Put animals tied up as bait. Watch cameras live. Cougar will return. Come from around back corner with 12ga JTS or similar semi-auto shotgun loaded with 00 Buck. Should do the job. Shoot, shovel and shut up.
The mountain lion has been a protected species in this state ever since it was hunted almost to extinction by people with more money than sense-you can’t kill it unless you can prove you were attacked-if you choose to live in a remote area, as I do, you really need to learn how to protect your pets and property. The mountain lions do not go after livestock behind game fencing-likely because here near the river, there are plenty of deer and small game to eat. But a pet behind an ordinary yard fence is a meal of opportunity for predators...