Beast of Never, Cat of God: The Search for the Eastern Puma

by Bob Butz, Jay W. Tischendorf (Foreword by)

Somewhere between myth and reality, the truth behind America's last wild predator.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Natural History

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Bob Butz, a one-time contributing editor for Sports Afield, in addition to his books, has written articles for The New York Times, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and National Wildlife, as well as a number of regional and national outdoor magazines. He is also a regular radio commentator on eco-political topics for Interlochen Public Radio. He has won a place on Michigan Notable Books list twice. Bob lives in Michigan with his wife and child. See him on Facebook.

Reviews

[Jody Mena · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not at all what I expected - and not in a good way. I expected a more clearcut examination of the evidence for and against the existance of the Eastern Puma... however, this book read more like a narritive of the author's life, and his interest in the conspiracy theories of government cover-ups surrounding the existance of the puma. There were some interesting facts presented, and a few very poetic descriptions of mountain scenery, but overall, I found this book to be childish (was it necessary to compare the shape of Lake Michigan to a 'flacid blue penis'?), ego-centric (I am here to read about mountain lions, not your insecurities over impending fatherhood - which are well-founded, given your apparent immaturity) and an over-all disappointment. Really unfortunate.

[Scott Klemm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beast of Never, Cat of God is about the search for the eastern puma that is believed to be extinct east of the Mississippi. If one expects a straight presentation of facts leading to a conclusion of yes, no, or even not sure, one may find the book a bit disjointed. This is because the book traces the author’s personal quest for the eastern puma in Michigan. Bob Butz, in his epilogue, described his book as being more of a “commentary.”

As a one-time contributing editor for Sports Afield, Butz traveled extensively throughout Michigan, sometimes in the company of an eccentric character, searching for evidence that pumas still existed in these regions. At times Butz seems to waiver between being a true believer and a skeptic. He best summarizes the situation when he wrote that it’s “like a circumstantial case for murder so far lacking only one critical piece of evidence – a body.”

Bob Bultz is a talented writer, but sometimes – perhaps to show that he’s just a “regular guy” – laces his writing with some “earthy” language. For example, puma scat collected for DNA evidence is frequently referred to as shit or turds.

The book is not entirely personal. He does relay the details of various alleged puma sightings made by others, but does not provide their source. He does have a small section of endnotes at the back of the book – eleven in number to be exact. I noticed that endnote number 5 was missing in the text, although its subject matter would suggest it should have been on page 75.

Bob Butz’s book contains some interesting material. A discussion of puma attacks particularly caught my attention because of an incident that happened a few years back at Sequoia National Park. I took a walk into the forest with my young grandson. There was still snow on the ground in shady areas. At one point we came across some large tracks in the snow with four toes and a pad that appeared to be made by a puma or mountain lion. It made me uncomfortable enough to turn back. This was probably the right decision. Bultz wrote that “people attacked by pumas rarely see the cat before it bowls them over (and) the most favored human target is children…” Of course, Butz is quick to point out that puma attacks on humans are relatively rare. More people have died from an attack from a black bear or an encounter with a moose (moose-car crashes).

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the many books I have collected on the Eastern Puma. It is not as nutty as some but it has flaws. I wasn't particularly interested in the author's attempts to personalize the book by inserting information about his wife and decisions about becoming parents. The author combines personal anecdotes, his hunting trips, and sightings reported in other sources over quite a long period of time and the transitions are not always smooth. Wildlife biologists agree that there are very very small numbers of mountain lions working their way east into Michigan, so the author's hunt for one is not totally silly. But one or two of the local characters he hunts with could easily turn up in a Patrick F. McManus book with Retch Sweeney, Crazy Eddie Muldoon, and Rancid Crabtree.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, mountain lions were very common here in NY until they were hunted to extinction. There are lots of old photos around of local hunters posing with one boot on a dead cat. I became interested in the eastern puma because reliable witnesses, the kind of people who know the difference between a puma, a bobcat, and a golden retriever, have seen puma in New York. By "reliable" I mean totally sober forest rangers. So I was kind of excited about hiking out where I might be able to see one, or at least hear them in the night, like we do with the coyote, but then I found out that, in spite of the sightings, the Eastern Puma is officially "extirpated" in New York. The New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation puma fact sheet says that the puma is extinct everywhere east of the Mississippi except Florida. The DEC states that the mountain lions that have been sighted are escaped or released pets. One that was hit by a car on Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford, Connecticut, in 2011 was supposedly a native of South Dakota.

[Evelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited when I picked up the book, as the narrative of science vs government seemed promising. But within the first chapter ("Beginnings") I found Butz's writing style wanting.

While some descriptions can be quite beautiful, overall the book is lack luster. Butz just jumps from one story and character to the next with no explanation or background (see: introduction of Wayne); and focuses too much on himself. His two page explanation of why he moved to Michigan and the tourists was boring and unnecessary.

While I am not against profanity, nor am I a stranger to it, I found that it detracted from the book as a whole and failed to bring any emotion or character to the story.

I was expecting a well-researched and documented story about the hunt for Pumas and struggle between science, myth, and law. Instead I got a story based on conspiracies, lame humor, and boring personal anecdotes.

I could only get halfway through before I decided my time was better spent elsewhere.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beautiful Michigan-ness of this book made me homesick. While not drawing conclusions one way or the other about the presence of wild pumas in Michigan, the author writes about his part in the search and the people he meets along the way. He criticizes the MDNR for their quick dismissal of puma-related evidence as well as researchers in pro-puma groups who twist the evidence to suit their own theories, in the end concluding that we don't know what's hiding out in the northwoods, but the northwoods are pretty fantastic either way. I found the discussion of puma ecology fascinating, and most of the narrative parts very beautiful.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beast of Never, Cat of God: The Search For the Eastern Puma by Bob Butz (Lyons Press 2005) (599.7524) raises one issue: Does the Eastern Puma survive in Michigan? The author, who is not trained in any area of science, believes so, and he convinced me as well. I've read tomes on the eastern cougar in Florida and now in Michigan; we just need someone to write one about whether the cougar survives in the Great Smokies (North Carolina and Tennessee). My rating: 7.5/10, finished 3/7/12.