Video of Thomas - my fiancee Gabrielle's cat - going for a walk with his humans in the country.
Black panther misidentification!?
It would be very easy to mistake Thomas and other Bombay cats like him for an Alien Big Cat, black panther, etc, especially if you were unsure about how far away he is.Bombay cats were first bred in the US as a deliberate attempt to produce a "miniature black panther". They're a black shorthair/Burmese cat cross. Bombays are shiny black with long legs, great strength, big characters and random white wirey hairs on their bodies in winter, especially under their chins - all characteristics of the Kellas cat hybrids. The males (like my own Bombay cat, Boris) often have fangs on the top row of teeth that protrude slightly when their mouths are closed.
A kink near the end of their tail or a floppy tail is another frequent Bombay characteristic.Thomas regularly picks fights with dogs many times his size, scaring them off with his jumping, claws out spitting routine.Bombays turn brown in the summer. There will often be one (more often than not male) Bombay kitten in a litter, their sisters often default to a dark smokey tortoishell instead. Something similar seems to be going on with the British mystery big cats too - with reports of a black one along with a brown one. (I've got a Bombay cat too, whose sister is a tortoiseshell. They come when you whistle.
Before he was neutered, my Bombay cat Boris used to go off for three days at a time on a regular basis.)I also met a Bombay-type cat called Chester who was with Framlingham Cat Rescue, Suffolk. He was huge, getting on for almost 2ft long, with the same long legs, and a sad, long face like a leopard. He showed off his sharp teeth by gently nipping me with them.I've seen a lot of rather poor British ABC photos recently of which I have immediately felt, "Bombay cat!" (And seen some better ABC photos too.)
One for the blog?
MATT
With all due respect a Bombay Cat looks nothing like a black leopard. You are correct that a majority of alleged 'big cat' photo's etc may well be domestic/Bombay cats, but a majority of alleged 'big cat' films shouldn't be taken serious anyway due to lack of consistency. The ears of the Bombay are nothing like the black leopard ears, and neither is the tail, and its gait is also very different.
ReplyDeleteA Bombay cat at a distance would - the same as a domestic cat - appear relatively small, but a majority of witnesses do not actually know what they are seeing. 99% of film footage regarding so called British 'big cats' is heavily flawed and unless one is filmed at a relatively close distance no footage should be considered evidence.