Freaky Big Cat!

[Stavro]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forums so excuse my ignorance of recent discussions.

I was out walking yesterday and today when I saw near the Mid Clyth community hall a very large big cat. Seriously, it looks larger than a wild cat and more like the size of a small panther! I was wondering if anyone else has sighted it and where it has been seen before. Maybe there is more than one (certainly the one I saw today appeared smaller), does anyone else think this possible?

Yesterday, it watched me very intensely and kept extremely still in the process. After a short while it ran slightly into the distance going behind a gorse bush only to still watch my movements.

I'm slightly into amateur photography and since I've seen it twice in Mid Clyth (as well as some other members of my family) I should have good chances of doing so again, so I'll try and capture it on film to share with you all.

Regards,

Steven.

[George Brims]

If it really is a panther (and there have been panthers set loose in Scotland before), you should avoid confronting it. No-one in Scotland has been killed by a panther yet. You don't want to be the first! Several people have been killed by mountain lions in California in recent years. A lady managed to save her husband from one recently by beating it with a large stick. The cat was dragging him away by the head.

To give you an idea of the power of those animals, consider they routinely *lick* the hair off a deer before eating it. An animal studies facility at University of California, Davis, just outside Sacramento, lost a deer to a marauding lion. The lion killed the deer and then carried it in its jaws over a 10 foot chain link fence. The deer weighed 170 pounds.

[wavy davy]

Driving from Tofts of Tain back towards the Wick Castletown road today we saw a large black cat running across a park. We had it in view for about 5 seconds. Body size was about 800 cm and it was really moving, with a motion totally different to a domestic cat or a dog. It wasn't running away from us, it looked as if it was pursuing something. I've never seen a panther but that was the word the wife and I used when we got over the shock.

[wickchick]

Cant wait to see the picture

[wavy davy]

Asleigh - this thing was moving so fast and in view for such a short space of time that someone is going to have to be very lucky to get it on film - but I know what I saw and it wasn't a humongous domestic cat or a big black dug. But yea, hope somebody does get lucky.

[George Brims]

About 20 - 25 years ago a guy called Ted Noble in Cannich (up above Beauly) had sightings of just such a beast. Ted set a trap and baited it - earning a certain amount of ridicule. The laughing stopped when he captured a mountain lion. It was obviously a dumped pet as it seemed quite used to people. I think it ended up in a safari park somewhere. Perhaps someone should trap this one?

[porshiepoo]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forums so excuse my ignorance of recent discussions.

I was out walking yesterday and today when I saw near the Mid Clyth community hall a very large big cat. Seriously, it looks larger than a wild cat and more like the size of a small panther! I was wondering if anyone else has sighted it and where it has been seen before. Maybe there is more than one (certainly the one I saw today appeared smaller), does anyone else think this possible?

Yesterday, it watched me very intensely and kept extremely still in the process. After a short while it ran slightly into the distance going behind a gorse bush only to still watch my movements.

I'm slightly into amateur photography and since I've seen it twice in Mid Clyth (as well as some other members of my family) I should have good chances of doing so again, so I'll try and capture it on film to share with you all.

Regards,

Steven.


You don't describe its colouring?
I saw soemthing similar in the same area not so long ago. This cat was much bigger than a cat and I'd say it was much bigger than the scottish wildcat too.
It was amazing to see and it didn't seem too bothered about cars as it trotted down the main road.

[katarina]

there have been a lot of sightings in recent years. they are out there and they are breeding. I'll look forward to the picture.

[wavy davy]

You don't describe its colouring?


What we saw was black wirh no other markings.

[corgiman]

report your sighting at scottish big cats and read loads of interesting stuff there.

[wickchick]

Exciting stuff

[Maegwynn]

Interesting, i've lived in Mid-Clyth for a few years with my family and used to walk all over the place and we didnt see anything like that! I dont live there at the moment but my sis does, i wonder if shes ever seen anything like this? I know there are quite a few cats around the area (wild and domestic) are you sure it wasnt one of those?
It would be quite scary if someone did catch a pather or the like on film or in person!!

[Stavro]

Sorry for the delay. Thanks for all the replies. Regarding colouring, actually it wasn’t black but predominantly brown with perhaps a little white on its forehead. It was definitely too large to be a domestic cat and I feel unusually big for or wildcat.

I’ll try and get a photo, but it could be difficult. I’ve walked many times in that area but haven’t seen it before so maybe it was only a temporary visit by this elusive creature.

[rupert]

Don't want to put a dampener on all this excitement but when I was a wee boy my nanna had a huge (and I mean huge) ginger tom cat. He was so big he filled the length of the window and was the talk of the village. You do get very big domestic cats (but only rarely).

