A Florida panther had its cat nap interrupted Monday when people found it snoozing behind a stairwell at Bonita National Golf & Country Club in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Florida panthers are a rare sight, with only 120-230 adults in the wild, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The big cats, related to cougars, are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

After the big feline was first spotted, sheriff’s deputies arrived at around 9:45 a.m. to confirm that it was a panther, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a post on Facebook.

The panther, a 61-pound female about a year and a half old, was found mere feet from the doorstep of a house. The owners were unaware the panther was napping on their property behind the club stairwell until their door was opened.

“All of the sudden neighbors and police started yelling for me to close the door and run back in the house! It was wild, you don’t expect to find it laying right outside your door, I’m glad it was calm,” owner D.J. Ohl told WBBH-TV.

FWC personnel were called to assist, and they safely tranquilized and captured the panther, according to WBBH-TV.

After a customary health screening, it was released into the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Wildlife and Environmental Area, a nearby preserve of over 60,000 acres.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.