The Sydenham Park Panther
To catch a cat
Shall I have a word with Tarzan & see what he thinks?
That would be one hell of a moggy, Adam - the guy reckons it was 6 ft long. Although he's also quoted as saying, "This thing knew what it wanted. If I was weak I think it could have killed me and then it could have gone on to hurt my family and everything else." Hmmm...An interesting, if somewhat flawed, theory.
Maybe we could coax the Sydenham Pink Panther out of hiding by singing Smelly Cat to it. 'Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you, smelly cat, smelly cat, it's not your fault (that you're 6ft long)'
Maybe we could coax the Sydenham Pink Panther out of hiding by singing Smelly Cat to it. 'Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you, smelly cat, smelly cat, it's not your fault (that you're 6ft long)'
More evil deeds
Tarzan suggests he might turn to cat burgling next...
I wonder how long the pet curfew will remain in force? I live pretty close to Sydenham Park, but I don't think our mog will take too kindly to being confined indoors for a long period!
Does anyone know if they are actively trying to catch the beasty, or will we be living in terror indefinitely!?
OK, I'm not exactly in terror precisely, but I'd just like to know how long and how seriously we should be heeding the advice to keep pets indoors.
Does anyone know if they are actively trying to catch the beasty, or will we be living in terror indefinitely!?
OK, I'm not exactly in terror precisely, but I'd just like to know how long and how seriously we should be heeding the advice to keep pets indoors.
Rather you than me, trying to keep a cat in against its will is not fun.
There's a good article in the Guardian today re. the Sydenham Pink Panther. It makes the point that "it has probably slunk off to a neighbouring suburb to become the Penge Panther, the Catford Cheetah or the Beast of Beckenham by now." I would imagine the animal is long gone by now.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story ... 98,00.html
There's a good article in the Guardian today re. the Sydenham Pink Panther. It makes the point that "it has probably slunk off to a neighbouring suburb to become the Penge Panther, the Catford Cheetah or the Beast of Beckenham by now." I would imagine the animal is long gone by now.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story ... 98,00.html
Well...cougars roam over fairly large territories in the wild, but if this big moggy is used to roaming around SE London I'd expect that its hunting range may be smaller. If there's plenty of food around (bins, etc) it simply won't have to walk as far.
Apart from that, a lot of the assumptions I would usually make about its behaviour are probably moot in the UK. In Canada, if a cougar starts hanging around a human inhabited area it usually means that the cat is sick (ie looking for easy meals), or has been pushed out of its normal territory so often it's managed to get over its fear of people. But since this country is so low on real wilderness, I'd think it's likely that any big cats here would have been scavenging from bins & farms and picking off the occasional pet as a general rule. (Well, it's not like there's great herds of deer or elk wandering around Kent these days...)
Weeble, I agree with you about the pet curfew. My cat is also getting annoyed about being inside, and I've been weighing up the risks of letting her out this morning. I think Adam's comment about keeping kitties in at night is a good one.
Apart from that, a lot of the assumptions I would usually make about its behaviour are probably moot in the UK. In Canada, if a cougar starts hanging around a human inhabited area it usually means that the cat is sick (ie looking for easy meals), or has been pushed out of its normal territory so often it's managed to get over its fear of people. But since this country is so low on real wilderness, I'd think it's likely that any big cats here would have been scavenging from bins & farms and picking off the occasional pet as a general rule. (Well, it's not like there's great herds of deer or elk wandering around Kent these days...)
Weeble, I agree with you about the pet curfew. My cat is also getting annoyed about being inside, and I've been weighing up the risks of letting her out this morning. I think Adam's comment about keeping kitties in at night is a good one.
QUOTE OF THE DAY FROM THE GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story ... 98,00.html
Billy Rich, 44, was looking out of his window at 5.30am when he saw a black creature leap across the road and bound south towards Mayow Park.
"I see a ... thing," he said.
"What's he supposed to have seen?" asked his ex-wife.
"The beast of Sydenham," your correspondent explained.
"The only beast of Sydenham is him," she replied, prodding a finger at Mr Rich.
"On the news they said it was as big as a Doberman, but it wasn't," insisted Mr Rich. "It was big and black and I thought, **** hell, what was that?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story ... 98,00.html
Billy Rich, 44, was looking out of his window at 5.30am when he saw a black creature leap across the road and bound south towards Mayow Park.
"I see a ... thing," he said.
"What's he supposed to have seen?" asked his ex-wife.
"The beast of Sydenham," your correspondent explained.
"The only beast of Sydenham is him," she replied, prodding a finger at Mr Rich.
"On the news they said it was as big as a Doberman, but it wasn't," insisted Mr Rich. "It was big and black and I thought, **** hell, what was that?
Our cat also stays in every night, but is normally booted out in the day, and it is often after dark when we are back home to let him in.
Sometimes he stays in during the day but he gets a touch of cabin fever eventually starts acting crazy.
He's indoors today, so I imagine he'll be galloping up and down stairs chasing imaginary mice by the time we get in.
Sometimes he stays in during the day but he gets a touch of cabin fever eventually starts acting crazy.
He's indoors today, so I imagine he'll be galloping up and down stairs chasing imaginary mice by the time we get in.
MISSING: My cat has been missing since earlier this week. Any information on his whereabouts would be greatly appreciated. He's a standard-looking moggy, really - big, jet black, about 3ft tall and 5ft long nose to tail. Snarls a lot. Enjoys the occasional bloody rampage. Answers to the name of Tiddles, or 'the Beast of Sydenham' as we sometimes jokingly call him. He's a loveable little rascal who likes grappling with ex-soldiers, eating other cats and small children, attacking livestock, terrorising the general public and lurking around fish and chip shops in a menacing fashion. Reward for information leading to his return: £1.50 and a copy of last week's Heat magazine.
Now there are four!
A story that will not die. Or perhaps we may very soon if we don't watch out:
http://tinyurl.com/6lfs9
http://tinyurl.com/6lfs9