[George Brims]

And of course you do get very big domestic dogs too - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/11/ndog111.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox

Anyone else old enough to recall the big dog that was loose in the Camster area back in the 1960s? It was killing cattle for food! It was eventually tracked by a large number of volunteers with their dogs, and shot (from a helicopter!) by Charlie Simpson, who was the village bobby in Watten at the time.

[changilass]

And of course you do get very big domestic dogs too - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/11/ndog111.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox.


I think this type of cross breeding is disgusting and can only hope it was the result of an accident.

We have 2 Newfies, they are a big dog and only normally live to between 9 an 11yrs as it is (think the oldest so far was 13). This cross has resulted in a dog whose legs are not going to be strong enough for his body size.

Newfies are already known to have hip problems due to their size and as such should only be bought from reputable breeders who know what they are doing. We have had both out dogs neutered, when we want another we will go back to the Newfoundland club for a list of available litters.

As has been mentioned on a thread elsewhere I think you should have to have a licence to be able to breed, it can be very dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.

[George Brims]

Actually I disagree with you there Changi. I think that is a really beautiful animal. Of course it remains to be seen if his large frame will prove to be too much for the longer legs that came from the Great Dane side, but his legs look pretty sturdy. They had better make sure he doesn't get fat, though the article mentions four two-mile walks a day so they are obviously taking good care of him in that respect.

Also you mention "reputable breeders". Well those are the people who have to my eye ruined several breeds of dog in response to fashions in the dog show circuit. Examples are the Alsatians/German Shepherds that now have backs that slope down towards the tail, leading to hip problems, and the Shetland collies, whose noses are now so long that they all have sinus problems.

Now where I agree with you is in the crossing of a lot of other breeds, and in particular the horrible recent trend to cross breed poodles with real dogs, leading to such abominations as the "cockapoo" and the "labradoodle". That should be outlawed.

[buggyracer]

And of course you do get very big domestic dogs too - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/11/ndog111.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox

Anyone else old enough to recall the big dog that was loose in the Camster area back in the 1960s? It was killing cattle for food! It was eventually tracked by a large number of volunteers with their dogs, and shot (from a helicopter!) by Charlie Simpson, who was the village bobby in Watten at the time.


what kind of dog was it george?

[George Brims]

No-one was ever sure but it was thought to be either a mastiff or a mastiff cross. I just remember the grainy newspaper photos of it being very large and pale in colour. The big worry once it was killed was that it had arrived in the county by boat and might be rabid, so it was handled with some care. Rabies tests turned out negative. Someone must have had the thing and dumped it in the countryside when it got too big.

[Stavro]

Hi all,

I've a major update for you, it began as I started out for a walk earlier this evening when I saw the big cat again. Crazy, but of all times I didn't have the camera with me! So I immediately went home and took my ridiculously trusty Zenit Model 11, a 1980's Soviet built SLR camera I believe which is built like a brick (could be useful should I need to discard it in an emergency sprint)! I went back down the railway track again with the camera and I was exceptionally fortunate because I caught on film not one but two big cats!

I had walked into the field a little behind the Mid Clyth community hall, it wasn't exceptionally close but close enough I feel for a reasonable photo after a blow-up. The lens fitted is a 58mm Helios, so not ideal but reasonable. What let my setup down a bit was the film loaded, an exceptionally cheap one from Lidl, so I'm hoping it's not going to be too grainy but I'm confident that it will be good enough. Pictures of these creatures in Caithness are scarce, so I'm happy to have had the chance to capture two in the same photo.

One was underneath a gorse-bush and was simply sitting there whilst I approached to get a closer shot when suddenly a much larger became visible and was walking away from the camera slightly side-on. There is a spot of white on its tail. Maybe one is a male and the other female.

I would share it with you all now but I need it developed first, I'll get that done shortly. I suppose digital would be easier, but I'm a little bit of an "analog" softie, preferring film over digital etcetera.

Thanks for all the replies. Hope to show you the picture soon.

[corgiman]

wow can't wait to see it and if you can post it on the scottish big cats site they will also investigate it

[whitechina]

a couple of years ago my great aunt was walking her dog on the sibmister road just outside thurso when she saw a big black cat cross the road ahead of her.Her dog lay down and growled at it,but all it did was look at them then it disappeared into the gorse bushes and was gone

[grantyg]

http://members.macconnect.com/users/t/tnolen/GiantPussy.jpg

Was this the pussie?

[soccermom]

What does that cat get fed on grantyg? I thought I had big cats but they would (to put it crudely) be s******g themselves if they came across that moggie.

[cuddlepop]

http://members.macconnect.com/users/t/tnolen/GiantPussy.jpg

Was this the pussie?
Thats the size of one of my collies,Dont think they'd be chasing that pussy.lol

[grantyg]

I think whatever they feed the cat the guy must soak his left hand in it as he has strangely big fingers!

[buggyracer]

I think whatever they feed the cat the guy must soak his left hand in it as he has strangely big fingers!

the wonders of photoshop lol.