Kauffman used one leg to pin the animal's hindquarters to the ground.

The lion was now on its back, but its teeth were still firmly clamped onto the man's wrist, and it was still scratching at him with its claws. Locked in a struggle for life or death, they tumbled together 20 feet off the trail into a gully. Kauffman said he felt a wave of fear, worried the young cat's mother might be nearby and might join in the fight. Kauffman, who has been a cat dad for the past six months, knew how dangerous a cat's back legs can be. The big cat wrapped itself around the man's body, and dug its front claws into his back. 'Its jaws locked onto my hand and wrist, and pretty much stayed there the whole time,' Kauffman told KUNC. Kauffman put up his arms and screamed to try to intimidate the lion - as wildlife experts suggest - but the lion lunged. 'One of my worst fears was confirmed,' he said. He said he felt the reality of the situation in his gut. This time, Kauffman did turn - and saw a mountain lion about 10 feet away. Halfway through the run, he stopped to take in the view from the top of a ridge.Īs he descended on a narrow wooden section of trail, he told KUNC, 'I just kind of heard some pine needles rustling behind me.' Sometimes he doesn't turn around, because it's usually just a deer or a squirrel. He decided not to listen to music on his run - a decision he says might have saved his life because it allowed him to hear his surroundings. It was an unseasonably warm day as Kauffman, about 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds, threw on shorts and a fleece and headed to the foothills around Fort Collins for a trail run on the afternoon of Feb.

Picture of cat that attacked runner