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Big Cats and Black Cats in Kentucky.

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posted on Oct, 5 2012 @ 12:40 AM
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Lived there from appx 1984 to 1996. Then from 2000 to 2003 or something.

I saw what appeared to be a small black panther or other type of cat before 1995.
It was in the top of a young oak tree, very visible. It didn't enjoy being seen and quickly disappeared away from the path I was using. If I had to estimate, it was no larger than a mere 3' from nose to butt, probably much smaller.

Between 2001 and 2003, I saw a small bobcat run up from a creek, cross a road, and run across a small field and up the nearby hill. I knew it wasn't another critter because of the telltale loping stride and long legs typical of the KY wildcat, lol.

Not exactly cryptozoology, but there are some big cats in KY.
There are also coyotes quiet enough to come close to houses without alerting the people.
I saw a coyote around 2005. I was on my way to a deer hunting location and saw the coyote literally sitting in the center of the road. It was the fastest dog I've ever seen, closing the distance of the nearby field within a few seconds whereas a human would have taken more than ten. I've never seen an animal move as fast as that coyote. It was like a living shadow.

Around 1994 I saw a dead wild boar in the creek after a flood. The water was no longer high enough to carry the animal far. I had no idea we had any type of wild pig in that region during that time. I wondered if for some reason it had strayed from a farm or from another state... who knows? It was very dark, maybe brown, and had a very long furry snout and tusks. However the body was very swollen from being in the creek and I couldn't see any features aside from those mentioned. It was actually very gross.

There are some very strange reptiles in the woods of KY as well. Some of them are very shy, to the point where maybe not all of them are in the books yet. There are things that live in the logs and such near some of the smaller creeks, and I am not sure if they are snakes or lizards or something else entirely. I had such an animal show itself to a visitor and not to the native, and to me that is a pretty lucky chance.

I've seen chipmunks in KY that know how to live inside dog food bags inside trash cans, inside a CELLAR no less. They know how to get into plastic and they know about potatoes. The fat little bastards will ruin your dog food with plastic shreds and potato rinds if you don't drive them out of the cellar. They are one of the most ingenuitive animals alive.

Another amazing animal recently re-introduced to KY is the wild turkey. Winter in that region is crippling to them. They like to use fields where cattle are fed corn during really bad winters, and they will attempt to eat anything that survives the snow or the cattle. Wild turkeys are extremely intelligent and shy, but excellent and aggressive foragers who leave no blanket of leaves unturned and are in fact fierce enough to tree foxes and coyotes. They are a bit too fat and myopic to understand the smaller birds' tactic of dive bombing enemies, but they will actually jump and snap with their beaks like turtles, and kick if able with dangerous spurs.

Turkeys are intelligent enough to seek water when wounded and they are able to convey emotion through their vocalizations. They understand the concept of being hunted and are capable of expressing fear.

There are turtles in the hills of KY, unless the stuff in the air has killed them, that have dates carved into their shells from before the Civil War. Turtles are intelligent enough to be addicted to food, like a rat. They will show preference for sugar, and a box turtle will actually eat a donut as quickly as it will eat an apple. Unlike the slow and behemoth Galapagos tortoise, it is quite comfortable eating the KY welfare diet. This is not a joke... it's based on animal experimentation LOL.


Another feature of Eastern KY is the variety of owl species. The very shy whipporwill can be heard calling there, along with screech owls and many types of what would be considered "great" or larger owl species. There are also many types of hawks which vary wildly in size. The crows tend to be very shy and wary of farmers' guns, unlike the cities where they are pretty much big roof dwelling town turkeys. Not too many eagles away from the mountains.

There is a great variety of snakes, ranging from green and garter and ring necked snakes to copperheads, milk snakes, rat snakes, king snakes, and rattlers. The turkeys and the cars are unfortunately reducing the snake species rapidly. If something is not done in KY and Texas about snake deaths, many species will reach extinction within your lifetimes if indeed they still exist.

There are many native edible species of nuts in KY including hazelnuts, butternuts, hickory, acorn, beech, and more. There are many raspberries and blackberries. Ginseng, yellowroot, and bloodroot grow in abundance.

There are many unusual insects and seasonal plant species. EX: Lady slipper, trillium, walking stick, praying mantis.



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 05:30 AM
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Yeah I got those little blue tailed lizards running around here. Also we have Scorpions. Blue Devils I think they're called. Seen only one, at the property on the lake, lit the camp fire he came running out. I had watched about a five day marathon of Survivor man and instinct took over. Cut the tail off and ate it, then felt disgusted with myself so I drank beer until the taste went away.



