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: 58 47.2%

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

    Votes: 1 0.8%

  • Zooform Phenomena - animal-shaped manifestations of paranormal activity

    Votes: 6 4.9%

  • Misidentifications of big dogs, normal cats etc

    Votes: 30 24.4%

  • A big hoax

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Summat else

    Votes: 4 3.3%

  • All of the above

    Votes: 24 19.5%
  • Total voters
    123
Paul_Exeter said:
A little more about the melanistic big cat conundrum:

"Harpur notes that around three-quarters of all the cats reported are black, and they are commonly described as glossy and muscular. She also makes the fascinating observation that while the most likely candidate is a melanistic leopard (the leopard is the species in which the black form, though rare, occurs most often) she has not been able to find a single account of an ordinary, spotted leopard seen in the wild in Britain.

Some species of large cat are among the shyest and most cunning of all wild animals, but they are creatures of regular habits. They have territories, dens in which cubs are raised, spraying points and scratching posts. They scatter prints, spraints and hairs wherever they go: the first are immediately recognisable, the provenance of the second and third can be confirmed by DNA testing."

https://www.monbiot.com/2013/05/22/the-never-spotted-leopard/

Author and researcher Merrily Harpur eventually concluded that such big black cats in Britain were paranormal in nature and I have to agree. We have so many sightings, here is just one example:

"“It’s not an issue for me. I saw what I saw and that’s that. People can either believe it or not. I’m not trying to convince anyone.”

He had heard the stories, seen pictures in the local paper of the prints found at Princes Gate, a few miles to the other side of Haverfordwest, and had not believed a word of it.

“If I’d been dreaming or thinking about them at the time, it might have been another matter. But it was the last thing on my mind. I was just driving along – and one crosses the road. He was probably about 3 feet high and six feet long. I would say bigger than a medium-sized dog, but definitely not a dog. He was powerful-looking, with a black, glossy, shiny coat, incredibly muscular, like a horse’s shoulders.”

Michael Disney, former policeman, county council officer, had, to his own astonishment, become one of roughly two thousand people who see a big cat in the wild in Britain every year."

https://www.monbiot.com/2013/05/22/the-never-spotted-leopard/

Yet we have no evidence whatsoever. I am fairly nailing my colours to the paranormal mast here (with the exception of the handful of identified escapees) and I love the fact that a new take on the 'Black Shuck' has emerged over the past half century.
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Re reading your post, I was struck with the fact that these cats are, as you correctly say, always described as 'muscular'. Which is odd, because if you look at a bunch of average house cats, some will be portly, some will be scrawny, a few will be muscular and some will be downright thin, with very evident shoulder bones. So what is behind the almost uniform 'muscularity' of these cats?
 
catseye said:
Re reading your post, I was struck with the fact that these cats are, as you correctly say, always described as 'muscular'. Which is odd, because if you look at a bunch of average house cats, some will be portly, some will be scrawny, a few will be muscular and some will be downright thin, with very evident shoulder bones. So what is behind the almost uniform 'muscularity' of these cats?
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21d12556fd6fb38480d7b6a07a5f5ea1.jpg
 
catseye said:
Re reading your post, I was struck with the fact that these cats are, as you correctly say, always described as 'muscular'. Which is odd, because if you look at a bunch of average house cats, some will be portly, some will be scrawny, a few will be muscular and some will be downright thin, with very evident shoulder bones. So what is behind the almost uniform 'muscularity' of these cats?
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With over a thousand sightings per year yet no physical proof there has to be something behind this?
 
catseye said:
Re reading your post, I was struck with the fact that these cats are, as you correctly say, always described as 'muscular'. Which is odd, because if you look at a bunch of average house cats, some will be portly, some will be scrawny, a few will be muscular and some will be downright thin, with very evident shoulder bones. So what is behind the almost uniform 'muscularity' of these cats?
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Black Shuck and other such black hounds of legend are always large and muscular. We don't seem to get any paranormal large Black Shuck-type encounters anymore (just the occasional case) but instead we have these paranormal large muscular black cats. Another difference is that these big black dogs were usually to be found along all manner of roads and highways whereas the modern-day black cats inhabit the woods and green lanes.
 
