Please send us your comments on the following photos 
Fife Cat Prints?
This is a recent picture showing a paw print, we would be interested to hear any opinions as to what sort of animal made it.
George Markie, Scottish Big Cats
Measuring the gait.
Click on the image to see a larger, higher quality picture (252 KB)
The pictures are intriguing. You say they were 30 inches apart - was that between prints or the measured gait of the animal? Was there a complete set or simply a collection of individual prints, which might help to get a true picture of length of stride. The prints appear from the screen to be slightly less than 3" square - is that about right?
They certainly have a cat-like look at first glance, but I am also conscious that dog prints don't always show claw marks either and the presence of other dogs may suggest it is a regular dog-walk for owners.
Phil Crosby, Scottish Big Cats
The first thing I noticed in these tracks was the depressions seem to indicate a heavy animal. I agree with Phil, often dog tracks will be seen absent claw-marks, but usually only one. I don't believe I have ever seen a succession of dog tracks which did not show the claws in the majority.
Ben Willis, Scottish Big Cats
I agree with you about the apparent weight of the animal - unless the ground is very damp & muddy, it would need to be a fairly big animal to leave such an impression. That would also mitigate against possible dog, as the likelihood of no claw marks showing on muddy ground is low. I am just being my usual sceptical self, trying to be sure of facts before I commit myself.
I'd still like to be sure of gait length and the overall pattern of the
prints which might be useful as a reference.
Phil Crosby, Scottish Big Cats
The 30 inches was between prints. Although the ground was dry the area had obviously been quite muddy at some time and was a mass of paw prints and tyre tracks so it was difficult to tell what was what.
The size you estimated was right. Another point I forgot to mention last night (it had been a very long day) was that most of the dog prints followed the path whereas the mystery prints cut across diagonally.
George Markie, Scottish Big Cats
My experience with animal tracks is very limited. Primarily, what I see are bobcat and domestic tracks. The only way I have been able to differentiate them is when I see the double tracks which indicate a bobcat. Up until a few months ago, I always assumed that the double tracks only occurred when the bobcat was stalking. When we had our first snow-fall, I was amazed to watch that each and every step of Exmoor the bobcat caused a double track, and quite amusing to watch. Panther the domestic made single tracks and it was interesting when the two walked side by side. Whether this is unique to this cat, common of bobcats, or due to those special conditions is a good question.
Ben Willis, Scottish Big Cats
I've read the comments regarding the prints with interest. I personally don't think these were dog prints but agree the indentations are deep and it may have been a heavy animal. Its very hard to say due to what were obviously muddy conditions before yesterday's sunshine so the jury is out and I'm no expert on tracks by a long way but these were certainly different from dog tracks near by.
Mike Inglis, Scottish Big Cats
What I discovered from the snow incident was that the bobcat will repeatedly step inside the same track from front to rear. Previously, I had thought this was only a method of walking when the cat was stalking, or striving for stealth.
There is a very good picture on Allan Paul's wildcat web-site of his hybrid Cleo. Here, if you observe the feet, you can see the rear foot is being placed in the exact spot after the front foot is picked up. I think all cats are quite capable of these steps, but the bobcat appears to practice it as a regular habit, or at least Exmoor does.
Ben Willis, Scottish Big Cats
I had a brief look at these images. At first glance they looked to me like a cloven hoof - cow (apart from the serration on the edge suggestive of toes.
The animal may have been heavy or the ground might just have been soft and the animal moving fast (which could also cause a distortion and apparent bigger size of print).
It also seems the print is a bit weathered perhaps by rain that has removed some of the detail.
I think I can see three toe impressions and they look pretty even and symmetrical. Nail marks would be deep and right in the holes on such a deep dog print so they might not have been immediately obvious and if it rained they may have become filled in.
Again this is all speculation and inconclusive.
John Murray, Scottish Big Cats
I must admit that I agree with John, that the prints looked a little like hooves to me, I was confused by apparent deep mark between them. I can't really make out much detail but you have obviously the advantage of the original photos and the prints themselves. I'll be interested to hear Allan Paul's opinion as he was the one who realised that the recent 'big cat' prints near Aberdeen had probably been made by a domestic cat.
Chris Smith, Scottish Big Cats
Regarding the paw/hoof print. I should have made some indication of the direction. I've made up a pic with a diagram of a cat's paw superimposed on it - in the interests of fairness I'll do one with a dog print. I'll also have a look for any hoofprints which may match.
The toes referred to could be the lobes on the heel (with the emphasis on could). They do seem distorted but that could be caused by the weather and by the animal being in soft mud. But again, it's only theory.
I had to drastically reduce the size and quality of the image when I posted it (the original file is over 2Mb). If anyone wants a print, which shows a lot more detail, from it I'll be happy to post them a copy.
George Markie, Scottish Big Cats
Concerning the paw-prints/hoof marks, I had commented once before how I had found a number of prints made by Exmoor which very curiously resembled hooves. The single pads of a bobcat when deeply depressed, will make an imprint which can be mistaken for a small hoof.
If you will look at the shape of the pad itself, you can see that the general shape is the same as a deer hoof. Di Francis also made some reference in her book "Cat Country" how cat prints will sometimes resemble hooves.
Ben Willis, Scottish Big Cats
Re the cloven hooves, it's funny how the biologists on the team seem to look at it from 90 degrees to the rest of us - I should have made the tape measure point in the direction of travel. The heel does seem distorted, my excuse is that IMHO the animal was possibly running through the grass and when it came onto the muddy path it slammed on the brakes and dug its feet in, hence the depth of the print and the distortion.
I should also have pointed out that the light was from a fairly low angle (very nice sunset) which may make it look deeper than it actually was - but itwas pretty deep. If only we'd had plaster of paris... Next time
George Markie, Scottish Big Cats
Thanks for letting me see the photo. I'm not sure what it is. First, I had to figure out that the animal that made the track was facing the lower right corner of the photo. The depth of the imprint may not mean much. In the West Virginia mountains where I live, I have noticed that if the ground along a roadside has been frozen for a time and then thaws out, the frost-heaved surface makes excellent deep imprints of even smallish animals such as my 30-lb dogs.
The heel pad seems too narrow from side to side to be that of a large cat and is of the wrong shape, but the lack of claw marks in such a deep imprint is intriguing. I am posting our correspondence on our ecougar listserv in case others have ideas.
Helen McGinnis (ecougar@yahoogroups.com)
I had a look at the paw-print, and at first glance it looks quite impressive...it's got the roundness you would expect from a cat (dogs tend to be a bit more elongated).
The size would rule out a wildcat...a large male might have a total spread of 3 inches, but not bunched up at rest like this. If it is a cat, the size might indicate something the size of a lynx.
Were there any plaster casts made? It's amazing how much extra info you can get from a cast...I've made them with poly-filla in the past!
Allan Paul, Scottish Big Cats
The print and a puma cast for comparison.
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