1:59am UK, Saturday February 21, 2009 A big black cat the size of a Labrador has been spotted roaming freely in Churchdown, Gloucestershire.
The cat, said to have a shimmering coat like gloss paint, was sighted on a dirt track near the royal Highgrove Estate.
Tree surgeons John Vine and Nick Cole were working when they saw the beast lope out of a thicket.
They then photographed the cat's paw print after it had left the area, which took place on Monday morning.
Mr Vine, 49, said: "I was working 50ft up in tree when Nick shouted to me to look down to my left.
"I saw this black cat, that I first thought was just a domestic cat. I only got the scale when I saw it come halfway up a gate post.
"The tail was what struck me most. It seemed as though it was floating, curled up at the end and hovering in the air.
"The head was similar to a domestic cat, but slightly bigger.
"I wasn't so much scared, as in awe. I think he was more afraid of me that I was of him. He didn't slouch but just swept away like a wave.”
Frank Tunbridge, an expert on big cats, has been tracking cats for 25 years and says the account is believable.
He said: "I think they disturbed this animal, working with their equipment and it came out of the thicket. You'll never see them if you actively go looking.
"I went to the spot and found the hole it came out of - it was the size of a large steering wheel.
"These sightings are increasing and most of them are now so uniform that it's clear a number of big cats have naturalised in the environment."
Mr Tunbridge has set up cameras to monitor big cat activity in Stroud.
He says most of the big cats that are spotted are thought to descend from animals like leopards or pumas released by owners after the Dangerous Animals Act 1976 tightened up regulations over keeping them as pets.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/Big-Black-Cat-Spotted-Roaming-In-Churchdown-Gloucestershire/Article/200902315226708?lpos=Strange_News_Third_UK_News_Article_Teaser_Region__5&lid=ARTICLE_15226708_Big_Black_Cat_Spotted_Roaming_In_Churchdown%2C_Gloucestershire
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