Possible mountain lion spotted in Lehigh County was actually house cat
By using life-size cutouts, PGC staff members were able to determine that the animal sighted was a house cat.
LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- An animal spotted in Lehigh County that was first believed to possibly be a mountain lion was actually a large feral house cat, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said.
State troopers were initially called to the 1000 block of Village Round in Lower Macungie Township just before noon Sunday.
A person in the area had images of a possible large cat. Investigators made contact with the person who reported the animal and examined the area for tracks.
By using life-size cutouts of a house cat, bobcat and mountain lion, and taking photos of vegetation near the sighting, PGC staff members were able to determine that the animal sighted was a house cat.
"Based on the photos taken using the cutout in comparison to the original photo, it appears that the animal in question was a large feral house cat," a PGC official told WFMZ-TV.
PGC said it has not been able to confirm a sighting of a mountain lion "for decades," and noted that the last wild mountain lion in Pennsylvania was reported to have been killed in the 1870s.
