Strange Sighting ...

[Stiks]

I was out for a few nights last week.
While I wassitting on a rock having a well erned drink my dog Toby lifted his ears, lifted one leg and pointed.
I caught most of what he was looking at. About forty yards to my left, crossing a gap in the forrest was something larger than I'm used to seeing and it was not a deer. I see plenty Bambi so I know it was not.

Firstly I got to point out I was not smoking something Hemp related!!

I got a good look at all but the head, (typical). It was about 21/2-3 times the size of a Tom Cat. It was grey in colour, quite a light grey, something like the colour of those persian cats. Slightly bushy tailed and it moved like a typical cat.
Strangely Toby did not want to give chase ( he normally wants to chase most things if I let him)

Now, I've never seen a Wild Cat in the wild so I don't know how big they are. (I ain't going to pick on one if there that big!) It also did not have the typical markings of a Wild Cat nor the ringed tail. It was a plain, quite fluffy, grey.

This sighting was in good light and no more than forty yards from me. Was not a deer, was not a normal cat, was not a fox, was not anything I recognised and was the largest feline like creature I've ever seen outside of a zoo.

I went to look for tracks, nothing clear, a bit of freshly crushed vegitation and that was about it. (Quite dry)
Since then I've kept my eyes open for sign. The only thing I found that looked promissing was a partly stripped lamb leg bone. (not too far away) Fresh'ish meat around the ankle but stripped from there up with light scratching from teeth and the hip joint crushed. This could have been a fox I guess. Knowt else could I find but I'm no expert tracker.

Any ideas folks? I'm lost with this one!

Oh and I forgot to say: Not a lost hunt dog! ...
Toby chases those which scares the hell out of me, gang of blood thirsty dogs, not good!
9 times out of 10 he will 'stand' when I shout but occasionally he's just tooo excited!

 

[Mastino]

Well, that's some suspect we're trying to identify. I'm not getting closer to anything than a wild cat. They're not all striped and often are a brownish-jellow-gray with a huge head; the extremely fluffy tail could be because he/she saw the dog or because some of it's forebears mingled with Norwegian cats.... So IMO a wild cat...

See:

http://www.nonsolocittanova.it/parco_nazionale_aspromonte/gatto_selvatico/gatto_selvatico_2.jpg

Or did it look like this:

http://www.nonsolocittanova.it/parco_nazionale_aspromonte/martora/martora_2.jpg

 

[Stiks]

Well, that's some suspect we're trying to identify. I'm not getting closer to anything than a wild cat. They're not all striped and often are a brownish-jellow-gray with a huge head; the extremely fluffy tail could be because he/she saw the dog or because some of it's forebears mingled with Norwegian cats.... So IMO a wild cat...

See:

http://www.nonsolocittanova.it/parco_nazionale_aspromonte/gatto_selvatico/gatto_selvatico_2.jpg

Or did it look like this:

http://www.nonsolocittanova.it/parco_nazionale_aspromonte/martora/martora_2.jpg

More like martora_2.jpg .... but no, I don't think so, is that a Mink?

It was somewhat larger than that appears in the pic. It was streatched out leaping which could have given the impression of greater size, possible I geuss.

Anyhow it ain't sparked much interest, so looks like no one's got a clue.
Like most sightings in the UK, people tend to think it's piffle and just a promotion stunt or attention seaking! (me included I have to admit) .... I know there's a few top notch trackers visited from overseas to try and find sign. None that I know of have found any conclusive evidence. Pity no ones worked out a way of transfering data from your eyes to an ipod! ....... Oh well I'm going to bait the area and set-up my trail cam .... I bet it captures that typical blurred indistinct image, if anything! Or could I be the first to capture a clear image.

 

[Shewie]

Sounds like a good excuse for a night in the bivvy with some serious camera gear and scrim netting

 

[Stiks]

Sounds like a good excuse for a night in the bivvy with some serious camera gear and scrim netting

You know, I never thought of that. ..... ... Much!

 

[Shewie]

It sounds like you've stumbled on it's hunting ground unless it was just passing through.

Can you get up high somewhere and keep a lookout ?

Cats have quite regular routines so maybe try and get up there at the same time you saw it and sit it out for a while.

Sounds like fun though, looking forward to some piccies

 

[Sniper]

Doubt if this will help much but research reckons that feral cats, living in good hunting areas can grow up to 50% more than a domestic counterpart, and of course if the glimpse was fleeting and in good light it may even appear to be larger by optical illusion. Don't dismiss the illusion part as this can be stunning at times. Up here in Ayrshire we have an place called the Electric Brae which is an optical illusion created by the shape of the countryside. A road appears to be running uphill but is in fact running down, and it's quite strange to see what appears to be inanimate objects rolling uphill under their own steam. When it rains heavily a small burn or stream runs uphill at the side of the road.

 

[Shewie]

Up here in Ayrshire we have an place called the Electric Brae which is an optical illusion created by the shape of the countryside. A road appears to be running uphill but is in fact running down, and it's quite strange to see what appears to be inanimate objects rolling uphill under their own steam. When it rains heavily a small burn or stream runs uphill at the side of the road.

My dad tried explaining this to us one year when I was a kid and I don't think any of us understood what he was on about at the time. I can remember he kept doing a u-turn in the red Cortina we had and driving back up it trying to explain it again.

 

[tommy the cat]

Where abouts in North Wales are you? I dont mean your full post card
Did you read the thread about my friends sighting in Wales?
Dave

 

[firecrest]

I guess one thing to do is google medium sized wildcats...*gets google hat on*

 

[Sniper]

Yes Tommy, did you read mine?

 

[firecrest]

swamp cat

Jungle cat (possibly the same as swamp cat)

Any of them help? They have been run over in scotland before so they are in this country.

 

[Mastino]

A martora is (I believe) a marten... Dunno whether they're native in Wales..