This is where we will keep brief details of sightings or other evidence. The list will be in chronological order. The list will be continually updated. More detailed information will be kept in our paper filing system. Please note that some witnesses want complete privacy and dont want any mention made of their sighting or experience, therefore much information is not available on this website, many sightings or experiences are omitted for this reason.
Date : About 1995. Location : Between Maresfield and Sheffield Park, East Sussex. A Maresfield resident while out shooting in woodland / farmland, saw a big black cat. He described it as a panther and said he was 100% certain. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 1999/2000. Location : Lurgashill Mill Lake, West Sussex. A fisherman noticed a big cat of some kind, ginger/fawny coloured, in a large bush. The fisherman and his friends made a hasty retreat from the area. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Sometime between 1995 and 2002, between Spring and Autumn, Sunday evening about 11pm. Location : A283, Egdean, near Petworth, West Sussex. A driver noticed a big black cat about the size of a great dane dog standing in the road. The driver said he noticed what appeared to be blood around the cats mouth or maybe the cat had a rabbit. The cat moved off as his car approached. The driver said moments earlier he had stopped to speak to another driver who was stopped because he thought he had hit an alsation dog. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 3 November 2004. Midnight. Location : Pevensey / Polegate area, East Sussex. A driver on his way back from a gig at Hastings saw a big black cat cross the A 27 somewhere between Pevensey and Polegate. He said he was doing 40 mph when the cat crossed in front of him at about 150 feet. He said it was about 2 - 3 feet by 4 feet with a long tail. He thought it was a panther. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About 2005, about 7am, summertime. Location : A272, Strood Green near Wisborough, West Sussex. A driver noticed a big black cat about the size of a Labrador dog crossing the A272. He said the cat was about 100 yards away and was the classic black long tailed creature with a definite feline way of moving. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About 2005, about dusk. Location : Woodland near Hailsham, East Sussex. A dog walker saw a big cat sitting on a track between the trees. He described the cat as a puma. He was absolutely certain. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 1 April, 2006, dusk / early evening. Location : Near West Dean, West Sussex. A driver saw what may have been a big cat walking along the side of a hedgerow by the side of a country lane. The driver describes the animal as like a mountain lion { puma }. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About 2006, summertime, early afternoon. Location : Kingston, near Lewes, East Sussex. A local woman was checking her boundary hedge on the slope of The Downs when she saw a big black cat. She said the cat was only about 3 yards away the other side of the hedge. She said it was about 2 foot by 4 foot with a long tail and ran off very fast the sighting only lasting seconds. She drew a picture of what she saw and went on the internet and looked up big cats. She said it was definitely a big cat. What she described fits the picture of a black panther [ leopard ]. She told her grandson who was staying with her and he said he had seen it a week previously but when he told his parents they didnt believe him. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : June, 2006, 4-30am. Location : Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. A fisherman on a boat saw a big black cat on the shore below Beachy Head.
Date : 20 December, 2006, late night. Location : Arlington, near Polegate, East Sussex. A driver and her passenger saw a large dark coloured cat at the side of the road. The cat was described as possibly being a puma.
Date : 8 January, 2007, 7pm. Location : Langney, Eastbourne, East Sussex. A local person saw a big black cat the size of a labrador dog while exercising his dogs near his home.
Date : 3 March, 2007, 5pm. Location : Near Plumpton College, Plumpton, East Sussex. A driver saw a big black cat at the edge of a field on the slopes of The Downs. He described it as a panther. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About spring, 2007, about 11-30 pm. Location : Compton, West Sussex. A driver saw a big black cat cross the road in front of him at about 20 yards distance. He said the cat ran like a tornado across the road. He said the cat was very big with a length of about 6 foot. He said he was definite about what he saw. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 16 May, 2007, 9-30pm. Location : Hindleap Lane, Ashdown Forest, East Sussex. A driver saw a big black cat described as a black puma.
Date : June / August, 2007, dusk. Location : Wivelsfield Green, East Sussex. A person out taking wildlife photos saw what was probably a big black cat on farmland at a distance of about 100 metres. The photographer did not have a camera to hand when the sighting occurred. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Summer, 2007, early morning. Location : Gatwick, West Sussex. A passenger on a train near Gatwick saw what was probably a big black cat in a field at a distance of about 200 metres. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 10 September, 2007, 1am. Location : Duncton Hill, near East Lavington, West Sussex. A driver saw a very large cat crossing the road ahead. He immediately identified it as similar to a cougar. He said the cat sprang up on to a bank and half turned to watch the car go by. He said the cat was a light beige colour and very big, about the size of a labrador dog and almost certainly a cougar.
