While up in Banff a couple years ago, I read a big story in the Canadian papers about an old, retired guy sitting at a bus shelter somewhere in British Columbia who was pounced on by a cougar. He had a pocket knife to defend himself. Hard to believe but he lived, despite some serious wounds. And the cat didn’t! Guess you can take solace in that.
I recommend the book “Ghost Walker” by R.D. Lawrence, a very sympathetic book about cougars and their plight. We are trampling on their ground, after all.
And remember, when at ridgeline on a cloudy afternoon, when you poke your Leki pole in the air, the chances are much, much greater of getting zapped by a lightning bolt than eaten by any nearby cougar trying to get the heck away from you. ("Man, crazy chica! She trying to get us both fried?")