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 08:00 AM
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Originally posted by RebelPanda
I know Kentucky has released wolves, a extremely large number of eastern diamond back rattle shakes, elk, and some bear I think. I've seen only one wild cat and that was on the property my father owns. Seen deer and turkey there to so I know there is food for a cougar. But I'm the person who doesn't believe it until I see it or a dead body turns up. I'd like to see one and if I do see one I'm shooting it lol. I'll post pictures if I do lol. Panda rule number 1 never go into the woods without a rifle and plenty of ammunition. Panda rule number 2 fresh bamboo is best


Didn't know they released DiamondBacks. I can guarantee if there's one around here, it's going to be a dead one... and nobody will ever know!



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 08:13 AM
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reply to post by KhufuKeplerTriangle
 


I'm in Eastern Kentucky. We've always had wild turkeys over here, LOTS of them. There's even a hunting season for them, very plentiful.

I'm in the middle of Daniel Boone National Forest, the Cave Run/ Greenbo Lake area. We have around 70 acres and the nearest neighbor is about a half a mile away. It's always a pleasant drive to and from work. The wildlife is very plentiful. There are deer that walk through my backyard on a regular basis...of course my backyard is a hayfield


I do kill the venomous snakes with a vengence, hate them. Mostly copperheads, rattlers and cottonmouths. Lots of big cow snakes out in the fields, they're amazingly large. Sometimes when we bushog, if you pass over them, the first thing they do is pop that head up. Of course the mower slices it right off and you see the bodies roll across the field behind you. It's a shame they get killed, but they just can't resist popping that head up.

Lots of cyotes out too. We have to kill them sometimes if they're threatening the livestock, otherwise we leave them alone. Out here, you name it, we have it, and most likely have a hunting season for it.

Anytime I have meetings out of town, it's hard to sleep at night due to the lack of noise or the different noise. You get very accustomed to the forest sounds at night to put you to sleep. Then when family from out of state visits, they can't sleep because of the forest sounds


My Mother always called the farm "crawdad flats" since the only flat part in the 20 acre bottom is a little swampy and filled with crawdads (crayfish). It's definitely an experience out here, one I wouldn't trade for anything in the world

edit on 6-10-2012 by PurpleChiten because: (no reason given)



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 08:33 AM
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NM here, we have all those critters. And a few wolves have been reintroduced with limited hunts permitted, around cattle ranches.

We also have a transplanted oryx population at White Sands Missle range & the national park.

While jaguars have supposedly been seen in the southern most boot heel of the state, they are supposedly illegal immigrants from mexico. I would NEVER ask to see his papers.

I'd not be the one out to kill one for proof. Would really be too floored to do much of anything. Probably just check my shorts, and hope hunger wasn't the reason we tripped on each other.

I've seen a couger, 3 rattlesnakes (too damn close), a black bear, a bob cat & her kittens by the road, and a couple of great horned owls have recently moved in to the unused golf course down the road.

I don't think we are aware of all the critters around us. I don't think they are always where they are expected to be.

If the animals are moving around geographically, on their own, I think I'd be real concerned.....especially if they are moving, en masse away from that big sink hole.



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 09:05 AM
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oh, and another species we have a LOT of here that haven't been mentioned... BATS!
Lots of caves in the area, pretty close to Carter Caves, and we are very plentiful in bats. Very interesting creatures.
There were actually closings this summer at Carter Caves due to bat illness.

I love visiting that place. Nice and cool in the summer time and so much geological and sociological history involved. It was once a dance hall that featured "natural air conditioning" back before A/C was so available. There are Native American artifacts, plenty of geological interests, just an awesome place to spend some time.

Then we go a few miles in the opposite direction and visit Natural Bridge, the Red River Gorge, Mammoth Caves. Always something to do in the Wilderness of Kentucky


And those less inclined toward the "outdoors" aren't far from Lexington, Ashland, Huntington/Charleston or Cincinatti or Nashville. Who would want to live anywhere else?



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 08:09 PM
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Originally posted by PurpleChiten
oh, and another species we have a LOT of here that haven't been mentioned... BATS!
Lots of caves in the area, pretty close to Carter Caves, and we are very plentiful in bats. Very interesting creatures.
There were actually closings this summer at Carter Caves due to bat illness.

