What is this critter? Just a tall cat?

[+DieChecker]

I routinely set my trail cam outside the house to see what I might see. I get pictures of squirrels, cats, dogs, raccoons, birds.... I got this weird one the other day. I'm posting several pics, one of a cat heading into our back yard, and another, of another cat (?) in about the same location that is much taller. The smaller cat is a orange tabby of a normal cat size.

What is the other one? It appears to have a short tail, and regular house cat color patterns. Just a tall cat?

FYI - I had to reduce the pics to get them small enough to post.

[Hankenhunter]

Looks like ordinary cats to me. Definitely not a bobcat. Too small, and wrong color.

[the13bats]

Cool cam...i need one.

[zep73]

@DieChecker Maybe science can figure it out in a couple of decades, when it figures out how to interpret images 

Edited December 6, 2022 by zep73

[fred_mc]

When I search I can find cat breeds that look similar, the Highlander for example.

[the13bats]

Whats funny is on my phone and my eyes pic 3 could be a pig.

I have two cats with me right now that vary in size ad much as yours do in image 1 and 2. My big one is in my avatar yawning.

 

[+and-then]

Maybe he's a member of this guy's tribe:

[Susanc241]

To me, that looks like the same cat, but the ‘larger’ one is just closer to the camera.  The items in the picture confirm positioning of the animals.  

[Alchopwn]

6 hours ago, DieChecker said:

I routinely set my trail cam outside the house to see what I might see. I get pictures of squirrels, cats, dogs, raccoons, birds.... I got this weird one the other day. I'm posting several pics, one of a cat heading into our back yard, and another, of another cat (?) in about the same location that is much taller. The smaller cat is a orange tabby of a normal cat size.

What is the other one? It appears to have a short tail, and regular house cat color patterns. Just a tall cat?

FYI - I had to reduce the pics to get them small enough to post.

It might be a Fisher.  They are a rare Nth American mustelid carnivore.

[+DieChecker]

I've been putting out the camera since summer and I've seen the orange tabby a couple times a week. Even during the day. Which is weird because I've not seen him IRL. 

Lots of other cats too. But first time for this weird tall cat. Hopefully I get a face on shot of this one soon. Should help ID the breed.

[Piney]

1 hour ago, Alchopwn said:

It might be a Fisher.  They are a rare Nth American mustelid carnivore.

Fisher look like weasels when they move. I have a pair in my stewardship forest.

[HandsomeGorilla]

33 minutes ago, Piney said:

Fisher look like weasels when they move. I have a pair in my stewardship forest.

That's because they're technically weasels 

They can make some really crazy sounds, too. 

@DieChecker

Definitely a tabby housecat, no wild kitty has that coloration and pattern. 

[Piney]

25 minutes ago, HandsomeGorilla said:

That's because they're technically weasels 

They can make some really crazy sounds, too. 

@DieChecker

Definitely a tabby housecat, no wild kitty has that coloration and pattern. 

Trust me I know, and I only get glimpses and find evidence like slides, empty turtle shells and scat. They never get into camera range.

[HandsomeGorilla]

1 hour ago, Piney said:

Trust me I know, and I only get glimpses and find evidence like slides, empty turtle shells and scat. They never get into camera range.

Always figured the Jersey Devil was inspired by the screams of a fisher, vixen fox or a large cat. 

And ranges of large cats span farther than we realize, in my opinion. For years, even park rangers denied we had mountain lions in South Carolina. People had reported sightings for years until they FINALLY caught one on trail cam. 

Just because you don't catch them on cam doesn't mean they aren't there...

Edited December 6, 2022 by HandsomeGorilla

[Piney]

45 minutes ago, HandsomeGorilla said:

Always figured the Jersey Devil was inspired by the screams of a fisher, vixen fox or a large cat. 

And ranges of large cats span farther than we realize, in my opinion. For years, even park rangers denied we had mountain lions in South Carolina. People had reported sightings for years until they FINALLY caught one on trail cam. 

Just because you don't catch them on cam doesn't mean they aren't there...

There are pics of lion tracks from my forest on here.......don't remember where though.

The "Jersey Devil" screams as reported by people at Butler Place Campground and by woodcutters in Chatsworth by the McCloy- Miller book was Mr. Slater's peacock.

[moonman]

I see three pics of the same, very regular cat.

[HandsomeGorilla]

7 minutes ago, Piney said:

There are pics of lion tracks from my forest on here.......don't remember where though.

The "Jersey Devil" screams as reported by people at Butler Place Campground and by woodcutters in Chatsworth by the McCloy- Miller book was Mr. Slater's peacock.

A peacock!!! That makes so much sense. Yes, peacocks apparently ruined my parents' honeymoon with their screaming. 

[HSlim]

Almost looks like the cat may be slightly arching his back in the 2nd and 3rd pics.  I'm going to go with standard cat

[+DieChecker]

2 hours ago, Piney said:

There are pics of lion tracks from my forest on here.......don't remember where though.

The "Jersey Devil" screams as reported by people at Butler Place Campground and by woodcutters in Chatsworth by the McCloy- Miller book was Mr. Slater's peacock.

People who've not heard a peacock before are often scared by "what the hell could that be". One got loose by my parents place in Southern Oregon and "Eeeeyyye Yawwww!!" the area for a year or so. Flew pretty good.

[Davros of Skaro]

The second pic down to me looks like a cat stretching while walking with the tail pointed mostly at camera looking as if stubby.

[Earl.Of.Trumps]

10 hours ago, HandsomeGorilla said:

Always figured the Jersey Devil was inspired by the screams of a fisher, vixen fox or a large cat. 

And ranges of large cats span farther than we realize, in my opinion. For years, even park rangers denied we had mountain lions in South Carolina. People had reported sightings for years until they FINALLY caught one on trail cam. 

Just because you don't catch them on cam doesn't mean they aren't there...

Bingo. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" 

[+Hammerclaw]

And "CAT" wins by a whisker.

[the13bats]

8 hours ago, Earl.Of.Trumps said:

Bingo. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" 

Sadly no bigfoot on any trail cams.

So absence of evidence where their should be evidence is evidence of bigfoot doesnt exist, stop grasping.

[openozy]

On 12/6/2022 at 4:10 PM, the13bats said:

My big one is in my avatar yawning.

Stay very still bats you have a panther in the house.

[the13bats]

12 minutes ago, openozy said:

Stay very still bats you have a panther in the house.

Hes more less my wifes boy, and she does call him panther his name is lol monkeybutt, hes a big clumsy dork.