A Blaenporth man has described how he was ‘spooked’ at the sight of a large black cat captured in the beam of his security light in the early hours.
He says he got a good sideways look at the animal – ‘larger than a spaniel, but smaller than a black labrador’ – as it sauntered across his lawn before disappearing through a hole in the privet hedge.
“For the next two nights I didn’t go out at all,” he said.
“Although I’m quite a big chap I was spooked by what I saw – it was just so bizarre and really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.”
However, the eyewitness told our sister title, the Tivyside that he was opting to remain anonymous as ‘people will think I’m barking mad!’
The alleged sighting happened in the Nant Erin area of Blaenporth at 2.30am on the morning of July 21.
“A few days beforehand my wife told me she’d seen a large jet-black cat run across the nearby lane and go up a tree,” he said.
“I assumed she must have seen a fox and took it all with a pinch of salt.”
But he changed his mind a few nights later after being awoken by a security sensor illuminating the outside garden.
“I went to the window to see what was going on and thought at first I could see a fox walking directly towards me,” he said.
“But as it got closer I realised it was a big cat.
“It then turned to my left, allowing me to see its side profile.
It had a really long tail in a shepherd’s crook and my mind was doing gymnastics as I realised it wasn’t a fox.
“When it was 12–15 feet away it turned and made its way down to where there was a pool of water before going into the shadows.
“I grabbed my phone and tried to get a video, but all you can see on the playback is some movement.
“I immediately messaged my son to tell him what I’d seen, even though it was 2.30am.
“I know this will all sound surreal to a lot of people – but I know what I saw.”
This is not the first big cat sighting in the area.
In the summer of 2014 the Tivyside reported on a number of similar sightings in nearby Aberporth.
Dog walker Jane Bowling told how she saw a panther-like creature in woodland near the River Gilwen, before another dog walker, John Watson, said he saw a similar animal from a range of 80–90 feet crossing the road near the Helyg Fach caravan park.
“It didn’t run like a dog – it loped like a cat,” he added.
“I’m not going to be making stuff like this up – I’m too old for that!”
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