I love visiting that place. Nice and cool in the summer time and so much geological and sociological history involved. It was once a dance hall that featured "natural air conditioning" back before A/C was so available. There are Native American artifacts, plenty of geological interests, just an awesome place to spend some time.

Then we go a few miles in the opposite direction and visit Natural Bridge, the Red River Gorge, Mammoth Caves. Always something to do in the Wilderness of Kentucky


And those less inclined toward the "outdoors" aren't far from Lexington, Ashland, Huntington/Charleston or Cincinatti or Nashville. Who would want to live anywhere else?
i wonder if they closed the caves after the Hantavirus and Ebola scares during the Olympics... I used to love Carter Caves -- you should go there!!

Ebola broke out in Uganda and we had Hantavirus in USA too, few weeks back!

The reason BatCaves come up when we have hemorrhagic flus is that bats often carry those viruses. Weird that a parasitic mammal carries a blood virus like that.

But you've heard of Kitum cave? The alleged "source" of Ebola? Well, there was a new filovirus discovered allegedly in a European cave this summer. Kind of like Kitum Cave North. UNless it was a complete lie~!



posted on Oct, 6 2012 @ 08:21 PM
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Originally posted by KhufuKeplerTriangle

Originally posted by PurpleChiten
oh, and another species we have a LOT of here that haven't been mentioned... BATS!
Lots of caves in the area, pretty close to Carter Caves, and we are very plentiful in bats. Very interesting creatures.
There were actually closings this summer at Carter Caves due to bat illness.

I love visiting that place. Nice and cool in the summer time and so much geological and sociological history involved. It was once a dance hall that featured "natural air conditioning" back before A/C was so available. There are Native American artifacts, plenty of geological interests, just an awesome place to spend some time.

Then we go a few miles in the opposite direction and visit Natural Bridge, the Red River Gorge, Mammoth Caves. Always something to do in the Wilderness of Kentucky


And those less inclined toward the "outdoors" aren't far from Lexington, Ashland, Huntington/Charleston or Cincinatti or Nashville. Who would want to live anywhere else?
i wonder if they closed the caves after the Hantavirus and Ebola scares during the Olympics... I used to love Carter Caves -- you should go there!!

Ebola broke out in Uganda and we had Hantavirus in USA too, few weeks back!

The reason BatCaves come up when we have hemorrhagic flus is that bats often carry those viruses. Weird that a parasitic mammal carries a blood virus like that.

But you've heard of Kitum cave? The alleged "source" of Ebola? Well, there was a new filovirus discovered allegedly in a European cave this summer. Kind of like Kitum Cave North. UNless it was a complete lie~!


It was something called "White nose syndrome" that affected the bats and it's debated to possibly be spread by humans. A fungal infection of some sort. They were closed for the safety of the bats as opposed to safety for the people. Only some of the several caves were closed. (had to go look it up).

I went many many times in my younger years and try to get to them at least once a year now.
I haven't heard of Kitum cave, I'll have to look that one up



posted on Oct, 7 2012 @ 09:09 PM
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Couple things:

- I wouldn't be surprised if there were mountain lions/cougars in Kentucky. They used to be present in all of the continental US, so that wouldn't really shock me. Big things = big range.

- Black cats are just melanistic forms of a typical cat. So sometimes populations grow where the mutation is common, but it's also not unusual for there to be just one or two dark ones in a population of light ones.

- White nose syndrome (Geomyces destructans is the name of the species of fungus that causes it) is an incredibly destructive problem affecting bat populations in the US. It was reportedly spread from caves in Europe by climbers who didn't properly clean their gear and then went climbing in caves in New York around 2006. Since then it has drastically reduced bat populations, especially of smaller species like Myotis species in the Northeast, but has spread North, South, and West. It damages bat wings and weakens their immune system, and seems to be "itchy" or otherwise disturbs them during torpor or hibernation so eventually they can't go back to "sleep" and have to get up and feed during the winter, which really messes them up.

Hope that this info was helpful!



posted on Oct, 7 2012 @ 10:21 PM
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Hi Rebel Panda,

I say listen to the folks who tell you they are there, and beleive your father, heres why
I live in Missouri, take a look at the map, we arent that far away, we have multitudes of cougars here. And more recently an influx of bears.

