I was out walking in Allerthorpe Common (near the join between the older woods and the forestry plantation bit) near Pocklington at about 10-11am on New Years Eve.

I heard a disturbance in the woods near to the track that I was walking down and stopped. I was silent for a moment and then I heard a noise again. As I started to move towards the noise to see what it was, I saw a large black cat. It was about 50 yards away, behind me to my left and in the light undergrowth, close to the track.

It was about 3-4ft long and 2-3ft at the shoulder. It had a long curved tail curling up, and was to all intents and purposes like a v.v.large domestic cat, albeit quite a lean one. In colour it was without obvious marking and all black. The tail was rounded at the end (in shape like a ball stuffed in a sock) not pointed like a dog's.

I watched it for a couple of seconds but as it saw me it turned (so I didn't get a look at the face properly) and bounded once and disappeared into the thick undergrowth. I stopped and waited and listened, but couldn't hear anything else (other than my trip hammer heart). I use the word "bounded" carefully, as the motion was definitely feline. (I have a large dog and the movement was not at all similar). Scientific logic dictated that I should have gone and followed it and looked for tracks and harder evidence, but to be honest I was keen to move away quite quickly...!

I've reported it to the local police (who said it was "probably a dog").

In addition, I then had a poke around on the the British and Scottish big cat sites, and they recommended that I contacted you.

Until recently I was I guess a healthy cynic about wild big cats in the UK. I have a Zoology background (degree and PhD) so I had always considered the possibility of large cats wild in the UK, but mentally overruled the idea with the "why don't we see more evidence, road kills, shootings etc. etc?"

But I know what I saw - it was feline not canine.

Updated: 14:44 Tuesday, March 08, 2005