A WEST Highland terrier almost became the cat's dinner when he was out for a walk last Wednesday night.
Susan Garner, a resident of Oakland Estate who has lived there for 23 years and Jack, her dog, were out walking in Oakland Wood when a big cat, which looked like a panther, ran on to the path in front of them.
Susan explained: 'At 6pm I thought I would bring my dog out for a walk in the wood. When I entered, Jack was acting very strangely and didn't want to go in which made me feel unsettled as well. Another strange thing is that normally, when I come here in the evening's, there is loads of bird song and squirrels about. This time there was nothing, it was deathly quiet.
'I was walking along the path, near the wooden table, when suddenly a big black cat with bright yellow eyes jumped out in front of me. It was jet black, about the size of a Labrador, but longer in length. I froze, my dog ran and cowered behind my legs and the cat was staring at it, looking like it was going to pounce. After a few seconds it suddenly shot off, running back towards the fields.'
This is not the first time that big cats have been spotted in the area and over the years there has been many mysterious sightings.
Phillip Gayle, also a resident of Oakland Estate has had a similar experience to Susan. 'It was about six months ago when I was trying to take my dog for a walk in Oakland Wood,' he says. 'My little Jack Russell, Shana, was absolutely terrified of coming into the woods and was not happy. I don't know what it was that scared her, but I heard something big moving. Shana was pulling and pulling on her lead in desperate attempt to get out of there. Also, about two years ago, I was on my way to Dawlish, when I saw something in the Eastcliff area that looked like a Great Dane but wasn't moving like a dog. Draw your own conclusions.'
The mystery of big cats in the area has been ongoing for many years and until someone has decent camera footage or concrete evidence, it will remain just that, a mystery.