“Big Cat Lurks in Topanga”
A “black wildcat, long and slinky, with orange-yellow eyes” is reportedly prowling the rugged Topanga Canyon area today.
Mrs. Ruth Powell, of 21260 Circle Trail, Mrs. Eleanor Roberts, 536 Canyon View and Bill Walls, 604 S. Topanga Blvd. alerted the Sheriff’s department yesterday and said that the feline visitor has been dropping in on them periodically for two months.
Latest visit was yesterday when Mrs. Powell saw the cat within 100 feet of her home.
Deputies said they were informed that a former resident had
owned a mountain lion as a house pet and had dyed the cat black.
[1955-10-08 Mirror News:]
“Not Nice Pussy! Panther Scare in Topanga”
A “big black panther,” which comes out of the hills at lunchtime, according to frightened Topanga Canyon residents, still was sought today by Malibu Station deputy sheriffs who yesterday found “cat tracks.”
Deputy James Marshall investigated a report by Mrs. Ruth Powell, of 21620 Circle Trail, Topanga Canyon, that the black cat twice in a month had slinked to within a few yards of her home during the noon hour.
Yesterday, on its second visit, she summoned officers.
Neighbors Bill Walls of 604 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., and Mrs. Mary Eleanor Roberts of 563 Canyon View Trail, also reported seeing the animal, deputies said.
Marshall said he found large animal tracks on a game trail in the area and that Walls was trying to trap the cat.
Deputies said there was a report that a black panther had escaped five years ago from the World Jungle Compound at Thousand Oaks, but expressed doubt that this was the Malibu mountain monster.
