Better for the cougar is pepper spray. You can get different strengths. The cops carry something pretty strong -- I think stronger than what you might find in a store. We watch a cop spray two massive Russian sheepdogs that were tearing apart a sheep. He jumped the fence, walked right up to them, and blasted one, then the other in the eyes. It was so much more effective than the rocks/wrist sling shot we were using!! (sheep ok, dogs picked up by animal control)