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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
On the subject of cats-my hubby and I were walking along a disused railway path with our dogs some years ago, in East Yorkshire. We saw a large grey cat (it was daylight and overcast but dry) as we were passing a field. We noted the cat stopped and looked at us, then as we passed by it ran round the field following the line of the hedges and turning at a sharp 90 degree angle as it came to the corners of the field. It had a very short tail. As the field was higher than the path it looked to be quite a big cat. Its behaviour was slightly puzzling and my first thought was it was a Manx cat but I looked them up and it didn't fit the description, it could have been a cross though. The attitude of the cat was odd as it didn't take its eyes off us the whole time, lucky our dogs didn't appear to notice it. I am sure (95%) that it was a very large domestic cat. But all the same, I didn't come to the conclusion it was ABC or paranormal in any way. In my experience cats tend to move away from dogs when they don't know them. This came down the side of the field towards us then reached the corner and turned running around the 4 sides. Just a slightly odd experience.
 
chrissho said:
On the subject of cats-my hubby and I were walking along a disused railway path with our dogs some years ago, in East Yorkshire. We saw a large grey cat (it was daylight and overcast but dry) as we were passing a field. We noted the cat stopped and looked at us, then as we passed by it ran round the field following the line of the hedges and turning at a sharp 90 degree angle as it came to the corners of the field. It had a very short tail. As the field was higher than the path it looked to be quite a big cat. Its behaviour was slightly puzzling and my first thought was it was a Manx cat but I looked them up and it didn't fit the description, it could have been a cross though. The attitude of the cat was odd as it didn't take its eyes off us the whole time, lucky our dogs didn't appear to notice it. I am sure (95%) that it was a very large domestic cat. But all the same, I didn't come to the conclusion it was ABC or paranormal in any way. In my experience cats tend to move away from dogs when they don't know them. This came down the side of the field towards us then reached the corner and turned running around the 4 sides. Just a slightly odd experience.
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Did your dogs see it and not react, or just not see it? How do they usually behave with strange cats or dogs around?
 
catseye said:
Don't worry, we all know ALL about the Howards round here...

I was particularly struck by my daughter's sighting, partly because she was with me when we saw an anomalous animal as we drove towards Kirkbymoorside. It was lit up in our headlights for a moment and we both went very very quiet - I was desperately trying to get a 'mental fit' for the animal we'd seen run across the road. Dark fur, long sinuous body, looked a bit like a ferret but much much bigger. I had no idea. Then my daughter said 'I think it was an otter.'

Turns out she was absolutely right - there's a lot of them around here (I didn't know that). They make their way up the river and over to the fish farm just outside town, where they steal the fish.

So I know her reflexes and opinions of what she's seen tend to be more accurate than mine. She saw something that night on the CH estate, certainly.
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How strange we should be talking about the Howards. Just seen that Simon Howard is up on a rape charge!
 
eziofan said:
How strange we should be talking about the Howards. Just seen that Simon Howard is up on a rape charge!
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It has slightly been on all our minds round here. We didn't know what he'd done but the estate has been handed over to his brother and he stepped down from it a few months ago. I don't have an 'insider' in the Estate any more (as I used to hear all the 'gossip from the big house') but we were speculating on what he'd done to have to give up.
 
lordmongrove said:
Excellent new doc on UK ABS.
https://www.higgypop.com/news/tiger...xRb7LZGX0EchaqGj92bKc6caTkk3RUenOULKaurdLCZpA
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Great news...!

Sometimes this gets forgotten, especially by the media:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7814960.stm

Big cats have been caught on camera in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire twice in the past seven years, the Forestry Commission has confirmed.

The animals were spotted by rangers who were filming a deer survey.

Under a Freedom of Information Act request the government agency confirmed the sightings are "reliable".

"Both were observed in low light, using heat-activated vision equipment while they were carrying out a deer census," he said.

"The colour of the animals couldn't be made out, but these are very experienced guys and they know what is and what isn't a deer.

"One definitely believed that what he saw was some sort of large cat."

The first sighting was at the outskirts of Churchill enclosure, east of Parkend, in February 2002. The second was on the southern slopes of Staple Edge in March 2005.
 
I'm not going to link to and quote every 'big cat' sighting in the UK. There are so many right now, there seems little point. But this one from The Grimsby Telegraph shows why I take these many sightings with a pinch of salt, even though I have no particular problem with there being the odd non-native felid in Britain.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.gr...us-creature-sightings-barton-upon-6108119.amp

Quote:
'This wasn't a domestic cat, it was a very large cat like creature. It had the build of a leopard or a cheetah.'

Two cats can barely be found with more dissimilar builds than leopards and cheetahs. Perhaps he doesn't know much about different species of cats, which is fine. But, then, how can we trust his opinion? Apart from being logged with all the other vague sightings, what use is this account?
 
