Watch CBS News

What Is This Big Cat On The Prowl In Roseville?

ROSEVILLE (CBS13) – There's concern growing over a four-legged creature caught on camera. Is it a puma on the prowl or just a fat cat in this suburbia neighborhood?

"I knew it was bigger than a cat, it almost looked like a golden retriever," said photojournalist Dave Grashoff who can be spotted on camera every morning on Good Day Sacramento.

Before work Tuesday, he first caught this big surprise.

"The last thing I would've expected to see that large cat, or mountain lion, or bobcat or whatever it might be," he said. "It seemed to take this path right here."

Neighbors on social media sites quickly chimed in about the five-second clip that shows the cat stalk by.

"It's totally different from an ordinary cat, and it's kind of big for me too when I saw the video," said Elmer Garcia who lives nearby.

Of course, those with small children worry the most.

"It's scary," said Evelyn Garcia, her grandson is 2-years-old.

So what kind of cat is actually stalking this neighborhood?

"In my professional opinion, even though that does look like a large cat, it appears to be a house cat," said Lara Kirkendall who is an expert in the field at the Sacramento Zoo.

She believes a mountain lion would be much larger.

"They are in the area, so it is possible to have a sighting of it, but from the small picture I saw it could be maybe a bobcat, someone's main coon cat got out," she said.

But even if it is a mountain lion, she said there's no need to be too concerned.

"You just have to have a few extra precautions," she said. "People should know not to approach the animal, to maybe to pick up small children and look bigger; we don't turn and run on these animals.

Perhaps it's still in part a mystery, but neighbors just hope it's not a lion on the loose.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.