Date : Autumn, 2007, daytime. Location : Chiddingly, East Sussex. A local man saw a big cat in the field to the back of his house. He said the cat was a Lynx. He said the cats body was about 2 and a half foot long with a stubby tail. He said he was absolutely certain it was a Lynx. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About Autumn, 2007, morning. Location : Rushlake Green, East Sussex. A woman walking her dog along Flitterbrook Lane saw a big black cat. It was a murky morning and her dog started reacting strangely. Then coming round a bend in the road ahead of her was the animal. She said it stopped then turned sideways on and was not in a hurry. She could see it was a big jet black sleak looking cat with a long tail and small head. It was about 50 yards from her. The cat then shot off into the hedgerow and disappeared. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Autumn / Winter, 2007, morning. Location : Bevendean, near Brighton, East Sussex. A shepherd was driving on a field and saw a big cat leap out of the grass. The cat was described as cream coloured with a tail as long as a puma and bigger than the collie dog that was present.
Date : 2007 / 2008, nighttime. Location : Selham, West Sussex. A local resident saw a big black cat in her garden. For some days she had been putting bird seed out and overnight it had all disappeared. She thought a badger might have been eating it. She also heard the dog barking a lot at night. So she decided to wait up one night and catch sight of the animal taking the bird seed. When the dog barked she got up and went to the window overlooking the garden and saw a big black cat described as like a panther. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 10 March, 2008, 8-30am. Location : The Cuckoo Trail, near Hailsham, East Sussex. A walker saw a big black cat sleeking through undergrowth before it disappeared into foliage.
Date : 16 March, 2008, about noon. Location : Jevington, East Sussex. A driver and his passengers saw a big black cat moving along the edge of a field. The driver stopped his car to look at the cat but the cat leapt and pounced off up a hill and through a hedge.
Date : Springtime, 2008, about 12 noon. Location : Vines Cross, East Sussex. A man and his friend having just arrived at a pub near Vines Cross saw a big black cat in a field. He said the cat was rolling in the grass just like a domestic cat would do. He said the cat had a slim body of about 3 to 4 foot long with a very long tail. He said the cat was only about 30 feet from them and they were amazed at what they saw the sighting lasting several minutes. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Summertime, 2008, daytime. Location : Rogate, West Sussex. A local man saw a big black cat in a field while driving along the A272 towards Rogate from the Petersfield direction. He said the cat was sleek looking and about 2 by 4 foot with very long tail curved up at the end. He said the cat appeared to be prowling in the field at a distance of about 100 yards. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : May, 2008, about 8 pm. Location : Between Polegate and Hailsham, East Sussex, on the A22. A driver saw a big black animal which he thinks may have been a panther jump across the road in two leaps.
Date : 20 June, 2008, 1-30am. Whitehawk, Brighton, East Sussex. A big black cat was seen at the top of someones garden. A visiting neighbour also saw it.
Date : August, 2008. Location : Golf course near Brighton, East Sussex. A golfer saw a big cat sandy in colour prowling on the course.
Date : Spring / Summer, 2008. Location : Bevendean area, Brighton, East Sussex. Various sightings of a big black cat dubbed the Beast of Bevendean. Mostly the sightings were by dog walkers. One dog walker said his dog had been attacked by a puma not a black panther, and he had seen the cat several times.
Date : 7 October, 2008, 11-25am. Location : Balcombe CE Primary School, Balcombe, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. A classroom assistant and schoolchildren saw a cat like creature the size of a retriever dog tawny in colour in woodland on the edge of the school grounds making a terrible growling noise. The classroom assistant said she looked up internet sites on big cats and the sound she heard sounded like that of a puma.
Date : October, 2008, afternoon. Location : Balcombe, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. A walker said he heard an unmistakable growling noise coming from woodland. He said it must have been fairly close and made him walk quicker. He later learnt of the sighting at Balcombe school just days earlier.
Date : October, 2008, Midnight. Location : Sandhurst, East Sussex. A young man and his father saw a big black cat while out hunting rabbits on private land. They spotted something between rows of small trees. They knew it was too big to be a familiar animal so shone their lamps on it anyway but it dodged out of the way. The father wanted to get a closer look at the animal that was about 150 yards away. The animal was eluding them and it was getting late, already Midnight, so they decided to call it quits for the day. On the way back to their vehicle they turned round and noticed that the animal was now following them and was about 80 yards away. They shone their lamps on it and could see it was a big black cat its eyes orange in the lamps light. The cat shot off. It was described as being about two and a half feet by four feet. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About October, 2008. Location : Near Devils Dyke, near Brighton, East Sussex. A local man saw a big black cat like animal near a golf course. He said he was very scared. He said he found black hairs in a barbed wire fence that did not belong to a dog or sheep. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 26 January, 2009, 2-30pm. Location : Battle Abbey near Powdermill Woods, Battle, East Sussex. A driver saw a big black cat the size of a retriever dog in a field on the Battle Abbey Estate. The driver then took his dog for a walk in Powdermill Woods and was approached by 2 schoolboys on a track from their school at Battle. They were scared, they said they had just seen a big black cat jump across the track. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 15 February, 2009, 10pm. Location : Near Preston Park, Brighton, East Sussex. A big black cat was seen in someones garden. The cat was described as the size of an alsation dog.