For years the Missouri Conservation commision touted our lack of cougars as a good thing, and poo pooed anyone who said they saw one, if there was irifutible eveidence, such as prints, they wer chalked up to large dogs etc. All of this ceased when people began hitting them with thier cars.
Now folks are being asked to report sightings, dead ones, and especially moms with kits, as the commision is now trying to track the number in our state.
Cougars can range in color from pale palamino blonde to a very dark brown, and yes, even black if the correct genes are in place.
Our own nature center here in town has a stuffed cougar that had been hit by a car a few miles away from where I live.
Remember missouri is not that far from Kentucky, and a cougars range is miles and miles. It stands to reason that the sightings are real, as is the color if the correct genes are present in the cougar population in your area.

On a side note, do not take any chances what a human finds to be a threatening gesture, and what an animal finds to be a threatening gesture are two totally different things. There is no mutual "feelings" involved, stay away from them, or leave the area if you feel nervous about the situation, most likely, the cat your father saw was simply curious, especially since it was watching from a distance.
But, did you ever twitch your finger under a blanket to amuse a housecat? If so, consider what he did-probobly attacked the blanket, now think about how a human moving around out of sight in a tent must have looked to a 200lb housecat(cougar) pretty inviting actually.
They are not TAME, and they are dangerous.
Me personally- Im more afraid of the bears in the area around me now, most cougars will just move off, but bears, theyll give anything they think might look like food a good taste if they can, and as big as they are, theres no stopping them.



posted on Oct, 8 2012 @ 03:02 AM
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I must say all other creatures have been mentioned, the only one I an ify on is the cougars. I wanna see evidence. sadly eye witness reports are worth much to nothing. I have no reason to believe or doubt any of you, lets just say I am objective. If I ever see, or kill a cougar in KY I will post pictures.



posted on Oct, 12 2012 @ 02:47 AM
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I've seen quite a few oddities in south central Kentucky.

About three years ago, I locked up the brakes to avoid hitting a large black cat as it crossed the highway. Best guess it was in the 30-40lb range. Bobcats aren't too shy about intermingling with domestic cats, so I chalked it up to crossbreeding. My sister had the misfortune of having a domestic cat that bred with a bobcat, make its home under her mobile, giving birth to a litter of half breeds.

I have noticed big cats becoming more aggressive though. My buddy was nearly attacked by one on his property one evening. Looked like it was about to pounce, so he hit it with a .45-70.

Also spotted three black bears walking up the Natcher parkway several years ago.

Aside from that, I've noticed the coyotes are pretty common in town. They're also getting pretty big as well. I assume they're eating good behind all the restaurants around here. Bowling Green actually holds the record for most restaurants per capita. One walked up to the front door at work about six months ago. Easily 60lbs. Tried to get a picture, but he took off chasing a rabbit.

I've only come across one rattler though. Stepped on it actually. That's been a long time ago though.



posted on Oct, 17 2012 @ 01:35 PM
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Several years ago, myself and 3 others were driving from Evansville, Indiana to St. Louis, Missouri, when the driver (my girlfriend at the time) saw a black panther run across the highway in front of the car. She swore it was a panther, and she's not the sort to make up stories or overreact. She grew up on a farm, in a family of hunters, and has seen plenty of animals.
At the time we laughed it off, but she still swore to what she saw. Years later, I learned of the ABC phenomenon, and wished I'd paid more attention at the time. I believe her, now.
We were crossing southern Illinois at the time, and there's plenty of panther friendly land there.



posted on Oct, 17 2012 @ 01:48 PM
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reply to post by PurpleChiten
 


The crawdad flats!

There is a huuuuuuge field on my grandfather's property, kind of off the beaten path, and it's entirely full of crawdad holes. Some are 1" and some are 5".. scary LOL.

Once with my cousin, we dug into a clay bank in a large creek, and broke through into a small burrow. It was actually about the size of a rat hole, maybe even a groundhog. But it was wet inside and cold air came out in our faces. I stuck my hand in there like a retard and a crawdad the size of a lobster grabbed my freaking hand.

But for some reason, maybe it had shed its shell recently, it had a weak grip, and I jerked my hand loose before it really started hurting much. I didn't get to see him, THANK GOD, I would have crapped my pants right there in the creek.

That was about 20 feet down the creek from where my cousin disturbed a cave bat from it rest, and I killed the poor bugger with a large rock. I still feel bad about it, but she wouldn't stop screaming til it was cold and dead. So... yknow, farm life can be rough XD

My dog actually ate a crawdad once that I was trying to show off to my dad. It was too large to fit into my coffee can that was holding fish bait. I knocked on the door, dad came out, we heart a yelp, and there was nothing left of my huge GREEN crawdad trophy but a couple of legs and a dog licking its nose.

