‘Beast of Shepherd’s Hill’ returns to prowl Highgate’s streets

Imogen Blake

Published: 5:52 PM June 12, 2014

Updated: 1:39 PM October 14, 2020

The leopard like cat has been visiting gardens in Shepherd's Hill and even popped into one woman's kitchen! - Credit: Archant

It has been nearly three years since dumbfounded residents first spotted an oversized cat with leopard-print spots prowling the streets of Highgate – dubbing it the “beast of Shepherd’s Hill”.

But another wild cat look-a-like was spied this week by mother-of-three Lynn Ferguson, of Northwood Road, Highgate, who quickly snapped a picture of it in her back garden.

It is not known whether it is the same exotic-looking cat that roamed Highgate’s residential gardens back in 2011.

The Ham&High revealed at the time that the so-called “beast” was, in fact, a designer Savannah cat – a cross between a domestic pet and a serval, a large African wild cat.

Ms Ferguson, 51, said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the cat strolling around my garden – it looks remarkably like a leopard.”

The training consultant continued: “It certainly is an audacious moggy – it strutted into my kitchen as if it owned the place and I’ve caught it in the garden several times now.

“It looks so unlike any household pet I’ve seen that it had me scratching my head and wondering where it came from. You certainly don’t expect African big cat descendants lurking in Highgate.”