The woman who smacked the cougar with the log she could barely swing was much younger when the attack happened, and the cougar took several stabs by him with his fingers in its eyes, several of his hardest punches, a few stabs in the eyes with a steel pen by her, and many hard smacks with a log she could barely swing, all of this and it didnt even flinch. Its was their combined teamwork and effort that eventually the young 80lb cat decided it wasnt worth the effort, although the guy spent the next 6 months recovering in the hospital, he barely survived to see the hospital.
The trees in the midground in the photo would more than hold a housecat, even a large one, anyone who keeps housecats would know just how resourceful and acrobatic as well light they are.
If the animal in question were really at the distance claimed by the neighbor to be, it would be the size of a large bull or bufalo. At that distance a cougar would appear less than half that size, and a whole world thinner in shape, also a different color, there are no black cougars.
If it were a coyote is would appear like a set of furry twigs at that distance, wrong shape for a canine of any kind. Even my 28+ inch (at the shoulder) tall husky/lab/shepard mix would appear to be less than a third as thick as that animal at a shorter distance, and hes 82 lbs.
Theres no mistaking that photo, housecat, Ive seen cats follow squirrels down a branch to a point that the branch was almost as thin as a number 2 pencil. Of course one the size of my beasty here at home wouldnt be able to do that.
By the way, thats 72 lbs of Siberian Husky the cat is staring down.