The rather large grey cat was spotted outside the home of Nicola Grimshaw, who lives in Newton, near Highclere, on Thursday, November 6.
Nicola said that she believes the “unusual” looking cat could in fact be a lynx.
She took a photo from distance but was unable to capture a video.
Nicola said: “I was in my bedroom getting ready and doing my hair, I glanced out of the window to my left and saw this large Cat walking across the driveway of the house behind us.
The ‘lynx’ was spotted in Newtown (Image: Nicola Grimshaw)
“It was grey. It definitely didn’t look like a normal cat, it looked like it had pointed ears.
“My first thought was ‘oh my goodness’, if our British blue runs into that huge cat, he could be killed.
“I just had the sense that it wasn’t a normal Cat because it seemed so much larger and different in shape, it was definitely the size of a large fox or even a small wolf.”
Lynxes are medium-sized wild cats with a distinctive appearance that includes tufted ears, a ruff of fur around the face, and a short, black-tipped tail.
There are four species of lynx – the Eurasian, Iberian, Canadian, and Bobcat. These are found in the forests of North America, Europe, and Asia.
Solitary hunters, lynxes are known for their stealth and are effective predators of animals like deer, rabbits, and hares.
Nicola continued: “My husband wasn’t here so I couldn’t shout down to him.
“It made me feel uneasy, which is why I took the photo. It sat on the driveway for a few minutes, which is when I took the photograph. Frustratingly, I didn’t video it moving off because it moved off quite quickly.”
Lynxes are currently extinct in Great Britain, although the date of their extinction is not known for sure.
The youngest physical remains of a Lynx was found in Kinsey Cave in Craven, and was carbon-dated to between 150 AD and 600 AD.
The largest predator in the UK today is the badger, but in recent decades, campaigns have been calling for the reintroduction of the lynx to help improve biodiversity.
However, political opposition and concerns over how this may impact livestock have stalled these plans for now.