An ex-resident of Penley, a Wrexham county village on its border with Shropshire and just three miles from Cheshire, has reported a terrifying encounter with what she suspects was a puma.
Around 10:30pm one Friday night, Zoe left her house to post a card in the post box just across the lane, when she spotted “a large black cat, the size of a lioness – much bigger than the size of a labrador” in the grounds of Madras Primary School.
Living next door at the time, Zoe was just 10 metres from the big cat, and was forced to creep back through her garden to reach the safety of her house. She then immediately checked every door and window was shut and went to see if the animal could still be seen from an upstairs window.
The sighting took place way back in January 2012, though police officers in neighbouring Cheshire recently revealed they are investigating if a “large black cat type animal” is responsible for a series of attacks on livestock.
Zoe linked to a Denbighshire Free Press report on the recent sightings in North Wales but says this “dark grey, to me almost black” animal was much bigger than those previously described.
Here’s the detailed report she provided in full: “My partner at the time and my two children moved out to the countryside on the Wales / Shropshire border and rented the old school house in Penley, next door to the Madras Primary School.
“It was late at night when I nipped out to pop a card in the post box, six months pregnant with my third child. The post box was in sight across the lane from our house – as I came through our garden gate after crossing the lane, and to make way up through the garden and back through the front door.
“I immediately froze at the gate, in sight of a large black cat, the size of a lioness – much bigger than the size of a labrador like I’ve just read in the Denbighshire free press, but it was the same colour as they described – dark grey, to me almost black.
“It was walking slowly with its nose to the floor, gracefully and calmly, it didn’t notice me at all. It’s long tail almost reaching the floor, thick and curled around a little at the bottom, on the inside of the adjacent school playfield to the house, we were only separated by a hedge.
“It was walking towards the lane that I was walking back from, maybe only 10 – 12 meters from me to my right by the time I decided to get back inside. I could easily point it all out again, something I will never forget!
“I crept as quietly as I could back along the garden to get back into the house, watching all the way as it was walking down passing me. I closed the door and went around making sure all the windows and doors were shut.
“I remembered an article near the time, in the news where a fox had gotten into a house and bitten a child. I then went upstairs to see if I could still see it out of any of the windows, to call for help if it was still to be seen – it wasn’t and I never saw it again – just some very large footprints in the snow a while after.
“My partner was away at his brothers on their usual Friday night poker, but although I told him and for days we both scoured the internet, I could never find an image of exactly what I saw and looked up places to report the sighting.
“There were never any reporting of any chickens or livestock being missing or killed from the surrounding houses over the lanes at the time and I didn’t want to scare anyone and be inundated with questions, but always regretted not picking up the phone.
“I thought I saw it’s large footprints in the snow trailing from our house also a few weeks later, back to the field adjacent and to where there was an opening in the hedge.
“I don’t mind being contacted or for the sighting to be reported and logged, I know so many years later – now I have the confidence to talk about it, with other reported sightings!
Also spotted in the Dee Valley
“I live further up towards Corwen and the Berwyn mountains now, and only once spoke about it to a new family friend after moving. They grew up between where I am now and the back lanes between Glyndyfrdwy and Llangollen. He said he also saw what I saw very late at night whilst he was walking home down the back lanes from the pub – he was all alone and got the shock of his life – well over a decade ago, so there’s another rural up-close sighting in this area too.”
Another large black cat was reported in Corwen back in November 2020.
You can use the report a sighting form here to quickly let us know about any big cat encounters, recent or historical, and to upload any pictures or videos you might have!
Photo © Eirian Evans (cc-by-sa/2.0)