More mysterious "big cat" sightings have been reported around the strath this week taking the total up to nine.

Elizabeth Seaward of Comrie spotted a jet black creature in the middle of the day in a garden near the Ross Bridge. "It was prowling around a tree," she told the Herald. "It was like a very big elongated cat with little prick ears but with a face bigger than a normal cats."

Mrs Seaward says the creature was very similar to the bearcat pictured in the Strathearn Herald on October 16. What struck her most was the creature's tail. "It came right down to its feet and curved up again," she added.

"It definitely wasn't an otter. It was larger and more lynx like with a narrow elegant body and long legs. It looked very agile and seemed to be hunting for food."

And, a couple driving through Gleneagles two weeks ago also got a glimpse of a mysterious oversize feline-like creature.

Harry Blair, from Errol, was amazed to see the unusual animal in the road. He said: "It was 2am in the morning and we were on the way back from Glasgow Airport. It was my wife that saw it first. The yellow eyes were so distinctive. We slowed right down and stopped as it was in the road. No other cars were about at the time. What we saw was larger than a Labrador. It slowly walked passed on the verge, on the passenger side of the car, then it jumped the fence and ran off into the golf course.

The traditional "big cat" theory for such sightings is frequently dismissed by sceptics who say there is not enough evidence of their activities. However, the Herald recently put forward two alternative theories by reputable witnesses who claim to know what the strange creatures are that are roaming the strath from Comrie to Auchterarder.

One theory is that they are large dog otters; the other is that they are more exotic omnivorous animals called binturongs or bearcats.

Have you sighted anything strange in Strathearn? If so, email lduke@s-un.co.uk or call (01764) 656 501.