{"id":725,"date":"2025-09-16T14:39:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/?p=725"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:39:48","slug":"wild-at-heart-mountain-lion-breaks-into-pet-store-gets-high-on-catnip-like-a-housecat-gone-rogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/?p=725","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWild at Heart: Mountain Lion Breaks Into Pet Store, Gets High on Catnip Like a Housecat Gone Rogue\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colorado Springs, CO \u2014<\/strong> Early morning staff at a local pet store expected barking dogs and meowing kittens\u2026 but they weren\u2019t ready for this<\/em> customer.<\/p>\n

In what can only be described as a scene straight out of a nature-documentary-meets-stoner-comedy, security footage revealed a full-grown mountain lion<\/strong> casually strolling through the store after hours \u2014 not for food, not for shelter\u2026 but for catnip<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Yes, catnip<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The big cat passed by the dog food, ignored the fish tanks, and made a determined walk straight to the cat toy aisle<\/strong>, where it found the holy grail: a shelf packed with catnip bags. What happened next was both adorable and unbelievable.<\/p>\n

The mountain lion pawed a bag off the shelf, tore it open with practiced ease, and immediately dropped to the floor like it had found nirvana<\/strong>. Rolling, rubbing, and purring (probably), it wallowed in the shredded mess like a kitten in ecstasy.<\/p>\n

When employees opened up shop the next morning, they were greeted not by the usual rush of customers, but by a dazed, blissed-out apex predator stoned on catnip<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Wildlife officers were called in and, after some gentle persuasion (and likely a few deep breaths), they managed to lead the lion out safely and release it back into the nearby hills \u2014 hopefully with a good story to tell the others.<\/p>\n

Experts are scratching their heads. While domestic cats are famously addicted to catnip, mountain lions don\u2019t typically react to it. So what happened?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could\u2019ve been the strong scent, a moment of curiosity, or maybe this guy just wanted to feel something,\u201d said one wildlife biologist.<\/p>\n

The store owner took it in stride: \u201cHey, this is Colorado. Our plants have a reputation. Looks like the wildlife\u2019s catching on too.\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing\u2019s for sure: This is one customer that left with more than a receipt \u2014 he left with a serious catnip crush.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colorado Springs, CO \u2013<\/strong> You\u2019ve heard of shoplifters. You\u2019ve heard of stoners. But what happens when nature itself<\/em> decides to combine the two into one jaw-dropping midnight escapade?<\/p>\n

Staff at a quiet Colorado Springs pet store got the shock of their lives when they walked in early one morning\u2026 only to find a giant mountain lion<\/strong> sprawled out in the cat toy aisle, surrounded by torn packaging and a cloud of shredded catnip. And no \u2014 this isn\u2019t the setup to a joke. It actually happened<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd75\ufe0f\u200d\u2642\ufe0f The Mystery Intruder<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The story began around 2:30 a.m., when the store’s motion-triggered cameras picked up some movement near the back entrance. At first, it looked like just another shadow. But a closer look at the footage revealed something far more wild \u2014 literally.<\/p>\n

A full-grown mountain lion<\/strong> had somehow slipped into the store through an unsecured service door. Silently, like a feline ghost, it wandered through the dimly lit aisles with surprising calm and purpose \u2014 like it knew exactly what it was looking for<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udeab No Interest in Dog Food, Bird Seed, or Fish<\/h3>\n

Store manager Karen Delaney, reviewing the security footage the next day, was stunned. \u201cIt just\u2026 walked in like it owned the place,\u201d she said. \u201cDidn\u2019t even sniff the dog treats. Just bypassed everything like it was on a mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the mountain lion padded past bins of kibble, shelves of chew toys, tanks of exotic fish, and stacks of bird seed \u2014 pausing only briefly to glance at a squeaky toy shaped like a squirrel.<\/p>\n

But then, something caught its nose. Something irresistible.<\/em><\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude3c The Call of the Catnip<\/h3>\n

Witnesses say the lion made a beeline for the cat toy aisle. It sniffed the air, head tilted, eyes dilated. Then \u2014 jackpot.<\/p>\n

The predator located a bottom shelf overflowing with catnip bags<\/strong> and toy mice stuffed with the good stuff. Without hesitation, it knocked a bag to the floor, ripped it open like it was tearing into fresh prey, and immediately dropped to the ground in pure feline ecstasy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen house cats react to catnip, but this?\u201d said Delaney. \u201cThis was next-level. It rolled. It rubbed its face. It kicked. At one point I think it even drooled a little.\u201d<\/p>\n

The footage, which has now gone viral on social media, shows the massive cat flopping around like a tipsy kitten at a birthday party \u2014 all 150 pounds of it completely overtaken by whatever was in that bag.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udecd\ufe0f The Morning After<\/h3>\n

By the time employees arrived to open the store at 8 a.m., they weren\u2019t greeted by customers \u2014 they were greeted by chaos. Shredded packaging littered the floor. Shelves were half-empty. And there, in the middle of it all, lay a very chill, very sleepy, catnip-covered mountain lion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI froze,\u201d said assistant manager Luis Vega. \u201cI thought maybe I was still dreaming. Or maybe we got a new display animal. Then it blinked at me, yawned, and licked its paw.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wildlife officers were quickly called to the scene. After about 45 minutes \u2014 and several pounds of raw meat used as bait \u2014 they managed to gently coax the lion out of the store and back into the surrounding wilderness. It reportedly paused at the exit, looked back at the catnip aisle longingly, and disappeared into the trees.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde0 Experts Weigh In<\/h3>\n

So why would a wild apex predator<\/strong> behave like a common house cat on a Saturday morning?<\/p>\n

Wildlife biologist Dr. Megan Arliss has a theory. \u201cMountain lions aren\u2019t known to be affected by catnip in the same way domestic cats are. But scent curiosity is very strong in all felines. It could have been the concentrated aroma, or even the texture. Or maybe this one was just… special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Arliss added, \u201cHonestly, I\u2019ve never seen anything like it. And I\u2019ve studied big cats for 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf3f \u201cOnly in Colorado\u2026\u201d<\/h3>\n

Locals are now calling the mountain lion the \u201cCatnip Bandit\u201d<\/strong>, and the store has even started selling limited-edition T-shirts featuring a cartoon version of the animal rolling in catnip under the words: \u201cStay Wild.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

When asked for comment, store owner Tom Whitaker chuckled. \u201cWhat can I say? Colorado is famous for its natural plants making people feel good. Looks like the animals are catching on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the incident, the store has upgraded its security system \u2014 but staff admit they kind of hope the big cat makes a return.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not every day you meet a customer who knows exactly what they want,\u201d said Vega. \u201cEven if that customer could eat you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udcf8 WATCH THE VIDEO<\/strong>: [Click here to see the viral security footage of the mountain lion\u2019s catnip moment.]<\/h3>\n

\ud83e\udde2 Merch Available: Catnip Bandit<\/strong> shirts and mugs now available in-store and online!<\/h3>\n

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Colorado Springs, CO \u2014 Early morning staff at a local pet store expected barking dogs and meowing kittens\u2026 but they weren\u2019t ready for this customer. In what can only be described as a scene straight out of a nature-documentary-meets-stoner-comedy, security footage revealed a full-grown mountain lion casually strolling through the store after hours \u2014 not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animals","category-magazine","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=725"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":726,"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/725\/revisions\/726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralitynews25.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}