Date : March, 2009, daytime. Location : Wisborough Green. West Sussex. A young lad saw a big cat like animal while fishing with is father and sister at a lake. He said the animal was about 2 foot by 4 foot and light brown. He said it was walking on the other side of the lake at about 50 yards. His sister also caught a glimpse of the animal.
Date : About May / June, 2009. Location : Near Devils Dyke, near Brighton, East Sussex. A local woman said she saw a big black cat and 2 young ones playing like cats do in a field. The same woman said she has found dead animals regularly over the years like they have been savaged and with huge scratch marks on them. She also said she regularly hears loud growling sounds at night coming from across the fields and her jack russell dog often comes running into the house looking scared. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About July, 2009, about 7pm. Location : Golf course near Devils Dyke, near Brighton, East Sussex. A professional golfer saw a big black cat about the size of a border collie dog walking across the course. He said it was like a leopard, 100% sure.
Date : Autumn, 2009, about 6-30 pm, [ dusk ]. Location : Heyshot, West Sussex. A driver and his wife passenger saw a big black cat cross the road and go through the open gate of the Dog Training Centre at Heyshot and disappear behind a hedge. The animal which he describes as about the size of a labrador dog with a very long tail and head smaller than a jaguar cat lopped across the road at a distance of about 50 yards. He stopped the car but could not see where the animal had gone. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Autumn, 2009. Location : Peacehaven, East Sussex. A local woman out walking her dog saw a big cat cross a path near Lower Hoddern Farm. She said the animal came out of a bush and crossed in front of her about 30 yards away. She said it was sandy coloured and definitely a big cat of some kind. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : September, 2009, dusk. Location : Angmering Park Estate, Arundel, West Sussex. A walker saw a big black cat the size of a small labrador dog walk across the track in front of him at the edge of a dense pine forest.
Date : September, 2009, dusk. Location : Between Horam and Chiddingly, East Sussex. A large black leopard the size of a roe deer was seen.
Date : September, 2009, dusk. Location : Edburton, West Sussex. A local person saw what could have been a big cat from her kitchen window. She said the animal which was dark brown was bigger than a domestic cat with a body about 2 foot long and a long tail. She said it had a white mark on its small head and stopped and looked in her direction from a distance of about 50 metres. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 4 September, 2009, 9-15 am. Location : Poynings, East Sussex. A local man saw a big cat like animal about 100 metres from his house. He said he noticed it pacing slowly around a gate in a field and then it ran off at spectacular speed when some walkers with dogs disturbed it. He said it bounded in a very distinctive way. He described it as bright red with a very long tail and larger than a very big dog. Source = BCIB.
Date : 24 September, 2009, about midnight. Location : Hurstwood Road, High Hurstwood, East Sussex. A driver and passenger saw a large black animal in the middle of the road. They described it as the size of a collie dog. Source = BCIB.
Date : 27 September, 2009, 3-50 pm. Location : Mile Oak Farm, Mile Oak, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex. A dog walker saw a big cat which he described as a puma moving very slowly along the edge of a field at about 500 metres away. He said the cat was about 2 feet tall and about 4 feet long. The dog walker returned to the same spot the next day and his dog started growling at something in the hedgerow which may have been a large animal, there were bird carcasses lying around. Source = BCIB.
Date : 30 September, 2009, about 3 pm. Location : Streat, near Ditchling, East Sussex. The leader of a group of ramblers saw a big black cat sitting in a field while he was waiting for the rest of the group to catch up with him. He noticed a large black object about 75 yards away in the long grass. It was when it got up and moved slowly away that he realised that he was probably looking at a very large black cat like animal. The animal stopped and looked at him then slinked off into the undergrowth. The animal was about 2 to 3 feet high and a body of about 3 feet long with a long tail. He described the cat as a young black leopard. Source = BCIB.
