Critter Cam: Mountain lion kittens “chirping” for mom as they feed in California

For park rangers, the footage is a very good sign.

A pair of mountain lion kittens feasting on a deer carcass has been caught on camera in the Santa Monica Mountains. The little big cats are even heard “chirping” for their mother, which the National Park Service says is a mountain lion known as P-42.

It’s not clear when they were born, but the kittens do look healthy.

“Recently we captured this cute footage of P-42’s two untagged kittens feeding on a deer, chirping for mom, and just generally being kittens,” rangers posted on social media. “So far this is looking like a happier ending than P-42’s litter from last year, which she abandoned.”

An adult collared cat at the end of the video is presumably their mother.

California’s mountain lions have long be a species of fascination in the region.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area says it doesn’t know the exact number of mountain lions so close to a major North American city, but estimate the amount of land available can only support 10 to 15 of the animals.

Rangers don’t know when P-42’s kittens were born, but they do hope to eventually outfit them with a GPS collars to watch them as they grow and see where they go.

“Capturing them will also give us a chance to run their DNA and see how they may be related to other mountain lions in the area,” the service added.

Kittens belonging to mountain lion P-42 are caught on video. Santa Monica Mountains National Park Service/Facebook

Meanwhile, enjoy this “general kitten cuteness.”

Photos National Park Service/Facebook

 

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