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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: 57 48.3%
  • 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 5.1%
  • Misidentifications of big dogs, normal cats etc

    Votes: 28 23.7%
  • A big hoax

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Summat else

    Votes: 4 3.4%
  • All of the above

    Votes: 23 19.5%

  • Total voters
    118
Thank you.
Two experiences from my youth that have stayed with me. I was terrified when I saw that paw print in the mud on the walk.
That's just reminded me of when I was out for a walk in an out-of-the-way very old footpath which I wanted to wander down to see where it finished up at. As I proceeded down the dark pathway as it had trees on both sides along with high sides of undergrowth, we (myself & friend) stopped in out tracks when we came across a very large paw-print with claw point marks in a bit of a muddier patch.
This made us both aware that it was highly possible that it could easily have been left by some large cat (and I don't mean "moggie") earlier on that morning. Anyway, we continued on down the slopping narrow pathway which passed below in a vale not far below a very well-known village we eventually came across an obstacle. . . multiple strands of barbed wire which we had to negotiate to get over, either that or have to walk back up hill to where we started.

So, thinking about that footprint made me realise that it was most unlikely that it was a dog print (as it would have to have been a very large dog indeed to leave a print of that size, and the fact that the way onto the path was directly off the edge of a road, so no way could anyone park a car to walk a dog. Also, that the path was a no-through way. Big Cats have been well reported around the area may times before, so it was more than possible that this was a reminder that it had passed through that area probably during the wee-small-hours.
 
Cracking new case from a railway worker, the Peak District, UK:

“Huge wild cat ‘stalks’ UK railway worker at night for one mile - colleagues saw it too”

“Billy was unable to go share his story because the company he worked for at the time did not want to panic the public. However, he left the company in 2020 and since that time has spoken openly about what happened and what he saw that night.
“I shone my full beam headlight into the car park and there was a black panther just sitting next to the back of a car.”

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman....-railway-worker-at-night-for-one-mile-3877504
My husband works for the railway in the High Peak of Derbyshire too, I’ve told him to keep a lookout!

Further to the above there was this report in our local paper a few weeks back

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/n...dent-cat-hunting-in-the-peak-district-3887266
 
hmmm slow pan of a field,
illustration of what a black panther looks like,
picture of field (is there supposed to be a cat here?)

Hmm the description of this incident claims that after seeing the creature for a few seconds he tried to find tracks and completely failed to find any sign it was ever there.

Then it has a recounting of a different story from a different individual from 20 years ago.

I'd say it's nothing but food for thought, but it's not much of that.
 
I think that here, we can own savannah cats, but that may be of a later generation than a first generation as mentioned in the article.

Yep, I looked it up here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_cat
"Savannah cats are legal in every province of Canada, although some provinces have restrictions on the ownership of F1 and F2 generations, and importing Savannahs from the United States requires rabies vaccination and special permits.[18]"

Though municipalities can make their own laws.

I think they are beautiful looking cats, but you certainly have to know cats and their personalities very well. It would be a lot of work with a partly wild breed. These cats need their exercise and are high energy. Definitely not for a family setting with kids, nor a new cat owner nor an apartment home.
 
I know someone who breeds Bengals.

They handle them as little as possible to keep the kittens fierce.

They are mostly outdoor cats and allegedly great rabbiters. (Though this of course could be because they range over a warren and so have plenty of opportunities to hunt bunnies).
 
I know someone who breeds Bengals.

They handle them as little as possible to keep the kittens fierce.

They are mostly outdoor cats and allegedly great rabbiters. (Though this of course could be because they range over a warren and so have plenty of opportunities to hunt bunnies).
Bengals are also nice looking cats. I love their spots. They are common at cat shows here. They have been kept as pets and are not used for hunting.
 
These were gnarly fierce cats bred by a gnarly fierce person...

Im sure most Bengals are quite tame.

I am not experienced with cats, let alone forming their character, but I was once responsible (sic) for warping the personalities of a litter of feral kittens.

At first they were all snarls and hisses, but with some gentle petting and lots of treats they became quite handleable. The Cats protection who were rehoming them. (Not my cats...long story). were quite pleased at their tame natures.

One thing I thought was different to pet cats was they were quite rough in play, often biting enough to evince squeals. (Though not of me).

Our current cat is a feral. He loves affection and climbs up on my lap, purring. However he knows me and is not a cat who lets anyone touch him.

He is a champion mouser. (which are eaten and not brought in). However he has no rabbits on his territory and so I have no idea if he would hunt them.

Though Dad feeds the birds he has never gone near them, indeed the birds (though aware) take little note of him.
 
