What Happened to Me on the Worst Day Ever?

[Evo]

It all started when I noticed that I look like I have the measles. The child of Evo wanted to take me to the emergency room tonight. I have no clue what this is.

Then something truly bizarre happened and I can't say what, if I reported it to the authorities every news crew in the state would descend on my house because it's so rare here. Scared the cr@p out of me, I was shaking for at least two hours. I still can't sleep and I've already taken 3 sleeping pills. It's out there.

 

[franznietzsche]

It all started when I noticed that I look like I have the measles. The child of Evo wanted to take me to the emergency room tonight. I have no clue what this is.

Then something truly bizarre happened and I can't say what, if I reported it to the authorities every news crew in the state would descend on my house because it's so rare here. Scared the cr@p out of me, I was shaking for at least two hours. I still can't sleep and I've already taken 3 sleeping pills. It's out there.

I'm sorry.

Confused too.

Bad days are no fun. I prescribe hot chocolate. Or espresso.

 

[Evo]

I'm sorry.

Confused too.

Bad days are no fun. I prescribe hot chocolate. Or espresso.

Ooooh, both are good.

I noticed on the internet that anyone that reports these sightings are instantly in all the press and official sites and I don't want my name plastered everywhere and I don't want to be on the news. It's not a UFO or Sasquatch. But since it is dangerous, I realize I have an obligation to report it, I hope they'll take an anonymous report.

The first thing I did was to call my friend in New York whose first question was "did you report it?".

 

[Mk]

Can you hint us?
==List of modifiers==
Not paranormal
Dangerous
Two people know about it. I'm guessing four or more.

Let's see... so that narrows it down to huge chasms opening up by will in the ground anywhere within the next 10 miles, a severed head on your doorstep, and a moldy twinkie. Oh wait, that last one is paranormal.

 

[chroot]

If you think it's dangerous, report it. You have no obligation to give anyone your name.

(What is it?)

- Warren

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...someone running with scissors?

 

[chroot]

Mountain lion?

- Warren

 

[Bystander]

So, you saw a bear --- keep the cats in.

 

[moose]

Mountain lion?

- Warren

For some reason, I had that same exact thought :uhh: I don't think people get media coverage for calling in a mountain lion though...

I hope nothing comes from whatever it is that is making you look like you have the measles! Good luck

 

[Evo]

For some reason, I had that same exact thought :uhh: I don't think people get media coverage for calling in a mountain lion though...

Seems scientists here are trying to claim mountain lions no longer live in Kansas despite the fact that they get run over rather frequently. They claim they must be pets that got loose. Riiight, that's why the wildlife preserve next to my house warns of mountain lions and I've seen fresh tracks. Well, now I have one at my house. And he's banging on the fence. So the media jumps all over these reports to spread fear.

I hope nothing comes from whatever it is that is making you look like you have the measles! Good luck

At least the mountain lion and ( I forgot to mention the coyote) made me foget about the spots.

 

[Math Is Hard]

*loads rifle*
call me if you need me, Evo.

oh, nevermind. just saw your post.
*loads catnip bazooka*

 

[Evo]

*loads rifle*
call me if you need me, Evo.

Thanks MIH. I grabbed Dr foofer and he's locked inside. He's not happy, but he's safe. I' am afraid to open my front door. They may have been enticed by the new steer behind my house.

Perhaps I need t get a rifle.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks MIH. I grabbed Dr foofer and he's locked inside. He's not happy, but he's safe. I' am afraid to open my front door. They may have been enticed by the new steer behind my house.

Perhaps I need t get a rifle.

I am glad to hear you and Foofer are OK. Shoot! Where's Ivan when you need him? :grumpy: He knows how to scare off wildlife.

 

[moose]

I've been desensitized towards coyotes because I see them at least once every two weeks... Usually this happens while walking my small dog, which adds to the effect. Around here, coyotes don't usually do anything to people...

If I were to see a mountain lion, I'd be extremely scared O.O!

Crazy creatures O_O

 

[FrogPad]

Though large in size this cat cannot roar, but instead purrs and has even been said to make eerily humanlike screams when courting.

What are you scared of? :rofl:

 

[J77]

How about the spots?

Perhaps you have a case of shingles?

 

[tribdog]

Are you in the witness protection program? or are you so vain that you don't want to report the mountain lion because you might be on the news and have spots on your face?

 

[zoobyshoe]

This thread seemed familiar, and it was:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=22647&highlight=lion

 

[ZapperZ]

This is a good excuse to make you move into the city, Evo!

Zz.

 

[Astronuc]

It all started when I noticed that I look like I have the measles. The child of Evo wanted to take me to the emergency room tonight. I have no clue what this is.

Then something truly bizarre happened and I can't say what, if I reported it to the authorities every news crew in the state would descend on my house because it's so rare here. Scared the cr@p out of me, I was shaking for at least two hours. I still can't sleep and I've already taken 3 sleeping pills. It's out there.

Umm, perhaps this morning, one can go to the doctor. IIRC, measles is accompanied by a rash --

A rash starts on the face and upper neck, spreads down the back and trunk, then extends to the arms and hands, as well as the legs and feet.

