Mountain Lion Broke Into Home To ‘Hunt’ Taxidermy Deer Head

This is the ultimate cat burglary attempt.

After news broke about a cougar jumping through the screen door of a Washington home on Tuesday, a mountain lion was also discovered inside a California residence, allegedly trying to “hunt” the taxidermy wildlife featured on the home’s wall.

According to a press release put out by the San Bruno Police Department, at approximately 12:20 a.m. on Tuesday, a mountain lion entered the home “by breaking through an exterior glass window.”

A subsequent report from KTVU confirmed the alleged events with the startled homeowners, identified only as Rose and Steve.

“My eyes locked on this huge animal and I went, ‘What the hell is that?'” Rose said. Steve responded matter-of-factly: “A mountain lion on our couch.”

Rose told the outlet she high-tailed it out of the room after seeing “glass…everywhere,” and reportedly “did a quick U-turn to the bedroom.”

“[The mountain lion] went up in the living room and then, you know, he felt trapped, so he was running around, he knocked over a TV and couple of things,” Steve reported to KTVU.

Fortunately, Steve was able to scare the cat out of the house shortly after discovering it, and it did not require the use of tranquilizer darts much like the Washington cougar incident. However, the San Bruno Police noted in their report that the big cat was still on the loose.

Police also reportedly have reason to believe that the animal was attracted to the property after spotting several taxidermy heads through the window.

“It is believed that the mountain lion entered the residence because of several large game, taxidermy trophy heads, mounted on the interior walls of the residence,” the San Bruno Police Department news release said.

Steve, whose home features the heads of an elk and a bison, acknowledged the animal was only acting out of natural instinct.

“You can’t blame the animal if he saw something he might have thought, you know, it was a meal for him,” Steve told KTVU. “Wildlife had the land before we did. We’re encroaching on [their homes].”

The San Bruno Police Department also noted that other neighboring households should not worry. “While mountain lion sightings are fairly common throughout Northern California, this type of incident is out of the ordinary,” they reported.

“Mountain lions typically pose little threat to humans, and generally avoid any human interaction,” the news release added.

The police also offered tips for residents to reduce their risk should they come into contact with a cougar, including keeping an eye on kids and pets, installing outdoor lights on their property, and removing dense vegetation around homes.

Newsweek reached out to the San Bruno Police Department for additional comment, but they did not immediately respond in time for publication.

Meanwhile, in San Francisco, a mountain lion that was on the loose for two days was found in a local tree and safely captured by local authorities. It was first discovered roaming the streets on a Ring doorbell camera.