DEAR JOAN: I just saw what looked like a leopard in my yard near Arbolado Park in Walnut Creek. I reported it to the Lindsey Wildlife Experience and the Walnut Creek Police Department. The police said to call back if I saw it again.
My neighbor also saw it and thinks it is a cub. It is the size of a large cat and has a very long thick tail. It is covered in round circles of dark spots on a fawn-colored background. It looks like a fur coat.
I have never seen a cat with spotted fur. I hope you can get the news out.
Adrienne, Walnut Creek
DEAR ADRIENNE: In the almost five years that I’ve been writing this column, I’ve learned never to discount any possibility, but California isn’t known to be home to any leopards, save the leopard frog and shark.
We once had jaguars, another spotted cat, in Southern California, but the population was long ago destroyed or driven from the area. There are small numbers of jaguars near Tucson, Arizona, and in the boot heel of New Mexico.
That doesn’t discount the possibility of someone keeping — illegally — a leopard in their home, and that the animal escaped, but I think it’s much more likely that what you saw was a cat.
There are a few cats that resemble leopards. The Bengal, oricat, Savannah and California spangled all have lovely spotted fur and long tails.
All of these cats tend to be on the pricey side. The Savannah, a beautiful cat with a fawn colored coat and dark spots, can cost up to $20,000 for a kitten.
The California spangled cat was bred in the 1980s as a sort of salute to leopards that were slaughtered in their natural environment. They are perhaps the most rare of household cats these days.
The Bengal, another leopardlike house cat, is more common but all of these would be very expensive cats to allow to roam the neighborhood.
Folks in the area definitely should keep an eye out for a spotted cat. If it’s a leopard, we’ve made history. If it’s one of these expensive household cats, the owner would probably like it back.
- UPDATE: See pictures of the Arbolado Park “leopard.”
DEAR JOAN: I’d like to add one more comment about dogs being off-leash in public areas.
My dog is aggressive toward other dogs, and therefore always on-leash. There have been many occasions where off-leash dogs, just wanting to be friendly, have approached my dog and me. My dog is never nice under the circumstances.
If I see a dog off-leash close to where we are walking, I call out to the pet owner and ask them to please tether their dogs. Their answer is always, “He’s OK. He’s friendly.” My response is “But my dog isn’t.”
I try my best to make sure that all dogs stay safe.
Barbara, Danville
DEAR BARBARA: I don’t know if the other dog owners do or not, but they should thank you. You obviously know your dog well, and I appreciate you taking steps to keep other animals safe.
My dog is very much like yours. Being a Chihuahua, he thinks he is 9 feet tall and bulletproof. We occasionally encounter other dogs on our walks; if they are small, he is OK, but he goes nuts when we meet much larger dogs.
It’s a good reminder to always be cautious around other dogs.
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