Mississippi man spots possible cougar across road from Wendy's

originally posted by: JDeLattre89
There are plenty of panthers in America. My former uncle used to hunt them at his deer/hog lease in SeTX.

I can believe it!! When I was in HS, in San Antonio, the Witte Museum had this diorama room, set up like a trail through woods, with taxidermy animals from the state throughout. The challenge was to locate them all, and a guide was at the end to show where they were, for all people wold miss. One of them was a jaguar. Hard to spot, even stuffed, too!! Considered then to be normal! These days, they claim they haven't been there for more than a century. I believe the earlier version!

a reply to: JoshuaCox

Not a Bobcat. It has a tail.

Could be just a cat though and it's smaller than the video makes it appear.

originally posted by: JoshuaCox
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

Could have been a black bobcat maybe... I think those get 40lbs and can take down deer.


Your like is broken , but I watched a video from pike, ms debunked. The game warden put up a cut out in the same spot and you can tell it dwarfed whatever the cat was..

At least I think that was the same clip...

Also there is always the option of an escaped/released pet.


That uncle I mentioned once found a pit about 15ft deep that some idiot was using to house a tiger lol...

Appearently he decided that was easier than building a pen..

Link is working for me, though it was broken at first. Maybe refresh? I'd like to see that video, because that is NOT some house cat out there. That thing is clearly far larger, and I know what big house cats look like, too. Family have had some that were over eighteen pounds. Same for a bobcat - way too big, and the color and shape are all wrong. We have those in my neighborhood.

They always want to claim it's an escaped animal but they never seem able to state where one came from. Real escapes, they tend to locate a source. People do get exotic pets, of course, but they aren't going to be all black, as are so many of these large cats people spot.

A tiger....in a pit.....was the owner eaten?? Good grief!!

originally posted by: Blaine91555
It would have to be a Jaguar and that far north? An escaped pet is more likely. It does look to big to be a house cat, but to small for a Jaguar which is likely not possible there. Might be someone had a Leopard as a pet? It's not a Cougar/Mountain Lion/ Panther (depends on what they are called in your area).

Could be a young jaguar. If they are in an area, and breeding, they wouldn't be all full sized. Escaped pet is possible, too, but every time someone sees a large black cat, that's the claim made. I can't believe that many people have big cats for pets.

The shape, hard to say with the grass if it matches a cougar or not. ore likely a young jaguar, I'd say, and if so, wild is far more likely that a pet! No reason at all they couldn't be all over the country, same as cougars, and they are usually pretty elusive.

Most curious video, in any case!!

Once upon a time , my cousin and I were out riding dirt bikes near a lake . We stopped for a minute for a break. It was getting dusk and we were deciding whether or not to call it a day. All of a sudden we heard what sounded like a woman screaming at the top of her voice. Someone was in trouble. We fired up our bikes and took off in the general direction of the scream.
Good thing panthers dont like dirt bikes and it ran away from us. Cause we durn sure took off the other way...

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes


I was to understand that these cats at one time were coast to coast anyway. Now and then some work their way back like the buffalo which were at one time far east.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

It would be very strange to see a Jaguar there. Even before they declined their range was just past the Mexican / US border.

Who knows? Cougar maybe and the color in the video is deceptive. Hard to say with such a bad video.

To me it does seem very large. I've got a Maine Coon sitting in the window next to me menacing a squirrel and he's about the limit of the size a domestic cat can be. He would not look like that in that tall grass. It's about got to be something much larger.

I've seen many Mountain Lions/Cougars and the head does not seem right. Hard to say.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

You know how this goes. Unless someone tags and bags one this is pretty much like a bigfoot sighting.

Also, from reading up on this. Seems that there are several species of cat that are melanistic or even semi melanistic.

Is it me or the skull seem to small to be a panthera, big cat.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

If black is a possible coloration then obviously it would pop up sometime..

That said I have no problem believing the vast majority are misidentified... people love making stories cooler and black just adds a whole new level of cool.

So if that pigment is SUPER RARE.. like one in millions then it would be a super stretch for your buddy to have seen the only one in 3,0000 years.

Oops appearently there is no reason to think a black “cougar” or panther has ever existed..

If no picture, carcass or expert has EVER had a confirmed sighting.. that’s huge.


