They stalk their prey, moving silently and freezing to avoid detection. They don't chase prey until it tires the way dogs do, but rush short distances and spring as far as 4.5 m for the kill. Their front paws, with claws extended, grasp the prey around its neck and shoulders while the claws of the hind feet dig into the prey's flanks. Panthers usually kill large prey by a bite to the back of the neck severing the spinal cord. Sometimes the animal is killed by a suffocating bite to the throat. Young deer and smaller mammals may be killed by bites to the skull.

     After the kill a panther will drag the deer or hog into an area of thick vegetation. A mother with kittens old enough to travel outside the den will call or lead her kittens to the kill. The ribs are usually chewed off and the body cavity opened. The heart, liver, and lungs are eaten in addition to the large muscle masses of the shoulders and hindquarters. The internal organs provide vitamin A and other nutrients. The large bones are broken and chewed. The panther often removes the stomach and intestines and covers them nearby with leaf litter and twigs. Smaller animals such as raccoons and rabbits are usually eaten in their entirety. Armadillos are also consumed whole, with the exception of their bony plates and tail.

     Panthers may consume 9 to 14 kg of meat at one time. A female panther with kittens may consume even more. After the panther has its fill, it rakes leaves, twigs and other debris over the carcass in what biologists refer to as a cache. This helps hide and protect the carcass from scavengers. If it is not too warm and humid, the panther may return to feed on the carcass for several days.

     The instinct to cover prey is very strong. A female cougar in the barren landscape of Arizona placed a single twig on a deer carcass before leaving (Kobalenko 1997). Wildlife biologist Darrell Land has seen house cats attempt to cover their food bowls with "imaginary" debris.