'Galston Area Is Home To Two Mystery Beasts, says 'Big Cat' Expert

From the Kilmarnock Standard, 10 th March 2000

Ayrshire's big cat has been spotted again this week near Galston. And it is the first reported sighting of the feline since January.

Dr. Fiona Fraser of Sorn was on her way into Kilmarnock when she came across the cat. Fiona said: "I was about two thirds of a mile from Galston when I saw a pair of orange eyes on the road. I slowed down to about five or ten miles an hour and it calmly moved off the road. It didn't appear to be frightened of the car at all."

Fiona described the animal she saw as 'cat-like' with a sleek black coat and about as tall as a car bonnet. Fiona added: "It definitely didn't have the face of a dog. It looked more like a cat. It had long legs and moved from the shoulders the way cats do. If it was a dog I'd certainly never seen one like it before."

Big cat expert Mark Fraser, who has a web site on the subject, said: "Galston is an area where the cat has been seen quite a lot. There are actually two cats being seen in this area, this black one and a sandy coloured one and they are now breeding. There is nothing supernatural or mysterious in this as people were allowed to keep animals like this in the 60's and then just let them go."

Fiona added: "I couldn't believe it when I saw it, I hadn't seen anything like this before. It does sound a bit strange, but I definitely saw it, and I'm wondering if anybody else has seen it. Farmers in the area might have to be careful too, with lambing season coming up, if this big cat is hanging about."

The Kilmarnock Standard: 10 th March 2000

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