Friday 11 April 2014

Big cat sighting in Surrey

 "Just want to report a sighting in Coulsdon, Surrey where I live.
 
Last week (early April 2014)– midweek I think around dusk, I heard an awful snarling outside in the garden.  Sounded like a cat fight but with really loud noises.  I looked out and could see nothing.  It was quite shocking at the time but I thought nothing about it and kind of forgot about it.
 
Then on Saturday evening at dusk, but nearly dark on 5 April I heard a terrible weird scream.  I thought it sounded like a teenage girl but with a yowl sound to it somehow.  I actually went outside to the back garden and looked down the side of the house as I thought the neighbour (older couple – no teenage kids) had gone bonkers.  As I walked back up back towards my kitchen I noticed what were two white circles shining midway up the garden.  I thought for a minute that they were glints from some garden furniture or something but then realised they were two eyes staring at me !!  Judging by the size of them and the width between them on the head I figured this was a large cat – certainly not a domestic.  I could not see the body as it was pitch dark so I worked out the animal must be black.
 
I called my husband to get a torch but by the time he did, the animal had shifted away.  (He thought I had been on the wine and kind of did not believe me !).
 
Then later around 10.30/11pm we both went out to the kitchen to clear up things and saw the sensor lights trigger on the summerhouse (100 ft away down in the garden) then on the patio by the corner of the kitchen.  For a split second I looked out of the window and saw the big black cat, bounding across to other side of the garden.  I’d estimate at a rough guess it must be 4-5 feet long.
 
Haven’t had any more sightings since but heard it on Monday night scaling fences and starting off the local dogs in the neighbourhood."