Just saw a wild cat?

dlofnep

Was driving here in Waterford on the Cork road, and I saw a wild cat. I'd say it was little over twice as big as a normal cat - was reddish brown in colour. At first I thought it was a fox, due to it's size and colour - but I stopped up next to it and it looked at me - had a very distinct wild cat face - sharp pointy ears. Absolutely not a fox.

Wondering what it could have been? I know some people have Ocelots, but it wasn't spotted.

Any ideas what it might have been?

SdoowSirhc

It has claws as big as cups
It has four ears, two for listening and two are sort of back-up ears. Some might be on the inside of its head
It has a retractable leg so it can leap up at you better
It has magnets on its tail, so if you're made out of metal, it can attach itself to you
It lights up at night
It has a tremendous fear of stamps
Its yawn sounds like Liam Neeson chasing a load of hens around inside a barrel
It has no mouth, but instead has four arses
It only has eyebrows on Saturdays

pontia

you on drugs ?

SdoowSirhc

pontia wrote: »

you on drugs ?

If that was aimed at me, no. It's a father Ted quote... The Beast of Craggy Island, it's a wildcat "about the size of a fox" :P

lookitsme

the op is asking a serious question, they don't want smart arse answers

down with that sort of thing,
careful now

RossieMan

Ever think it was just a big cat?

vicwatson

How did you know it was wild?

lookitsme

vicwatson wrote: »

How did you know it was wild?

well that's obvious, it didn't have a collar

dlofnep

RossieMan wrote: »

Ever think it was just a big cat?

It was a big cat, but not a domestic cat. It was certainly a wild cat - distinctly different than a domestic cat. So we can eliminate big domestic cats out of the equation, because it wasn't one of them.

RossieMan

was it definitely a cat is probably a better question?

dlofnep

RossieMan wrote: »

was it definitely a cat is probably a better question?

No, it was a dinosaur. Yes, of course it was a cat.

RobbingBandit

Did you see two riders approaching and did the wind begin to howl?

RossieMan

dlofnep wrote: »

No, it was a dinosaur. Yes, of course it was a cat.

well if it was a dinosaur it might be a little interesting.

i don't see the problem if its just a cat?

Duff

Descriptions fit Keyboard Cat.

SdoowSirhc

Maybe it was the Catbus carrying Totoro to the hospital. Sorry I'm full of sh1te this time of night..

I don't know of any actual wildcats in Ireland but maybe one of those "wans" from Kilkenny are roaming the roads again...

I know they're are a specious of "wildcat" in the Scottish highlands but they are more like heavy built domestic cats. You could be right about an escaped exotic pet though..

dlofnep

RossieMan wrote: »

i don't see the problem if its just a cat?

What are you trying to contribute to this thread? A wild cat, not of the domestic breed - the size of a fox was spotted by myself. I'm trying to figure out what type of cat it could be. The intent of this thread is to find out potential cats that fit the description so I can try and identify what type of cat it was. I hope this is clear. If I wanted a thread full of smart-arse replies, I would have posted this on AH.

ahnowbrowncow

From your description this is the only large cat that I can think of that would be in that area

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadowplay/35580398/

Zapperzy

Back on topic folks, this isin't After Hours so serious answers please from here on in.

kylith

As far as I'm aware there are no indigenous wild cats in Ireland. If it was one it was probably an escapee from somewhere. Shame you couldn't get a pic.

dmg10

For anyone into wildlife tracking, it'd have been great to get the location & try to get a picture of its tracks. Some people can tell a lot from the prints

planetX

Caracal? they have very long ears though.
I hate that there are no laws against keeping exotic animals.

vicwatson

lookitsme wrote: »

well that's obvious, it didn't have a collar

Neigbours dog walked down the street yesterday with no collar, it's not a wild dog:rolleyes:

kylith

The more I think about this the more I think it must have been some sort of cross breed, or an unusually large house cat as Wildcats aren't reddish, they're more a tabby. Any of the reddish wild cats would have been much more recognisable as a cat - you'd be hard pushed to mistake a caracal for a fox, even for a second.

And before anyone says 'it can't have been a cat because cats don't get that big' here's a maine coon four feet long, and the world record for largest cat tipped the scales at 48lb (21kg or 3.5 stone), much bigger than a fox.

My folks live around there, so I must ask if they've heard anything.

Mountainsandh

My (domestic) cat is very large, as tall as some foxes definitely, I'm always afraid some hunter some day might get confused, although colour wise he should be safe as he's grey.

Maine Coons are very large and have the pointy hairy ears, I used to have a male cat similar to MC and it was very, very tall too. Weight wise cats and foxes are not too far off, and height wise Wiki states MC can reach 41cm height.

