A BIG cat appears to be alive and well and on the prowl again in a part of north Kent.

There had been no reported sightings since New Year’s Day, when it was spotted by a woman in the Chequers Road area of Minster, on Sheppey.

But Neil Arnold of Kent Big Cat Research has received a report from an Islander who saw the cat, believed to be a Leopard, in Minster.

Mr Arnold said: “This was a big, black cat, the size of a dog, observed for more than an hour, which is pretty impressive as most sightings are brief, as it sunned itself in a field off Westcliff Drive, Minster.

“The cat was licking its paws, and when on the move its thick tail was held close to the ground.”

Mr Arnold believes it is the same cat that has been seen on the Island for the past eight years and suggests it was either released on Sheppey or is the offspring of animals from the Swale area, which has crossed to the Island.

Mr Arnold said the animal may pose a threat to livestock, but not humans because there is plenty of other food around, like rabbits and birds.

“There have been sightings in the past at Minster, Eastchurch, Leysdown and Queenborough.

For more information or to report a sighting log on to www.kentbigcats.blogspot.com or call the Sheerness Times Guardian newsroom on 01795 580300.

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