Kendra Rutter was attacked by a mountain lion when she pulled off a rural road to check on a car problem. The attack happened on County Road 51 in Divide.

The aggressive cat attacked from behind. "I didn't think I'd make it out with my life," Rutter said.

Cuts on her shoulder and leg, along with torn, blood-stained jeans are raw reminders of how close Rutter came to being killed.

She says the mountain lion was just a few feet tall, coming up to her knees. "It's a wild animal, I was in his territory, in my opinion," Rutter said.

She was coming home from babysitting just after 1 a.m. Sunday, she pulled off the road because she thought she had a flat. When she got out to check her tire the cat pounced out of the shadows.

"I turned and jumped and I got a paw in my shoulder," Rutter said.

The mountain lion knocked the teen into the street. As the cat paced back and forth, she had no other choice than to fight back. So, she kicked the mountain lion in the head.

"My knee still kinda hurts," Rutter said. “I'm pretty sure it was right behind the jaw, I waited til he was close enough to me so I wouldn't miss."

The cat ran off and Rutter got in her car and raced home. She told 11 News fighting back was pure instinct. "It's what you learn from growing up here, the animals were here first," she said.

The Division of Wildlife said this was just a minor attack. The DOW has set a trap to catch the mountain lion. If caught, it will have to be put down since it attacked a human.

The DOW recommends fighting back if you encounter a mountain lion.

Over the past decade there have been five people attacked and injured by a mountain lion.