Mercia panther panic over

Published: Friday, 09 July 2021

BOATERS at Mercia Marina have been reporting seeing a panther in its grounds, with panic setting in.

But photographs of the 'beast' proved it to be no more than a Maine Coon—a large breed of domesticated cat which belongs to someone living nearby, Alan Tilbury reports.

MaineCatDescriptions getting preposterous

The panic soon spread when the cat was seen around the marina with descriptions getting more and more preposterous—possibly linked to the number of pints...

But someone seeing the published photographs quickly pointed out that the animal was no panther but a somewhat large cat. Image by Graham Beardsmore.

Love of the outdoors

The breed is the official cat of the state of Maine in America and known for its love of the outdoors, its bushy coat giving it the appearance of being so large.