Report from Chris Smith
A walk on the wild side?
By Catriona A. MacColl in the Dunoon Observer 27 th October 2001
WITH big cat sightings from Inveraray to Colintraive over the past two years, it now seems there may be a puma like cat living and hunting on the land around Stillaig Farm near Millhouse.
The two confirmed sightings were within six weeks of each other; the first being when two boys over from Rothesay collecting shellfish at Stillaig Bay saw a large puma-like black cat crossing the dirt track road right in front of them.
The animal climbed a rock face on the other side of the road and
disappeared into the undergrowth.
Worried for the livestock and occupants on Stillaig Farm, they
immediately called the owners, Peter and Brenda Millar.
Brenda said: "We received a phone call that evening from the boys and
have no reason to disbelieve what they said, as they have been coming
here for years.
"The boys reported they saw in broad daylight a pure black feline
creature, bigger than a Border collie, like a puma, crossing the path
in front of them and climbing a rock face on the other side."
She continued: "Although the farm has not lost any sheep recently,
our shepherd Tom Nicolson has had a feeling something has been
worrying them. At one point he found the sheep backing off into a
corner of the field, but couldn't see what was frightening them. He
thought that at the time it was probably a dog."
And it turns out that the Rothesay boys' sighting has not been the
only one, as another local resident living near to the farm has also
sighted a black cat.
He said: "About six weeks ago I spotted, at dusk, what at first I
thought was a dog, about a hundred and fifty yards from the house.
But I soon realised that this wasn't the case. Although the animal
was moving away from me, I could definitely make out that it was
feline, about the size of a small Labrador, and it was pure black and
had very powerful hind legs and a long tail. I watched it disappear
down into the burn."
The sightings have been reported to the police.
Dunoon Observer, 27 th October 2001
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