A Large Black Cat??

Question

I live in the countryside in Devon, and there are free range chickens wandering about. The other night I was looking out of my kitchen window after hearing a lot of commotion from the chickens, when I went out to investigate what the problem was I noticed a pair of eyes reflecting from the back light. There were feathers strewn about everywhere. I then noticed some type of animal which looked like a black cat only six or eight times bigger running off with a chicken in it's mouth. It definitely was not a badger a fox or a dog, what could it be, it was a little frightening to be confronted with this animal, and I had a clear view of it as it was only about twenty feet away from me before it took off.

I am not prone to exaggeration or imagination and I don't drink alcohol.

Answer 1

It could have been a cougar, bobcat, or a lynx. It's a rare occurance, but there have been some of these breeds that are born black (and even pure white). Most likely it was a normal colored cat that just looked black because of the lighting.

Answer 2

Well that could be many things but you said it's eyes reflected from the black light and the only type of animals that eyes do that are the Felin family. Therefore you are right it is a cat of somesort and buy the ways you decribed it, it could have been a panther that escaped from somewhere because I heard that panthers were being seen. Or it could have been a cougar because thous have been seen also. And if I were you I would maybe but a little light on the chicken coup and then if you hear/see that animal you would get a better sight and then you should call someone and see if they could help you. But like I said it could be many things.

Answer 3

Never seen 1 myself but there are supposed to be lots of big cats living and breeding wild all over Britain-mostly black but other colours are seen.They have been blamed for killing poultry,livestock,horses and even dogs but no attacks on people have been reported yet.

They are said to be lynx's,leopards and cougars (all 3 of these species sometimes have black individuals,especially the leopard)which were originally kept as pets but were released when the law banning the keeping of such dangerous wild animals as pets-without a licence-was brought in in the 60's or 70's.

Although lions and tigers were also kept as pets these cats are not low profile and would not go unseen for long.However the 3 species mentioned above are all famous for being stealthy and able to go unseen.In parts of India leopards are as common as foxes are in country areas of Britain and yet they are hardly ever seen.This and the fact that all 3 species are mostly nocturnal could explain why few people manage to catch photo's of them.

As for why so many seem to be black,well no-one seems to be sure about that.One suggestion is that it's simply because black specimens were the most popular pets in the past and this was passed to their cubs.

There was some proof of their existence last yr when a lynx was shot dead by a gamekeeper.Sceptics insist is was not wild but an illegal pet which escaped.If this is true the owner was never traced.

The most famous place for sightings is Bodmin moor but they have been seen in country areas all over from Devon and Cornwall in the south to the north of Scotland.There have even been a few sightings on the edge of towns.

Personally I'm not sure whether I believe all this or not but I would not rule it out as impossible.

Answer 4

I have a large cat who stalks deer.
No joking!
Our house was in a rural area with farmland and free range sheep, in the North of Scotland. Once a farmer joked, that he confused my cat for one of his sheep (from a distance, kitty is huge and mostly white. i suspect he inherited a few good genes from the local wild cats).

I didn't dare to joke back that kitty was most likely stalking the sheep, because they keep the 12 gauge buckshot at the ready up there. They also love their animals and locally it was believed unlucky to kill a white animal.)

Anyway, you know what you've seen.

It may be a cat that looked large - don't worry yourself, though big cat or supernatural creature, they are more scared of us than us of them.


oh_ kitty never actually catch a deer, a sheep, or even a chicken, he just pretends he's a mighty Leopard.

Answer 5

whilst driving in Devon in the dark, i spotted something similar to what you describe. there have long been rumours about a 'beast' roaming the countryside. the more popular belIEf is that when the keeping of dangerous animals became outlawed, a few irresponsible keepers of big cats, ie pumas, just let their animals lose. i agree with Mr muggles that it is a shame you did not get a photo. if you are worried then i would report it to the police. they may have had other complaints in the area and could possibly map out an area where the animal is known to hunt.

Answer 6

There have been many sightings of these large black cats up here in the North of Scotland. The scientists reckon that it is a marriage between wild cats and well fed domestic felines that have added to the gene pool of the wild cat and created a much larger than normal cat with wild instincts and no fear of humans from the domestic cats. Look at that new species of Leopard they have found in Borneo. You know what you saw.

Answer 7

I have a black cat who weighs in at about 12lbs, she's a very big girl & looks about 3 times the size of a normal cat. Yes i've been to vets & they say this weight is fine for her, lol. My point is you do get very large domestic cats that can be quite ferocious, mine has been known to chase dogs away. Perhaps it was one of these you saw? It being night & the animal was black it may have seemed larger than it was.

Answer 8

There have been stories of wild animals in your area before. Did you call the Police in order to protect others who might encounter this animal?
Panther is a species that comes to mind but hey, who knows. Some people have been keeping wild animals for years without authority but there are some kept legally and one might have escaped.

Answer 9

Maybe you came across a wildcat, probably a puma or a cougar. Anyway, try to be vigilant especially at night because you might be the unlucky one instead of a chicken. Don't let your superstition get to you.

Answer 10

It could well be just a cat, they can look really big out of context. I have 3 cats & when I see them out in the fields next to us one looks like a normal cat- she is actually quite small, the one that looks like a great big fat furry footstool close up looks enormous out in the open. I'm sure if he was all black we would have 'sightings' from unwary ranblers.