Fears pet cat Sheldon could be mistaken for Pontybodkin Puma

Black cat Sheldon is the star of video footage shot in Trelogan last month that, at the time, was believed to be possible evidence of a big cat stalking that part of Flintshire.

The video received attention from the national media who have attributed the many sightings of big cats all over North Wales in recent months to the "Puma of Pontybodkin".

However, in this case, the video is not of a puma, lynx or panther, but rather affectionate family moggy Sheldon.

Sheldon is a big boy!

Owner Sara Goodenough described Sheldon as “the biggest softy ever” who just loves to spend his time prowling the fields around Trelogan chasing rats, birds and rabbits.

Weighing in at 6kg, Sheldon measures 88cm head to tail, and stands at 89cm when on his back legs, which is about the size Sara's two-year-old twins.

When Sara tried to carry him to the vets in a cat carrier he broke free (Sara snapped a photo of him at the wheel of her car after his escape) so she has to use a small dog cage if he needs to be taken anywhere.

But since attraction attention when he was mistaken for a panther, Sara is worried that farmers could mistake him for a dangerous "big cat" in the wake of the recent sightings.

Sara said: "I don't want my cat to get harmed. People are telling each other there is a big cat in the area, so if a farmer sees a cat now they could think its a puma and its a danger to their livestock. So my concern is for Sheldon really. I don't want him shot, or harmed, or trapped somewhere because someone things he's something he's not."

Sarah believes most local sightings are likely to be cats like Sheldon - but she is not ruling out the presence of big cats in more remote areas.

She added: "If someone sees a black cat they can think it's a big cat. I have another cat that is almost the same size, but he is back and white. So when people see him they see the white and obviously know that it is a domestic cat. But when they see a big black cat they don't always, especially with all the publicity at the moment.

"Maybe there are big cats in Snowdonia but I think the ones being seen here are just domestic cats or farm cats that have been bred big. Because I've got a large black cat if I saw one I probably wouldn't take any notice of it."

She added: "Everyone is scared of Sheldon when they see him. But once you give him attention he is the biggest softy ever. He goes to our neighbours' house, he just walks in and makes himself at home. Wherever we have lived he has made friends. And everyone recognises him because he is so big.

"He just wants some love and attention - and he's got it now. He's famous."

Images from the video shot by Jonathan Terry in Trelogan.

Jonathan Terry filmed the creature, which he spotted prowling the fields to the rear of his house in Trelogan, we now know to be Sheldon, from his kitchen window.

On the video, which Jonathan submitted to Puma Watch North Wales, voices can be heard saying "that's massive" and "it's stalking something, innit?"

Puma Watch North Wales founder Tony Jones said: "We now know this was likely Sheldon out hunting a rabbit or rat through the grass. And we’ve also been able to confirm Sheldon does visit the woods where the second sighting took place, which was reported to us after sharing the video but took place four days before it was filmed."

However, Tony believes there is evidence for a small population of big cats thriving in North Wales, perhaps from as early as the 1970s.

He said: "When big cats were banned as pets in the 1970s, it was legal to release them into the countryside to avoid expensive rehoming costs. Owners from across the UK travelled to areas like Wales to release their cats in the remote environment, where small but significant populations have thrived ever since.

"Big cats such as pumas are solitary with a hunting range of dozens of miles. They’re mostly spotted in Snowdonia and the Clwydian Hills but reports of sightings in urban locations some distance from these areas are becoming more frequent."

The Trelogan reports follow several as yet unexplained sightings in Abergele Corwen, Pontybodkin, Pentre Halkyn, Rhuallt and Talacre that the national media has grouped under the umbrella term the "Puma of Pontybodkin".

Darren Millar, MS for Clwyd West, said the issue is becoming "a real worry"

Clwyd West MS Darren Millar made the call to investigate 'big cat' sightings during a virtual meeting of the Senedd last month.

Due to the spate of sightings in his constituency, prior to the Trelogan reports, MP for Delyn Rob Roberts wrote to the Welsh Government's Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths.

She replied that reports received by the Welsh Government are treated seriously and are investigated.

She said: “The Welsh Government’s policy is to investigate any reports received by the Department for Economy, Skills and Natural Resources of alleged sightings and attacks by big cats on livestock in Wales.”