What's this Critter?

[glowdotGlock]

I have a friend that has been having trouble the last few nights with something getting in their coup and killing chickens. They finally set up a game cam and got this. It's hard to scale but it looks cat like to me with a long ringed tail. Kinda stumped me. They are gonna let me come try to call it in and if that don't work I'm gonna put a couple leg holds at the point of entry at the coup. Anyone know what we may have here?

Edited August 23, 2015 by glowdotGlock

[monkeylizard]

Ring-tailed panther?

[Erik88]

Definitely a black panther. No question.

[DaveTN]

A cat.
The head is a blur, but looks like an ordinary house cat to me.

[Sam1]

chupacabra

[glowdotGlock]

A cat.
The head is a blur, but looks like an ordinary house cat to me.

I was thinking that. It keeps making holes in the wood on the backside of the coupe.

[xsubsailor]

 It looks like my neighbors cat, Elvis. He's an orange tabby with dark rings on his tail.

[TGO David]

It looks like a target.

 

:D

[dats82]

It looks like a target.

 

:D

 

Yep

[TNWNGR]

That's either a fully feral cat with no owner or a partially feral cat camping at womeones home pretending to be semi domesticated for hand outs. They can be ruthless killing machines whic destroy more than they consume. Option A. is live trap it and take it to a shelter. Option B. is to let some do godder do the same. Option C. involves either a 12 ga shotgun or .22 LR...

[xjsnake]

Yup it's a cat.

 

As an ecologist I hate the phrase "shoot, shovel, shut up" but in this case, cats are an invasive destructive species. I would firmly support open season on feral cats.

[peejman]

Yup it's a cat.

As an ecologist I hate the phrase "shoot, shovel, shut up" but in this case, cats are an invasive destructive species. I would firmly support open season on feral cats.

I thought there was open season on feral cats? Aren't they considered a nuisance animal, much like coyotes?

[xjsnake]

I thought there was open season on feral cats? Aren't they considered a nuisance animal, much like coyotes?

 

Not that I know of.

 

Not listed here

http://www.state.tn.us/twra/nonprotected.shtml

 

Nor here

http://tn.gov/twra/topic/small-game-animals

[Murgatroy]

Definitely a black panther. No question.

 

 

A cat.
The head is a blur, but looks like an ordinary house cat to me.

You are both almost right.

 

It is the super elusive Black House Panther!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or a regular feral domesticated cat. One of the deadliest hunters in society.

[glowdotGlock]

I was thinking it was a feral cat. I like the .22lr option.

[peejman]

Not that I know of.

Not listed here
http://www.state.tn.us/twra/nonprotected.shtml

Nor here
http://tn.gov/twra/topic/small-game-animals

Though I recalled reading that somewhere, but perhaps not. Sucks getting old...

[TGO David]

I was thinking it was a feral cat. I like the .22lr option.

 

I like the .338 Lapua option.  Don't think of it as a feral cat, think of it as ballistic gelatin on legs.  :D

[glowdotGlock]

I like the .338 Lapua option. Don't think of it as a feral cat, think of it as ballistic gelatin on legs. :D

I wish I had one. The largest caliber I can offer it at the moment is a .30-06.

[chances R]

Can best be identified at 'arms-length'. 

[dawgdoc]

Or it could be a non-feral pet cat that kills things.

[McGarrett]

kind of looks like a fox to me

[RED333]

I am calling it a target as well, my round would be 12 ga "00" buck, dont need to miss.

[vontar]

kind of looks like a fox to me

when I first looked I thought the same,  Starting at the head, but the back legs and tail don't match.

then when looking at the legs and tail a bit more the head doesn't seem big enough for fox either.

 

I am with the crowd it is a Black Panther or a cat.

[Oh Shoot]

....

I am with the crowd it is a Black Panther or a cat.

 

Little known fact: a Tennessee Black Panther is actually the juvenile stage of the Tennessee Bigfoot.

 

 

- OS

[glowdotGlock]

It didn't come back last night. When it does it has 2 cameras watching. One on photo and the other on video. We kept the original hole it went in twice left open but inside of the hole as soon as it comes in it steps into a large live trap.