Footage of a big cat in Shropshire?

Tuesday 15th July 2008, 11:55AM BST.

Can’t see video? Update Adobe Flash Player
Video may take a moment to load. Return to Video Index

Could this video footage provide evidence that big cats really are roaming the Shropshire countryside?

Farmer Shirley Lewis, from Tiphouse Farm near Billingsley, shot four minutes of remarkable video of a big cat near her home.

The footage appears to show a panther walking through fields, before disappearing behind trees.

The cat made several visits to the house, forcing Shirley and her husband Steve to fear it could be worrying livestock of even their children.

Watch our video to see for yourself the latest footage of a ‘big cat’ in the county.


  1. 1
    Y Mab Darogan

    Looks like a overfed house cat to me.

    Report abuse

  2. 2
    Paul Westwood

    I would have to agree, it does look like a domestic or feral cat. Time and time again we never see any clear video footage.

    Report abuse

  3. 3
    A Keay

    I was driving to work at 8.00 this morning on the EP and i looked up at the bridge near the grey hound island (ketley) and saw a large black cat like creature, it was too large to be a cat and walked like a feline so i immediately doubted it to be a dog. But could it possibly travel 20miles in 4 hours to the farm where also spotted?

    Report abuse

  4. 4
    tiddles

    Sorry to scare you all ,
    IT WAS ME !!!!!!!!

    Report abuse

  5. 5
    Y Mab Daroganp

    Objects look bigger from a distance.
    Both cases normal cats seen from a distance looking bigger

    Report abuse

  6. 6
    DD

    living in fear of a ferral black cat, only in Shropshire eh! just chuck out some leftovers, give it some love and leave it be, its just a big puddytat!

    Report abuse

  7. 7
    Suzanne

    They never zoom in far enough so it looks like fat tiddles on the prowl to me.

    If it was a large cat then you wouldnt see that tall grass in the background as it would tower of it and it doesnt seem to have a very long tail which is something else a large cat would have.

    Report abuse

  8. 8
    tiddles

    What do you mean by Fat Tiddles, im in my prime.

    Report abuse

  9. 9
    amanda

    why dont you all grown up thier has been too many sighting of the cat and it is more believable then UFO in Shropshire.

    I saw a panther about 15 years ago just outside of much wenlock I was not mistaken as the cat stood in front of my Exscort and it was bigger than the bonnet and it stood and looked at me for at least 1 minute it was not a domestic cat or dog.Even the farmer saw it and had reported to the police about missing and half eaten livestock, the police even took copies of the foot prints and i was told to keep quite, they got me a sketch artist to draw what we saw and even a big cat specialist was involved. so unless the police like wasting police time and money they believed us. the police also said simular sighting had been reported in the last few months.

    so open your eyes and stop being shallow

    Report abuse

  10. 10
    Serotonin

    If you wait until the end of the video it says this footage is from 2004 and admitted the cat hasn’t even been seen since 2005!

    So A Keay yes it may well have covered that 20 mile distance in the space of 3 years!

    Report abuse

  11. 11
    R't Barrington-Black

    sorry but wasn’t this video shot 2 years or more ago?

    why wait so long to make it public? no other evidence could now be found paw prints and the like.

    Report abuse

  12. 12
    neil-aus

    Its a big cat to me.. So we can put a man on the moon and send e-mail around the world. But we can’t catch a cat… oh yes the video is from a mile or so, but did she say it had BLUE eyes…

    Report abuse

  13. 13
    Y Mab Darogan

    Apparently the Yeti has also been spotted up the Wrekin by walker, but people are also unsure whether it could have been Father Christmas as the sightings were all made in December 2 years ago lol

    Report abuse

  14. 14
    Ozzie Tom

    I thought I saw a kangaroo on my lawn the other day. It turned out to be a hamster on a pogo stick. Is it possible the Tip House sighting was also of a hamster? Maybe he was on his way home from a fancy dress party?

    Report abuse

  15. 15
    tiddles

    If it was four years ago then i may have been a little plumper then but i have lost 14lb on the Atkins diet.
    No more Burgers for me, just raw pets.
    Yum Yum.

    Report abuse

  16. 16
    Lesley

    whether its an over fed cat, dog or it is a big Cat does anyone actually care? Has it caused any harm? Oh and Amanda calm down theres only having a laugh!!!!!

    Report abuse

  17. 17
    askeric dotcom

    Putting the video into paws mode reveals, without a whisker of doubt that: Pussandra Emily Catherine-moggee (puss-e-cat, for short) was making a beeline (sorry feline) dash for a large mouse at the far side of the field.

    it’s a pity that the interview with the witness wasn’t more revealing, but loud purring noises from a moggie 1000 motor car, spoilt our sound quality which led to us unfortunately only getting the tail end of the conversation.

    Anyway – the good news is that “puss-e-cat” still has nine lives to claw her way back to stardom, (yes – comprehensive examination of the footage reveals pussandra is very likely a lady cat)

    signed

    cat-as-troffic.

    Report abuse

  18. 18
    cat lover

    Shirley Lewis, you’re a brave lady to go public. Britain’s Big Cat population is growing but the same cat can be seen by many people over a vast area. Perhaps there is only one in the whole of the UK? That would explain why we don’t see him very often. Did I say Him? There must be 2 then! Because the one I saw was definitely a Him!

    Report abuse

  19. 19
    Gayle Mitchell

    if thats the next door neighbours pussy cat then its an extremely big pussy cat. that has got to be a panther. No doubt about it. No other explanation for it.

    Report abuse

  20. 20
    mike palmer

    sorry but this is a panther, all you who joke and laugh about it just imagine if you lived on that farm and went out at night,its pitch black you can’t see anything but you can feel the hairs on the back of your neck start to tingle and stand up, you know somethings watching you but you can’t see past you nose now imagine you’ve got your kids with you.
    still think its a joke or big pussy cat, you willing to risk your kids lifes on that’ i dont think so!!!

    Report abuse

  21. 21
    alistair frew

    you can all think what you like, three weeks ago i was night fishing near my home in ayrshire scotland.it was about 3am i had the feeling i was being watched, i turned round and about ten feet away there was a big black cat behind me. i got such a shock ijumped in to the river and swam to the other side, i never saw it after that. my fishing pals were all laughing at me ,but as ive said if you had seen it you would be in the river to

    Report abuse



Free e-Supplements

TWITTER

Shropshire Star on Twitter Shropshire Star on Twitter

Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.

Lifestyle

Interactive Dining Out map Interactive Dining Out map

Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.

Entertainment

All the film reviews All the film reviews

Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.

OUR NEW APP

Get the new Shropshire Star app Get the new Shropshire Star app

Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.