The Paranormal Database

Dark Feline

Location: Abberton (Essex) - Abberton reservoir, south of Colchester
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1996
Further Comments: A large black cat was seen at the reservoir.

An old magic lantern slide of Aberystwyth.

Beast of Bont

Location: Aberystwyth (Dyfed) - Countryside surrounding the area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: Something here killed over fifty sheep in the space of a year; police marksmen were called in to comb the area.

Large Prints

Location: Airdrie (Lanarkshire) - Easter Dunsyston Farm
Type: ABC
Date / Time: September 2008
Further Comments: The family at the farm reported finding two cat-like paw prints in fresh mud, fifteen centimetres in length.

Cat Attack

Location: Akenham (Suffolk) - Farm Track
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 18 February 2012, 09:50
Further Comments: Police reported that a man had called them saying that a large cat had attacked a deer. The deer had been found with marks around the throat area.

Large Black Cat

Location: Allithwaite (Cumbria) - Outskirts of village, off the main road
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2009
Further Comments: Walking along the side of the main road out of village, this witness watched a large black panther-like cat in one of the fields, heading towards a nearby patch of woodland. The witness could compare the height of the creatures to nearby cows and estimated the cat to be three foot (ninety centimetres) high at the shoulder. After a minute, the creature walked into the trees.

Black Cat

Location: Anglesey (Gwynedd) - Road towards Wylfa
Type: ABC
Date / Time: October 2011
Further Comments: While driving to the power station, this witness spotted a black cat larger than an Alsatian. The creature had a long bushy tail and sat in a crouched position. The witness watched the creature for three or four seconds and was slightly unnerved by it.

Panther-Like Creature

Location: Anglesey (Gwynedd) - Several areas over the island, including Llandona Beach
Type: ABC
Date / Time: April 2004
Further Comments: A large black cat, thought to be either a puma or panther, has been blamed for attacking horses and stealing foals.

Jet Black Cat

Location: Ashford (Kent) - Close to railway line, Ham Street
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2007
Further Comments: A man spotted an Alsatian sized cat near his home. The creature was jet black and had a long tail. The witness had recently lost his own pet cat and speculated that it had been eaten by the panther.

Trentham Drive

Location: Aspley (Nottinghamshire) - Trentham Drive
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1984
Further Comments: A puma-sized cat, tabbyish in colour, was seen emerging from the garden of a bungalow before crossing the road. The creature made a loud noise before disappearing into another garden.

ABC

Location: Assington (Suffolk) - Assington, near Sudbury
Type: ABC
Date / Time: Early 1996
Further Comments: One of many big cat sightings reported in Suffolk during 1996.

Large Feline

Location: Attleborough (Norfolk) - A11, near Attleborough
Type: ABC
Date / Time: February 1996
Further Comments: A large unknown cat was seen by both motorists and a policeman.

Dead Farm Animals

Location: Austrey (Warwickshire) - General area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2006
Further Comments: Attacks on animals, including a dead pregnant sheep which had been stripped to the bone, convinced many farmers in the area that a large cat prowled the area.

Beast of Baglan

Location: Baglan (West Glamorgan) - General area and surrounding countryside
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1980s onwards
Further Comments: Known about by locals for many years, stories of the big cat were not taken seriously until 2005 when an off-duty police officer spotted the creature along Ladies Walk. Hair and print analysis showed the cat to be a puma.

Operation Big Cat

Location: Ballybogy (aka Ballybogey) (County Antrim) - General area and surrounding countryside
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2003
Further Comments: A joint army and police team created 'Operation Big Cat' after two dead calves were found and a local man admitted releasing a puma and a panther from his private collection. Although there were dozens of sightings and livestock attacks, the cats were never caught.

Lynx

Location: Ballyvourney (County Cork) - Unnamed Road
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1981
Further Comments: A large cat seen as it stepped in front of a car was later identified as a lynx.

Beast of Banburyshire

Location: Banbury (Oxfordshire) - Surrounding area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: January 2006
Further Comments: Named as a big cat hotspot, this area of Oxfordshire has had dozens of reports of large felines over the first five years of the twenty-first century.

Beast of Banwell

Location: Banwell (Somerset) - Banwell Hill
Type: ABC
Date / Time: September 2007
Further Comments: While walking her dog, Helen Stokes encountered a large black creature that she described as 'very fast'. Both owner and pet ran away from the creature.

Big Cat

Location: Barnham (Norfolk) - Barnham Common
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 19 April 1985
Further Comments: An unidentified large cat was seen in the woods in the area.

Puma

Location: Barnstaple (Devon) - Civic centre
Type: ABC
Date / Time: Late 1970s
Further Comments: This large black cat was seen loitering close to the town centre.

Lynx

Location: Beccles (Suffolk) - Exact location not known
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1991
Further Comments: This cat was shot and killed by a local farmer, who claimed both police and the Government asked him to destroy the body and tell no one about the incident.

Darting Large Cat

Location: Beeley (Derbyshire) - Moor
Type: ABC
Date / Time: March 2016 (cat), phantom horseman on first full moon in March
Further Comments: A cat, reportedly the size of a small horse, darted out in front of a car. The previous year, a panther was observed on the moor, from which the witnesses fled. The moor is also said to be haunted by a phantom horseman who appears once a year.

Lion

Location: Belfast (County Antrim) - Cavehill Park, Upper Hightown end
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 31 August 2008
Further Comments: Several independent witnesses called the police to report a sandy coloured cat in this park. The nearby Belfast Zoo reported no animals missing. A search of the area by police failed to find the feline.

Beast of Bennachie

Location: Bennachie (Aberdeenshire) - Countryside in area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: This big black cat was blamed for dead sheep and causing disruption in the neighbourhood.

Owd Scriven o' Brompton

Location: Berrington (Shropshire) - Area once known as Banky Piece (no longer exists) and church
Type: ABC
Date / Time: Circa fifteenth century
Further Comments: The wooden effigy on display in the church is known as 'Owd Scriven o' Brompton', and is said to have been a knight who encountered a lion in the area. The knight managed to slay the big cat, although was left with a large scar on his face, which is visible in the effigy.

Beast of Biddlestone

Location: Biddlestone (Wiltshire) - General area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Another ABC hotspot, dozens of witnesses have encountered a large black cat in the region over recent years. In 2007, a group of off-duty police officers and their families spotted the creature; they described at the cat as being the size of large dog but with a lower profile.