MORE reports are coming in of sightings of a "big cat" prowling around Liss. It has been spotted in West Liss by the landlord of The Bluebell Inn, Chris Jenkins. "A few weeks ago I was looking out of an upstairs window across the field," he said. "I realised I was looking at a big cat and it was totally black. I am sure it was a cat. It did not move like a dog." A large cat-like animal has been sighted by two people at different times on land off Wylde Green Lane, and there has been another recent sighting at Steep Marsh Over the years there have been intermittent reports of large unidentified cat-like animals in the area. In the late 90s a young man delivering a pizza to Liss saw a "big cat" crossing Hillbrow Road chasing two deer. In July 2001 a father and son were off-road riding a motorcycle on a track between Steep and Hawkley when they came face-to-face with what they described as a golden brown, bear-like animal about the size of a large Alsatian dog sitting by the track. But when it got up and jumped away through the hedge its movements were very cat-like, and it had large paws. The pair were near Wheatham Farm when they spotted the animal. There were also the two strange incidents in February 2001 at Buckmore Farm, Froxfield. Two 20-week-old piglets and then a huge sow were killed. Farmer John Ellis said the sow would have put up a terrific fight. All the animals were partially eaten. A former Ministry of Agriculture veterinary surgeon said that if the animals had been attacked by a pack of domestic dogs it would have been unusual for them to eat animals they had killed. Marwell Zoo's animal information officer, Bill Hall, is not convinced. "I would be 99.9 per cent sure it is not a wild cat," he told The Herald. "I believe it could be a very large feral domestic cat.   "Black is a very unusual colour for a wild cat as it is produced by a recessive gene and you need two parents with that same gene to produce a black offspring. We are talking about an animal born in the wild, so that would be highly unusual. "In the mid 70s big cats were allowed to be owned privately but they only live to about 20, so this animal would have to be second generation. "If it is a big cat it is most likely to be a leopard. Now we all know from watching Big Cat Diary that they don't live under garden sheds. They usually spend their days up trees, they are not hiders. They need fairly substantial food. They would like a roe deer two or three times a week or a sheep at least once, probably twice.  That would make 100 animals a year. Then they take their food and haul it up into a tree. I am sure this would be noticed. In addition they are fairly vocal animals and they make a very distinctive sawing noise. Also they do like warmth. "In wide open spaces like Dartmoor, or the Scottish Highlands I believe it would be possible for a big cat to exist without people knowing, but not in an area like this. "However, I would love to see a really good picture of the animal, so please take your camera with you when you go out." Petersfield Police said they had not been informed of any sightings of a big cat in the area recently.