What Sounds Do Cougars Make?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 25, 2020

Cougars make a wide variety of sounds similar to house cats, including hisses, mews, spits, growls, a whistle-like sound, and also their distinctive piercing screams. Only females are able to make the screaming sound, which is particularly prevalent during the mating season, to attract mates. The distinctive scream is said to be nerve wracking and terror striking.

Average adult male cougars weigh approximately 125 lbs., and adult females are a tad smaller at 100 lbs. These felines are capable of taking down moose and elk that weigh more than 600 lbs. Cougars measure approximately 9 feet in length, topped with a 30-inch tail.