Hello everyone. This is my first post on the forum. What follows is my experience of Big Cats on Exmoor.
When I was much younger my family used to Holiday in North Devon every year. We stayed on a farm in Parracombe that provided B&B. Over the years we got to know the family very well and we enjoyed staying on the farm so much that in the evenings the family invited us to help out with various activities including bringing in the cows for milking and collecting sheep for various reasons. On one occasion in the early 1990's (unfortunately I didn't record the exact year) the Farmer had to collect a dead sheep and my Dad jokingly said it was the Beast of Exmoor that had killed it. The Farmer was not amused and told us that they had lost a few sheep to unidentified animal attacks at the time. The Farmer was sure there was definitely "something big" stalking Exmoor. My Dad didn't mention the Beast again.
On another occasion we returned from a fencing job in a field and my Dad and I travelled back to the farm in the Farmers Land Rover. As the Farmer went round the last bend in the narrow lane before reaching the farm he slammed on the brakes. "There you go. There it is." Sitting there in front of us in the middle of the road was a very large black cat. My Dad and I were quite shocked and we sat there in disbelief until it just slowly walked off. "Do you believe in the Beast now?" the Farmer asked us. My Dad just said "bloody hell!"
It is an experience I have never forgotten. It was certainly not a domestic cat due to the height of it in relation to the hedgerow on either side of the road.

On another Holiday after the one mentioned above my Dad and I decided to go for an evening stroll which followed the road up and away from the Farm. We found a footpath going off the road with a signpost pointing to Bumsley Mill. As it was an unusual and amusing name we decided to explore this path. After walking quite a way along the path I stopped dead. In the mud in front of me was a fairly large paw print. I asked my Dad what animal he thought had left this print. He just started looking all around the surrounding area and said "er, right, time to go back now". We returned to the Farm in quite a hurry. Clearly we both looked shaken when we returned to the Farm as my Mum asked us if everything was ok.
We never returned to this path to finish the walk and never encountered the beast again. It appears that someone spotted it at the beginning of this year though
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...UQFnoECGgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3kW3wWRPWSUfMKZEfUSax5
Great post, thank you. Mods, could this also festure on IHTM maybe…?

Love Parracombe and that whole wider area. Looks like the narrow gauge railway from Woody Bay (the Lyndon & Barnstaple) will steam into Parracombe again quite soon, nearly 90 years since closure.
 
Great post, thank you. Mods, could this also festure on IHTM maybe…?

Love Parracombe and that whole wider area. Looks like the narrow gauge railway from Woody Bay (the Lyndon & Barnstaple) will steam into Parracombe again quite soon, nearly 90 years since closure.
Thank you.
I love North Devon and the Quantocks in Somerset. My favourite places in the world. Had a few paranormal experiences in this part of the world as well. I will have to add my experience of visiting the Conygar tower in Dunster in the 1990's to the forum.

Good progress is being made with returning the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway to the area.
 
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Thank you.
I love North Devon and the Quantocks in Somerset. My favourite places in the world. Had a few paranormal experiences in this part of the world as well. I will have to add my experience of visiting the Conygar tower in Dunster in the 1990's to the forum.

Good progress is being made with returning the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway to the area.

I'd love to hear about your paranormal experience at Conygar tower and your other experiences in North Devon & the Quantocks.
 
Thank you.
I love North Devon and the Quantocks in Somerset. My favourite places in the world. Had a few paranormal experiences in this part of the world as well. I will have to add my experience of visiting the Conygar tower in Dunster in the 1990's to the forum.

Good progress is being made with returning the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway to the area.
Well they've reopened the Okehampton line, so there's hope. My brother (a railway buff) says the Okehampton line is busier than it was even before closure, people are using it to commute to Exeter, plus it's a good way of getting out onto the moors without using public transport.
 
Well they've reopened the Okehampton line, so there's hope. My brother (a railway buff) says the Okehampton line is busier than it was even before closure, people are using it to commute to Exeter, plus it's a good way of getting out onto the moors without using public transport.
Yes, the Okehampton line has been a huge success with twice the forecast number of passenger journeys thus far:

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/dartmoor-line-success-250000-taken-7876493

Hopefully this will spur on the reopening of the Beer Alston to Tavistock, the trackbed of which is owned by Devon County Council
 
What I see that looks a bit more unusual 'Min,' is the length of the body, and apparent thickness of the tail?
I did notice that too, and also the apparent small head proportional to the body. But, we can't really tell what angle the camera was at due to the poor picture quality.
 
Neighborhood bobcat in my backyard:
For months my elderly neighbors (I live in an Arizonan retirement community) have been telling me of a bobcat that they see coming out of my yard. I have not entirely believed them. A few days ago, I saw it. About 25 pounds, very sleek and well-fed. About 15-16 inches high at shoulder. Unconcerned as it strolled around.

Of course I didn't get a photo!
 
I did notice that too, and also the apparent small head proportional to the body. But, we can't really tell what angle the camera was at due to the poor picture quality.
It is not unlike a puma in terms of its small head v body size, but what we need is another photo taken from the same location for a size comparison, anyone live near Ongar...?
 
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