Date : 1 October, 2009, 8-45 pm or 9-45 pm. Location : Near Devils Dyke, near Brighton, East Sussex. A young man riding a pushbike up towards the Devils Dyke saw 2 big black cats cross the road in front of him. He said they had long tails low hung and they went over the golf course greens. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : A weekend in November, 2009, late at night. Location : Mannings Heath, West Sussex. A driver saw a big cat cross the road ahead of him about 50 yards distant. While driving along Hammerpond Road a driver caught sight of a big cat that he said crossed the road in two bounds. He said he could see the cat in his headlights and described it as sandy coloured and about 6 foot from head to tail. He said the embankment was about 20 foot high and the cat just leaped up it. He said he thought it was a Cougar [ mountain lion ]. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Early November, 2009, 4 pm. Location : Peacehaven, East Sussex. Two local women walking their dogs on leads saw a big black cat on a pathway across fields near Lower Hoddern Farm. The cat was described as about 2 foot by 4 foot and was clearly visible at about 25 metres. They were both amazed at what they saw. The cat stood there looking at them. The sighting lasted about a minute the time it took for them to walk away but the cat stood there watching them. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About November, 2009, early morning. Location : Newick, East Sussex. A local man saw a big cat like animal on the road from the Church to Fount Hill. He described it as light brown with a very long curled up tail. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Late December, 2009, daylight. Location : Ditchling, East Sussex. A man sitting in a car at a garden centre saw a big cat walk past at a distance of a few yards. He said it was very close. He was amazed. There was plenty of snow on the ground. He said the cat was brownish,very big, and had a long curly tail. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 11 January, 2010, 5 pm. Location : Balcombe, West Sussex. A local man out walking his dog saw a big cat in a field at the back of his property. He said he was about 150 yards away and the cat jumped a barbed wire fence into some woodland. He said he scoured the fence line for about 10 minutes and his dog was going crazy near the fence. He went home but decided to go back for another look about 45 minutes later. He went into the woodland and saw a fallen tree and then the cat jumped on the tree looked at him and then ran off. He said the cat was the size of an adult labrador dog. He said it had a short stubby head with pointed ears, was muscular and had a very long tail. He said the tail was huge. He said the colour was beige. He thinks it could have been a Cougar [ mountain lion ]. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 18 January, 2010, about 12 noon. Location : Rodmell, East Sussex. A local person saw a big cat like animal walking across a paddock at a distance of about 100 metres. It was described as light reddish brown with a puma type head and very long tail. It was said not to be a fox or dog or domestic cat, but the size of a fox and chunky and muscular looking. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About 5 February, 2010, afternoon. Location : Offham, East Sussex. A dog walker saw a big black cat running very fast across a field. He said the animal was too low and fast to be a dog and was about 4 feet long. He said the animal was heading towards Offham marshes an area that is often waterlogged by the river ouse. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 6 February, 2010, 10-30 am. Location : Iping, West Sussex. A woman who had just finished tending to the horses she looks after saw a big black cat run across the field. She said she was closing the gate to the field when she saw the cat. The cat was seen at a distance of about 200 metres and ran fast towards woodland. The sighting lasted less than 30 seconds. She said it was jet black with a long body and very long tail and blunt round head. She whistled at the animal at first thinking it was a dog but soon realised that she was probably looking at a black leopard. The cat took no notice and just kept running. She was surprised that the retired polo horses did not seem bothered by the cats presence like as if they were used to it ! Source = BCIB.
Date : March, 2010, 2-30 pm. Location : Rudgwick, West Sussex. A woman out walking her dog near her home saw a big black cat come out of a wood and run across a field. She described the cat as about 2 foot by 4 foot with a classic cat type tail. She said the animal was like a black panther. The sighting lasted about 15 seconds. She believes the animal was using the Downs Link Railway as a pathway. She also found a dead deer that had been partly eaten around about the same month as the sighting. And about 4 years ago saw a similar big black cat on the road near her home one morning at about 8 am. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Early April, 2010, 10 am. Location : Bepton Common, West Sussex. A local woman out walking her dog saw a big black cat. She said she was going through a narrow pathway only about a metre wide and about 30 metres in front of her an animal crossed the path. She was surprised by what looked to her like a panther [ leopard ]. She said it was deep black and about 50 cm to 55 cm tall and about 90 cm to 100 cm long with a very long tail and triangular head. She said the cat seemed completely unperturbed by her presence or her dogs presence and seemed to come from the direction of nearby houses. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About April / May, 2010, dusk. Location : South Harting, West Sussex. A driver saw a big black cat come from someones garden and cross the road in front of him at a distance of about 20 yards. The cat moved very fast. He said it had a body of about 3 foot with shortish legs and very long tail curled up at the end. He said it was definitely a big cat of some kind. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 3 May, 2010, 2-4 am. Location : Falmer, East Sussex. A former soldier and 2 of his colleagues probably saw a big black cat while out camping. They had been for a hike on The Downs and decided to camp out overnight not far from Sussex University. In the early hours he said he was aware of a big black animal moving around their camp but being tired he dropped back off to sleep. When he woke up later in the morning one of his colleagues said they also were aware of something like a big black dog prowling around in the early hours. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 21 May, 2010, 10 pm. Location : Chalvington, East Sussex. A local resident and his wife saw a large black animal outside their house. They had been putting food outside for the local wildlife when over several nights the security lights kept coming on more than usual. One night about 10 pm he went outside to have a look to see what was causing the lights to come on when coming across a flower bed was a large black animal with very long smooth S shaped tail and hind quarters like a cat. He followed the animal as it moved round their yard and it was also seen by his wife who was in the lounge looking out of the window. He was about 30 feet from the animal and said it had a smooth coat and was about 2 1/2 feet tall, the size of a large spaniel dog. The animal shot off. Source = BCIB.
