A large panther-like big cat is stalking a small Cornwall village where several pets have disappeared, police and the RSPCA have confirmed.
Fears were raised for the safety of children and animals after five cats went missing in a week - and a dog was attacked by a 'panther or puma'.
Forensic experts were called to the village of Harrowbarrow, near Callington in Cornwall, and took a plaster cast of a paw print.
A large panther-like big cat is thought to be stalking the small Cornwall village of Harrowbarrow. Prints of the animal were left in the garden of James Stephenson, 23, and later examined by the RSPCA who confirmed they were from a 'large cat'
Officials have confirmed the prints - measuring almost five inches - are that of a big cat and police say 'something has been here which should not be'.
Police and the RSPCA have confirmed they have attended the scene and one local farmer has also apparently discovered its 'den' on his land.
Local James Stephenson raised the alarm after his dog was left bleeding from its injuries and with claw marks on its shoulder.
Mr Stephenson, 23, said there had been talk of the beast in Harrowbarrow for a few weeks.
He then spotted it and it attacked his Labrador, Marley, two days before the terrifying moment he came face to face with it himself.
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police took plaster casts of the prints after Mr Stephenson raised the alarm because his dog had been attacked
Mr Stephenson, who lives with his mother Tricia in the village said he was in his garden with Marley and his collie puppy Maisy when the beast struck on Thursday.
He said: 'Over the last couple of weeks we have seen this large black cat walking down the back wall of the field at the back of our garden.
'It's on a stone wall, often carrying something the size of a lamb. Whatever it's been carrying is about a foot off the ground so it's very big.
'We've not paid it much attention because they normally shy away from humans.
'We're not sure whether it's a puma or a panther but it's been confirmed that it's a big cat.
'We're under the impression that it's a puma. We went round to warn the neighbours to keep any dogs in and safe. They think it's a panther.
'They normally only come out at night to not blow their cover but this one is out any time of day because it has adapted to its surroundings.
Mr Stephenson's Labrador Marley was attacked in his garden on Thursday and left covered in blood with a deep gash on his front left leg and one between his toes
'It got our attention most when we were out in the garden last Thursday night.
'Marley is a rescue dog so he now has almost an acre of garden when, before, he lived in a confined space. He loves his garden.
'He walks around to make sure it's safe and secure every night. It's his routine to make sure him and his family are safe.
'He was walking the far end of the garden and I was about 20 feet from him and he was suddenly taken down to the floor as if his legs had given way from underneath him; like he was pulled down.
'He's a very agile dog; very careful. I thought he tripped on something and hurt himself. I called him back and he was already beside me with his tail between his legs in fear.
'He was covered in blood. He had a big deep gash on his front left leg and one between his toes.
'On his left shoulder was a big black claw mark, as if a muddy claw had scraped down the side of him.
'He's still not interested in going out in the garden at night. He loves his garden and now can't bear it.
Mr Stephenson's garden, in Harrowbarrow, where he has spotted a large black cat in recent weeks
'The RSPCA said it had probably already caught something and was eating it in our garden and that's why it didn't take Marley; it was just protecting its food when it took him down.'
He said that when his mum first saw it she called the police who advised her to contact the RSPCA as it wasn't a police matter.
But when the family contacted the RSPCA after Marley was attacked, officers from Devon and Cornwall Police arrived and confirmed 'something has been here which should not be'.
The 23-year-old said they sent scenes of crime officers - 'Cornwall's equivalent of TV's CSI' - who took plaster casts of paw prints from the garden which were
