Report of Mountain Lion Leads to Unfruitful Search : Wildlife: Cat spotted beyond residents’ homes returns to the foothills before authorities arrive. It was the area’s third sighting in a week.

Authorities searched unsuccessfully Sunday for a mountain lion residents reported spotting behind their homes--the third sighting in a week of a big cat in the northeastern San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles police scoured the neighborhood around the 7200 block of Lonzo Street, where the animal was reportedly seen about 11 a.m. Residents said they saw the animal sleeping. But by the time authorities arrived, it had run off toward horse trails in the foothills.

A helicopter also patrolled the area, but authorities called off the search about 3 p.m. They now fear that the animal may reappear in the foothills, where residents often ride horses.

“It eluded us but it’s still up in the mountains somewhere,” said LAPD Sgt. Charles Evans.

“The difficulty is that you have people who utilize those horse trails for recreational purposes. That’s another feeding source for the lion.”

Last Wednesday, officials from the California Department of Fish and Game tracked and killed a 130-pound cougar in La Crescenta a day after it dragged away an 85-pound Labrador-pit bull mix that was later rescued by his owner. The same cat was believed to have carried off an 80-pound Akita in Tujunga earlier in the week.

Authorities warn that small children and pets should be kept indoors if a mountain lion is spotted. If approached by a lion, the best defense is not running, but extending one’s arms to seem as large as possible. Throwing things can also scare off the animals.

Some blame recent mountain lion attacks on a hunting ban implemented in 1971. The consequent growth in the population has caused some of the cats to venture into residential areas in search of food, hunters say. But state game wardens say that even if the ban was removed, the animals would find their way into neighborhoods.

Six out of the seven mountain lion attacks on people in California in this century have occurred since 1986.