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If you live out that way and heard a crazy woman screaming, she said, that would have been her yelling for her dog, who thought she'd give the big cat a run for its money.
"I'm sure my dog thought she scared it off," Melissa said. "I think it was more of the screaming."
According to the Mountain Lion Foundation, www.mountainlion.org, what Melissa did was the right thing to do; make noise, make yourself appear as large as possible and act like a predator yourself.
If you meet a cougar, they recommend making yourself appear larger by opening your coat or jacket and waving your raised arms slowly overhead. If you have little children, pick them up, pets; keep them with you on a leash close in front of you or by your side, if possible. If you're with bigger kids or other adults, group together.
Yell, shout, if you have something you can bang to make noise, bang it! Don't cry, squeal or make noise the cat might associate with prey ... if nothing else, they recommend, talk to the cat, speaking in a loud, firm voice.
Act like a predator yourself; maintain eye contact, stand tall, don't run. Don't bend over or crouch down, and don't play dead. If you have something you can wave, wave it, something you can throw, throw it.
While you're doing all this, they say, try to assess the situation. In Melissa's case, it's pretty obvious the cat was looking for food. But you might find yourself between a female with kittens, or between a cougar and a cache of food it's returning to. If the cat refuses to run, they say you should back slowly, never turning away, to give the cat a path, giving time for the animal to move away.
While attacks on humans are rare, if it happens, they say, fight back with whatever is at your disposal, protecting your neck and throat.
Use rocks, sticks, garden tools to whack the surly critter, if nothing is at hand, use your fists and feet to turn the cat away. Studies have shown that the big cat, unless injured or ill, will instinctively try to get away from people and that most encounters are as much a surprise to the cougar as to the person confronted.
Even if you find yourself being stalked by a cougar, experts say, an attack is extremely rare.