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‘Wild Cat’ Anything but Wild.

The Courier: 6th August 2007

The Courier
   
Residents living close to Ninewells Hospital can once again sleep at night after the mystery of what is thought may have been a wild cat roaming the area has been solved.
Alarmed dog walkers had contacted The Courier last week after they had spotted the animal near the hospital.
They reported a large cat with a glossy coat, yellow eyes and large pointed ears.
However it turns out the infamous "beast of Ninewells" is actually a docile pedigree cat called Callum.
The residents said their dog had been distressed by the unusual animal and that they had heard of other sightings of large wild cats in various parts of the city in recent years.
Another resident, Graeme Keillor, saw the article and immediately recognised the description as resembling his own beloved cat.
Callum is a Maine Coon, a pedigree breed from America.
He is a striking animal with muted tan coat, a long bushy tail, yellow eyes and pointed ears.
Bigger than a cocker spaniel, he measures a metre from his head to the end of his tail and weighs nearly 10 kilograms (21lbs).
Known as "the gentle giant," it is one of the largest breeds of domestic cat, noted for its intelligence and playfulness.
Mr Keillor spoke of his bemusement about the misidentification and said Callum is a shy and reserved character without a vicious bone in his body.
Callum has himself been treated for bites from other smaller domestic cats and is more prone to sleeping than prowling the city streets.
Mr Keillor said, "We live in the area and though he doesn't go very far normally it is possible that he had gone up into the hospital vicinity.
"He fits the description and is a lot bigger than a cocker spaniel, which is what he was compared to in the story.
"Callum is the most docile cat and if he saw a dog he definitely would run.
"He hides when there are children about. He is by no means vicious.
"He only really goes out at night and the rest of the time he just sleeps.
"When he is spread out on the floor he is over a metre long. He is a big cat.
"I am just concerned that somebody is going to shoot him or something because they think he's a wild cat," he added.

Do you have any information on the above reports. Were you the person involved, or are you aware of any more sightings in this area. We would appreciate any information that you could give us.

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