“There are no authenticated cases of truly melanistic cougars. Melanistic cougars have never been photographed or shot in the wild and none have ever been bred. Unconfirmed sightings, known as the "North American black panther", are currently attributed to errors in species identification by non-experts, and by the mimetic exaggeration of size. Black panthers in the American Southeast feature prominently in Choctaw folklore where, along with the owl, they are often thought to symbolize Death.”

Black plantar wiki

Looks like the person who took the video does not think it's more than a just an extra large cat.

Sluder posted his video to his Facebook page and the comments poured in by the hundreds. Many shared stories of hearing and seeing panthers all over the state. Others commented that Sluder had found proof of black panthers. Quite a few even shared their biological knowledge of large cats. Even a television station in Memphis reported it was a black panther.

All of it had Sluder laughing because he said the cat was large, but nowhere near the size of a panther.

"This thing has been more hilarious than anything — seeing all the experts online," Sluder said.

So, just a very large house cat then.

Most likely a Maine Coon since they are the largest. You should see my 5'2" wife with ours in her arms. They come in all colors, but usually long furred unless a mixed breed. Might be a Mau.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Maybe , from the head size , it could be a jaguarundi.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

In Mississippi, most likely a puma. They're not uncommon in some areas of the state but if it was that close to a Wendy's in broad daylight it was probably someone's pet. If you get them very young, they're pretty simple to raise. I've known people who have had them...they're not really very large. Well...relatively anyway lol. Beautiful animals.

originally posted by: Logarock
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes


I was to understand that these cats at one time were coast to coast anyway. Now and then some work their way back like the buffalo which were at one time far east.

That's the current claim, by officials; that they were found coast-to-coast, and then, supposedly, were eliminated in eastern states. Now, they claim, when seen in these places, they are either escaped pets, or they are "returning" to those areas. Yet, people who live in these states have reported seeing them all along, and claim they never were gone at all. I have a cousin in Kentucky who states this - she's seen them, and so have others; she's heard these reports all her life.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

It would be very strange to see a Jaguar there. Even before they declined their range was just past the Mexican / US border.

Who knows? Cougar maybe and the color in the video is deceptive. Hard to say with such a bad video.

To me it does seem very large. I've got a Maine Coon sitting in the window next to me menacing a squirrel and he's about the limit of the size a domestic cat can be. He would not look like that in that tall grass. It's about got to be something much larger.

I've seen many Mountain Lions/Cougars and the head does not seem right. Hard to say.

I agree that the head doesn't really look like a cougar. Seems different. As for a jaguar, that's what they claim, but then, they also claim, these days, that they are only very recently "returning" to the States. When I was in HS, as previously stated, it was said they were known animals in Texas, and they even had one in that museum display for local fauna. So, who's to say they are being honest about the range? Heck, even possible they have ranged farther, and no one realized it officially. They are very elusive, after all, and animal people tend to see what they are seeking. If no one is looking, black jaguars would be very easy to miss! The spotted one, in the museum, in a well-lit room, was tough to spot!

Agree, too, on the house cat issue. Have had some in the family that were at least part Maine Coon, with the size, and they don't look anything like this cat in the video! Big, for certain, but not like that! Even a bobcat won't look that big, at that distance. The video isn't the best quality, but it's a clear picture, at least, and that's something, and he's got a decent amount of movement. Better than many we have seen, and yeah, very large!

Hard to know what to think, but it's yet another large black cat, and I think they need to accept that there is something to all of these sightings.

One good thing about cell phones; all the video and pics make it harder to avoid the truth!

originally posted by: grey580
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

You know how this goes. Unless someone tags and bags one this is pretty much like a bigfoot sighting.

Also, from reading up on this. Seems that there are several species of cat that are melanistic or even semi melanistic.

Is it me or the skull seem to small to be a panthera, big cat.

That's pretty solid video evidence, even if it can't prove a specific species of cat. Far too big to be a house cat. I know cats, been around them all my life, and that's no house cat! The skull is hard to judge from the angle we have, to one side. Seeing it head on would help, but I wouldn't want to have to get that video! That's a dangerous animal. Beautiful, but dangerous!

Yes, several do have melanistic specimens, but they claim cougars do not. Jaguars do, and they are in the Americas. Seems the most likely candidate to me. The only debate there is on their range, and that can be debated.

originally posted by: tigertatzen
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

In Mississippi, most likely a puma. They're not uncommon in some areas of the state but if it was that close to a Wendy's in broad daylight it was probably someone's pet. If you get them very young, they're pretty simple to raise. I've known people who have had them...they're not really very large. Well...relatively anyway lol. Beautiful animals.