Measles is still a problem in the US, and IIRC it may have increased in some areas because people are not getting vaccinated.

The rash could be other reactions, such as an allergy, or it could be a response to stress.

I hope things improve healthwise and otherwise.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Since she took 3 sleeping pills before posting she won't remember having started this thread, and maybe even won't remember the mountain lion. At any rate, she might have been eaten, making the spots moot.

 

[Evo]

No, I still remember. First thing this morning I checked, no lion, but now I'm afraid to leave my windows open downstairs and this is the time of year I love to leave them open. If a possum could get into my house, a mountain lion seeking fruit bats surely could.

Yes, there was a mountain lion in the neighborhood before, I believe it's the one that got run over, except I didn't see one outside my kitchen window. That takes it to a whole new level.

Now before I leave the house I'm going to do a full sweep of the area with binoculars. I can just see the headlines "local woman mauled by cougar as she opens front door".

I don't want to be on the news because I don't want shotgun toting freaks wandering around my house ready to shoot anything that moves.

The spots are fading, no idea what it could be other than I was working in the yard the evening before and no telling what I might have come into contact with.

 

[DaveC426913]

The spots are fading, no idea what it could be

I think the answer would be obvious by now.

The spots are camouflage - a suvival feature evolved by many types of mountain lion prey.

 

[Astronuc]

Lab confirms droppings belong to mountain lion
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/dec/10/lab_confirms_droppings/
By Beth Lawton, Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Now there's scientific proof.

After years of debate about whether cougars exist in Kansas, the Kansas Biological Survey on Tuesday released DNA analysis results of a feces sample from KU's West Campus area.

"The verdict? It's a cougar," Mark Jakubauskas, research assistant professor for the Kansas Applied Remote Sensing Program with the Kansas Biological Survey, wrote in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon.

The test result is the first scientific proof of a cougar in the area. The Applied Technology in Conservation Genetics Lab in the Department of Biology at Central Michigan University analyzed DNA from the sample.

"The DNA analysis confirms numerous sightings and reports of a cougar on West Campus and around Lawrence and Douglas County by different persons over the past few years," the e-mail stated.

Cougar sightings cause stir in Capitol
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2004/jan/28/cougar_sightings_cause/
By Scott Rothschild, Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Topeka — Faced with a growing amount of evidence, Kansas Wildlife and Parks officials Tuesday came within a whisker of conceding there may be a cougar in Kansas, and that it may be prowling around Kansas University's west campus.

"We would not say that they aren't here," said Matt Peek, a research biologist for the state agency.

But Peek and other Wildlife and Parks officials said they essentially would have to see a wild cougar in Kansas before stating with certainty the animals had returned to the state. So far, there have been mainly unconfirmed sightings and at least one fuzzy photograph snapped by a KU researcher.

The cougar debate that has raged for years in Lawrence came to the Legislature as the House Environment Committee heard testimony on the issue.

For Mark Jakubauskas, an assistant research professor for the Kansas Biological Survey, there is no doubt cougars have returned to Kansas.

Last fall, after numerous reports of cougar sightings in the west campus area, Jakubauskas placed a motion detection wildlife camera there and on Oct. 1 got an image of an animal some wildlife biologists have identified as a cougar.

About a week later, he and a colleague found some animal droppings in the vicinity of where the photo was taken. A DNA analysis of the droppings showed it was from a cougar.

http://easterncougarnet.org/prairiestates.html
Certainly shows cougars (mountain lions) exist in all the prairie states, and even Missouri and Iowa. Probably the roam the open areas, the Mississippi River area, and tributaries.

Conclusions

Western cougar populations have been increasing since the 1960's, largely due to increased legal protection (i.e., game animal status) and expanded prey populations (primarily deer and elk). There is substantial evidence that indicates the species is beginning to re-colonize the adjacent Prairie States. South Dakota has documented a growing population of cougars, while the states of Nebraska, North Dakota and Oklahoma believe that they may now have small resident populations.

Cool!

A recent confirmation (June, 2004) in Oklahoma is very interesting in that it is the longest migration of a collared cougar ever recorded. This cat was collared by South Dakota State University researchers in the Black Hills of South Dakota, moved into adjacent Wyoming and then ended up killed by a train near Red Rock, Oklahoma, a distance of about 667 miles if he went in a straight line. Most likely this cougar traveled almost 1000 miles following river corridors.

River corridors are where the game are concentrated.

Apparently lots of people are siting cougars in Kansas -
http://kdwp.blogspot.com/2006/04/mountain-lions-in-kansas.html

I guess people need to start collecting scat and taking photos of paw prints. Maybe the state officials are waiting for someone to get mauled.

 

[Evo]

I think the answer would be obvious by now.

The spots are camouflage - a suvival feature evolved by many types of mountain lion prey.

Or to make me stand out so that I'm an easier target.

 

[Evo]

Lab confirms droppings belong to mountain lion
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/dec/10/lab_confirms_droppings/
By Beth Lawton, Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Yep, that's 30 minutes from here.

