A suspected “lynx” spotted in Shipley could be the missing pet of a woman whose large cat went missing over Christmas.

Sarah Thompson, of Bingley, said her cat, a North American Maine Coon, is about a metre-and-a-half long and has long hair, similar to that of a lynx.

The Telegraph & Argus reported earlier this month that a sighting of a large cat near the River Aire in Shipley was being investigated.

When Miss Thompson, 41, saw the article she thought the mystery creature could be Leo.

“He’s got very long hair and is very much larger than a normal, domestic cat,” she said.

“It might be a total stab in the dark. We have been looking for months, he is chipped and everything.”

Miss Thompson said she moved from Haworth to Bingley at Christmas after which her cat disappeared when she let him out one evening.

The T&A reported last week a woman dog walker had seen a big cat dash out of woodland chasing a deer in Shipley.

Former RSPCA officer Pam Laking told the T&A she thought the animal may have been a lynx.

Miss Thompson said: “When the woman in the paper said it looked like a lynx, I looked at a picture of a lynx and it was the same. We’ve been looking for ages, my 11-year-old daughter is distraught about it.

“He’s very timid and wouldn’t go to people, but he is a softy. He’s not aggressive at all.”

  • Read the full story in Monday's T&A