The throat, belly, and insides of the legs are whitish, the backs of the ears and the tail tip are black, and there is a black spot at the base of the whiskers on each side of the muzzle. Kittens have ringed tails and spotted coats for the first several months. Felids can purr, but not roar, a characteristic dictated by the structural anatomy of the throat. Cougars are almost unrivaled in the cat family for their agility and power in jumping. There have been leaps of 35 feet or more reported for a cougar in a bounding run.
Female cougars have no fixed breeding season.
They are polyestrous, being receptive to mating several times during the year, but they normally have only one litter every other year. The loudest vocalization of the cougar is heard during this time, advertising a female's readiness to mate. Most kittens are born in the first half of the year, after a gestation period of about 3 months. Average litter size is three kittens. Mortality rate is high, often with only one kitten surviving to join the adult breeding population.