Date : 22 May, 2010, 3-10 am. Location : Arundel, West Sussex. A driver on his way to work at Ford car boot fair saw a big cat cross the road. He said he was about a mile out of Arundel on the Ford road when he turned his headlights on and caught an animal in the beam. He said the animal crouched momentarily then moved off slowly towards the other side of the road and into a field. He said the animal was a beige / greyish colour with a small head and large rear end and a very long sweeping tail. He said the cat was about 2 / 3 feet tall and 4 feet long. He said he was driving at about 40 mph and the animal was about 150 yards away when he first saw it. He later went on the internet and looked up photos of big cats and says what he saw was like a Puma [ mountain lion ]. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 28 May, 2010, 11 am. Location : Wolstonbury Hill, West Sussex. A woman and her friend out walking with their 3 dogs saw a large black animal. She said they became aware of a large black creature moving away from them in the undergrowth. She said it was the size of a large dog but did not move like a dog. She said their dogs that would normally be running through the undergrowth did not do so on this occasion and stayed quiet and very close to them. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : May, 2010. Location : Telscombe, East Sussex. A local resident said he saw a big black cat in his garden. He said he went out side into his back garden and to his amazement the cat was just sitting there looking at him. He said the cat did not seem in the least concerned. He said it was a typical panther type cat. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : May, 2010. Location : Telscombe, East Sussex. A local farmer out walking saw a big black cat. The animal was described as a typical panther type cat. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About mid May, 2010, 8-30 pm. Location : Milland, West Sussex. A local resident near Dunner Hill saw 2 big black cats in her garden. She said the cats crossed her garden playing and fighting like cats do. She said the cats were about 2 foot by 3 foot and definitely not domestic. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 6 June, 2010, 3-30 pm. Location : Telscombe, East Sussex. A resident of Peacehaven while out walking his dogs with his family saw a big black cat cross their path about 25 yards away. He only saw the cat for a few seconds but said it was unlike anything he ever expected to see. He said it was black and about 2 foot high by about 4 foot long with long tail. He said it was feline in movement and form. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 20 June, 2010, 2-10pm. Location : Milland, West Sussex. A mountain bike rider saw a big cat while riding his bike near Dunner Hill. He said he was freewheeling down the track from Dunner Hill when he glanced to his left and saw a big cat stalking through a field towards a hedgerow. At first he thought the cat was a Lynx but later on when looking at photos on the internet he deduced it was probably a Puma [ mountain lion ]. He said the cat was buff / brownish coloured with a smallish head in proportion to the rest of its body, the rear end being large. The cat was about 4 feet long with a very long tail. The sighting lasted about 30 seconds and he was about 25 yards from the cat. Source = BCIB.
Date : End of June / Beginning of July, 2010, 3-30 am. Location : Petworth, West Sussex. A local woman saw a big black cat in the road in Petworth Town from her living room window. She said she came downstairs because she couldnt sleep and watched tv for a while then on the way back to bed looked out of the window that faces up the road and saw a large object in the road that at first she thought was maybe a traffic sign. But the object moved and she could see it was an animal of some kind. She thought it was a large dog or very large fox at first but then noticed the way it moved was more cat like and it held its head down and slunk forwards slowly. She said the animal was big, being about 2 and a half foot tall by 4 to 5 foot long body with very long s shaped tail. She says the more she thinks about it the more she thinks it was a black panther [ leopard ]. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 5 July, 2010, about 12 noon. Location : Piddinghoe, East Sussex. A car driver and his wife both saw a big cat cross the road ahead of them. They said the cat was about 2 foot by 4 foot and had an obvious feline head and very long tail gently upcurved at the end. He said he had been to many zoos and wildlife reserves around the World and did not think it was a leopard or cougar but may have been a serval cat. The cat was in the shade so they were uncertain about the colour. They said they were travelling towards Newhaven and near Piddinghoe doing about 30 mph saw the cat which was about 50 yards away as they approached. The cat then went into a hedge. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 7 July, 2010, about 12 noon. Location : Billingshurst, West Sussex. A woman on a train travelling from Pulborough to Billingshurst saw a big cat in a field. She said the train was moving slowly and she was using her laptop and looked out of the window and saw a golden coloured animal about 2 and a half foot by 4 foot long. The cat was moving through long grass. She said it looked in really good condition. She said the sighting lasted about 3 minutes. She then went on the internet and looked up big cats and deduced that what she had seen was a puma [ mountain lion ]. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 29 July, 2010, 8 am. Location : Milland, West Sussex. A local woman driving down Milland Lane saw a big black cat cross the road . She said it was about 200 yards away as she approached it and it ran into a hedgerow. She described the animal as labrador sized with a very long curled tail. She said it was not a dog or fox etc but feline looking. