what is this on my game-cam?

[woodmort]

I'm going to make one more stab at it. I retrieved game cam cards today and got a few more pictures that may give perspective to the whole thing. Now the first two are my new--2010 version--Bushnell. It supposedly has a night focal length of 50' as well which allows pictures to the edge of the weeds in the back ground.

First here is my 14 pound cat. I paced this off and he is about 36'--13 paces from the camera.

Next is a grey fox in the same approximate area. Compare it to the cat. (I don't know why that photo is smaller I assume I downloaded them the same.)

Now just for comparison here is another picture of a grey taken with my Moultrie at about 30 feet. Note you can see the legs and body in proportion to the animal.

Finally, just for the heck of it I'm tossing in a young male coyote that hangs around for size comparison--he's less than 10' from the camera.

BTW dretd, with regard to your measurements: approximately 40 inches with tail and 12 inches of height would put the animal in the grey fox range whereas a cougar would range in in length from 4 to 9 feet with tail according to Peterson.

Of course this has occurred to me. Maybe the OP is putting us on and just tossed a ball out there for his/her Abyssinian cat to play with.

 

[dretd]

Quote:
Thanks for posting these photos! The body and leg proportions look spot-on for the grey fox-I am used to the red and varients and did not realize the tail could be so non-bushy. What has been throwing me was what appeared to be the flat muzzle vs the pointy snout of the fox. It was dark, with an infra red black and white view and perhaps the muzzle simply appears to be missing where it is just obscured by angle and darkness. The tail on two of the photos appears feline, curling laterally but again this could be optical illusion. Statistically the grey fox is way more likely than juvinile cougar. If it is a fox I would think there is a very good chance of getting another hit with patience. If its a cougar then this may have been the only chance. I would be calling the neighbors and asking if any have any Abbys or exotic hybrids like the Chausie cat because the photo looked a lot like the one I saw. Cool thread.

PS did you happen to measure your cat's length (both tail and total) and height for reference. Yours is about twice the weight of mine and it would be interesting to get measurements.

 

[dinahmoe]

LOL woodmort,
i don't have an abyssinian but would love one.i might even like this one,if it is indeed a domestic cat.
the kids and i walk and ride down there all the time and i can deal with a fox(grey or red).i feel the chickens are safe.BUT,with a cat,anything other than a house cat,maybe not.as far as the neighbors,i know all of them and it is highly unlikely any of them have an exotic anything.

 

[dretd]

And just for visual reference on the Chausie cat/ Stone Cougar here are a couple of photos I found that show the color and size:

 

[woodmort]

dretd taking the cat's measurements wasn't all that easy--every time I approached him with a measuring device he, apparently, thought I was going to hurt him and he ran away. But I did sneak up on him when he was sleeping and got some pretty good estimates before he escaped: 22 inches nose to tail plus 18 inches of tail--give or take an inch or so--and 12 inches tall at the shoulder--he's a lap full. When he was to the vet's last fall he weighed in at a little over 14 pounds and there isn't much fat on him. Again his size is about that of a smaller grey fox.

BTW those foxes are interesting. My neighbor has a pair that live under his garden shed and he feeds them pie--says they love berry and apple. I have some 20-foot Russian mulberry trees on the lawn and I've seen them climb up into those for the fruit--after they cleaned up what was on the ground. Usually when I download my game cam photos about a quarter of them have foxes on them. As far as harming chickens, I don't think they would do much damage to a full-grown healthy chicken but I do know they killed an old rooster that was kind of run out of the flock several years ago since I came up on a fox eating it. Red foxes, being bigger, are tougher on chickens.

Also as far as the ID of OP's animal is concerned: I find this kind of thing interesting because various people see various things and come to different conclusions. As a mathematician I just like to logically work these puzzles out using what I see. The problems with these game cams, while helpful,they can lead to false conclusions because of their fixed focus on a moving animal. Ideally unless one is lucky enough to get a critter standing broadside to the camera , not moving parts and in range there are too many ways to misidentify it--I had one today that took me more than half an hour to figure it was a skunk. Videos are usually better--I have my Moultrie set up that way--otherwise you get a lot of noses and hind quarters.

I also have a kind of morbid curiosity regarding predators. I'm hoping that I will get a decent photo of the bear that has, supposedly, been seen in the area. And, trust me, if a cougar were to show up on any of my SD cards I'd post it every place.

 

[harveyhorses]

Well mud on my face for assuming that grey foxes were just red foxes with different hair, and even reds are more feline than canine. I never knew their tails could be so long and sleek (o.k. non fluffy)

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
"Stone Cougars" are (were) a hype breed from one breeder in Florida, greatly exaggerated in size. At $3k+ apiece, someone would be a fool to let them out. Chausies are a dime a dozen, and most don't breed much bigger than your common housecat. The picture does look like a large Abys to me, but I don't think many Abys owners would let their cats free range at night. Many are contractually obligated to keep them indoors at all times.

 

[Tylt33]

The other two things that make me think non-feline are the ratio of tail length to body as well as the rapidness of which it is moving (look at the time stamps). Cats tend to path slowly and deliberately versus sensory scanning like you might see in a fox.

 

[dretd]

Quote:
"Stone Cougars" are (were) a hype breed from one breeder in Florida, greatly exaggerated in size. At $3k+ apiece, someone would be a fool to let them out. Chausies are a dime a dozen, and most don't breed much bigger than your common housecat. The picture does look like a large Abys to me, but I don't think many Abys owners would let their cats free range at night. Many are contractually obligated to keep them indoors at all times.

True, they also are contractually obligated to not declaw, but it doesn't mean no one does. And plenty of foolish owners out there with more $ than sense.

What is your take on the photos in question? Feline or Vulpine?

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
"Stone Cougars" are (were) a hype breed from one breeder in Florida, greatly exaggerated in size. At $3k+ apiece, someone would be a fool to let them out. Chausies are a dime a dozen, and most don't breed much bigger than your common housecat. The picture does look like a large Abys to me, but I don't think many Abys owners would let their cats free range at night. Many are contractually obligated to keep them indoors at all times.

True, they also are contractually obligated to not declaw, but it doesn't mean no one does. And plenty of foolish owners out there with more $ than sense.

What is your take on the photos in question? Feline or Vulpine?

Vulpine. Grey fox. I've seen them sleeping 40'+ up in trees... They are lean and strong and have tails made for tightrope walking. The most decidedly un-feline thing about the photos is not the animal itself though, it's the rapid way it is scanning its surroundings. Cats just don't change orientation and trot around like that. Look at the time stamps.