VIDEO: Colorado Man Finds Family of Mountain Lions on his Porch

I don't know if I'd be delighted or terrified if I looked out at my porch and saw that a whole gaggle of mountain lions had congregated next to his patio furniture and potted plants.  But I'd sure try to get my camera ready. 

That's what the Colorado homeowner who filmed this footage did, anyway.  He first noticed that the big kitties were all drinking from his water fountain.  Presumably resisting the urge to set out saucers of milk, he watched as the big little kittens padded stealthily around his property.  Eventually, the cats leave as casually as they came. 

Generally mountain lions will not travel together in packs unless part of a family unit, which suggests that the two larger animals in the video may be the parents of the other two.  Only slightly smaller, the other two may be adolescents. 

It's another reminder that we encroach on the animals' worlds, and they will sometimes infringe on ours.  That's how it's always been.  But if the animals' resources become rarer, if they are unable to source food or water, or if it simply becomes more convenient to rely on human infrastructure they will surely be coming into towns and onto porches more and more often.  Which is great if you're a cat lover. 

But don't forget: mountain lions are dangerous animals too, and that all wild animals deserve to be treated with both caution and respect.