Druk said:
I read 1000-2000 sightings a year,that’s a LOT with not one piece of physical evidence.
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I read a Fortean article years ago when I bought a magazine suggesting black cats emerging from a portal,but what’s the reasoning behind it?
 
hunck said:
Selling the magazine I’d imagine..
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No,I am meaning what’s the reason behind thousands of sightings of the cats but no proof whatsoever black panther are living and breeding in the UK? The portal makes more sense.
 
Druk said:
No,I am meaning what’s the reason behind thousands of sightings of the cats but no proof whatsoever black panther are living and breeding in the UK? The portal makes more sense.
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Does it? Seems even more unlikely to me. Big black cats are at least known to exist in the world whereas portals..
 
hunck said:
Does it? Seems even more unlikely to me. Big black cats are at least known to exist in the world whereas portals..
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Exist in the world yes,but with 1000-2000 reports in the UK annually but not one shred of proof?Theres just been an echidna spotted and filmed after being thought extinct in the middle of thick remote jungle in Indonesia,but in densely populated UK there’s no proof whatsoever of a creature that’s sighted let’s say 3-6 times every single day?
 
hunck said:
Does it? Seems even more unlikely to me. Big black cats are at least known to exist in the world whereas portals..
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Amur leopards in the wild 2023 population in the wild approx 100 in a sparsely populated huge terrain,photographed often.
Brit black panther “experts” put the population at 500-1000 in a tiny country with a big population,photographed never.
:dunno:
 
Druk said:
Amur leopards in the wild 2023 population in the wild approx 100 in a sparsely populated huge terrain,photographed often.
Brit black panther “experts” put the population at 500-1000 in a tiny country with a big population,photographed never.
:dunno:
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No-one is arguing with you that these figures are ludicrous - I think we can all agree on that. Let’s be honest - most ABC stories are clickbait. Shadowy things seen at night, ordinary black moggies filmed in daytime. Someone gets their name in the paper for a while for some sort of short-lived fame. I wouldn’t totally discount the possibility though - it’s possible, which is why it still has traction.
 
hunck said:
No-one is arguing with you that these figures are ludicrous - I think we can all agree on that. Let’s be honest - most ABC stories are clickbait. Shadowy things seen at night, ordinary black moggies filmed in daytime. Someone gets their name in the paper for a while for some sort of short-lived fame. I wouldn’t totally discount the possibility though - it’s possible, which is why it still has traction.
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There’s people making a living with podcasts and books from those figures.Do you believe leopards are breeding in the UK?
 
Druk said:
I read a Fortean article years ago when I bought a magazine suggesting black cats emerging from a portal,but what’s the reasoning behind it?
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Absence of evidence that would normally be expected to be present is a form of evidence.

With so many reports of ABCs, you might reasonably expect some sightings to be supported by strong evidence such as footprints, DNA, good clear photos or video. Generally (with a few exceptions) this evidence is absent.

So how do we explain the numerous sightings but the lack of evidence? One solution is to postulate an interdimensional portal such as might be consistent with string theory, dark matter, and the many universes hypothesis. Or, to put it more simply, use a lot of big science-derived words to say, "I made up an explanation."

Part of this is the desire to have one simple consistent explanation for a phenomenon. However, in real life, it is entirely possible that there are numerous explanations for different examples of what superficially appear to be the same phenomenon. Reported sightings may be hoaxes, pareidolia, escaped big cats, hallucination, mistaken identity, and so on.

Personally, I do not find the absence of evidence as compelling as some do. I do a lot of driving at twilight or at night, and occasionally I cycle, walk, or run in the twilight or dark. I often see muntjac, foxes, and badgers, and occasionally larger species of deer. These sightings typically last under 10 seconds, and it would be almost impossible to get a decent photo of them.

Years ago, I used to visit Dartmoor regularly. The place is no doubt teaming with foxes, badgers, deer, stoats, weasels, adders, grass snakes... but I never saw any of these species out on the moor. I very occasionally saw them crossing the road, or on the verge just as they disappeared from view.

