Okay, I'm not the only one! My dh doesn't believe me and is somehow not here when I see it!
This is the second time this year that I've seen what looks like either a very large black feral cat or a small wildcat, like a panther. Both times during the day. Around the times that I saw this large black cat, my free range chickens were hiding inside the coop. Actually, yesterday, three hens were crammed underneath a wagon holding firewood that's sitting on the back porch. I thought maybe a hawk was around because the crows have been barking at something. I went and checked and sure enough the rest of the hens and rooster were hiding in the coop.
A short time later, the dogs, who were all sitting in front of the window looking out across the back of the property, began barking like crazy. So I look to see and there was a big black cat slinking down in a crouched walk across a path in the distance. I let the dogs out and they went running and barking. I'm sure they scared the cat off.
Thinking about it, I knew it was much bigger than our cat and it had a big tail that was probably as long as it was. Then I remembered seeing a similar cat during the summer (the chickens were nervous and hiding in the coop at that time also) when the dogs chased it up a tree in the woods. When I went out to see, it was gone, maybe jumping from tree to tree to escape?
Also, one night about a month ago the dogs went running after something that sounded like a cougar. It was dark so I couldn't see what it was but it sounded exactly like a cougar. I called the dogs back, fearing they may get hurt. As a reference, it sounded like this:
http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nat...