This browser does not support the Video element.
A COUGAR in Janesville?
A COUGAR in Janesville?
JANESVILLE (WITI) -- A large house cat...or a cougar? That's the question in Janesville after a couple spotted a wild animal right outside their door!
The pictures are fuzzy, and the video is from a distance -- but a woman who saw it says it was more than just a small house cat.
"I think it's a cougar," Ashli Stacy of Janesville said.
Stacy says she had just stepped out of her Janesville home.
"My husband and I were out in the driveway after dinner, and we were watching the neighbor girl walk to her grandmother's, and we happened to look across the street and on the tree line, we thought we saw a deer," Stacy said.
Stacy says she soon realized it wasn't a deer.
"It was a large cat. It was bigger than a medium-sized dog. It had a very long tail with a couple stripes on the tip and a white chest. It was not a household kitty cat, that's for sure. You wouldn't be able to see it that far away," Stacy said.
Video shot by Stacy's husband shows what looks to be a large brown animal moving through the brush.
"It wasn't until it slowly turned and stood and we could see how long it was, and the way it was facing, and its ears and the tail, clearly we realized it was a cat," Stacy said.
A cat -- but was it a cougar?
The DNR says it's very possible.
Just last week, there was a report of one spotted in Green County. They say most of the time, cougars are just passing through, and won't stay for long.
"I'm very concerned. There's lots of children in this neighborhood. Most people have dogs," Stacy said.
Stacy says she's amazed by what she saw, and whether it was just a big cat or an actual cougar, she doesn't want it in her neighborhood.
"I liked it better when we were just seeing deer and turkeys, but people should just watch out for little kids, and not let their kids walk alone, and be careful walking the dogs in the park," Stacy said.
Janesville police say from the photos, they couldn't verify whether this was a cougar or not.
The DNR says if you do come across a cougar, you should never approach the animal.
The DNR advises keeping a close eye on small pets, because they can be mistaken for prey.