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 31 July, 2010, 4 pm. Location : Findon, West Sussex. A man out shooting clays saw a big black cat in a field of corn at about 200 metres distant. He said it was a solid black cat that stood head and shoulders above the corn that was about 2 to 3 foot tall. The cat walked through the corn and then lay down out of sight. The sighting lasted about 1 minute. He said the cat looked like a panther / black leopard. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Late July, 2010. Location : Milland, West Sussex. A local man has seen a big cat in his garden on a number of occasions. He said the cat was buff coloured and about 2 and a half feet tall at the shoulder and with a thick 2 foot tail. He said the cat had a small head and was very fluffy. He said the cat was in hunting mode. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 8 August, 2010, 10am. Location : Burgess Hill, West Sussex. A local man walking his dog near Ditchling Common saw a big black cat. He said the cat was about 10 yards away and was about 2 foot by 4 foot. His dog chased the cat but the cat ran off. Although the sighting only lasted seconds he was positive it was a large cat. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : August, 2010. Location : Rogate, West Sussex. A local woman said a friend of hers saw a big black cat in her garden. She said the cat crossed the garden and the sighting only lasted seconds but she was sure it was a big cat of some kind. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Early September, 2010, 5 pm. Location : Plumpton, East Sussex. A local woman and her daughter saw a big cat near their house. She said they saw the back end of the cat going through a wood by their driveway. She said it was grey browny black with a very long tail and she thought it was a Puma. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 13 September, 2010,about 7-30 am. Location : Bepton, West Sussex. A local woman said a friend of hers visiting from Canada saw a big cat like animal in the garden. Her friend said the animal was about the size of a fox and was plump and muscular with a long thin tail covered with short hair like the hair on its body. Her friend said the colour was odd for a cat and more like a fox colour an orange brown but with what looked like black hairs mixed in with it making it look a sort of burnt orange. Her friend said it was large for a cat [ domestic cat ] and not slinky but solid. Her friend thought what on earth is that. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About 15 September, 2010, about 7 am. Location : Common land near Midhurst, West Sussex. A local woman out walking her two dogs saw a big cat. She said at first she thought it was a deer but it ran like a cat and then she realised it must be a big cat. She said the cat was darkish brown with a long low body of about 4 foot. The cat was seen at about 30 yards away and she said she couldnt believe what she saw. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 15 September, 2010, 12.10 pm. Location : Milland, West Sussex. A local woman saw a big cat while driving along Iping Lane. She said the cat was in no hurry walking in the middle of the road at about 30 yards away and she stopped her car thinking it was a lost labrador dog. As she did so the cat turned and walked towards her car and she could see it was now no dog but a big cat of some kind and she went to take a photo but another vehicle came up behind her car and made a noise and the cat turned and jumped up and over a 5 foot hedge and disappeared from view. She described the cat as the size of a labrador, fawn coloured and with a very long tail. She said the cat had black markings around its eyes. Source = sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 15 September, 2010, 6.40 pm. Location : Mayfield, East Sussex. A local man driving his car saw a big black cat. He said he was just getting onto the road from where he lived when about 20 yards away a big black cat crossed the road in front of him. He said the cat was much bigger than a domestic cat and about the size of a fox, with a very sleek longish body of about 3 foot. He said it was definitely a cat of some kind. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 26 September, 2010, 9-30 pm. Location : Southwick Tunnel, Brighton By-Pass, East Sussex. A car driver travelling West along the A 27 near the Southwick Tunnel saw a big cat run across the road from North to South. She said in the headlights it looked a sandy colour and was definitely not a fox. She said it was about 2 foot high by about 3 to 4 foot long and was bounding across the road very fast like the cheetahs she has seen on wildlife programs. She said it was cat like. She said she was that close that she nearly hit it. Source : BCIB and sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : Early October, mid week, dusk. Location : Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex. A man out walking saw a big cat in a field near Langton Lane. It was the very long tail that he noticed first. The cat was about 2 foot by 4 foot and seen at a distance of about 75 yards. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 4 October, 2010, 11-15 pm. Location : Steyning, West Sussex. A local man driving along a lane near Steyning saw a big black cat in the road. He said the cat was startled by the vehicles head lights and turned and jumped up and over an hedge in to undergrowth. He was driving slow to negotiate a parked car in the lane when he saw the cat at about 20 yards away and he said it had a chunky body of about 3 foot and was one and a half foot high to the shoulder with a 2 and a half foot tail drooped down. He said he was 100 % definite it wasnt a domestic cat and was in no doubt that what he had seen was what appeared to be a black leopard. