Black cats the size of bloody sheep on the Yorkshire moors - anyone else?

Right, I know this sounds mental but I've got to ask. Been walking the moors near Hebden Bridge most evenings since the clocks went back, and I've spotted what I can only describe as a massive black cat three times now. We're talking puma-sized, not your neighbour's moggie.

Last Thursday (31st Oct around 4:30pm, getting dark early innit) I was about a mile from Colden Water when I saw it padding across the heather. Sleek, muscular, definitely feline. My mate thinks I've lost it but there's been livestock going missing in the area.

Beast of Bodmin vibes but this is Yorkshire. Has anyone else clocked anything weird on the moors recently? Or should I just accept that the October darkness is playing tricks on my eyes?

Mate, I'm about 20 minutes from you (near Calderdale) and my sister swears blind she saw something identical in late September. She described it as having a "wrong" gait, like it didn't move like anything British. Could be big cats escaped from private collections - there's supposedly loads of them about.

Sleek, muscular, definitely feline

This is almost certainly a melanistic leopard or jaguar. There's been credible sightings in that exact area going back to the 1970s. Check the Big Cats Archive forum - there's a map. The local farms have definitely lost more sheep than usual. Your eyes aren't playing tricks.

Could also be Spring-heeled Jack's pet? 😄 Joking aside, seriously report this to the local wildlife trust. Even if it's a misidentification they'll want to know.