from the los angeles daily news.....02/20/03
LA CRESCENTA -- The thing that went bump in the night Thursday in La Crescenta was a mountain lion that hurled itself against a glass patio door as stunned family members looked on.
The big cat, apparently aiming for Tom the family cat lying near the doorway, slammed spread-eagled against the glass door, bounced off and stood there before sauntering away.
"He walked away slowly up the yard -- kind of with an attitude," said homeowner Tim Parzyck. "If this glass hadn't held, my 8-year-old son was sitting right there, two feet away. It was almost surreal."
The big cat, which Parzyck estimated weighed 150 pounds, then wandered into a wash and wooded area behind the home. Sheriff's deputies and Fish and Game Department officers briefly cornered the cat, but it eluded capture.
Parzyck, who said the family had encountered deer, raccoons and other wildlife near their foothill home in the 2700 block of Starfall Drive, had never seen a mountain lion before.
"It's the first time we've encountered anything aggressive," he said.
When the mountain lion pounced, Parzyck's 8-year-old son Mikey was sitting at a nearby table, finishing his avocado salad and lasagna. In the living room across from the window sat Mikey's father and older brother.
"My brother Mikey just jumped out of the chair and stared and stood there," said 15-year-old Jeremy Parzyck, who also witnessed the animal's pounce about 7 p.m.
"I just stared at it, not believing it," Jeremy said. "He didn't even seem to notice us" as the animal focused on Tom the cat.
Tim Parzyck said he first froze when he saw the big cat, then "I ran to get my flashlight. I don't know what I was going to do -- probably shine it at his eyes or something."
Late Thursday, Parzyck was still holding out hope the cat would be captured. Sometimes, he said game officials told him, cats return to the scene of a hunt.
