This is a picture taken by April Maloney of Indian Brook. She spotted what appears to be a feral cat while recently walking along one of the back roads in her community.

INDIAN BROOK – April Maloney always thought there would be a day she’d come across an interesting find while walking.
The Indian Brook resident was recently walking with her sister along Brownflats Road mid-afternoon when the duo spotted a large animal they could not identify.
“I assumed it was a bobcat but they don’t have a long tail like this animal. Then I thought maybe it was a cougar,” said Maloney, who estimates she was about 60 feet away from the animal.
“I take my camera with me just in case I see something interesting. It was my first unique sighting and if it’s a rarity I want to share it with people. If it’s not a cougar I’d like to know what it is.”
After looking at a copy of Maloney’s picture, Jim MacNaughton, a forest technician with the Department of Natural Resources, based in Bible Hill, said the animal appears to be a feral cat.
“I’m leaning towards it being a feral cat, which is like a house cat gone wild,” said MacNaughton. “It doesn’t appear to be a bobcat because it has a long tail, although there are occasional mutations, and because of its colouring.”
He said most bobcats are grey/brown in colour whereas this animal has light brown and rings on it.
MacNaughton said it’s not all that common to see feral cats in the area.
“We don’t see a lot of wild cats around here. It’s the first one I’ve seen and haven’t heard about others here,” he told the Truro Daily News.
If someone does come across one, he said, it’s best to treat it as a wild animal.
“Don’t run from it, be calm,” he said.
That’s exactly how Maloney reacted during her sighting.
“I wasn’t afraid. My sister was ready to get rocks (to throw) ... she was nervous but I wasn’t going to go back because of it,” she said. “I just took the picture before it walked off ... I wasn’t scared and I love seeing new things.”

mchiasson@trurodaily.com