The cat dialed back pressure through its crushing jaws, and the friend was able to pull away, fellow cyclists said in an interview one month after the incident east of Seattle.
A group of Seattle-area cyclists who helped one of their own escape the jaws of a cougar recounted their story this weekend, saying they fought the cat and pinned it down.
The woman who was attacked, Keri Bergere, sustained neck and face injuries and was treated at a hospital and released following the Feb. 17 incident on a trail northeast of Fall City, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement.
Bergere said she spent five days at an area hospital and was still recovering.
Fish and Wildlife Lt. Erik Olson called the actions of her fellow cyclists “heroic” in the statement. But the extent of the cyclists’ battle with the 75-pound cat wasn’t immediately clear then.
25% is a very high kill rate for natural predators.
https://www.explorationjunkie.com/lion-hunting-success-rate/
And that 15-25% rate is against their natural prey. 25% against a prey that is equal in size and not their natural prey is pretty darn good.
As for the first part of your post, you’re right. Just because you see a cougar behind you doesn’t mean it considers you food. I’ve always heard that the only time you EVER see a cougar is when it does NOT see you as food. If it doesn’t want to be seen then it won’t be seen. If you see it then it already considers you either non-food or a non-threat.