Screams, and cat sightings at Swordly
Screams, and cat sightings at Swordly
From 'Eyewitness Accounts' in Cat Country, The Quest for the British Big Catby Di Francis, David and Charles, 1983
Late January - early February 1978, Swordly, nr Bettyhill, Sutherland.
In late January - early February, George Mackay, a crofter from swordly near Bettyhill, complained that his family had heard the most weird screetching noises coming from the hill behind his cottage. He was familiar with the normal country sounds and was convinced that the noises weren't made by foxes or owls. He was certain it was a cat.
Policeman Keith Hart from Strathnaver and Police Constable Gunn from Tongue, about 15 miles to the west, decided to mount a hunting party. As the group of local farmers and police were getting ready, a woman motorist reported seeing a large puma-like animal on the coast road about 10 miles east of Bettyhill.
On the road towards Baligill, the group that included policeman Keith Hart spotted a large black cat, the size of a fully grown Labrador dog. It moved off in an effortless smooth lope, rapidly losing its hunters. Its eyes showed up as a shadowy-blue in the lamp light. The group had two more sightings of the animal but never managed to get a shot at it. The following day a search was undertaken by armed police marksmen and gamekeepers but there was no sign of it.
Late January - early February 1978
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