Alien Big Cats ('ABCs')

In your opinion what are alien big cats most likely to be?

  • Escapees from collections, breeding in the UK countryside

    Votes: 55 48.2%

  • A species of endemic British big cat somehow overlooked by science

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Zooform Phenomena - animal-shaped manifestations of paranormal activity

    Votes: 6 5.3%

  • Misidentifications of big dogs, normal cats etc

    Votes: 26 22.8%

  • A big hoax

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Summat else

    Votes: 4 3.5%

  • All of the above

    Votes: 23 20.2%
  • Total voters
    114
A

Anonymous

Guest
Last summer a large black cat appeared on the outskirts of Coventry (quite close to the Jaguar factory as it happens) and then disapeared. Well it's back iccoventry.ic24.com/0100news/0100localnews/page.cfm?objectid=11184278&method=full in Thursdays edition of the Coventry Evening Telegraph there was a photo of a paw print which measured 4 inches across but I can't find the photo on the web site.

The embedded link is dead. Here is the full text of the MIA webpage from 2001 ...
Frozen in fear by big cat
Jul 26 2001

THE large black cat glanced up, silently staring at the two young boys frozen in fear six feet away.

Sniffing the air, the puma-like creature held their gaze for several seconds before sloping off into the thick undergrowth.

Cousins Luke Ellis and Joshua Nash had just had the fright of their lives - in suburban Coventry.

The sighting happened on Tuesday morning as the boys, aged 12 and five respectively, were playing in Burnsall Road woods and park, in Canley.

Joshua's mum Sinead, of Chapelfields, Coventry, said: "They are both sensible boys. They do not make things up.

"They were both quite shaken up by what they saw. Luke actually picked Joshua up and ran home with him."

Luke, who lives in Sir Henry Parkes Road, near the scene of the sighting, said: "It was about the size of a labrador and was all black apart from small patches of white fur by its shoulders and eyes.

"It was much, much bigger than a normal cat.

"It's tail went straight down to the ground and its whiskers were very long and straight.

"It just stopped and stared at us. I have never seen anything like it before."

The animal apparently left footprints and scuff marks in the mud as it padded off.

Sinead said: "As it's walked away it's turned the earth, which indicates to me that it was a large, heavy animal."

Jo Cunningham, of the RSPCA, said: "If the creature is not savaging anything then it's not a real problem.

"There is not much we can do because these things are normally reported a few hours after the event and big cats can walk up to 20 miles a day."
Click to expand...
SALVAGED FROM THE WAYBACK MACHINE:
https://web.archive.org/web/2001111...alnews/page.cfm?objectid=11184278&method=full
 
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It's working ok form here :) Have you tried copy and paste? or just typing it in?:)
 
Yeah, sorry, it's working... this reminds me of a case involving a vicar's sons who were startled by an ABC whilst playing in some woods. The kids were so scared they apparently had nightmares for weeks afterwards.
I like the quote from the RSPCA "if it's not savaging anything then it's not a problem..." like, they'll wait until one of these things has a REAL go at someone before classifying it as a problem...
Anyone out there know of any people mysteriously disappearing in areas where ABC's are active...?
 
I think it's lucky that someone hasn't been attacked yet. Don't hurt me when I say that many of these have non-abc explainations, but I know that some ARE ABCs that escaped from places. Only taking into account proven or highly likely ABCs someone must have been attacked by now. The only thing I can explain this with is that the cats must be native and learnt that "If we avoid humans, they don't form search parties and kill us"... Evolution is a marvelous thing :)
Xcom
 
I think there have been a couple of cases where people have been attacked by ABC's, and of course the already beleagured farmers have enough to worry about what with foot and mouth and crop circles... and then losing valued livestock to these beasts, whatever they are.
 
Going off on a slight tangent here but last Friday night some friends of mine were travelling to Pembrokshire and just before they reached the Brecon area they swear that they saw an aardvark walking down the road. I personally don't know if I beleive them because its not the most likely place is it? but then an aardvark dosen't really look like anything native they can mix it up with (it wasn't a badger because we had a close encounter with an angry badger two nights later and my friends were with us).:)
 
Aardvark sighting

I know that this is a long shot, but........ if you've ever seen an otter running, have you noticed how high it's back is arched, much the same shape as an aardvark. I know they're not the same colours or textures, but definitely similar shapes, especially if seen from a distance and in fading light.

