For the kitties, yeah, any decent manstopper will do pretty solid work. The kitties of north america just aren't that big and while they're fast as hell, they're relatively thin skinned. They're also easier to dissuade - the cougar/puma attacks that do happen are because kitty looks at you as dinner. When dinner fights back, it's no longer worth it. A good 38+P JHP can suffice.
Black bears can soak up a lot more damage and keep coming - and they'll do so if they're ****** off. They do also once in a while see us as dinner but most of the time it's mama with cubs tries to kill you if they attack at all...and in that case, they'll keep on coming until physically unable to do so. 40S&W is seriously marginal. Best bet is a 180gr solid going as fast as possible with as flat a nose as possible, such as:
http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=117
Aim dead on it's nose. You're trying to punch through the snout or cheekbones to get at the brain set low and rearward in the head (not like us!). The "forehead" is a solid lump of bone anchoring the jaw muscles, you will NOT break it with a 40 or 10mm or 357. On a black bear, you might knock it out with a 44Mag but it may still get up with a headache and attitude. With the nose shot, too low and you get it in the chest, and penetration deep enough will be iffy with anything hollowpoint. Off in windage, you can hope for the "break the shoulder shot" and yet again, for that you need deep punch hence the heavyweight solid. All of this is marginal in 40 but with the smaller black bears of 400lbs or lower, not impossible per my BOOK learnin' on the subject (no personal experience shooting bears!). And every once in a while you see a 600lb black, and I suspect by then you'll wish you had more gun. Bigtime.
In 357 I'd be using a 180gr solid in hardcast lead, which would be going a lot faster and packing more energy. Buffalo Bore's version packs over 750ft/lbs energy while the 40S&W listed above doesn't hit 500ft/lbs.