09/16/2025
Mountain lion breaks into pet store, finds catnip aisle
In Colorado Springs, a local pet store was preparing for its morning rush of customers when workers found an unexpected guest. Security footage revealed a mountain lion had slipped in overnight, padding silently through the aisles like it owned the place. It ignored the dog food, skipped past the bird seed, and made a beeline straight for one section: cat toys.
After sniffing around, the big cat stopped at the catnip shelf, pawed a bag down, ripped it open, and immediately flopped onto the floor. Rolling back and forth, it rubbed its face and paws in the catnip, completely intoxicated by its new discovery.
When employees unlocked the doors, they were stunned to find the “customer” sprawled out in the toy aisle, surrounded by shredded bags of catnip. Wildlife officers carefully coaxed the lion outside before relocating it back into the nearby hills.
Experts explained that while mountain lions aren’t known for reacting to catnip like housecats, curiosity and the strong scent could have triggered its playful behavior. When asked about the situation, the store owner just smirked: “Colorado’s known for its plants making folks feel good, guess now we know the animals are into it too.”