Juts a thought !!!

Moggadon
 
They drove past it so they were not all that far away. Might have been an otter' I'll put it to them when I see them at the weekend.:cool:
 
:eek: I have a report from the Sidmouth Herald from a retired teacher who claimed to be startled by a fully grown and maned African lion while out walking her dogs one afternoon. There's a whole zoo on the loose out there...
 
I think the theory is this: a wild and valuable exotic animal escapes from a zoo. It costs more money to round the damned thing up than it does to replace it... so they "forget" about it...:rolleyes:

dunno if I believe that tho' my own researches have found a strong correlation between Alien 'Beast' Sightings and ufo's...
 
A big cat of the panther type was seen in our part of North Wales back in June this year.

I saw the hindquarters and tail of what seemed to be a big cat disappearing over the garden wall!
 
In Aberdeenshire, Scotland for the Americans, there are several of these ABC's. My little brother has seen one and the rest of my family and my girlfriend saw one in a seperate inceident. I'm the only one who hasn't seen it!:(
My little brother saw it when feeding the goats one morning. Yes, I live on a farm. He looked out of their door in the barn and saw a feline head looking over the wall about 15 feet away from him. Before he could do anything it disappeared. Since then we have seen black shapes running around on the hill next to us but since they are seen from more than half a mile away they could be anything.
My whole family saw one whilst we were driving back from the north coast. The animal ran out in front of the car and down into the ditch at the side of the road. From there it ran into a drainage ditch and disappeared. It was described as about 3 foot long, black and feline. I was in the car but was reading at the time so missed it.
Round here it's known as the Turriff Panther, after a local town.
 
Alien Big Cats (ABC´s)

Let´s talk about the black bird, Mr Spade - Gutman
Click to expand...
:cool: I was on holiday in Dorset a couple of years ago and wandering around the little village glanced over a low fence to see a "Big Cat" prowling along the far end of the field about 100 feet from me, bright daylight, perfect "seeing" conditions.
I froze and watched it make it´s way stealthily around the perimeter of the field, I was desperately trying to find some background item to give me a scale, but it was all low shrubs and grass, it turned at the far corner and walked beside the fence towards me - this was too good to be true - I even had a camera! It got closer and I could make out the low slinking, feline walk, the ears pricked up and the eyes, dark but visible...

okay, I can´t let this go on....as it came within maybe 25 feet the true scale became evident, it was a domestic moggy, a big bugger but whether it was my preconception of an ABC or just the lack of background items to show it´s true size, but I shall treat "eye-witness reports" with caution after this sobering experience
 
ABC's & FMD

Just a thought - if there really are big cats out there in the UK preying on sheep, they'd presumably be forced to move territory if they were in an area where the sheep had been culled out.

Anyone know of an area thats been culled where there's supposed to be an ABC?

Long shot, but any evidence suggesting that the culls are causing migrations?
 
Somerset has not had many cases of fmd. Yesterday's Western Gazette for the Yeovil area carried a full page report on sightings and livestock depredations in the Yetminster area. There's pics of dead sheep and calves, and a statement from a farmer saying he saw a puma/ black panther. This could be evidence an abc has moved into this area from an area affected by fmd. I'll check for any past reports...


The report says there have been sheep killings since last July.
It's latest victim was a five month old calf. It ate the whole thing apart from the head and feet. I'm a bit scared now...
 
It's a very interesting thought.

Maybe they'll become urbanised like foxes and start preying on innocent burghers staggering home from the pub late at night . . . :eek:

Carole
 
Carole - your idea is not too far-fetched. In parts of Africa leopards are a real problem in urban fringe areas. They seem to be reacting to habitat destruction by moving to the edges of towns and preying on humans. (Poetic Justice?)

Of all the suspects for ABC's, leopards would be the most worrying as they have little fear of humans, regarding them as tasty snacks. They are very powerful animals, and an unarmed human would have no chance against one.
 
Or maybe the FMD epidemic was a cover... the culling of sheep was an extreme way by the government to kill off the ABCs...
 
Historical ABCs?

Anyone know any examples of historical ABCs?

The only one I know of is the legend of Percival Cresacre, who fought with a giant wildcat (or 'wood cat') in Barnburgh near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 1475. Cresacre was ambushed by the cat in an area now known as Cat Hill, and struggled and fought with the cat until they reached the porch of St Peter's church in Barnburgh, and both died of their injuries. A red stain on the church doorway is said to be the blood of the evil cat.

