The Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC was awash in excitement recently after homeowner Giulia de Marzo shared this video to her neighborhood blog. You’ll see from the screenshot that she thought it might have been a cougar climbing her back fence.
Cat or cougar?
De Marzo contacted Animal Control and the local zoo to make sure a big cat wasn’t on the loose. Wildlife experts quickly confirmed the cat was a large domestic feline, however. They blamed the wide-angle lens of the Ring security camera for making the kitty appear larger than life.
The backyard bandit’s hind legs tell the tale
Cougar hind legs
Cat fanciers from Pictures of Cats explain on their blog how to quickly spot the difference between large wild cats and domestic cats.
If this isn’t the ‘cougar,’ it’s definitely his cousin!
Another resident chimed in with a video he’d taken of a similar-looking cat in the area on the local blog Popville.
This ‘cougar”s breed is a topic of debate, with the hybrid Chausie being a popular guess.
The Chausie is a recognized hybrid cat breed developed by crossing the jungle cat (Felis chaus) with Abyssinian and Oriental Shorthair domestic cats. These beautiful cats are 15 – 25 pounds and are built long and lean, much like the cat in the video.
On the news
The backyard bandit even made the evening news! Hopefully, the cat’s family recognizes him and start keeping him inside where it’s safer—for everybody. No more surprise visits.
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