Cougars Mating Habits

by Wildlife Adm November 27, 2023

Cougars have a polygynous mating system in which one male mates with more than one female during the breeding season. Mating can occur throughout the year, but in northern latitudes is mostly from December to March. Females tend to give birth every other year, to 1-6 kittens, following a gestation period of 90-96 days. They give birth in dens lined with vegetation or moss, usually within a protected place such as a rock shelter, a pile of rocks, a crevice, a thicket, or a cave.

The kittens stay with their mothers until 1-2 years old. At about 40 days they are fully weaned. Females become reproductively mature at about 2.5 years of age and males at about 3. They do not reproduce until after they have established a permanent home area.