Big Cat Roundup 5

Sightings reported to BCIB over the last week.

England
Cambridgeshire
Gamlingay – an ‘unusually large cat’, jet-black, 45cm tall at shoulder, seen and photographed. 29.9.07

Devon
Heathfield – A large black panther-like cat was caught in the headlights of a car as it crossed the road at 5 a.m. Allegedly the cat appears in the area every 10 to 12 weeks.

Lynton (Valley of Rocks) – the remains of an Exmoor pony with one leg missing, plus other animal bones, have been found recently, leading to speculation that a big cat is responsible.
Read more at North Devon Journal

Gloucestershire.
Down Ampney area – a farmer and his wife saw a lynx-like cat from a kitchen window at 9 a.m., week beginning 17.9.07

Nature in Art, Wallsworth Hall – a couple walking their dog on the approach road saw a big black cat run across the road.

Kent
Minster -

"This was a big, black cat, the size of a dog, observed for more than an hour, which is pretty impressive as most sightings are brief, as it sunned itself in a field off Westcliff Drive, Minster. The cat was licking its paws, and when on the move its thick tail was held close to the ground." Neil Arnold of Kent Big Cat Research.

Read more at Sheerness Times Guardian

Leicestershire
Thorpe Satchville – a man working at the village hall saw a three-foot long black cat at 10.30 am 1.10.07.

Surrey
Report of a dog being attacked and several sightings. No details as yet.

Wiltshire
Horningsham – two local people driving towards Warminster at 6 p.m. observed a charcoal-grey (not quite black) cat with very long tail, walking up a steeply sloping field with an uncharacteristically confident gait. They judged the cat to be at least twice the size of a domestic. 29.9.07

Malmesbury – a local family watched a big black cat for 10 minutes as it prowled around the field next to the primary school’s playing field.

"It was black and a lot bigger than a fox. I thought straight away - that's a cat, a big cat! I ran upstairs to get the binoculars. It was definitely a cat. It was half as big again as our dog, and she's a big dog."

Western Daily Press, October 4, 2007, p.8.


Yorkshire (West)
Batley – a report dating back to last March. At 11.30 one night a woman driving home saw a very large black cat, around 5 feet in length, run across the road and clear a five-foot wall with ease.


Scotland
Dumfries & Galloway
Stranraer – driving past woods on the way to Sandhead at noon, an aunt and neice saw a large black cat jump up into one of the trees. 29.9.07

Highland
Arisaig area – a visitor driving along the A830 between Moss ofKeppoch and Kinloid saw a huge cat the size of a Labrador cross the road, leap the fence and run off.

'It was definitely a cat of some sort', he said, 'but bigger than anycat I've ever seen, and definitely not a wildcat.'

Read more at West Word

North Lanarkshire
Bonkle area – at 9.15 a.m a man driving slowly rounded a corner and

“something dark seemed to explode off the road and over the fence into the trees and bushes.”

He stopped and watched a very large cat move through woodland and into a field.

Renfrewshire
Kilbarchan – a local farmer found three blackface sheep attacked overnight with huge teeth marks, the bite spanning nine inches, on their necks. 30.9.08.
Read more at Paisley Daily Express


CatStats at a Glance
Panther type (black) – 9
Lynx type – 1
Grey – 1
Colour undefined - 1
Attacks – 3