I think I'm pretty observant. As a motorcyclist, I often find myself pointing out buzzards, red kites, kestrels, unusual vehicles, buildings or signs to my wife who rides pillion.

However, as an insurance investigator, I used to interview people who had been involved in collisions who had never seen the other vehicle until the moment of impact. Most people go through life in a little bubble, barely noticing what is around them when it's important, never mind when it doesn't affect them.

There is the famous video (find it on you tube) where a man in a gorilla suit walks across in front of the camera, and most viewers do not even notice it because they are focussing on what they are "meant to be watching".

It would not surprise me if ABCs were "seen but not observed" on many occasions. The evidence of their existence may easily be concealed from detection in thickets and undergrowth off the beaten path. I have seen roe deer on the road within 500 metres of my house, but I have no idea where they hide the rest of the time. There are many small patches of unmanaged woodland that I seldom visit and which most people never even try to visit.
 
Druk said:
It’s a discussion :)
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Yes but it’s getting a bit repetitive - I don’t think anyone here gives any credence to hundreds of ABCs existing/breeding in the UK. Some people will believe all sorts of shit, as I’ve found with my conspiracy-minded friend.
 
Mikefule said:
Years ago, I used to visit Dartmoor regularly. The place is no doubt teaming with foxes, badgers, deer, stoats, weasels, adders, grass snakes... but I never saw any of these species out on the moor.
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I have seen all of those in London.
 
Druk said:
I have seen all of those in London.
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I see these species fairly regularly on or near the roads where I live in Lincolnshire.

My point was that on the wild expanse of Dartmoor (one place associated with big cat reports) I haven't seen them away from the roads. If these common species can remain out of sight all or most of the time then perhaps so can a rare creature such as a big cat.
 
Mikefule said:
I see these species fairly regularly on or near the roads where I live in Lincolnshire.

My point was that on the wild expanse of Dartmoor (one place associated with big cat reports) I haven't seen them away from the roads. If these common species can remain out of sight all or most of the time then perhaps so can a rare creature such as a big cat.
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I don’t subscribe to that theory,an observant person spots wildlife or genuine sign in town or city,I was halfway up a mountain once and found bear tracks then spotted the animal on a far ridge,but cest la vie.
 
I think misidentification accounts for a huge number of big cat sightings and I wonder if we as humans are predisposed to see 'cat' (simply because they are a threat). So we might encounter a deer, or a large housecat or even a dog for a brief moment but because it is so quick there's no chance to think 'cat! Big Cat! Oh, no, hang on, it's a...deer/cat/dog. Damn, nearly got me there!' So we get a glimpse and only get as far as 'cat! Big Cat!' So we remain certain that we saw a big cat.

So it could be a psychological thing in some cases.
 
brownmane said:
I would agree. I find it odd that as the animal nears the fence and roadway (something with which we could gage the cat's size) he turns his phone/camera to the ground at his feet:thought:. His video was fairly clear and you can see it's a cat, but suddenly we're looking at the ground.
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The feline equivalent of……
 
I was reading a thread on Australian urban legends on Reddit last night and a reoccurring one was the legendary (possibly real) Tantanoola Tiger. It's stuffed corpse supposedly resided in a South Australian pub as mentioned in this thread by our esteemed member @DougalLongfoot

https://forums.forteana.org/index.p...-goroke-stuffed-pub-animal.43012/post-1025851

Other's feel that it was an actual escaped European wolf that somehow made its to these shores. Here's a short podcast with a pic of the stuffed beast (very dingo like as mentioned by Dougal):

https://forgottenaustralia.com/2019/01/23/episode-8-the-tantanoola-tiger/

A Guardian article on it's escapades:

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...big-cats-prowling-the-australian-bush-persist

Plus an interesting YouTube channel named after the creature reporting in on Australian ABC & Thylacine sightings, mostly historic (and really interesting):

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1LxucMUuhtrBw3bcTxc82Q
 
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