# What kind of cat was this?



## Hanalei (Jun 15, 2012)

I live in the Grand Rapids area, and just for reference, I have 2 normal cats. A few years ago, I saw a strange cat running across the road ahead of me. When I got home, I did some research and it looked very similar to a bobcat or lynx, but with a longer tail. I didn't get a good enough view of it to tell anything for certain, but I knew it wasn't a normal house cat. 

Today, we saw another strange cat walk through our yard and down the street. The glimpse I saw through my binoculars at first, it looked like a regular cat, but it walked kind of strangely. We followed it down the street and got a better look at it. I didn't get a picture, unfortunately. It was medium grey-brown with a long, bushy dark tail with raccoon-like stripes, which was maybe 10-12 inches long. All 3 of us noticed that it's fur looked very thick. It was a bit larger than a regular cat. It's legs were thick and stocky. It walked weirdly, too - it was kind of clunky, not smooth and graceful like a normal cat. I didn't particularly notice the ears, but it had a lot of fuzzy white fur around it's mouth, almost like a mustache and beard. I didn't notice the eye color, but it did act kind of strangely. We called out to it, assuming at first that it was a neighbors cat or something, and it didn't react to us at all. In fact, at one point it stopped, turned around and looked _past_ us, like it didn't even notice us, and then it took off jogging into the woods. 

We all are in agreement that this was not a normal cat. We also agree - the 2 of us that saw the first cat - that it looked just like the other mysterious cat we saw a few years back. Where we saw the first cat was about a mile from our house. The cat today walked right through our yard. I don't think this cat was quite as large as the first one we saw - which was considerably larger than a house cat - but it was definitely bigger than normal. Where I live, we're surrounded by state land, water and thick woods, so there's certainly places for a cat like that to live. (Possibly unrelated, but we heard a very deep, loud growl at the end of our street the other day while walking at dusk that startled all 4 of us that were walking. Not sure if something like that could've come out of a cat or not, but I may as well mention it anyway. Some of the bigger cat sounds I've heard are pretty darn scary.)

I'm not sure what it was. From what I saw, it looked just like a lynx except for the tail being different, which doesn't quite match a bobcat, either. I realize that lynx are not known to be found in this area, but anything's possible, so I'm not writing it off. Anyone have any ideas on what this could have been?


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

I saw a orange Heath Cliff junkyard looking housecat (feral) one time that was literally the size of a Bobcat. He even had a broke tail. Was sporting a pair about the size of two ping pong balls. It was nasty. I wish I would've taken a photo. It was the definition of wildcat. I am positive it was at least 16" at the front shoulder. 

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## spoikey (Jan 18, 2005)

Sounds like the breed of feeline called Main ****. Just do a google search of images.


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## Hanalei (Jun 15, 2012)

I just looked it up. Any type of regular house cat just doesn't look right. I don't know how to describe it. It's face was just... different. If you look up a picture of a lynx or bobcat, that's what its face looked like, compared to the softer look of a maine ****, for example.


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## spoikey (Jan 18, 2005)

Linx and Bob Cats don't have long tails.


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## Hanalei (Jun 15, 2012)

spoikey said:


> Linx and Bob Cats don't have long tails.


I _know_, that's why I'm confused as to what it is. The only cats I can find that look similar are bobcats and lynx, which look exactly like it _except_ for the tail.


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## spoikey (Jan 18, 2005)

Sorry didn't mean to offend. I just did a search and found a domestic cat that looks a bit like a Bobcat. Try looking for images for Norwegian Forest Cat.


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## Hanalei (Jun 15, 2012)

Sorry, didn't mean to be harsh. I appreciate the help. I had mentioned in my original post that it looked just like a lynx or bobcat except for the tail.

Just looked up Norwegian Forest Cats. That ones not quite right, either - looks too much like a typical cat. The fur is somewhat similar, but it's the face. It isn't quite right. I really wish I'd been able to get a picture of what I saw... 

Could it have been some kind of hybrid cat, perhaps? Like half-lynx, half-housecat or something?


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## HURONFLY (Aug 12, 2007)

There is a cat breed called the Savannah. It is a cross between a African wild cat and a domestic cat.


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## CaseBones (Jan 28, 2010)

My bet would be Maine ****. He has tufts of fur on the ears and tabby striping. They do get quite large. Trying to post pictures of ours, but an iPhone picture type isn't a valid file?? 


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## CaseBones (Jan 28, 2010)

I tried to attach photos using our home computer instead of my phone. Maybe this will work.


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## Hanalei (Jun 15, 2012)

Cute kitty! 

But no, still doesn't look right. This cat had much bulkier legs and its face was different.


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## tom_the_chemist (Aug 24, 2008)

HURONFLY said:


> There is a cat breed called the Savannah. It is a cross between a African wild cat and a domestic cat.


I bet that is what it is. I think they are also called jungle cats. A neighbor had one on a trail cam a couple years ago.


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## Hanalei (Jun 15, 2012)

This one didn't look like a leopard, though. The savannah cats look like small leopards. This one was gray-brown.


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