Strange Cat in NE OK?

To me it looks like one of those cat/bobcat crossbreeds. Notice the rings on the tail and tufts of fur in the ears. The size is slightly wrong though, even for a young bobcat, and that's what makes me think that it's a mix. Either way, call the game warden to come get it, those things are mean. That's just my 2 cents though .

Its a mountain lion. I used to live north of the Lake Eufaula dam by Porum. It came through periodically.

Your picture does not look anything like a housecat. It looks like a small cougar or possibly a mix or crossbreed. The animal in the pictures looks too large and too muscular to be a housecat, and from your description, it is behaving like a wild animal.

Maybe you should call the game warden, or at least e-mail the picture you took. However, you will probably be told that "there are no cougars around here", as that is a very common response.

One time, when I was backpacking through Zion National Park, we saw a bear and some other hikers took a picture. There have not been bears in that area for over 100 years, and when we told the ranger, he did not believe us. He tried to tell us it was a deer, but it was not, it was a small bear. The other hikers mailed the picture to the ranger, but I am sure that they are still saying there are no bears in Zion National Park. However, I know there was at least one.

Hi long time ATS lurker here, had to register because of this. I live in NE OK as well, Miami actually, I can tell you with 100% certainty that what is pictured is not a bobcat like most are saying. Would be a lot darker colored and would not have a tail of that size. I have heard of a few mountain lions around never seen them personally, but even though it is well debated i can tell you i have seen black panther. Depending the size of that cat once you get more pictures, it could turn out to be feral. But i would almost say your culprit is a panther, and that could explain the noises as well. Not sure where your from up here, but i have seen 2 dead ones hit by cars on mushroom farm road, and seen one crossing a field outside commerce while hunting one morning. There around for sure, saw a thing on monster quest about it once and they just dismissed it on the spot without research. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents though.

Off topic....but it seems most ATS members with cats are tabbies

Looks like one of these, puma, cougar, mountain lion:
www.elpasotimes.com...
Don't kill it.

THAT IS A YOUNG COUGAR... I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND SEE THOSE IN THE EASTERN SIERRA...better get a realbig dog or two and put up some fence... or contact fish and game.

I've got to go to work soon and will be gone overnight, after sleeping I won't be back here until tomorrow afternoon.

Before I leave I'm going to deliberately put some "measurable" objects in the area where the cat was pictured and when we pull the game cam card tomorrow afternoon I'll be able to give a better estimate of the animal's size.

And/or, maybe there will be better pictures of it tomorrow.

Thanks again to everyone who has responded. Your effort and interest are appreciated.

From the camera perspective it is as long as the truck door is wide. Obviously it isn't really that long because it is closer, but it looks like you could pin down where it is walking, measure the distance from that space to the truck, and figure out how long it really is. To me it's too big to be a house cat, but it is also really small for a young cougar acting alone. I don't think they leave Mommy for a good six months, in which case I would think it would be larger. However, there are many smallish cats that could fit the bill here: Look at this link for some examples.

Originally posted by katfish
I was at a wooded fishing resort in Branson, Mo last weekend and crossed paths with (what we believe is) a small cougar.
It was dusk and I was walking up a hill in a wooded area to my cabin. About 20 ft ahead in the dusk I saw a catlike animal trotting towards the roadway, about to cross in front of me. I have had cats all my life so I knew it was cat-like, but WRONG. I made a noise and it stopped, crouched and was still. Long tail, sleek tan body. I called out to it and it stayed still and low. Finally I started calling out to my husband in the cabin, and walked forward slowly. It turned and slithered back into the dense woods.

I got into the cabin and asked, yes, my husband had seen it earlier. Not really big enough to be a full size cougar, but definitely NOT a cat.

Branson is not too far from NE Oklahoma. I have deer hunted around Branson many times in my life, and there are plenty of stories of cougars and/or panthers in the area. I have only ever seen Bobcats, but I believe the terrain is perfect for a large cat. NE Oklahoma is not quite as hilly, and it is broken up more by roads and houses, but one could still stray over into that area. I think it is very possible.

ETA:
About the noise. I am in Florida now, and the sound a Panther/Cougar makes is exactly like that of a woman screaming. It isn't like a tomcat calling, and it isn't any kind of roar, it is a very shrill, spine-tingling woman's scream. If you haven't heard one before, it will give you a major fright. Even if you have heard one before, it is still startling.