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 12 October, 2010, 2-30 pm. Location : Bevendean, Brighton, East Sussex. A woman out picking apples on common land near The Avenue, Bevendean, saw a big cat. She said she was near the apple trees when she saw the cat slink silently into the undergrowth. She described the cat as about 4 foot long and 2 foot high and black primarily with brown mottling. She said she was only a few feet away from the cat and the sighting only lasted seconds and she was definite it was not a dog or domestic cat but was feline. Source : BCIB and sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 13 October, 2010, 10 am and 6 pm. Location : Near Selsey, West Sussex. A man and woman on holiday staying at a cottage both saw a big black cat. The man saw a big black cat at 10 am for a few seconds. Later in the day at 6 pm the woman saw a big black cat at a distance of about 20 yards from the top bedroom window of the cottage. She said it was the jet black that first caught her attention as the cat slinked near an hedge. She said it was not a dog and was feline like and about 2 foot by 3 or 4 foot with a very long tail, small head and small ears. She said it rolled on its back just like a domestic cat would do, but this was a big cat. The sighting lasted about 3 or 5 minutes. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 20 October, 2010, 2 pm. Location : Heyshott Common, Midhurst, West Sussex. A woman out walking her dogs saw a big black cat. She said she was on a dirt track on the Common when one of her dogs went into some woods but was longer than usual coming out. After about 5 or 10 minutes as she was standing on the track she saw an animal cross the track about 200 yards away. She said it was not like anything she had seen before and was labrador dog sized with a very long tail but not a dog. She said a few seconds later her dog came out of the wood chasing it and they both ran off into the wood the other side of the track. She said she felt a bit nervous. A few minutes later her dog came back. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 24 October, 2010, 2-30 pm. Location : Midhurst, West Sussex. A man and his girlfriend and his mother saw a big black cat near Weglen Industrial Estate, Midhurst. They were out for a Sunday afternoon walk when they noticed an animal that was jet black grooming itself near some pools. He said the animal stood up and they could see it was not a dog but a big cat of some kind. He said it was about 2 foot tall by about 4 foot long with a round head and pointed ears and a very long tail curled up at the end. He said the sighting was at a distance of about 100 metres if that. They watched the cat for about 10 minutes. It then walked slowly off into a woodland. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 21 January, 2011, 8-40 am. Location : Devils Dyke, near Brighton, West Sussex. A woman saw an animal she couldnt recognise while driving her car over the South Downs near Devils Dyke. It was about 100 yards away. She said if she had to describe it she would say it was like an enormous Otter. It was brown and she thinks it was a big cat of some type. She said it looked like a Jaguarundi. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 21 January, 2011, 5-30 pm. Location : Kingston, near Lewes, West Sussex. A man running with his dog up on to the South Downs near Kingston saw a big cat. He said it was about 25 yards away dark coloured maybe black and with a long slim tail. He said his dog chased it for a couple of minutes something his dog never does with other dogs. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 27 January, 2011, 12 noon. Location : Midhurst, West Sussex. A man and his wife walking their dog in a common area near Midhurst saw a big black cat moving at speed. He said it was bigger than a Labrador dog, black, long and lower than a deer. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 31 January, 2011, 8-45 am. Location : Midhurst, West Sussex. A woman out walking her dog in private woodland near Heyshott saw a big black cat. She said her dog began behaving strangely and then a large animal crossed the track ahead of her. She said her dog chased the animal and the animal climbed up a tree. She got fairly close to the tree and could see that it was an extremely large cat maybe larger than a labrador dog with very long tail and not completely black but with faint markings. She had put her dog on its lead and after a couple of minutes got a bit nervous so decided to leave the area. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 31 January, 2011, 7 am. Location : Horsham, West Sussex. A man walking his dog near a river near Horsham saw a big black cat. His dog chased the cat which was about the size of a large fox and had a very long tail and flat face. It was about 20 metres distance from him. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 24 February, 2011, 2-50 pm. Location : Lindfield, West Sussex. A man driving his car slowly along the B 2028 saw a big black cat. He said the visibility was perfect and described the cat as larger than a dog with a tail curled up at the end and with a blunt face. He said it moved the way cats do. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 5 March, 2011. Location : Brighton, East Sussex. A woman driving her car along the A27 saw a big black cat. She said the cat appeared to be stalking sheep. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 28 May, 2011, 12-30 pm. Location : Sheffield Park, East Sussex. A man driving down a lane near Sheffield Park saw a big black cat jump into the hedge at about 50 yards distance away. He stopped the car to have a look at the cat. He said it was about 7 foot long including the tail. He said the cat was skinny. Sighting lasted a couple of minutes. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 28 May, 2011, 10-45 pm. Location : Westmeston, East Sussex. A woman was driving down a road near Westmeston with her son as passenger. She said suddenly the rear end of a large black cat with curved tail appeared in front of her car from the hedgerow. She said the cat was on its hind legs fighting with another animal, which was concealed in the hedgerow. She said the car nearly hit the cat. She said it definitely appeared to be a panther and was a rich glossy black in the cars headlights. