Big Cat Roundup 8

Reports of big cats received by BCIB over the last week

England

Cornwall
Pensilva area – on 13th April 2007 a woman and her family saw a big black cat, half-hidden in long grass, standing alert in a field nearby. It quickly flinched and ran off. (BCIB sighting form)

Kent
Hildenborough – a local couple were driving home on Thursday 28th October when they saw a big black cat walking down the side of the road towards them. On seeing them it hesitated and then jumped through the hedge into a field. (BCIB sighting form)

Hildenborough – a man driving to work at 5.50 am saw a big black cat crossing the narrow lane into woodland in front of his car.
Read more at This is Courier.co.uk

Swanley – in 1997 a local man who lived in a secluded area near woodland was persistently visited by a large animal that disturbed his two cats and other livestock. One night his chickens were attacked and ‘a black shadow’ ran past him just inches away. Some time later a noise from the kitchen alerted him and he found his larger cat cowering against the wall while “the front cover of your book” was looking through the very large cat-flap. [Merrily Harpur’s book ‘Mystery Big Cats’ has a close-up of a black leopard on the cover.]

“To this day I am certain that there is at least one very large black cat roaming the Kent countryside.”

(Written report sent to Merrily Harpur)

Leicestershire
Leicester – around two weeks ago a local couple were walking their dogs at Aylstone Meadows when a big cat crossed the footpath some yards in front of them, looked briefly at them and continued on its way. It was larger than their border collie. (Verbal report)

Shropshire
Billingsley – on Sunday 21st October, a local couple observed a big black cat, 4-5 feet long, crossing a ploughed field. As they got closer they could see it was stalking two pheasants. Both they and the car ahead of them stopped, and so 3 adults and a child all were able to see the cat 100 metres away, and confirm with each other that they were watching a black leopard. (BCIB sighting form)
Read more at the Bridgnorth Journal

Stockton-on-Tees
Stillington – a man was fishing behind the church in the village when sitting the top of the hill he saw a large black cat, which he judged to be larger than the greyhound he had seen on the hill at the same spot previously. (Verbal report)

Yorkshire
Leppington – earlier this month a local woman saw a black cat the size of a small Labrador. She observed it for 30 seconds or so before it jumped through a hedge.

“The cat I saw was shy and in no way aggressive.”

Read more at Gazette & Herald.


Scotland

Argyll & Bute
Inverary – Six or seven years ago a man going home after fishing observed a big cat crossing Pech Brae. (BCIB sighting form)

Glasgow
Lynn Park Golf course – in April 2005 a golfer playing a shot noticed a big black panther-sized cat roaming the bin at the next tee-off. He pointed it out to his partner and both agreed they were looking at a big cat. His partner set off towards the cat which moved off into dense woodland. (BCIB sighting form)

CatStats at a glance
Panther type (black) - 7
'Big cat' - 1