Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

[stoysville]

Hi Everyone,

I wondered what you guys thought these animal prints might be which I found during a walk with my dog this week? I've whacked them on one of those free website builder things and created a small site and gallery. I've heard of Big Cats in the countryside but always been sceptical until now, what do you guys reckon!?



http://tolls9.wix.com/big-cat-mystery

Cheers.

[the-peoples-poet]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

It could have been a Great Dane or an Irish Wolfhound, they are very very big dogs.

[pazuzu]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

Hmm... there have been scattered reports over the years of big cats, like pumas, wandering around.

I saw one once, not very clearly as it landed on top of the conservatory and it has fluted glass on the roof. But it was certainly larger than an average tabby/tom cat - much like a puma. It jumped off and disappeared. And this wasn't even close to the countryside.
Sadly everyone i tell this story to thinks i was drunk at the time!

[Chris68]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

Looks like a dog. You can see the claws on the prints. Cats have retractable claws (except cheetahs), so they wouldn't show in the print.

[victorbrunswick]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

Hmm... there have been scattered reports over the years of big cats, like pumas, wandering around.

I saw one once, not very clearly as it landed on top of the conservatory and it has fluted glass on the roof. But it was certainly larger than an average tabby/tom cat - much like a puma. It jumped off and disappeared. And this wasn't even close to the countryside.
Sadly everyone i tell this story to thinks i was drunk at the time!

Interesting because Pumas are native mainly to North and South America. Where I am Pumas, or mountain lions as they're popularly known, are quite common particularly out in the hills and canyons around here. But then again there's also the urban legend of alligators being found in the sewers of large cities like New York.

[Richard1978]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

I remember the Beast Of Bodmin sightings in the 1990s, & there have been reports of a lion in Essex in the last few days.

[sf1378]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

It's my footprint.

[battyrat]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

The footprint seems a bit long,so I suggest you have two prints one on top of the other.It looks as if the front paw print was soon after being laid overprinted by the rear foot of the same animal or perhaps another animal possibly a dog.The rear toes in many animals seem closer together then the front paw print.The non retractable claw marks suggest a large dog rather then a cat.
Reminds me a few years ago when we were out as usual with the cameras shooting wildlife.We came across a set of large tracks on a sloppy manuer pile at the back of the sewage works.These were very large and at first we thought these were a large cat as there was no nail marks.A mate still says they are large cat.I have a feeling as they were on an angle they were of a large dog and the angle of the prints stopped the nails from impressing.There were rumours of a large black cat a few years back in our area and I have heard a few first hand reports even witnessing something myself in the area.Lucky for me I had the camera kit I needed so managed to zoom in on this large black cat near the hedge running along the tiop of the field.It was a very very hot day.It turned out to ba a domestic black cat wearing a red colar.The heat haze seemed to make this cat huge compared to what it actually was and the mind loves to play tricks.

[sf1378]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

I reckon that 'Lion' sighting the other day was simply a big fat cat with a more furry body.

[victorbrunswick]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

This all brings to mind the so-called "Devil's Footprints," a series of mysterious footprints, resembling cloven hooves, that were found in the snow in Devon and Dorset in 1855.

[Richard1978]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

For years I've had a book on mysterious things that mentions the devils footprints. There was a good book that mentions big cats being sighted in the UK.

I used to be interested in unexplained phenomena when I was a teenager, but eventually lost interest.

It seemed to gain a lot of conspiracy theorist nutters in the mid 1990s.

[battyrat]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

The problem with these big cat sightings is that they cover most of britain and this would make these big cats extreamly common.The fact that no decent evidence has turned up apart from some degraded skull fragments on exmore or dartmore a few years ago which could of come from anywhere at any period in history suggests most are just mis sightings or wrongly identified creatures.There was even supposed sightings on Minster cliffs,Sheppey about 10-15 years ago.Thats a very small area and a small island which is heavily inhabited in parts and well used by holiday makers in most other parts.I often wonder how many small deer have been mistaken for large cats skulking around the hedgerows.

[sf1378]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

The problem with these big cat sightings is that they cover most of britain and this would make these big cats extreamly common.The fact that no decent evidence has turned up apart from some degraded skull fragments on exmore or dartmore a few years ago which could of come from anywhere at any period in history suggests most are just mis sightings or wrongly identified creatures.There was even supposed sightings on Minster cliffs,Sheppey about 10-15 years ago.Thats a very small area and a small island which is heavily inhabited in parts and well used by holiday makers in most other parts.I often wonder how many small deer have been mistaken for large cats skulking around the hedgerows.

Its just some big fat cats in the distance - you never know, they may have 'tribes' and fall over laughing at our idiocy.... I reckon that 'sighting' of a 'Lion' the other day when the Police were scrambled was simply a big, fat, fluffy domestic cat who then returned home after his or her 'travels' for the day and wondered what the hell was going on with all the sirens etc...lol.

[battyrat]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

That lion the other day was probably that ginger moggy they were talking about on the news.It is certainly amusing anyhow.

[80sChav]

Re: Mysterious Big Cat Prints?

I can imagine that the Cat on Sunday, could of appeared like a Lion (though only say 40%), but what a far fetched thing this became, it still makes me smile even now - 3 day's after!

Though I guess tere may of been scenario's like this in the past, but in the main for me thing's like Cat Prints and Sighting's of Lions in these shores is quite often overly imagined by people who have time on their hands sadly, though at a very remote guess I suppose a bit of truth could possibly exist in such thing's.