NT News runs a front page article on Big cats

[topender]

Whoa...picked up the NT News ( bloody top paper..gag..spew) today 29th july, nice front page article about a supposed big cats in the territory with nice references to Mike and rebecca's book...check it out on the web ntnews.com

[Shazzoir]

Sorry Topper, you forgot the .au http://www.ntnews.com.au/

Otherwise you get a pink page with girls all over it.

shazz

[iwanttobelieve]

Hey guys.

Try this link:

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2010/0 ... tnews.html

It should be noted that the NT Blues only dedicates a full front page to the best stories.

I still think Toppy's "A Yowie Killed My Puppy" story is the stuff of legends.

Cheers.

[cryptobotanica]

Nice plug, Mike

That thing (and the thing in quite a few other pictures and footage floating around the intertubes) looks a LOT like my dog. He's a mastiff x ridgeback, a lot of people have picked on him for looking like a Thylacine. Same square head, pricked ears, tapering hindquarters, colouring, stiff and slightly upcurved tail, etc. His prints are almost mark for mark the same as most "big cat" casts I have looked at, too. If I was more bored, I'd take his castings and a few local stock death reports to the local paper He also has a habit when stalking prey of lowering his body and "slinking" along... more feline, than canine. Also likes to hunt almost anything, right down to mice. If you ever see a mastiff x trying to fit behind the fridge to nail a mouse, you know that nature has a sense of humour too. He's a big sook really but I wouldn't like to open our front gate after dark if I was someone else. Anything that eats golf balls for a hobby is not to be interrupted.

Course, my cat is the offspring of a domestic shorthair persian and an unknown southern qld feral. He spent the first 6 months "going sideways" at us, or anything that moved.Not that playfully nibbling your ankles from under the couch like a normal kitten, he would go from "what the F$%k are you?!" to "I'm going to stalk and bite you, and then bite you some more, with the membranes half over my eyes, zombie style".

Literally would never (and still never) backs down from anything. Yknow how you can play fight with a cat, and in about 5 mins it gets all worked up and runs off? Not this one. He just tries to bite you to pieces and as a kitten had to be put into "the Cooler" (spare room) for 10 minutes just to chill him out some. He pants when hot (tongue out, and everything), eats fruit and veg - seriously..cherry tomatos, banana, carrots, anything. When he's not being a weirdo he's trying to de-flea your head. Quite the accessory for the Cryptid-About-Town

He also had an extra, smaller set of upper canines (jammed in behind his main set) that fell out about 8 months, and is currently about 3 feet long (should measure, I read anything over 20 inches is odd, hes certainly a lot bigger than that), nose to tail. Has stripes, too. He has mellowed in his old age (the ripe old age of three) but will still happily bail up visitors at the gate, tells the dog what to do and likes to go out frightening cows. I was going to get him snipped , of course, but to be honest I am kind of curious as to just how big (and weird) he will get left intact.

[iwanttobelieve]

The real shame is this animal is walking through wet clay.

With a shovel and a bit of care it would an ideal way to preserve a fresh print without even needing to cast it.

Awesome shot though. I'd love to see the full footage.

[Mike Williams]

Nice plug, Mike

Thanks Cryptobotanica...we were lucky..

That thing (and the thing in quite a few other pictures and footage floating around the intertubes) looks a LOT like my dog.

Trust me..its 100% cat.. thats why I was laughing at some of the comments under the story..
A very muscular cat..to our untrained eye..if the footage was in the US..they would be calling it a cougar..
We are trying to get Jan to contact us again..she changed phones and moved..just waiting for her now..

With a shovel and a bit of care it would an ideal way to preserve a fresh print without even needing to cast it.

Dead right iwanttobelieve..but..the place was riddled with crocs..

Awesome shot though. I'd love to see the full footage.

We tried to get the networks for years to show some form of interest with that footage..they would say "is it a black cat"..I would say no...end of story..
To get the still, I copied a friends trick..because consumer dv has a small frame size and because of the distance, the original stills from the video I was fiddlying with were fairly poor for the book.
So I hooked up an output to a monitor and used 400 asa film and took a variety of stills on a tripod whilst the video was on pause..
Its a pity the book has b/w photos instead of colour..but the cost was too prohibitive.

[NoPolys]

Mike,
Great work around!! I like it...... I just wished I could find a way to "help with the problem" in my area and still be allowed in the neighborhood.... rofl

[topender]

Hey Mick

i thought youd been abducted by ' aliums" or something, nice to see your still around.....Oh and thanks for reminding me of the " puppy story " .

Q; is the actual film footage of this prancing pussy able to be viewed somewhere?.....eversince reading Mike and rebecca's book im seeing cats everywhere

[Mike Williams]

Thanks Nopolys..hey..it works which is the bottom line.

is the actual film footage of this prancing pussy able to be viewed somewhere?.....ever since reading Mike and rebecca's book im seeing cats everywhere

Not yet Top..we are waiting to speak to the owner to see what she wants to do..
We have no working phone number/mail address ... she said she was going to contact us on the comments thread on the news site..but didnt bother..
Looking at the footage again..it also can look like a larger version of a temminck's cat without the facial markings..

[Ruby]

Thanks Guys,

We were gobsmacked it made Page 1, but then again it's so up their alley - they've done yowies and UFOs but from memory I an't recall cats being centre stage.

Their time has come :-)

Ruby

[deadpool]

Puppy story? Link!

[SAB 8]

And today the Daily Telegraph followed suit.... interesting little story....check the comments section as well. Very Interesting.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/n ... 5902290900