Some people want to believe

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/bizarre-sign-claims-sedgley-seen-20803612

"Bizarre sign claims Sedgley has seen three 'alien abductions' - and blames council for not helping"

Just as there have been some genuinely inexplicable UFO sightings of 'something' that may or may not have an intelligence, so there have been reliable sightings of ABCs in the UK (see my post above). Unfortunately these are massively outnumbered by people who purposely or otherwise misinterpret lights in the sky and moggies out hunting mice.

In this I include North Wales Puma Watch, who have made some frankly ridiculous claims:

https://www.facebook.com/pumawatch/ (their website appears to be having some issues)

Here is an example of their wishful thinking:

 
Without any markers for you to be able to judge size, telling a domestic cat from an 'alien' cat is actually surprisingly hard. My big moggie, Arthur, is in no danger of being mistaken for an ABC because he's ginger. But a black cat the same size and build as him is going to turn heads, especially if you only caught a fleeting glimpse in bushes or dashing across a road in headlights. Humans are notoriously bad at judging size, especially if something is moving fast and they only catch a heart-thumping moment in their peripheral vision. We are designed to find anything cat-shaped and moving quickly a threat, so the brain acts first to tell us it's a threat long before eyes and evolution cut in to tell us it's Mrs Wilson's 'Bobby'.
 
catseye said:
Without any markers for you to be able to judge size, telling a domestic cat from an 'alien' cat is actually surprisingly hard. My big moggie, Arthur, is in no danger of being mistaken for an ABC because he's ginger. But a black cat the same size and build as him is going to turn heads, especially if you only caught a fleeting glimpse in bushes or dashing across a road in headlights. Humans are notoriously bad at judging size, especially if something is moving fast and they only catch a heart-thumping moment in their peripheral vision. We are designed to find anything cat-shaped and moving quickly a threat, so the brain acts first to tell us it's a threat long before eyes and evolution cut in to tell us it's Mrs Wilson's 'Bobby'.
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True. Back in 1994 I saw a black cat stalking across the Exmoor hillside. This was just a few years after the whole "Beast of Exmoor" media frenzy and I immediately stopped my car to observe it (no traffic). At first I was quite excited but then I started to measure the animal against its surroundings and it was just a large farm moggie. However, If I had seen it from a passing train or had cars behind me that made stopping difficult then I would not have been able to reach that conclusion.

That said, I personally know a farmer's son from South Devon who witnessed a very large black cat whilst driving his tractor through long grass towards a rise in the land. As he crested the rise he startled the animal which he assumed had been sunning itself. The animal leapt up and cleared a tall hedge in one leap and the disappeared into the woods beyond. He was absolutely convinced it was far too large to be a domestic moggie and had the height of the grass and hedge to gauge it against. He didn't seek any publicity either, it was by chance that I learnt of his experience from the forester responsible for the woodland.
 
WeirdExeter said:
True. Back in 1994 I saw a black cat stalking across the Exmoor hillside. This was just a few years after the whole "Beast of Exmoor" media frenzy and I immediately stopped my car to observe it (no traffic). At first I was quite excited but then I started to measure the animal against its surroundings and it was just a large farm moggie. However, If I had seen it from a passing train or had cars behind me that made stopping difficult then I would not have been able to reach that conclusion.

That said, I personally know a farmer's son from South Devon who witnessed a very large black cat whilst driving his tractor through long grass towards a rise in the land. As he crested the rise he startled the animal which he assumed had been sunning itself. The animal leapt up and cleared a tall hedge in one leap and the disappeared into the woods beyond. He was absolutely convinced it was far too large to be a domestic moggie and had the height of the grass and hedge to gauge it against. He didn't seek any publicity either, it was by chance that I learnt of his experience from the forester responsible for the woodland.
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I've mentioned elsewhere on this thread my misjudgement when mistaking my own black moggy for an ABC due to a fold in the landscape causing perspective problems. And also my daughter's sighting of an ABC. So I'm agnostic on the subject.
 
Back in the late 80s, I had one leap a picket fence in front of me, and run across the path, belly to the ground. Even crouched like that, it came up over my knee height, and the power of its shoulder muscles really struck me. It was too close to mistake, and had jumped a fence in a single bound... definitely not a moggy. I must have posted about it here somewhere.
 
SimonBurchell said:
Back in the late 80s, I had one leap a picket fence in front of me, and run across the path, belly to the ground. Even crouched like that, it came up over my knee height, and the power of its shoulder muscles really struck me. It was too close to mistake, and had jumped a fence in a single bound... definitely not a moggy. I must have posted about it here somewhere.
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Found it - here's the link.
 
Not about ABCs per se, but random contextual thoughts. Mods please move to a better thread if possible.

Exotic Feline Rescue Center (efrc.org)

When I lived in southern Indiana years ago, I visited this big cat rescue several times. It was in the country in corn and hay farms. No matter which route I took to the place, all the farm dogs that I could see in all the nearby farms (less than 2 miles) would be resting in groups on the front porch of the farmhouse, and all with no exception were always facing the direction of the cat rescue. This is not typical farm dog behavior. Usually, one sees dogs resting not in a close group on the hard porch floor, but spread out in the soft grass, facing different directions.