LMFAO

We also saw a blue crawdad only once, behind grand dads house.
He ain't alive anymore either.
COme to think of it the farm is better off without me disturbing the wildlife...
@.@ the native american in me wasn't strong enough to respect nature
edit on 17-10-2012 by KhufuKeplerTriangle because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 2 2014 @ 02:46 AM
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1) I am Sorry to be away for so long and to not Reply!
2) I do not disbelieve anyone who says they saw what they seen.
3) The mind can betray us. I think if anyone has truly seen a big Cat! It must have been an escaped pet! I think most may be misidentified black bears, and some house cats.
In my neighborhood there is a big black house cat with a white spot on its chest. From a distance without anything to compare its size too it looks like a panther.

But I also gotta say it is not out of the realm of possibility for a small population of cats to have survived in the mountains. I think sightings of these would be Rare, and would cause a sort of mass panic, hysteria, or suggestion that semi normal things to be perceived as big cats.


If there is a Big cat population that survives int he Eastern part of the country I hope it is discovered and becomes protected.



posted on Jul, 15 2014 @ 10:40 PM
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There have been many reports of large cougars in my county, and a Sasquatch... But that's be side the point. Anyways after seeing this I may consider the rumors.



posted on Jul, 17 2014 @ 10:57 PM
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both me and my father have seen big cats in South East Missouri (near the Mississppi river) while deer hunting.
on our buddys property in marble hill, on the back side of his property we found a tree with pretty good sized scratch marks.
we knew a guy who claimed to have seen a big cat in his back yard around the poplar bluff area too.



posted on Feb, 6 2016 @ 01:02 PM
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a reply to: PurpleChitenThere are no cottonmouth snakes anywhere near Greenbo or Cave Run. I grew up half a mile from Greenbo and I spent several years in the Cave Run area. I got married on top of Lockege. I have seen some snakes that the guys who write the books swear don't exist in the area. Like certain ribbon snakes which are faster than the blue racers which aren't supposed to be there either. I've seen both.

I've also seen bobcats, mountain lion tracks and lots of bears. And I saw a black cat about knee high to me with a kitten the size of a normal house cat. It had long legs and a long tail which was much longer than a normal housecat. I suspect this was a feral cat after a few generations living on the local mice etc.. Whatever the case it sounded like what was called a wildcat (an African cat) in the zoo. Maybe some bozo let it go. At one time you could buy any animal at a local trade fair. That fair became famous when a guy near Columbus died and let his bears and lions go free first. A guy not far from me had African lions that were constantly getting out of their enclosure.

I've heard mountain lions too. And I've heard things I could not identify and I grew up in the woods and have lived there for the best part of 25 years since then. I'd be back there now if not for work stuff. I'll be back there soon.

There are things out there the so called experts miss. I had a blue racer cross my yard and my road one day and they are not supposed to be in that part of the world. I've explored huge chunks of both the Daniel Boone Natl. forest and the Wayne Natl. forest. I'm talking getting on my ATV and riding 30 miles out into the middle of nowhere then getting off to watch what was there. I've seen lots of stuff most people haven't seen. But no cottonmouths. Greenbo is ate up with copperheads and so is Grayson Lake. But no cottonmouths.


edit on 6-2-2016 by KingGhidora because: more information

edit on 6-2-2016 by KingGhidora because: more info



posted on Feb, 6 2016 @ 11:31 PM
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I saw a large black cat many many years ago in Daviess Co. Ky, along Panther Creek, near the old Panther Creek.

Way too big to be a house cat and it had a rather long tail. We estimated it was 3 feet long not including tail.



posted on Feb, 17 2016 @ 07:38 PM
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Lived deep in the hills of Eastern Kentucky all my life and have seen and heard some pretty weird things. Its a known fact to people around here that these cats are here, prints, screams, sightings, everything. Game wardens on the other hand will straight up tell you they're not even tho one was shot and killed in bourbon co not too long ago, a lady thought it was a huge house cat or something along those lines. Nope, a huge mountain lion, as long as a full size Dodge RAM pick up tail gate. And the black bears here are coming out now like roaches after lights out. Many, many videos and pictures of them around my families homes and they are not the least bit scared. Its odd, usually you don't see many of them like hardly ever. Many strange things up in these hills.




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