When a parent drops off their child at school, they expect them to be safe. You drop them off, go about your day, and pick them up at the end of the school day. Occasionally, something changes in the routine and can cause some fear. It can be a call that your child is sick, your child got into a fight or was being bullied, or when your child's school goes into lockdown. When a school goes into lockdown, it sends fear and questions through a parent, and students can be scared as well. Recently, a school near Seattle went into lockdown for what seemed to be a scary situation but ended up being comical.

School East of Seattle Goes into Lockdown Over Fat Cat

Earlier this month, on Tuesday, January 7 a school in Washington went into lockdown. Schools going into lockdown is nothing new, but the reasoning was attention-grabbing. A teacher had spotted what they thought was a mountain lion, and alerted school officials, setting the school into a lockdown as a precaution. This story becomes embarrassing and comical though, when it was discovered that there was no mountain lion in the area, but instead, was a neighborly fat orange cat named George, eating a rat. This all took place at Goff Elementary School in Moses Lake, Washington, less than 180 miles East of Seattle. Adding to the embarrassment is that this isn't the first time an accident like this has occurred. In previous years, the school went into a lockdown and after what was thought to be a wolf, ended up being a golden retriever.

Mountain Lion Near a Washington School

Credit: JHaviv
Credit: JHaviv
loading...

Moses Lake is the type of area where mountain lions would make a natural home, as well as other places around Washington. It is important to remind children who live in these areas to be aware of their surroundings and prepare them for what to do in case a mountain lion is ever spotted near their school. While that wasn't the case this time, it doesn't mean a mountain lion will not approach a school sometime in the future. The good news is that in Seattle they are far less likely to make their way into town as much as they are in more mountainous areas. Remind your child if they see a mountain lion to not run and also do not approach it. 

95.7 KEZJ logo
Get our free mobile app

How a teacher could mistake a fat cat for a mountain lion is a question that may never get answered. It does leave one questioning who is teaching the children at this school. For more on the fat cat mistaken as a mountain lion, make sure to click the link above. The comments will have you laughing and are worth a read alone.

Can You Name The 5 Most Popular Dog Breeds In Washington State?

Here are five of the most popular dog breeds in Washington State

Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals

5 Surprising Places Your Dog Can't Go in Washington State


In Washington state, dogs are prohibited from these 5 places in restaurants.

(WAC 246-215-06570: Methods—Prohibiting animals (FDA Food Code 6-501.115).

Gallery Credit: Reesha Cosby

More From 95.7 KEZJ