If you have been hearing that sound, then it is undoubtedly a big cat and not a feral tomcat. The sounds are not at all similar.

This could be a Jaguarundis or Jaguarundis-large house cat mix.

Jaguarundis have been seen in Texas and that is close enough for one to have crossed into OK

thesop.org...

That's no where near a cougar, even a young one.

That's either a large feral cat or some mix of a feral cat and either a bob or a savannah.

Have your DOGS come up missing...because a cougar would be looking for more than a chicken.

reply to post by hhott


Well keep that cute kitty and if your avatar is your puppy, keep them very close inside and guarded because they may be next on the menu.

Looks like a big cat to me.

I'de go with the body shape some type of young cougar? Can you blow the picture up or leave some bait out tonight and move / zoom a camera in closer?

Need an electric fence or a really secure chicken house.

We had a farm years back and at dusk we locked all our critters, cows, sheep, chickens, geese up in the barn every night. The two peacocks (mean buggers) would some how sleep in the upper trees, couldn't get them to go in the barn.

If you do have a cougar(s) they can kill a dog so personally, I'de keep my dogs and cats in the house at night, right next to me.

Then again, look at my avatar..............We have coyotes across the street, usually we hear them come May - Oct but they've been quiet so far this year.

When I let my 44.5 pound Pointer outside in the back, I stick pretty close to her.

A friend of mine knew a woman that lived a couple townhouses down from her and she let her little tiny Shetzu out and a coyote swooped by, grabbed it and when they chased it down, it had already torn the poor little things neck so bad they lost their precious pet.

So people, if you love your dogs and cats, don't just let them roam.........coyotes hunt in packs and there are big wild cats in many suburban and rural areas............just a word of warning hopefully this saves a few of our furry babies.

That cat by the way (and the dog in your avatar) are real cute!

My Lucy

Please keep us updated. I am very interested in what it is. We've been told there are no cougars here and all of us, including a near by police chief has seen one. The local game wardens denied there were bear here but finally had to admit there were bear in the area and ran an add in a local paper telling people to please call law enforcement if they spotted a bear in their garbabe LOL! For some reason, wild game seems to be returning to extreme North East Texas. Guess man is forcing them out of their natural habitats.

Here is a GREAT picture of a Panther in South Eastern Oklahoma. If they are here, they are probably where the OP is at as well!

Panther Pic

And

Here is a Black Panther story on local news from Pocasset, Oklahoma
Link

And a map of a place in North Central Oklahoma named Panther Creek. I wonder why they would name it that, LOL!

Cougars love small cats and dogs... especially a younger cougar who is just honing in his/her hunting skills... chickens make for easy pray... and a young big cat would be tempted by an easy meal... or even smelled your cat and came in for a closer look only to discover chickens were even better... they got all the chickens or just about ... for sure then the cat is next on the menu now the big kitty knows where the parties at. in an instance big cats can be dangerous and you should always be wary.

reply to post by gloomyblue707


Good reply and if it's a young one where is mom and pop and it's brother or sister?

Now, that person's avatar, is a sweet innocent little puppy - hope they keep their dog and cat in the house at night.................

We have coyotes across the street and I don't let my 44.5 pound Lucy outside in our fenced in back yard without being right there watching her.

Good advice.

reply to post by hhott


Again, your avatar, that is one cute pup................please keep him/her right near you. The kitty too!

reply to post by ofhumandescent


It wasnt too long ago here in California... when there was several instances of young cougars looking for an easy meal attacked young female hikers and joggers on bike trails and paths going into the foothills around the bay area hills and santa cruz mountains. I myself last year was being stalked by a big cougar in the backside of Robinson Creek in the Eastern Sierra fishing alone. If you confirm a sighting on your property you should contact your local Department of Fish and Game and immidiatly report the sighting so they can investigate or possibly trap the cat if it were to become a threat or problem cat. You should never attempt to confront a young big cat. OR ANY BIG CAT !

reply to post by hhott


Not sure if this has been suggested yet..

In the pic where the cat is walking looks to be a spot of bare ground. Are there any tracks?

If so, any chance to get some pics of them along with something for measurement beside it?

The track and how big it is may very well give an indication of how big it is.

Also for what its worth check out this...

Young Mountain Lion

That's actually looking pretty close to the kitty in your pic..