Thursday, 22 August 2013

Surrey 'big cat' seen...

Apologies for lack of updates on this page, that's not down to lack of sightings, more so lack of time. Here is one of the most recent reports regarding a large cat in Surrey, from the Milford area, submitted by a Mr Carter:

"Today on the 22nd August 2013 at between 4:15am and 5:00am (not too sure of the time, sorry) I witnessed a large cat in the street from my bedroom window, I regularly see house cats and the occasional fox walking down the street but this one was different, I saw it walking next to a car and looking under it, where I believe a regular house cat was hiding from the rain as I heard it cry out as the bigger cat looked under. When the house cat made the noise the bigger cat turned away and walked over to the other side of the street, only then did I realise the size of it, the cat was much larger than a house cat and larger than a fox even, it was possibly a little shorter than a Labrador but slim built like a cat and it had a long tail, I can be sure of the colour because it is night but it was dark. It crossed the street and I didn't see it again, which is odd because the only place for it to go is behind the houses, over a small river and onto the golf course."

Milford sits close to Godalming where there have been numerous reports in the past of a large cat resembling a puma. The golf course is key here, an ideal area for a cat to prowl at night or early hours without being disturbed. Also worth noting the line of the river and several small lakes etc nearby. A railway line is also ideal for navigational purposes for a cat travelling at night.
For more historical reports of the Surrey puma check out my book MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: LONDON

The witness recently added that the animal he saw was most likely a black 'panther' and not a puma.