What’s That Large Black Cat in Missouri?

You can’t always explain what you see outdoors. Some people swear they see Bigfoot. Others see (or think they see) animals that don’t make sense based on their geographic region. And sometimes, people see things they can’t explain and don’t even try. One woman, Karen Kania, from Perryville, Missouri spotted what appears to be a very large black cat—too large. She asks a simple question: What cat is this? Commenters infer it could be a “black panther.”

One commenter said: “Yup. We had them out in the country in Perryville as well as black bears!”

Neither Kania nor the commenter drop the words “mountain lion” or “black panther,” to be clear. However, the commenter and another person who replies to her comment heavily infer that the large black cat in Kania’s video could be a black panther.

A “black panther” isn’t a species, it’s a description of a melanistic panther. Even the word “panther” isn’t straightforward, as it can refer to leopards, jaguars, and mountain lions, depending on whom you’re talking to.

Missouri is home to two types of wild cats, bobcats and mountain lions, so it’s technically possible . . . but not at all probable that this is a mountain lion with a genetic condition causing all-black fur. This is because there are no records of melanistic cougars.

But doesn’t it look too big to be a house cat?

See the large black cat in Missouri here:

What do you think that is?

You can’t always explain what you see outdoors. Some people swear they see Bigfoot. Others see (or think they see) animals that don’t make sense based on their geographic region. And sometimes, people see things they can’t explain and don’t even try. One woman, Karen Kania, from Perryville, Missouri spotted what appears to be a very large black cat—too large. She asks a simple question: What cat is this? Commenters infer it could be a “black panther.”

One commenter said: “Yup. We had them out in the country in Perryville as well as black bears!”

Neither Kania nor the commenter drop the words “mountain lion” or “black panther,” to be clear. However, the commenter and another person who replies to her comment heavily infer that the large black cat in Kania’s video could be a black panther.

A “black panther” isn’t a species, it’s a description of a melanistic panther. Even the word “panther” isn’t straightforward, as it can refer to leopards, jaguars, and mountain lions, depending on whom you’re talking to.

Missouri is home to two types of wild cats, bobcats and mountain lions, so it’s technically possible . . . but not at all probable that this is a mountain lion with a genetic condition causing all-black fur. This is because there are no records of melanistic cougars.

But doesn’t it look too big to be a house cat?

See the large black cat in Missouri here:

What do you think that is?