Man warns of mystery cat caught on camera in Smyrna

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Smyrna man is working to warn his neighbors after he believes a cougar was caught on his home security camera.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) called the odds “highly unlikely” and reported its last confirmed cougar sighting nearly eight years ago.

READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County

At around 4:15 Sunday morning, Bruce Fahnestock was woken up by his camera’s motion sensor, alerting him to this mysterious cat.

“I pulled it up and long behold, my mouth fell open and I went, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s not a kitty cat,’” Fahnestock said.

Fahnestock was convinced that a cougar had ended up on his property.

“You could tell by the distance — it was between the posts and the back — as well as the size of this hot tub, which is six feet,” Fahnestock told News 2. “When it walked by there, it was pretty obvious that it was at least four feet, probably four and a half feet [long], not counting the tail. That fit within the range.”

Fahnestock also found droppings from the animal and said that the creature looked like a cougar he once saw in West Texas. However, TWRA officials told News 2 that they believe shadows may have made the animal look larger on camera. Ultimately, they were not convinced that the animal was a cougar.

Since 2015, the TWRA has only 10 confirmed sightings of cougars, and none east of Humphreys County. Although these sightings are rare, officials added that they are possible.

Fahnestock wanted his neighbors with pets, small children and farm animals to be aware of what he saw.

“The word needs to get out because if we start losing pets, there are going to be a lot of upset people if they find out nobody has reported it,” Fahnestock said.

The TWRA said that they have a several-step process to verify cougar sightings caught on camera.  Agency officials said there was no reason to panic based on what they saw on Fahnestock’s video. However, they asked residents to report any other possible sightings.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

Fahnestock believed that the animal he saw was bigger than a house cat or bobcat and warned his neighbors to stay vigilant.

“It kind of took my breath away, I was like ah, ah. because they are dangerous. They say never run from them, always look them in the eye and back up slowly,” he said. “It’s important to let people know when there is an unexpected danger in the neighborhood.”

The Nashville Zoo also weighed in, saying that although cougars can climb fences, they don’t typically walk along the top of fences. That type of behavior, they said, would be more fitting for a domestic cat.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.