. It evokes images of a ‘catamaran’.

I adore the sound of pronouncing ‘puma’. Poo’ – ma. It’s fun to say. Plus, it is the scientific name of its genus. Thus, I would like to change my original answer.

On a side-note, I have tasted puma meat.

Cougar
Upper Midwest Region

We call them “cougar”. Is that also the plural?
We have no mountains where I live, but there are a few of the big cats out in the woods. I have heard the growl and snarl and that rowr sound that they make in the dark of night. It may have been a bobcat. I didn’t investigate.

LAUGH OUT LOUD LILLY!!! STOP!! YOU’RE RUENIN MY KEYBOARD!!!! I want a landfill lion!

I’ve always called them mountain lions. I’m from the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian region, so it makes sense. I don’t really hear people use the term “cougar” much unless they’re referring to its other meaning. ;)

Cougar.

Mountain Lion around here.

Mountain lion and cougar.

Usually I call them mountain lions but when I am in character as a mountain man for a reenactment I call them catamounts.

Catamount is an archaic term for mountain lion.

I use cougar.

Predatory pussies.

I usually call them mountain lions.
I think my wife and the people of her homeland call them pumas.

We don’t have them here (except in zoos) and I guess I mostly hear them called cougars or mountain lions, but I like puma best. I’ve never heard of catamount before.

Lol! I knew that.
I use mountain lion or sometimes puma.

As we live very close to the Rockies we use mountain lion a bit more than cougar.

Where the hell is Coloma??!!

haha here I am

Both here. I lean towards Mountain Lion but use Cougar as well. I live in lion land over here, recently a magnificent 175 lb. est. to be 7–8 yr. old male was shot for killing a goat in my area. Pissed me off. I love Mountain Lions and have had one up close encounter with one some years ago, after a tense few seconds he/she just turned and walked away.

:) Did you know that @lillycoyote has Landfill Lions round where she all lives? :)

Mountain lion. One killed a dog last month near where I live. We’re pretty cautious.