http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050322/od_afp/britainanimalscatoffbeat_050322151451&e=3LONDON (AFP) - A giant puma-like cat was feared to be on the loose in one of London's leafiest suburbs after a man said he had been pounced on by a creature, which then stood hissing on his chest.
Holder, 37, had ventured to the bottom of his garden late on Monday after hearing his own pet cat howling.
In recent years, sightings of giant cats have been reported throughout Britain, but although livestock have supposedly been attacked a number of times there have been virtually no instances of encounters with humans.
Initially dismissed by scientists as unlikely, evidence from pawprints and droppings has led many to conclude that a number of big cats, perhaps released into the wild from private zoos, are roaming the country.
Around 15,000 foxes are believed to live in the capital, as well as a large number of squirrels and other creatures.