Walker comes face to face with wild cat

10:08am Tuesday 10th January 2006

A DOG walker was given paws for thought when he came across a wild cat.

John Costin has a tail to tell following the encounter near Churchfield Woods, Bexley Village.

The 64-year-old had just let his dog Mickey off the lead when he saw the curious creature crouching in tall grass.

The father-of-three said: "When it saw me, it stood up and kept very still.

"The first thing I thought was this is not an ordinary cat' then it crossed my mind cats like this had been spotted in the area before I thought it must be a wild cat.

"It was standing in the grass so it was hard to tell, but I would say it was about a foot high and around a foot and a half from nose to back legs, like the length of a small whippet. I didn't notice its tail."

The retired civil service technician added: "I was struck by how sleek its fur was.

"It looked like a sort of tortoiseshell pattern. To me it looked like a small lynx or a bobcat and it had pointy ears.

"There was just something different about it at first it crossed my mind it might just be a huge domestic cat, but looking at it I felt it had to be wild. The shape of it and the size of it were very striking."

Over recent years, a panther-type cat the so-called Beast of Bexley has been spotted across the borough.

Danny Bamping, of the Big Cats Society, said: "This sighting could be one of a lynx or bobcat, as these breeds of cats have pointy ears.

"However, lynxes are about four feet long and this man says the animal he saw was less than half this length. Also, big cats do not tend to have tortoiseshell markings.

Mr Bamping says the sighting could also have been of an exotic, domestic cat.

He added: "If this man has got his measurements wrong, it could well be a lynx or a bobcat."

What do you think the creature is? Write to News Shopper, Mega House, Crest View Drive, Petts Wood, BR5 1BT or email newsroom@ london.newsquets.co.uk