I wouldn't be worried about cougars or black bears. They're out there but you likely won't see them in the places you plan on hiking. Our critters tend to be a lot more shy than their brethren in Washington and California. Be alert, of course! One thing you do have to watch out for is poison oak. It looks like this:
If you don't want to drive to like 5 different trailheads in one day I recommend making your hikes loops that hit a bunch of different falls at once. You could do these three hikes:
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Latourell Falls Loop
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Multnomah-Wahkeena Loop
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Horsetail Falls-Oneonta Creek-Triple Falls Loop
Between those three hikes you'll see Latourell, Upper Latourell, Wahkeena, Fairy, Weisendanger, Multnomah, Horsetail, Ponytail and Triple Falls. If you are really athletic you can do two or all three of those hikes in one day. After you hike the Latourell Falls Loop, be sure to stop at Shepard's Dell Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, which are really close. When you do the third loop, don't forget to hike up Oneonta Gorge afterwards:
Then you would need to move on to these hikes:
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Elowah / Upper McCord Falls
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Wahclella Falls
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Eagle Creek
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Dry Creek Falls
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Lower Starvation Loop
Between those five hikes you'll see Elowah, Upper McCord, Wahclella, Metlako, Punchbowl, Skoonichuck, Tunnel, Twister, Dry Creek, Starvation Creek, Cabin Creek, Hole in the Wall and Lancaster Falls. That should pretty much cover you for the gorge unless you want to start bushwhacking and rappelling.
Depending on when you are here this summer, don't miss a chance to hike up in the high Cascades! They're spectacular in the summer, which is of course the only time you can hike there.
Have fun!
