# Big cat ID **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 10, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615 "2021-03-10T14:43:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/41 "2021-03-10T21:27:48Z")
Ask for one for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/42 "2021-03-10T21:28:40Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > After some more googling I found this image which could be a pretty close match: See the black around the muzzle? The first picture is not a cougar, young or otherwise. The second picture is - you can see that black. While young cougars are spotted, those spots while they might last faintly until ~2 years have faded pretty thoroughly even by six months. And that animal in the first shot above has definite bands and stripes mixed in with the spots. That head also looks too massive to be a youngster. The head also looks to big for a savannah cat. No, ocelot is probably the correct ID. The JPG + PNG situation seems to square with it being somebody having a laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/43 "2021-03-10T21:44:19Z")
The first image was shared singly in a post. The second one was in a ‘gallery’ (i.e., click the arrow to page through the photos). I saved the first one from the post, and the second one from the ‘gallery’ to my desktop and then uploaded them. I don’t know if that had any effect on their formats. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/44 "2021-03-10T21:57:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Savannah cat. Some have stripes like that. None of them have the combination of stripe behind the eye and one on the neck like the animal in the photo. And they have much larger pointed ears. I’m not sure why you are trying to come up with an alternative identification when the animal in the OP has the exact markings of an ocelot. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/45 "2021-03-10T22:02:27Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > Am I the only one whose brain refused to co-operate in finding a cat in that image? I had to enlarge and crop the image to figure out what I was looking at. No, you’re not. I was going to ask if I was the only one who couldn’t see any cat in that photo when I came across your post and took one more look… And the head still looks entirely wrong to me for any sort of cat; looks more like a cow, though not right for that also. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/46 "2021-03-10T22:31:03Z")
Well, yes, it does, and i agree that is the most likely by far. But stopping the search for house cat varieties at the _ocicat_ was not going far enuf. There are many wild looking varieties. In fact the ocicat, IMHO and a former Bengalcat owner, is the least wild looking and isnt even a hybrid. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/47 "2021-03-10T23:00:43Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > After some more googling I found this image which could be a pretty close match: > > See the black around the muzzle? The first picture is not a cougar, young or otherwise. The second picture is - you can see that black. Between @Colibri’s highly informative posts (and apparent familiarity with the animal in question) and your very detailed explanation, I’m inclined to agree. Whether or not the picture was taken in where it was alleged to have been, it seems to show an ocelot, not anything else. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/48 "2021-03-10T23:43:25Z")
Again, in no way do i think it is anything but a ocelot. But my point was some domestic cat hybrids have odd markings and the ocicat in no way looks anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/49 "2021-03-10T23:49:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But my point was some domestic cat hybrids have odd markings and the ocicat in no way looks anything like that. Which was the point I made by bringing up the ocicat myself in post #7. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/50 "2021-03-10T23:56:51Z")
Well, yes, a _ocicat_ doesnt look like that but neither does a maine coon, nor a persian or any of a couple dozen domestic cats. The fact that a ocicat doesnt look like the picture doesnt rule out that it could be some other hybrid breed. Now, yes, it looks most like a ocelot, most likely a escaped pet. Next most likely is a fake. Next most likely is one of the unusual domestic cat hybrids. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/51 "2021-03-11T00:10:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Next most likely is one of the unusual domestic cat hybrids. Which has zero probability. No domestic cat breed looks _exactly_ like an ocelot. The heavy muscular head and the massive shoulders of the animal in the picture also differ from domestic cats. (Some ocelots are more delicate, but this one is especially powerfully built and probably a male. I once had a project that involved identifying animals in camera trap photos. I’ve identified ocelots in dozens of such photos. This involved distinguishing them from the very similar margay. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/52 "2021-03-11T00:14:46Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > It could also be a domestic cat, or some kind of hybrid. There are a number of domestic cat varieties purposefully bred to look like ocelots or other wild cats. And you replied- no, it doesn’t look like a ocicat. Which is true. It doesnt look like a Maine coon cat either. Excluding the ocicat alone doesnt really answer **Babales** post. The variation on the domestic hybrids is so immense that even a ocelot face look alike is possible. FYI- there are even ocelot/domestic cat hybrids. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/53 "2021-03-11T01:02:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Excluding the ocicat alone doesnt really answer **Babales** post. I do think both @Colibri and @Tamerlane have fully addressed my question with detailed explanations of the issues with both alternative theories (a hybrid cat or a young puma). I defer to their expertise and agree with what they’ve said, this is definitely an ocelot. I consider my question completely answered. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/54 "2021-03-11T04:43:25Z")
That is the most likely. But of course ocelots dont live up there, so if it was, it was a escaped pet. I talked to my buddy who is fairly senior in the _Washington State Patrol_ and he said he hadnt ever heard of anyone having ocelots for pets, but he then said “there’s all sort of crazy shit out there”. He said altho ocelots arent specified he’d thinks that they’d come under “Other dangerous animals”..It is illegal to own animals that pose a threat to people, livestock, or domestic animals, and it is illegal to possess any wild animals. ### Chapter [16.30](http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=16.30) RCW But they arent in pet stores. So, it is unlikely but not impossible. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/56 "2021-03-11T10:45:09Z")
Also Ugly Little Boys and Hobbits… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/57 "2021-03-11T15:13:28Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > This involved distinguishing them from the very similar margay. I can see [the argument](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ui4vPDEVQIo) now. “Margay!” “Ocelot!” “Margay!” “Ocelot!” “Maaargaay!” “Ocelot!” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/58 "2021-03-11T17:29:13Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’m not sure why you are trying to come up with an alternative identification when the animal in the OP has the exact markings of an ocelot. Because they are not native to the area? I vote hoax. Much more probable than an escaped Ocelot. I would think a pet would have trouble getting food in the wild. A pet would probably not be quite as nocturnal either. That and hunger + familiarity with humans makes me think if it was an escaped pet there would be more sightings. It’s an Ocelot, but probably a pic grabbed from the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/59 "2021-03-11T17:45:46Z")
That might be more plausible if it weren’t such a crappy photo, and if the person who posted it hadn’t called it a cougar. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/60 "2021-03-11T18:32:36Z")
I didn’t say they were a _good_ hoaxer. ;~) ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615/61 "2021-03-11T21:34:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I talked to my buddy who is fairly senior in the _Washington State Patrol_ and he said he hadnt ever heard of anyone having ocelots for pets, but he then said “there’s all sort of crazy shit out there”. Honey West! Does no one else remember? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-cat-id/937615.md?page=4)