River corridors are where the game are concentrated.

The river runs near my house.

Cougars (mountain lions) are pretty unmistakable at a close distance, there's no mistaking that one was in my yard last night, we're talking 20-30 feet away from the window.

 

[Astronuc]

Yep, that's 30 minutes from here.

The river runs near my house.

Cougars (mountain lions) are pretty unmistakable at a close distance, there's no mistaking that one was in my yard last night, we're talking 20-30 feet away from the window.

I think you mentioned that someone in the areas raises llamas, or other herbivores. If so, the cougars will definitely be attracted to that area. I guess you'll have to keep the little ones indoors for a few days.

 

[franznietzsche]

Yep, that's 30 minutes from here.

The river runs near my house.

Cougars (mountain lions) are pretty unmistakable at a close distance, there's no mistaking that one was in my yard last night, we're talking 20-30 feet away from the window.

You live in kansas?

I'm so sorry.

Cougars are scary when you run into them in the wild. Which is how I learned not to hike alone anymore.

 

[Evo]

I think you mentioned that someone in the areas raises llamas, or other herbivores. If so, the cougars will definitely be attracted to that area. I guess you'll have to keep the little ones indoors for a few days.

The guy around the corner has a couple of llamas and some peacocks roaming his property, I need to take a picture of the cool life size bronze of a stag he has on his island.

 

[franznietzsche]

The guy around the corner has a couple of llamas and some peacocks roaming his property, I need to take a picture of the cool life size bronze of a stag he has on his island.

His island?

 

[BobG]

Mountain lions prey on family pets on the West side of our town, too. It's a little more expected, since the West side of town runs right up to the bottom of the Rampart Range.

Sometimes they venture further East. All the parks have warning signs that essentially say, "If your pet is being attacked by a mountain lion, let go of the leash", but with a little more verbiage about the dangers of getting between a mountain lion and its prey.

I used to know someone that worked at the Humane Society and one of most frustrating things she'd encounter is people losing their pet, finally giving up on finding it, adopting a new pet, losing it, giving up and adopting a new pet. She'd look at these West side addresses with horror and know exactly what was happening.

 

[Evo]

I used to know someone that worked at the Humane Society and one of most frustrating things she'd encounter is people losing their pet, finally giving up on finding it, adopting a new pet, losing it, giving up and adopting a new pet. She'd look at these West side addresses with horror and know exactly what was happening.

I have a 5 foot tall wood fence around my property, at a cost of $9k, which would normally keep wild animals out, but the kid that does my lawn left the south gate open. I would hope that this animal won't feel like jumping the fence, but of course the fence only goes around the back.

 

[Moonbear]

Cougars (mountain lions) are pretty unmistakable at a close distance, there's no mistaking that one was in my yard last night, we're talking 20-30 feet away from the window.

Maybe you can call the Wildlife Dept doing that study in Astronuc's article instead of calling police (not sure who else you'd call) who would totally overreact and show up with a hunting party and media. If it's coming that close to the house, someone needs to be notified, and hopefully wildlife officials would try to relocate it rather than shoot it before it learns to hunt people.

I wouldn't worry as much about coyotes (your neighbor with the farm might though). They're really unlikely to go after a full grown human, and they pretty much hunt at night, so as long as you keep all your pets indoors at night, people can coexist with them okay. You would want to keep small children close to the house when they play too, but most parents do that anyway, and since you don't have small children, it's not an issue for you.

As for the spots, yes, get it checked out. You seem to be under a lot of stress lately, so it's quite possible that it's something triggered by stress, or an allergic reaction to something. Hopefully it's not measles or shingles and is just something you can treat with a cream or antihistamine.

 

[Moonbear]

I have a 5 foot tall wood fence around my property, at a cost of $9k, which would normally keep wild animals out, but the kid that does my lawn left the south gate open. I would hope that this animal won't feel like jumping the fence, but of course the fence only goes around the back.

A 5 ft fence won't even keep IN a housecat, I really don't think it's going to keep OUT a mountain lion.

I used to know someone that worked at the Humane Society and one of most frustrating things she'd encounter is people losing their pet, finally giving up on finding it, adopting a new pet, losing it, giving up and adopting a new pet. She'd look at these West side addresses with horror and know exactly what was happening.

I'm trying to figure out if those people are complete idiots or totally callous. How can you lose pet after pet in mountain lion country and just shrug it off and get a new one without learning to keep them inside?! Did anyone at the Human Society ever advise these people about the risks of mountain lions in the area and instruct them to keep their pets indoors and not to let them outdoors unattended, even in a fenced yard?

 

[Astronuc]

If one had the measles, I think one would have a fever. Maybe it's a good time to see one's doctor. I think I remember a comment about someone getting a comprehensive physical.

As for the cougar, I would suggest calling Mark Jakubauskas who did the wildlife survey and ask him to come out and take a look - discretely. Maybe he could collect any evidence.

A 10ft fence won't keep a mountain lion out. They climb trees and I'm pretty sure they can to 8-10 ft vertical.