Maine Coons are one of the largest breeds of domestic cat. Males weigh from
15 to 25 lb (6.8 to 11 kg) with females weighing from 10 to 15 lb (4.5 to 6.8
kg).[18] The
height of adults can vary between 10 and 16 in (25 and 41 cm) and they can reach
a length of up to 40 in (100 cm), including the tail, which can reach a length
of 14 in (36 cm)[19] and is
long, tapering, and heavily furred, almost resembling a raccoon's tail. The body
is solid and muscular, which is necessary for supporting their own weight, and
the chest is broad. Maine Coons possess a rectangular body shape and are slow to
physically mature; their full potential size is normally not reached until they
are three to five years old, while other cats take about only one year.[20]

red fox http://animal.discovery.com/guides/mammals/habitat/tempforest/redfox.html

Name: Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Family:
Canidae (Dogs and Relatives)
Range: Canada, United States, Europe,
Asia, northern Africa
Habitat: Forest to tundra, including cities

Diet: Small mammals, insects, fruit, berries, and garbage
Head
and Body Length: 24 to 35 inches (60 to 90 cm)
Tail Length: 12
to 22 inches (30 to 55 cm)
Shoulder Height: 14 to 16 inches (35 to
41 cm)
Weight: 4 to 15 pounds (2 to 7 kg)
Life Cycle:
Mating depends on locale, usually January to March; gestation 51 to 63 days,
two to ten cubs born
Description: Red, orange or gray fur; sharp,
pointed face; yellow eyes; large, black ears; light, agile build; black limbs;
bushy, black tail with white tip
Conservation Status: Common

Related Content: Dog Guide

Rommie

Longhaired or shorthaired op?I have a giant red Maine coon who's been mistaken for a fox a few times

dlofnep

Hi guys - It was very short fur. I had a look at that image of the Maine Coon, and it certainly didn't look anything like it. Like I said, it distinctly had a wild cat appearance. At first I thought it might have been a lynx or something, but it's fur was too short, and it's tail was too long.

To be honest - it didn't look too far off that Caracal one poster linked too, but I couldn't imagine it was one of them. They aren't kept as pets are they? I suppose if we could find a list of medium-sized cats which are kept as pets in Ireland, I might be able to identify it from the list. It wasn't an Ocelot, or a large domestic cat. I know that much. It's ears were point like that Caracal, but it had kind of a bit of a goatee on either side of it's chin. Assuming it was male, but I don't know enough about cats.

How common are medium-sized cats as pets in Ireland? Maybe I should contact the local pound and see if they have heard of any other sightings?

boomerang

I work with feral cats and some of the un-neutered toms are gargantuan! I think the heaviest we trapped and neutered so far was 9kg. Pure muscle - it was incredible! They are a serious animal!

So maybe a feral?

dlofnep

Googled some images, but they don't seem to fit the match. The only reason I posted this is because I've never seen anything like this cat before. I'd hazard a guess that it's just someone's exotic pet on the loose - but the closest description so far seems to be the Caracal.. but I just can't see it being that.

I assure you, if I felt it was just an over-sized cat - I would have thought nothing of it. It's size was eye-catching, but even more eye-catching was it's features and how it looked.. Completely nothing like any domestic cat I've seen, and more like a wild cat appearance.

Bearing in mind, that this cat stood out enough for me to stop the car and have a good look at him for 10 or 15 seconds before he strolled into the bushes. He didn't seem afraid of my car. Like I said, I initially thought it was a fox - because it was similar in size, and I do see a lot of foxes around and take great interest in them - but as I got closer, I knew it wasn't a fox.

Hope this helps - I'm still puzzled.

Does anyone have a list of exotic cats that are kept as pets in Ireland & Britain? No images are really spot on yet as a match.

kylith

I think you could keep a caracal as a pet, but it wouldn't be recommended, and it certainly wouldn't be left to roam on purpose, I hope. There's little regulation of exotic pets here, so it's possible that it was a caracal, but I honestly think there's a less exotic answer.

The only option is for you to do a stake out and get some pictures.

I think it's most likely to be an unusual looking domestic animal, possibly from one of the halting sites around there.

foxinsox

I would put money on it that what you saw was a " young fox".

Happened to me a few weeks,ago, early morning walk. I was convinced I'd seen a lion cub and was going to be eaten.

Google "baby fox" while in image search.


You can pm the cash later :-)

ShaShaBear

I doubt it would be anything like the Scottish Wildcat, they look like fat tabby toms :rolleyes: