Purported sightings of a “big cat” in London sent police into overdrive on Monday as terrified residents reported a “dangerous wildcat” on the loose.
Scotland Yard dispatched armed cops and helicopters after calls about the cat that residents in a tony neighborhood dubbed “billionaires’ row” said had markings “like that of a cheetah or leopard.”
The animal turned out to be someone’s pet.
“It was very dramatic,” one woman told the Evening Standard, saying there were also “two police helicopters overhead.”
She was among those who had called police after the cat suddenly sprang from bushes in her garden as she sat with her daughter.
“We were scared,” she told the Standard, adding of the heavy police response, “At that stage they had to think it was a dangerous wildcat.”
Officers later stood down, however, after learning the feline was actually a pet hybrid Savannah cat that had escaped from a neighbor’s garden.
“That animal looked like no pet I have seen,” the terrified woman told the Standard.
Police confirmed that an armed unit was dispatched but stood down when it was clear there was no risk to life.
Courtesy“There have been no reports of attacks or injuries to members of public,” a spokesman told the Sun.
One local, Leon Grant, told the Standard the response was “pandemonium.”
“There was a police helicopter whirring overhead and armed police and all sorts,” he said. “It was being dealt with as a huge incident.”
A Savannah cat is a cross between an exotic African serval and a domesticated house cat.
While the animals are larger than regular pet cats and have strong hunting instincts, a website dedicated to the breed insists there is “no better family pet.”
“With the energy and loyalty of a brand new puppy and the independence and awareness of the best domestic house cat, the Savannah kitten is breed to have it all,” the site says.
