A mysterious feline creature has been spotted prowling next to Gillfield Woods in recent days. 

It was at around 11pm on Monday February 7 when John – who preferred to only use his first name – saw the creature outside his home near Gillfield Woods.

He said he saw a fox and badger behaving aggressively but they suddenly disappeared as the creature emerged from the undergrowth.

John said: “ I thought it was a dog or something, a Labrador.”

He said he threw an apple he was eating at the time on the floor.

When the creature bounded over to the apple core he realised it wasn’t a Labrador but a feline of some sort around the size of a dog.

He said: “It looked right at me and I could see it had the head of a cat, it was only a few feet away at that point.

“I thought you’re no domestic cat, you’re certainly not a Labrador.”

John saw the creature again on the following Thursday at around midnight.

He had attempted to contact the police and the council but said both dismissed his claims.

However John said his neighbours have been interested in his accounts.

He said: “They believe me, I’m not the sort of guy to tell a lie.”

People commenting on the story online have reported tales of railway workers hearing growls and strange noises as well as seeing glowing eyes by the tunnel near Dore and Totley station.

This is not the first report of big cats in South Yorkshire, with reports of a black panther only a few weeks ago in Doncaster and other reports dating back to 2018.