If the cougar attacks, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet.
They way I imagine it, you're never on your feet in this situation. Maybe I'm overestimating the cat.
I would guess yes and no.
Maybe not overestimating its ability, but overestimating the cats commitment.
Back a cougar into a corner and attack it, and you will have a bad day.
But, fighting back will usually send it running if it can.
There have been times I've heard about(anecdotal) where a starving cat tries anyway, but typically they don't want a fight.
I've never had to fight one, so I don't know who would win. But I've chased them away easily.
I grew up in cougar territory, and rarely ever saw them. Generally you see signs of them, but not them. They were considered a potential, but unlikely hazard to children, and a much bigger hazard to pets, but not adults.
I think of them like bad-ass deer. A deer could fuck you up in a heart beat. Don't kid yourself.
But we don't usually fear them. They don't want to fight.
Ok, a cougar is more of a potential threat, but it's the same idea, to me.
It can. And sometimes results in cyclists and hikers being stalked.
That doesn't usually end with an attack though.
A grown man fighting back should send a cougar running.
There are some rare instances where that isn't true. This may be one, so I'm curious what was different.