Report from Nick Wirsten
American feline is big clue
Letters to the Editor, the Southern Reporter, 8 th August 2002
On July 26, I took a walk up Barr Road with my niece Aimee. At 11am, just a couple of minutes from the gate at the far end, we saw a big cat. It was 50 feet away, parallel to the path looking into a field.
I tapped Aimee on the shoulder in mid juice and crisps and said "look"; it wasn't black, it was gold coloured, the size of a collie dog. Aimee replied: "A cat with a fox body."
I opened a pouch for a camera and the velcro noise made the cat run away. The only picture I got was of a dot turning the corner. We ran up the road, but it completely disappeared. Having looked at this cat, what was it?
I believe it was a north American bob-cat, having looked in books. How it got here I don't know; apparently these can easily kill a deer.
About ten years ago, certainly before July 1994, in twilight, an animal jumped a dyke and fence behind myself near Holly Bush and ran down to the duck pond area. I now think this was the same thing.
I will send this photograph to a person I know who worked for the RAF. I think he will be able to confirm the size.
Some big cats will kill cubs of other cats, for food. Perhaps the missing domestic cats are due to this animal.
Since that date, I have been at Gala Hill area about five times hoping for a picture, but all I saw were four deer, and one white domestic cat. Perhaps this animal will be shot or get hit by a car in future and I'm sure it will be identified as a bobcat.
K Hislop,
38 Bank Street,
Galashiels.
Southern Reporter, 8 th August 2002
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