BEAUMONT, Texas — The City of Port Arthur has issued a warning about a 'huge cat', possibly a cougar, that has been spotted at night roaming in a Port Arthur neighborhood.
The possible cougar has been spotted for several nights between the 3200 - 3600 blocks of Thomas Blvd and Gulfway Dr, according to a news release from the city.
The supervisor of Port Arthur Animal Control, Anthony Mitchell, told 12News just after 2 p.m. that Texas Parks and Wildlife has not confirmed that there is a cougar in Port Arthur.
However, Saturday Port Arthur Animal Control put out this statement.
"In our efforts to provide alerts to our residents, the City of Port Arthur Animal Control reported that a resident called in to report a sighting of a dangerous animal. We apologize if the report caused any inconvenience to our community as we continue to investigate the footage obtained. In the future, if anyone observes a wild animal, we ask that you safely take photos or a video of the sighting and share that with Animal Control officials as soon as possible."
Mitchell says the animal didn't weigh enough to set off the larger trap, even with a full stomach.
"Last night, something ate the food and didn't set off the trap. So we're thinking it's something too light to be a mountain lion," said Mitchell.
They believe that it's possibly a large house cat and the angle of the camera made it appear to be a cougar. They have set pressure-sensitive traps and are trying to catch it. If it is a cougar they will relocate it, according to the city.
The surveillance photos below are from the Edison Square Apartments in Port Arthur. 12News spoke to the woman whose camera captured the images. She says it's too large to be a typical housecat. The animal has come to her apartment several times in the past week.
Port Arthur warns of 'huge cat' seen in neighborhoods at night
"I thought at first, I thought, it was a big dog, until I saw the features of the face. Called the dog pound and they came over here and set up the traps, and they told me it was a cougar," said Ulrike Abraham, the resident who captured the photos.
Abraham's small Wyze camera captured the animal several times this week.
"The other cats that come out here, I got on camera. They don't look like that cat," she said.
Abraham's apartment complex issued a notice to residents telling them to "be cautious of a possible cougar, mountain lion, or bobcat on the prowl."
"I saw it last night! It even went into halfway in the trap, and I put a big old pork chop in there, you know, fried pork chop. He ate the pork chop!" said Abraham.
Even with his suspicions, Mitchell says it's always better to be safe than sorry.
"Let us work on catching this thing, and then we'll go from there," Mitchell said.
He hopes the animal is swiftly captured so Abraham, her small pets, and the rest of Port Arthur can sleep in peace.
"I just need whatever that is, gone so I can get some sleep. Because I haven't been getting any sleep. My camera keeps going off," Abraham said.
The city asks that residents not approach the animal if seen and not to allow children to walk alone in the area at night, according to the release.
If you do see the cougar call Texas Parks & Wildlife at (254)784-5647 or (512) 389-4505 or call Port Arthur Police using 911.
The area makes up about a 20 square block are border by Gulfway Dr., 8th Ave, Thomas Blvd and 4th Ave.
Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, have the widest distribution of any wild cat from Canada to South America, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.