Author Topic: Large cat spotted twice this weeks (Read 1635 times)

DaveH · « **on:** March 26, 2005, 03:45:42 AM »

The cat was about 2ft high and about 3ft in length, including its bushy tail. solid black in color. It did not seem to be agresive at all it ran both times I have seen it. But this thing is at least three or four times the size of a normal house cat. Anyone got any ideas what it could be.

mjbgalt · « **Reply #1 on:** March 26, 2005, 08:46:25 AM »

badger or wolverine maybe?

-Matt

DaveH · « **Reply #2 on:** March 26, 2005, 01:10:24 PM »

No it was definitely a cat......It was more then twenty feet from me at one point.

armycar01 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2005, 05:53:43 PM »

Where do you live?

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2005, 06:52:31 PM »

I was talking to a Conservation officer one time in northern michigan who had 5 calls reporting a mountain lion siting, one time he happened to be in the area and actually saw the "lion" . It was a fairly large yellow housecat. Maybe it had a black cousin living near you.

jerkface11 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 27, 2005, 05:08:31 AM »

Or it could be a mountain lion.

DaveH · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2005, 07:24:32 AM »

I'm stationed in Thurmont Maryland, (Western Part of the State) I don't think this thing is a mountian loin its not that big and its solid black. Its also looks to have a long coat and the tail is thick and bushy. It looks just like a normal long haired house cat but its three to four times larger. Its not aggressive either it runs very time I get near it. It was sitting on top of my shed out back this morning. As soon as I opened the door it jumped down and run off into the woods. I think its some kind of domestic cat that got loose. I was just wondering if anyone has ever heard of anything like it before.

1911crazy · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2005, 07:28:02 AM »

It sounds like a "Fisher" Its the fastest north american tree climbing mammal. And a mountainlion is like 3' high and 6' long and weighs 180lbs to 200lbs. BigBill

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 27, 2005, 07:58:21 AM »

There is no mistaking a fisher for a housecat. They don't look that much alike.

Num_1_Dad · « **Reply #9 on:** March 27, 2005, 08:38:12 AM »

This is link to a Fisher website:
Fisher

jerkface11 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 27, 2005, 10:15:59 AM »

Only shaggy big cat i know of is a snow leapord and they certainly are NOT black.

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2005, 10:20:04 AM »

I'm betting its just a big house cat, you could always try to live trap it and see what it is.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2005, 11:01:51 AM »

Many years ago,while hunting squirrels with a friend we both saw a huge "cat" move into a thicket.......it was right at dark, and my buddy had the only shell left.....we only got a short look at it, and didn't really know what it was......"It's a fox" I said...... He said "It's to big for a fox"......anyway,he talked me into going into the thicket while he stayed out on the other side.......I was a little leary, thinking my leg was about to be chewed off.......Boom went his winchester 20 gauge!

He had it by both back legs when I got out of the thicket.....it was the biggest house cat I've ever seen.......when held by both back legs, with his arm straight out in from of him, the cat's head just touched the ground.........I've never seen a house cat that big again........Sounds just exactly like the one my buddy shot 30 to 35 years ago........I kinda figured that one to be a freak of nature.......Something from Oak Ridge maybe?

myronman3 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2005, 02:52:34 PM »

sometimes feral cats tie up with bobcats. the off spring are bigger that you might think, i trapped one once. my bro thought it was the landowners barn cat. i told him to leave it alone and we'd come back with a 22. he figured he could let it go (i knew better). about three steps out it went ballistic. bro had a big stick over it's head the entire time; when it went nuts, the stick came down- hard!. it was huge. biggest cat i ever saw. and it had the markings of a bobcat, with a tail a tad shorter than a cat usually has. i dont see any reason the offspring wouldnt have different color phases.
could be you are dealing with a hybred feral cat/ bobcat. which have no protection under the law. sounds like a shooting oppotunity to me :mrgreen:

Greybeard · « **Reply #14 on:** March 28, 2005, 01:57:09 AM »

House cats come in a variety of sizes. I have no doubt in my own mind that when folks are seeing black cats they are seeing nothing more than a black house cat. There is no scientific evidence of melanism in cougars.

Some years back before we moved to this new software I believe someone posted a photo of a huge house cat. As I recall it belonged to some friends of the poster or at least that's the way I think I recall the situation. The cat was a normal spotted cat color but was enormous, almost as large as a cougar. Just as some humans grow far larger than normal so do cats.

DaveH · « **Reply #15 on:** March 28, 2005, 03:27:24 PM »

I thnik is it a over grown house cat. It was up on my back deck this morning. I also notice there is a new family that moved in down the road about the time I started seeing the cat. I definetely don't want to shoot it. It has not given me any reason to do that. Not like I have to fight my way into the house. It sees me and it runs as long as it does that we are fine. I might even put some food out for it. At least I won't have to worry about mice or rats with it hanging around....

Curtis · « **Reply #16 on:** March 28, 2005, 04:34:31 PM »

Quote

It sees me and it runs as long as it does that we are fine.

Quote

I might even put some food out for it

Those two statements are mutually exclusive.

Curtis

DaveH · « **Reply #17 on:** March 29, 2005, 10:21:57 AM »

Update on the Cat... When my house cleaning crew was here this morning it was up on my deck helping its self to what was in my trash cans as one of the girls went to throw a bag of trash in the can it came out ALL kinda pissed off. Guess it didn't like having its lunch distrubed. I call anmial control and they are coming by tonight to see if they can net it...Good luck.....but I'll let them try. Heck Think I'll go get a six pack of colds one and sit and watch it might be more fun then watching TV.
If all else fails I'll just shoot the damn thing.

NONYA · « **Reply #18 on:** April 01, 2005, 06:17:31 AM »

make it a 12 pack and a 12 guage...maybe a dish of food...problem solved!!

ponydog80 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2005, 05:00:28 AM »

I had a housecat when I was a kid.....that weighed in at a whopping 22 pounds.......my uncle is a vet , and he wanted to weigh it just to see. It was a dark grey pursian cat.....and the fur , plus the actual 22 pounds of feline...made it look enormous........I am very curious as to what this thing is........keep us posted.....

RaySendero · « **Reply #20 on:** April 05, 2005, 03:57:10 PM »

DaveH,

Think Pictures, Pictures, Pictures.

We need some pictures!

PS: And if Animal Control shows up we need video and audio!