They are common there, of course, but supposedly aren't black, so still a question! Even if it is one, it's a color that scientists claim doesn't exist for cougars.

Gorgeous animals, I agree - I love cats, large and small!

originally posted by: Gothmog
Once upon a time , my cousin and I were out riding dirt bikes near a lake . We stopped for a minute for a break. It was getting dusk and we were deciding whether or not to call it a day. All of a sudden we heard what sounded like a woman screaming at the top of her voice. Someone was in trouble. We fired up our bikes and took off in the general direction of the scream.
Good thing panthers dont like dirt bikes and it ran away from us. Cause we durn sure took off the other way...

Oh, wow! That was some lesson, and good that no one was hurt to learn it! Never have heard that sound live, though I did see a cougar across the alley from my parents' driveway - jumped down from the neighbor's carport, crossed the drive, and hopped the next fence.

Well, assumed cougar - cat shape - but was too dark to see color. Who knows? They are definitely in that part of Texas, though, so most likely! Glad it wasn't hungry!

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

Granted it's evidence of something.

I'm wondering if it's a melanistic leopard. The head seems a little small for a cougar.

Be easier to tell what it was if the video was a little clearer.

originally posted by: JoshuaCox
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

If black is a possible coloration then obviously it would pop up sometime..

That said I have no problem believing the vast majority are misidentified... people love making stories cooler and black just adds a whole new level of cool.

So if that pigment is SUPER RARE.. like one in millions then it would be a super stretch for your buddy to have seen the only one in 3,0000 years.

Even regular cougars aren't seen all that often, in many areas. A black one would be far harder to spot, especially at night. This guy, too, isn't the sort to make up a story. He said a black cougar, not some other large black cat. Just because some scientist hasn't officially bagged one doesn't mean they don't exist. And hardly the only one; other people report them, as well. Same as people reported giant squid and orangutans for long years before scientists would admit those were real.

Oops appearently there is no reason to think a black “cougar” or panther has ever existed..

If no picture, carcass or expert has EVER had a confirmed sighting.. that’s huge.

There have been pictures. Not as weird, either, as calling something a bobcat that has a tail. A "panther" is usually meant to designate a large back cat, and those do exist.

“There are no authenticated cases of truly melanistic cougars. Melanistic cougars have never been photographed or shot in the wild and none have ever been bred. Unconfirmed sightings, known as the "North American black panther", are currently attributed to errors in species identification by non-experts, and by the mimetic exaggeration of size. Black panthers in the American Southeast feature prominently in Choctaw folklore where, along with the owl, they are often thought to symbolize Death.”

Black plantar wiki

Yeah, they can claim that all they want.

Then there are cases like this one, , or the one in this thread, and many, many others.

There was also one shot in 1843, in Brazil, around the Carandahy River, but the skin was not retained. Another is reported, called the "Cherokee cougar", and claimed to have been shot in either Tennessee or Montana, but I can't locate a photo of it right now. Also one shot by a Miguel Ruiz Herrera, in Costa Rica, in 1959. Just because no scientist has managed, again, doesn't make it impossible.

Even so, melanistic cougar or not, this is a very large black cat, not a house cat. I'd say, more likely a black jaguar.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
Looks like the person who took the video does not think it's more than a just an extra large cat.

Sluder posted his video to his Facebook page and the comments poured in by the hundreds. Many shared stories of hearing and seeing panthers all over the state. Others commented that Sluder had found proof of black panthers. Quite a few even shared their biological knowledge of large cats. Even a television station in Memphis reported it was a black panther.

All of it had Sluder laughing because he said the cat was large, but nowhere near the size of a panther.

"This thing has been more hilarious than anything — seeing all the experts online," Sluder said.

So, just a very large house cat then.

Most likely a Maine Coon since they are the largest. You should see my 5'2" wife with ours in her arms. They come in all colors, but usually long furred unless a mixed breed. Might be a Mau.

He says that now, but that's now what he said in the video! He called it an "enormous something", "gigantic", and "huge". Other witness agreed, as seen in the news video. He's trying to avoid being called a kook, I'd guess.

That's no Maine Coon! Seen those, and some as big, in , for the record, jet black. They do NOT look that big n a field!!