[GOLFER54]

Maybe it was a transgender black Labrador

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Hiltongrizz11

Are we supposed to know what that acronym is? Wow people who just make things up

Yes... TTFN..

[joelfmi]

Never heard of a back cat, is it something new in The villages

[jimkerr]

It was likely just a regular cat or a dog. We don’t have to worry about panthers in the villages.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by Miriam2940

Florida panthers aren’t black, they’re tan

Who said anything about Florida Panthers? Except you? Technically, they aren’t panthers, they are cougars according to my limited research.

[La lamy]

Originally Posted by CWGUY

More than likely just a Villages' Cougar headed out for Happy Hour.

[toeser]

Originally Posted by vermonster

I had a similar experience way up north (in the Spanish Springs area) several years ago, which I have pushed aside as an anomaly. I walked out my door about 10:00 PM with my Greyhound for our pre-bedtime walk. My dog, who NEVER barks, froze and then started barking. Diagonally across the street was a large black creature, much larger than anything we may see out and about from time to time: feral cats, the occasional coyote or two, an opossum. Whatever it was just stared at us. My eyes had not adjusted to the dark, and it was too far away for my flashlight to be of any use. Eventually it loped away, and we cautiously continued our walk. I had the eerie feeling it was watching/stalking us. I sensed it again farther along between two houses. Walking, not running quickly, we returned home. I concluded it was probably a bear.

My neighbor swears that a couple of years ago he saw a panther walking a golf course in the Spanish Springs area.

[Villagesgal]

State wildlife experts estimate there are less than 200 adult Florida panthers in the wild. Most live in southwest Florida, though they are occasionally spotted in Central Florida. Male panthers tend to roam, while females stay south of Lake Okeechobee.May 19, 2020

The area south was heavily forested just a few years ago until the Villages took out and burned most of the trees. I've lived here 21 years so have seen all the deforestation down there, so it is very possible it was a Florida black panther.

[racedaygal]

It could have been a bobcat. We saw one on Pelican a few weeks ago on the fence line. Just minding his own business walking along. I wasn’t close enough to take a picture, but I got a very good look and I’m sure it was a bobcat. We had a lot of those back in Tennessee.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by racedaygal

It could have been a bobcat. We saw one on Pelican a few weeks ago on the fence line. Just minding his own business walking along. I wasn’t close enough to take a picture, but I got a very good look and I’m sure it was a bobcat. We had a lot of those back in Tennessee.

This had a long tail and was jet black.

[Mrprez]

On a trip to Alaska a few years ago, we had just arrived in Alaska on the Alaska Highway. The road was atrocious and we were traveling about 35 mph when I spotted movement on the right side of the road. I had my camera in my lap and was able to capture a picture of this cat as it crossed in front of us. Also not a Bobcat, most likely a lynx of some sort, note the black tipped tail.

The road looks quite nice in this picture, there were spots where they had repaired the surface but mostly there were severe frost heaves making it very difficult driving in an RV.

[eeroger]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

SWMBO was driving on Warm Springs towards Bigham Trail from Publix and saw a large black cat crossing from Marsh Bend area to the non-villages houses just east of Bigham Trail. First gators in the driveway and now panthers! Bigfoot can’t be far behind.

If the animal has a tail, it could be a panther. A large black cat - about the size of a Labrador - "without" a tail is a Melanistic Bobcat according to FWC. We had two reports of this black bobcat in our neighborhood last week.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by eeroger

If the animal has a tail, it could be a panther. A large black cat - about the size of a Labrador - "without" a tail is a Melanistic Bobcat according to FWC. We had two reports of this black bobcat in our neighborhood last week.

Woah! What neighborhood is that? This cat would have come out of the Hog Eye Sink area near Marsh Bend.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Mrprez

Who said anything about Florida Panthers? Except you? Technically, they aren’t panthers, they are cougars according to my limited research.

OP mentioned panthers.......

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

OP mentioned panthers.......

I am the OP. I did not mention Florida Panthers.