Photo of Mystery Cat in Cambridge, England, Draws Comparison to the 'Fen Tiger'

The photographer of this mystery cat wished to remain anonymous. (Cambridgeshire Live) — The photographer of this mystery cat wished to remain anonymous. *(Cambridgeshire Live)*

An image of a "large wildcat with big claws" taken by an anonymous man on April 11th in Cambridge, England, and submitted to Cambridgeshire Live the same day, is causing some to wonder if perhaps the animal is related to the decades-old mystery of the ‘Fen Tiger,’ an anomalous big cat reportedly seen in the area since 1978.

The Fen Tiger is often described by witnesses as a large, dark, “puma-like” cat, as big or bigger than a Labrador dog.

This was not the first time he had seen the cat, said the witness, but it is the first time he's managed to take its picture.

"It was around 8 or 8:30 am this morning when I saw the animal from my kitchen window," the man said. "I think it somehow keeps coming to this place to hunt rabbits or other small animals."

"Initially I thought it was a wildcat like a Felis Silvestris, but then I went to my colleagues at the university, and they said it can't have been as this animal was way bigger," he continued. "Looking at the tail it's definitely a different species. It is a wild cat but not that species I don't think. The animal was a brown and black color with a very long tail that had lots of black circles on it. The tail was so long, and its legs were thick as well with big claws."

According to the witness, "it was about the size of a fully grown Labrador dog."

The Felis Silvestris, or European wildcat, is said to have been extirpated from England, although it is still indigenous to Scotland. They have irregular stripes, long, bushy tails, and male specimens can reach over two feet in length and weigh almost 20 pounds.

The man reportedly tried to contact local wildlife officials, but there was no immediate answer due to the coronavirus lockdown in his area.

"I rang the number but because of the pandemic everything has to be done through email, so I have sent one and I'm waiting for a reply," he said.

Ultimately, the witness can't say for sure whether or not what he saw is related to stories of the Fen Tiger, but he did note some similarities.

"I have heard about the mystery of the Fen Tiger but I don't know if this was it," he explained. "This was a wildcat like people have said the Fen Tiger is, and this one is the size of a Labrador dog."

The anonymous man’s neighbor, Sid Lydon, 52, came forward two days after the photo was published to claim that his house cat was responsible for the sighting.

Guffman, pictured here with Lydon's seven-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. (Sid Lydon / Cambridgeshire Live) — Guffman, pictured here with Lydon's seven-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. *(Sid Lydon / Cambridgeshire Live)*

Lydon said that it was his shed the animal was perched on in the image, and that while he didn’t see any wild animals on there the day the photo was taken, his cats do enjoy sunning themselves on the shed’s roof.

"We would have heard some commotion, my dog is outside from dusk until dawn so he would have heard something," he said.

Guffman, one of three cats owned by Lydon, is the one he suspects was in the photograph.

"My cat Guffman is a similar color and size to the one in the picture, he often budges the staffy out of the way," said Lydon. "We've had foxes in the garden before but I just thought 'yeah right' when I saw the picture."

However, Lydon’s opinion is not without controversy, and some who’ve seen the evidence do not agree that the mystery cat’s size and coloration match those of Guffman.

“I think it’s a convenient explanation,” investigator Tobias Wayland said. “But I also think it’s far from definitive. From what I can tell, the cat in the original picture isn’t a great match for Lydon’s house cat. The mystery cat looks bulkier to me, with larger paws and a longer tail, and the coloration isn’t the same. I suppose the sunlight might have affected it some, but not that much. You don’t see as much striping on its torso, and it’s just so much lighter.”

“In my opinion the photo is still unexplained,” he added.

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