Brentwood residents on alert after mountain lion spotted

BRENTWOOD, Calif. (KGO) -- People in Brentwood are on the lookout for a mountain lion that is on the prowl fairly close to neighborhoods. The big cat was spotted near Copperfield Court, not far from Highway 4.

Brigette Vinding was enjoying breakfast in her backyard around 9 a.m. Tuesday when she saw the mountain lion. She said she could see its huge tail and knew it wasn't a coyote.

She quickly pulled out her camera and took a few photos of the big cat from about 300 yards away. Vinding says it roamed the hillside for about 20 minutes.

"He was looking for food. He came down and went back over and up the hill," Vinding said.

The mountain lion appeared to be right next to Donna Crupi's house. She told ABC7News, "I usually walk my dogs around that time, but its fall break so we didn't do that this morning... and it's a good thing."

Vinding knows what threats exist. She took this photo of a coyote with the neighbor's cat in its mouth last spring.

The California Department of Fish and Game says it usually doesn't respond to sightings unless an animal or human is threatened, injured or killed. So for now, the people here are staying alert.