Of course, the Black Dog (and similiar entities like Padfoot, Skryker and Barguest) may also be historical examples of what we now know as ABCs.

Any more examples?
 
That French werewolf thing, the beast of wotsit could have been something dull like a tiger. Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?
 
I know exactly what you mean... got an article about it somewhere I keep meaning to read.

I'll read it and then comment!
 
Jennifer Westwood - her slightly evil face suggests she might be
a relation of the mad designer woman - gives a few historic
legends of cats in a book called Albion, a Guide to Legendary
Britain.

Sir Henry Wyatt, father of the poet Thomas Wyatt, was kept in
a tower and fed by a cat, who fed him a dead pigeon every day.
[ambiguous that but I'll leave it, as I don't think cats are known
for altruism]

A bas relief in Gloucester is supposed to show Dick Whittington
with a cat but it looks more like a monkey to me. Some say it is
a lamb. Westwood relates the legend to continental tales of Puss
in Boots, who brings good fortune.

A farmer in Staindrop, Durham was crossing a bridge when a
talking cat told him "Mally Dixon's dead". Relating this to his
wife at home, their own cat overheard, got up, cried "Is she?"
and vanished. Variants of the tale also come from other towns
in County Durham. In some cases the cat declares "Well now I
am King of the Cats!". Well it might have happened!

None of which involves big cats unless we count soap stars with
huge thighs who frighten the kiddies every Christmas in Panto.

No, for a rash of Big Cat sightings you have to go to Charlie Fort.
The man himself has a rash of sightings which to his mind were
associated with the Welsh religious revivals around the First World
War. It's all in Lo! which is a set book, you know. And available
free online which is nice. :D
 
Aha! Lo! 's actually on a big pile of "to read" books in my room. Cheers!
 
Watch out for low-flying broomsticks....

The classic association of black cats with witchery-pokery. Anyone know the roots of this?
 
Black cats and witchcraft

At one time witches would have familiars (animals to help with their magic). Usually cats were used as a witches familiar (black cats may of been comman at that time, but I'm not sure). Myth I suppose has made it so all witches had a black cat, this isn't true.

lucydru
 
Re: Black cats and witchcraft

lucydru said:
At one time witches would have familiars (animals to help with their magic). Usually cats were used as a witches familiar (black cats may of been comman at that time, but I'm not sure). Myth I suppose has made it so all witches had a black cat, this isn't true.

lucydru
Click to expand...

So a "witch" could use a range of animals? Are any other animals, such as owls, associated? I also heard an interesting theory about the origins of the broomstick thing. It's a tad crude so I won't go into details... I'm interested in the plants associated with witchcraft, and the idea that they were just the european equivalent of the tribal shaman or healer.
 
Yes witches can, and have been known to use other animals other than cats. It's just that cats seem to be used more than any other animal. As for witches being the european various of a sheman, I'm not sure about as I only have knowledge on witches (wicca).

And yes the broomstick thing that you heard is true (if I understand your comment about it being crude).

lucydru
 
Interesting (?) ABC stuff

Followed James Whitehead's suggestion in my previous thread about ABCs, and checked out the relevent chapter in Lo!. Intrigued, I decided to check the ABC round up for the last five years in my FT back issues, to see if there was much ABC activity in the area of Hexham in Northumberland, where Fort's "wolf" (ABC?) was encountered.

And lo and behold! In the county of Northumberland, over the last five years, there were eight cases I could positivily place within 30km of Hexham (including 2 in and around the town), and a further five on the same map page (yes, I didn't do this very scientifically!) around the east coast. There were a few more I couldn't place because the places in question are obviously too small for the scale of the map I've got.

Also discovered a couple of other things... for example about 5km south of Hexham is a place called Catton, and just to the west of this a place called Bear's Bridge... suggestions of beasts in the area? Also the name "Hexham" suggests some kind of devilish influence.

Also, there was an ABC case in the town of Bamburgh in Northumberland in June 1996. This is a curious lexilink with the the legend of the wood cat of Barnburgh in South Yorkshire! (see my previous ABC thread).

I'll research this further, on a larger map, and do a similar test with the Barnburgh area of Yorkshire.

In the meantime, has anyone got any thoughts?
 
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