2026-06-26 13:02:51

A big cat likened to a “small leopard” is on the loose in the east of England with experts admitting it’s “a bit of a worry”.

The creature was spotted and photographed by a dog walker in the Norfolk village of Bramerton – on the outskirts of the city of Norwich – who reported the sighting to the RSPCA.

Tom Baker, 27, from Bramerton compared the cat to a “small leopard”, telling the BBC: “Originally we thought it was a big fox, but we zoomed in on our camera and thought it looked like a leopard.

“It was a lot larger than a normal cat. We turned around and walked swiftly away and luckily the dog was on the lead. I’ve never seen anything like it around here.”

Tom told the outlet he spoke to the RSPCA about the sighting and experts there told him it could have been an escaped serval, which are native to Africa, or a or Savannah cat, which is a hybrid born through the interbreeding of wild cats with domestic felines.

Evie Button, the RSPCA’s senior scientific officer, said: “We have concerns about the breeding, trade and keeping of wild, or exotic, animals kept as pets, including those classified as dangerous wild animals, such as servals.

“Animals should only be kept in captivity if good welfare can be assured and this can often be very challenging.

“Exotic pets are wild, non-domesticated animals kept in captivity and so their needs are essentially no different to the same species living in the wild.

“Some species – like servals – are unsuitable to be kept as pets because their needs are too complex to be met in a household environment.”

Kevin Murphy of Norfolk Wildlife Rescue shared a picture of a similar cat on Facebook and urged anyone who is “missing one of these” to get in touch.

He added to the BBC news of a big cat being on the loose is “a bit worrying”.

Kevin said: “”To have one roaming about is a bit of a worry, but these things happen. The owner should check the enclosure and make sure it is secure.

“They are smaller cats than tigers and lions, but they are still big animals to have.”

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