Waltham Woman, 2 Dogs Approached By 'Large Cat' On Local Trail

WALTHAM, MA — A Waltham woman has shared her story after being approached by a large wild cat while walking her dogs Sunday evening, reported WCVB.

Elizabeth Ryan and her two dogs were walking along a trail at Fox Park around 6 p.m. when she heard something and thought it was a beaver.

"I kind of pick up my pace just in case the beaver was going to come over," Ryan told WCVB. "Then, all of a sudden, a large cat appeared."

She said the large cat started following them through the woods until one of her dogs started barking, scaring it away. Ryan then started running towards her car, when one of her dogs stopped running.

"I looked back and there's just a big cat standing in the middle of the trail," Ryan told WCVB.

When the animal then started walking toward her and the dogs, Ryan said she grabbed a branch and whacked it before running off again.

Although Ryan thinks it was a mountain lion, Massachusetts wildlife experts believe it was a bobcat and are urging people to stay alert on local trails.