Welsh Government Counts 15 Wales Big Cat Reports Foi
Wales big cat reports foi figures released by the Welsh Government show 15 reports made to authorities between January 2020 and July 2025, with sightings described as a panther, a leopard and a Canadian lynx. The reports stretch across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Powys, Swansea, Denbighshire and Carmarthenshire.
That gives the paper trail a clear range: a reported cat in a garden in Swansea, a black animal on a road in Ceredigion, and a lynx report in Carmarthenshire. One report in Denbighshire was checked and turned out not to involve a real cat.
Dyfed-Powys Police Reports
On 16 January 2023, a leopard sighting was reported to Dyfed-Powys Police in Cwmtwrch, Swansea. The reporter said they saw a leopard with spots walking around the garden when their dog was let out, and said the dog did not react while security lights kept coming on as it moved around.
No evidence was submitted for that report. Officials contacted the reporter to discuss it further but could not reach them, and no action was taken.
Dyfed Powys Police also received a report on 30 May 2023 of a panther sighting between Capel Bangor and Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. The reporter said they were driving when a large black cat came over a hedge and landed on the road in front of them, then pounced across the road before jumping over another hedge.
The same report described the animal as jet black, with a smooth short coat, muscular build, long tail and the size of a Labrador dog. The reporter said they would describe it as a panther after seeing a photo of the animals online.
Denbighshire And Carmarthenshire
In Fairy Falls, Trefnant, Denbighshire, a puma-sized cat was reported on 25 October 2023. North Wales Police investigated that report and found it was not a real cat.
On 13 May 2025, an apparent sighting of a Canadian lynx was reported to Dyfed Powys Police in Pont Henri, Carmarthenshire. No action was taken after that report.
Taken together, the figures show how the reports were spread over more than five years rather than appearing in one place or one short period. For readers trying to judge the scale of the claims, the Welsh Government FOI gives the clearest count available: 15 reports, several areas, and only one case in the record that police checked and ruled out as an actual cat.
