A man who was taking out the garbage at his Sandy, Utah, home was surprised to find a cougar in his garage, United Press International reported.

Trucker John Jelte was racing to catch the garbage truck when he heard a noise coming from his garage and thought he was dealing with a burglar.

"A meteor strike would have been further up my list. I was so surprised to see that lion there," he told The Salt Lake Tribune. Jelte stared at the big cat and quickly realized he had to shut the garage door and get help.

Police arrived in a matter of minutes, but the response of the Division of Wildlife Resources was somewhat slower, he said.

"I'm not sure they believed there was a big cat in there," Jelte said. "A big dog maybe, but not a mountain lion."

Jelte's home is about eight blocks from Dimple Dell State Park. Officers shot the cat with a tranquilizer dart and carried it out of the garage on a blanket.