I was able to play with a litter of 4 tiger cubs – each weighed about 50 pounds and they promptly knocked me down and jumped on me. I was alternately terrified and amused. And scratched up. Also touched adult lions and tigers. Lion fur is bristlier than tiger fur. Note: this is no longer allowed.

Observations: different species smell different. Mountain lions like to hide up above the prey and watch. When you are the prey species, and then notice them 15 feet from you and above you, and watching you, it is startling. I honestly had not noticed them, felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and then turned around and saw them watching me from hides erected for them about 15 feet off the ground.

About 20 years later, I was in the mountains near the US - Mexican border (east of Lukeville AZ) just before sunrise. I got out of my SUV to relieve myself in a wash between two hills. I suddenly felt afraid, the hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I jumped up and turned around. I didn’t see or hear anything, but the wind had shifted and I could smell a mountain lion. I scampered back to my vehicle, pulling up my pants as I went.
 
Endlessly Amazed said:
Not about ABCs per se, but random contextual thoughts. Mods please move to a better thread if possible.

Exotic Feline Rescue Center (efrc.org)

When I lived in southern Indiana years ago, I visited this big cat rescue several times. It was in the country in corn and hay farms. No matter which route I took to the place, all the farm dogs that I could see in all the nearby farms (less than 2 miles) would be resting in groups on the front porch of the farmhouse, and all with no exception were always facing the direction of the cat rescue. This is not typical farm dog behavior. Usually, one sees dogs resting not in a close group on the hard porch floor, but spread out in the soft grass, facing different directions.

I was able to play with a litter of 4 tiger cubs – each weighed about 50 pounds and they promptly knocked me down and jumped on me. I was alternately terrified and amused. And scratched up. Also touched adult lions and tigers. Lion fur is bristlier than tiger fur. Note: this is no longer allowed.

Observations: different species smell different. Mountain lions like to hide up above the prey and watch. When you are the prey species, and then notice them 15 feet from you and above you, and watching you, it is startling. I honestly had not noticed them, felt the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and then turned around and saw them watching me from hides erected for them about 15 feet off the ground.

About 20 years later, I was in the mountains near the US - Mexican border (east of Lukeville AZ) just before sunrise. I got out of my SUV to relieve myself in a wash between two hills. I suddenly felt afraid, the hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I jumped up and turned around. I didn’t see or hear anything, but the wind had shifted and I could smell a mountain lion. I scampered back to my vehicle, pulling up my pants as I went.
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I've noticed, being an Aussie, that snakes have a particular smell too, EE, and see how a sleeping dog reacts if you bring a shed skin close to their nose. They are instantly awake, and wary.

I would imagine that to cop a noseful of a large cat, that you'd need to be down wind and close?

Thanks for this - it was very insightful.
 
Mungoman said:
I've noticed, being an Aussie, that snakes have a particular smell too, EE, and see how a sleeping dog reacts if you bring a shed skin close to their nose. They are instantly awake, and wary.

I would imagine that to cop a noseful of a large cat, that you'd need to be down wind and close?

Thanks for this - it was very insightful.
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You are welcome - and I hope you found the dog observations useful. My husband and I would joke that if the dogs were smokers, we would see them chain smoking on the farm porches. :)

Snakes - yes here in Arizona we have them too, but most aren't as dangerous as what you have. When I run across one in the boonies, I try to squat down and sniff it to remind myself what they smell like. I sniff inside my garage regularly. My neighbors think I am very odd.

I have no idea how close I was to the big cat; it was not yet dawn, and I was not going to look for it. ....The predators I am always vigilant about in the wilderness are the bipedal males with opposable thumbs, etc.
 
Endlessly Amazed said:
You are welcome - and I hope you found the dog observations useful. My husband and I would joke that if the dogs were smokers, we would see them chain smoking on the farm porches. :)

Snakes - yes here in Arizona we have them too, but most aren't as dangerous as what you have. When I run across one in the boonies, I try to squat down and sniff it to remind myself what they smell like. I sniff inside my garage regularly. My neighbors think I am very odd.

I have no idea how close I was to the big cat; it was not yet dawn, and I was not going to look for it. ....The predators I am always vigilant about in the wilderness are the bipedal males with opposable thumbs, etc.
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They are a concern, aren't they - we have the same problem here too, EA.
 
WeirdExeter said:
So interesting re the smell of big cats as I'm not sure I can recall a single UK ABC report that mentions any smell coming from the creature, or am I wrong...?
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Most ABC encounters over here I would guess to be at a distance where you wouldn't necessarily smell anything. Most animals smell, I mean, a badger reeks like anything, but any I've met in the wild I've not been able to smell because they haven't come close enough to me.
 
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