what is this on my game-cam?

[IttyBiddy]

small cougar, maybe?

 

[dragonlair]

I vote grey Fox or young Coyote.

We have Mt Lions up here in Maine, where the MWS (the game wardens) and the state biologists claim there are no such things up here. These are the same people who swore there were no coyotes up here, either, many years ago. Also, there are no wolves. That's why people have seen and taken pictures of them.

Before I moved to Maine, I grew up in central Massachusetts. Back then there were Mt Lion sightings. We even sent a tuft of fur found on the barb wire fence after we saw one of them. Sure 'nuff.....it was a cougar!

 

[greenkalki]

From the size (as determined by the comparison with the crow pic) it's definitely not a cougar. Although the Florida panther is a slightly smaller subspecies of cougar, it's not as small as the animal in the picture. Also, a juvenile panther has spots, and would be with it's mother (and likely siblings) at that size. The proportions of this animal are that of an adult. It lacks the markings and bobbed tail of a bobcat. This is definitely an escaped or released exotic or the offspring of an escaped or released exotic. I'm inclined to think that it's an Abyssinian cat. As rare and unusual as that may be, there's no plausible explanation that would be any less unusual or rare. I would set up a live trap and find out for sure. It might also prove helpful to see if anyone in your area buys, sells, breeds, or collects exotic animals or unusual cat breeds that resemble the animal in question.

 

[nelsonsflock]

Hello,

The bottom photo is clearly of a cougar/mountain lion. If your game camera is set up near your house or coup expect trouble. Cougars tend to be territorial, if that cat has been pushed out of its territory by another more dominant cat it may be looking to establish new territory and easy chickens would be very enticing. It could also be a danger to humans and other pets. Be very carefull.

 

[angie3881]

Quote:
That is not an exotic house cat... How are the proportions that of an adult?? Georgia has NO mountain lions... I repeat... NO mountain lions!
Signed... The local game warden...

 

[angie3881]

Oh crap... forgot to do this...

 

[angie3881]

Iowa doesn't either.

 

[Jobele]

It's definitely a cougar......house cats don't have tails that long and it is a LOT bigger than any housecat. As far as not having any in your area.....well, I'll say this. I've had a mountain lion kill a Boxer puppy I had let out early in the morning (around 2AM). I was in the Dallas, TX area at the time. NEVER DREAMED a mountain lion was hanging outside in the tall grass!!! They were migrating through the area to get to the hill country! When I called Wildlife and Fisheries....they wanted me to take a picture of the footprint and place a quarter inside of it to see how big it was! I was ticked! It had literally taken the WHOLE HEAD of my 3 month old Boxer pup in its' mouth! She was dead before she knew it....it broke my heart! So, don't think they don't pass through. It looks like this is near a creek bed too. They will follow the water ways when they migrate from one place to another.

Keep your chickens secure at night and YOU BE SAFE TOO! They normally will run off when they smell a human....but, all bets are off if it is injured or is hungry enough!

 

[007pennpal]

I'm an expert on cougars. I am a houndsman. I see and track cougars daily. I can confirm two things for you about your animal in question. First, it is a standard cougar. Looks like a kitten female. Second, there are cougars in Georgia. I have seen one on Fort Benning in an area off limits to people because of live bombs on the ground. Also, cougars have been known to travel across the entire North America starting in the West and being found in the east. This has been recently documented with the new technology used in modern satelite tracking collars. Also, it would be rare for the lion to attack you. The lion is a very young cat less than one year. It is still being raised by its mother who is nearby. In your area there also exists a male lion. This is what I can tell you from looking at the pictures.
Sean

 

[tn_artist]

It does seem small for a cougar (panther, puma, mt. lion, painer- all the same thing), but does have the proper markings with the exception of the diluted tabby type stripes in the second picture. It also looks a little long legged for a cougar in a couple pictures, but hard to tell. I have a friend with a 'Darwinian' cat. Unusually large breed with extra toes and he is the only domestic cat I have seen that comes close to the same size. I did live in SC sand hills for many years and did see a cougar there twice. The first time I chalked it up as "I must be mistaken". The second time, mentioned it to a store in the area and they said that there was a 'farm' near there that had wild cats and that several years before a few had gotten loose! OMGosh!
I havent read through all of the posts, but if you figure it out, please let us know. I know, as a chicken owner, I should be anti-cat, but I think they are beautiful animals and would love to see one again, although not at night in the woods. I live in TN now and although they say they are or were around here in numbers years ago, and several people swear to seeing one (including my husband), I think I'm out of luck.

Beth