A motorist on the dual carriageway, outside Moygashel near Dungannon, described the animal he saw as four feet long, two feet tall, light brown in colour and with a whitish underbelly. It crossed the road in front of him, before making its way up an embankment. It must have given the motorist quite a scare!

A strange shadow or is it a big cat on the hill?

Just the product of a fertile imagination or do these beasts really exist? Have you ever spotted a 'wild cat' or large animal on the loose here in Northern Ireland? What did it look like?

Brian Willis remembers that "in July of 1994 the Newtownards Chronicle ran a story about a lady who was driving into Comber in broad daylight on the 3rd of that month when she came across this "thing" which loped along and quickly disappeared. A couple of days later, along the same road she saw it again. The beast she described as jet black with gold eyes, the size of a Labrador but with the build of a cat. Never heard tell of it since. "

I drew this cartoon to accompany the article. 'Wonder why I never included a tail?

Share your catty 'tails' by discussing this article below....

YOUR RESPONSES

Mike Abraham - July '08
The above photo is obviously somone hiding behind the rock. however they forgot about the woolen "Noddy" type hat they had on.

Ben Livick - July '08
Thats Jimmy page stood playing guitar, he's on the other side of the rock and seen in profile!

Frankie - May '07
I think at some time or other our imagination does play tricks on usbut it did happen to me as well.i was driving home between cookstown and stewartstown on a xmas morning back in the late eighties when a rather peculiar looking beast ran across the road and caused me to brake .luckily i did not hit the animal but it shook me up.the only way i can describe the animal is that it was quite large and resembled a lynx,as it made its way into a ditch it looked back at me and i will never forget its eyes almost saying thanks for not running me over.by the time i had composed myself it was gone.i still think about my experience from time to time.

Mark Fraser - Feb '07
There seems to be a little confusion over the photograph above. This picture is genuine, whatever the animal turns out to be. It was taken by Tim Young in 1988 which was investigated by Nigel Brierly.(Cornwall)

The figure on the hill mentioned by Tom was actually taken by Carlton television when they made a documentary on the subject. Full story canbe found at www.bigcatsinbritain.org that indeed was a hoax.

From 04 onwards there has been a big spate of sightings in the and in the Republic.

Tom Redding - May '06
The big cat is a person sitting on a hill.