Strange Cat

It saw strange thing pass me the other day while walking. I have been informed that its some kind of cat. any ideas?

 

Aloha well those pijs do not do any justice but it kind of looks like an Abyssinian

Do you know if they can grow quite large. This pic was taken about 25 feet away. It was approx 1 and 1/2 feet tall. Also, are cats known to follow a strange dog? When I saw this cat, I originally thought it was a dog walking behind a woman who was walking another small dog. I startled it and it ran off into the forest. I grabbed my phone and took this pic as it was taking off because it did not look like any cat I have ever seen. (Why it is not a good picture).

I tried zooming in on the first pik which is more clear but it wouldn't let me so I can barely tell what type of cat...and second pik is grainy so its hard to tell...I believe abbys can be larger like taller but once again it's hard to tell...and yes cats can walk behind or by dogs...

It allowed me to zoom in and she does appear to be an abyssinian, or a cross mix that didn't fall too far from the abyssinian tree. Her head seems oddly shaped, or is it just me?The picture is poor quality, even worse once zoomed in. Her teats also appear to be hanging quite low, it may be the blurriness of the picture, or she might be a momma.

Which country are you in?

She is "wild colored", ie ticked tabby or so.   That is surely why the comparison with abyssinians, which is the breed of home cats where ticked tabby is common - and yes, its called for wild colored with them.

Abyssians arent very big.   So I suspect some sort of wild cat.  Hence the question where you live...  If there IS some possibility of naturally occuring wild cats.

Of course there is always a possibility of a released captured wild cat.  Can they release alligators when they got too be too big for the bathtube, so they can let out others too...  Or something from a breeding programme with Savannah or somiliar...

Do you have access to photoshop or similiar? there is a function of trying to get better cleariness and making photos more sharp.  Sometimes it works nicely, sometimes not so very...

Following a small dog...  My guess is if it was some sort of wild cat, the cat thought the dog as a possible prey.   Followed and  waited for it to go from the protecting human - and a quick hunting attack would follow...   A wild cat THAT size, noticeably bigger than the average cat, can easily hunt on small dogs, especielly if they seem older or not fully mobile.

IF it was a dumped home cat, its possible he followed them hoping to find a home.  Or at least food: if the dog gets food from humans, so perhaps I may too...

@ali78

Where do you live? It does look cat-like but not entirely. It sort of looks like a fossa, but of course only if you live in Madagascar . I'm not sure which other animals look cat-like. It could just be a bad pic of a funny-looking cat too :lol3:.

Other options, depending where you live, are the Jungle Cat or the Jaguarundi. Both are about that size and don't look quite the same as a domestic cat

I live in Canada . Northeastern ontario. The only wild cats we have here are bobcats, lynx and possibly cougars. To provide a little more information.... I took the pic because like it said earlier..I originally thought it was an older dog walking behind a woman who was walking a dog on a leash. Once I realized it was morecat like once I startled it and it stopped, looked at me then ran into the forest. I thought maybe it was a lynx (my brain was trying to process what I just saw) . Once I came home and Google a lynx, I discovered it was nothing like that. The markings, the way it was walking and everything seamed to point to a cougar. I contacted my local Ministry of natural resources to let them know the story (how it was following a woman) and showed them the picture. Theven responded to me that the passed the pic around the office and it is too small to be a cougar. I was not aware that cougars are born full size. Lol. Anyway. They told me it must be some kind of strange hybrid cat. They did however confirm my thoughts that it looks like it is nursing or just finished. I have not been able to find any cat online that fits.

Pictures from a distance can look weird. Probably not a young cougar because the young ones have a young body shape. . .lol, you know what I mean---they don't look saggy like that. Probably just a big tough old feral.

hmmmm--that IS unusual looking plus it sounds bigger than normal cat.  Since it was following (stalking?) a small dog, it may be something wild vs a feral cat.  I would send the picture to one of the universities in ON>  i'd contact Guelph or another uni with zoology.  Could be interesting!  keep us posted

ali78 said:

13989602_10157316121870252_681162176_n.jpg

• ali78
• Aug 11, 2016

Click to expand...

I found this here pic of coughar on Wikipedia, below:



The profile of head and the somewhat peculiar ears are the same.

Coloring likewise.

The only left, coughars, otherwise known as Puma, are quite big,  so we must presume some unusually little female...