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 19 June, 2011, 6-30 pm. Location : Crawley, West Sussex. A woman walking her dog at the edge of a woods near Crawley Down saw a big black cat leap in front of her about 50 yards distance away. She found a large pawprint were the animal had leapt. She said other people with her also saw the cat and the dog was going mad. She described the cat as bigger than a fox but smaller than a very big dog. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 27 June, 2011, 1-30 pm. Location : Polegate, East Sussex. A man driving down a lane near the Downs saw a big black cat cross the road. He said it was about the size of his german shepherd dog, with a very long tail. He said the cat went up a driveway and stood there as he drove slowly past. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 9 July, 2011, 5-30 pm. Location : Lewes, East Sussex. A woman saw a big black cat in a field near Lewes close to the B2124 road. She described it as panther like. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 8 August, 2011, 6 pm. Location : Patching, East Sussex. A farm worker on a tractor in a field saw a big black cat. He said the cat came out of trees about 50 yards from him and then went back into the trees. He said the cat was about the size of an alsation dog but longer and lower. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 12 August, 2011, 8 am. Location : Polegate, East Sussex. A woman saw a big cat crossing the A27 road near Polegate. She said the cat was brown with a very long tail, small round head, bigger than a fox and moved like a cat. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : About 16 September, 2011, midday. Location : Coldean, Brighton, East Sussex. A passenger in a car which his wife was driving saw what he thought was a big black cat in a field at the edge of Stanmer Park. He said the cat was bigger than a domestic cat and very black. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 18 September, 2011, 7-40 am. Location : Warninglid, West Sussex. A woman walking her 2 dogs on a lead up a lane near Warninglid saw what she thought was a tall skinny black dog about 100 yards away. She expected to see the dogs owner appear but didnt. Then the animal turned and crossed the road at which point the woman could see it was not a dog but a big cat. She said it had a small blunt head, slight arch to the back, was skinny and jet black with a very long tail. She said it seemed to be quite old judging by the way it moved. She watched it for a couple of minutes and the cat seemed unaware of her presence. She clapped her hands to get the cats attention at which point another animal, a domestic cat, came out of an hedgerow and crossed the road. Her dogs now started barking and the big cat became aware of her presence and ran off into a driveway followed by the domestic cat. The big cat disappeared but the domestic cat cowered in the hedgerow. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 18 September, 2011, daytime. Location : Staplefield, West Sussex. A father and son walking the dog saw a big black cat in a field. The son said that the cat was about the size of a rottweiler. When the cat saw them it ran off at great speed. The son said it was a cat like species. They saw the cat again shortly afterwards and it had what looked like a small animal in its mouth, maybe a rabbit. The cat moved further away from them and dissapeared. The next day the son went back to the field and found large paw prints but could not say for sure if the cat had made them. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 12 November, 2011, 10 pm. Location : Wisborough Green, West Sussex. A woman driving towards Wisborough Green from Petworth saw a big black cat run across the road very close to her car. She described the cat as labrador or dalmation dog sized with a definite cat like movement. Her husband who was a passenger also saw the cat. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 17 November, 2011, 3-40 pm. Location : Diddling, West Sussex. A woman driving her car slowly down a narrow lane near Diddling saw a big cat cross the road in front of her. She said it was probably black with a mottled colouring. She said it was similar to photo number 6 in the photo gallery and a similar pattern / colouring to photo number 28 in the photo gallery. She said it looked healthy / sleek / slender but not overly powerful looking, about 3 feet long in the body and a tail of about 3 feet. She was about 50 feet from the animal. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 19 November, 2011, 6 am. Location : Peacehaven, East Sussex. A woman out walking her dogs, 2 rottweilers, on the Downs, probably saw a big cat. She initially thought she saw a very big dog about 100 yards away and expected to see its owner appear, but didnt. She said the animal was dark coloured and very big. She said the animal disappeared down a field. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 26 November, 2011, 1-15 pm. Location : Lickfold, West Sussex. A local man said he saw a large black panther like creature in his garden. He said the animal was sitting by a pool then began walking alongside it. He said he got to within 20 yards of the animal when it saw him and then jumped a five foot fence. He said it was definitely not a domestic cat or a dog and said it was like photo number 2 in the photo gallery, with a very long tail. He said his daughter said she saw a big cat there 4 years ago when she was 8 years old. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 27 November, 2011, 3 pm. Location : Heyshott, West Sussex. A woman riding her horse down a lane near Heyshott saw what she thought was a big black cat. She said it was very black with a very long body and very long tail. She said it had something in its mouth, maybe a small animal like a rabbit. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.
Date : 6 January, 2012, 4-30 am. Location : Maresfield, East Sussex. A woman driving to work saw a big black cat run across the road in front of her car. She said the cat had long legs and looked like a panther. She said it was definitely a big cat. She said it looked like photo no 6 in the photo gallery. Source : sussexbigcatwatch.