But, some domestic cat females are quite petite, so perhaps coughars too??     Anyways, choosing between some wild specie whom got loose (why, if kangaroos and lions were seen in Danemark, so nothing is impossible...)    and a smallish coughar female,  I will bet on a smallish female coughar.

The problem is, as she seems to be lactacing, there is probably a bigger male coughar too in the neigborhood...  Even if they dont live in pairs.

Its funny, I have always though coughars were a specie similiar to puma, but smaller.   While I have now got to know its just different names on the same specie...

To the TS.    Knowing where you stood, and where you took the pic, you could make a serie of comparing photos?    Make some silhuettes on hard paper - perhaps cut out from cardboard box,    ,   and  taking a similiar photo, you will get roughly but yet quite precisely, the possible size.  You will probably need to take a serie of silhuettes.

This female catanimal could be bigger than we think...

If you look at the animal compared to the chopped off tree trunk and the bushes you will see that it's nowhere the size of a puma...I come from places here in states that have wildcats...thats not a cougar!

It's definitely an interesting looking cat. My first guess was a young (small) cougar too. The behavior is odd too. Following a small dog with its human in broad daylight isn't typical predatory behavior for any cat, wild or not.

I have gone ahead and sent the picture and story to a few experts in the field to get there thoughts.

I did send it to one Dr in Biology prior to sending it to the MNR because I thought I was crazy (this cannot be a cougar in our area) and was informed it did look like a young nursing mother cougar.

The road block I have hit was with the MNR saying it was too small so they dismissed my inquiry. I was unaware that cougars were born full size.

If this is a young mom that means that there are cubs close by. This could be important not only for the research (cougars were declared extinct until recently sightings) but our community needs to be educated as well.

I am thinking this young mom might of made her den to close to civilization and made a wrong turn while looking for prey and got too brave. Young cougars are not good hunters.

I came on here because I thought if they were right I am sure some cat lovers would be able to provide some other explanation. I am happy to see that the response is supportive. As side for the again "it is too small" .

The muscles on this cat alone indicate that is is strong.

Why would a lactating mother be out following a strange dog again 8:30 am then run into a thick forest area after being spooked? Wouldn't it run home?

I will keep you updated.

I tweeted the Big Cat Rescue people in Florida about this. Here's what they say -

Big Cat Rescue  ‏@BigCatRescue

@thecatsite hmmm. looks like a large domestic cat, possibly a hybrid. Definitely not a lynx, bobcat. Too small & developed to be a cougar.

Click to expand...

Perhaps a Chausie, possibly from some early generation?  They are rather big for domestic´s  almost in Maine Coon sizes, and many are "wild colored". ie ticked tabby.

I mean, if its deemed the size is as in a large domestic, nowhere near a petite coughar, so be it.

I think the only thing that is questionable and this is after I really examined the pik again is the tail...so after I posted my last post...I was reminded vaguely of an episode on some tv program that talked about the difference of tails on wild cats versus domestic cats...and so...a domestic cats tail if I remember correctly is that their tale is unable to curve the wsy a wild cats does example if you look at a pumas tail it goes down and then upward...and that is for their balance. ..so a domestic cats is unable to do that...please bear with me as this is kind of a vague memory. ..so in this picture it's tail is reminiscent of a wild cats not domestic. ..I've lived in AZ and CO and CA where there are mountain lion's aka cougar..aka puma...anyways and now I live in FL...where there are Panthers. ..not the same as mountain lions...so it very well may be a hybrid

That is interesting. The whole tail thing. Now when you guys all say hybrid and the fact that it looks like a cougar but it is too small..is everyone trying to say that it is a domestic cat that did it with a wild cat? Not to sound stupid. I feel like I saw big foot.lol. bit it was no normal cat. I am liking all your input. Thank you. I just wish I had a better answer other then "it can't be it because it is too small" I should just put a flyer up asking is this big ass, ugly cat belongs to anyone. Going to look into that tail thing.

@ali78

You don't sound stupid...definitely curious...which in my opinion is good...where do you live...that would help me some...and thats a good idea about flyers except don't say ugly big a@$ cat lolol BWAHAHAHA[emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji][emoji]128514[/emoji] and yes thats what folks are implying [emoji]128518[/emoji]