Before blaming a big cat, check that it was not just a badger, who have also been known to act in this way. Back to Prey Animals. As with so many enigmas, hard evidence is difficult to come by. Mostly it is anecdotal or circumstantial. Not many witnesses have had a good camera with them when they have come across a big cat.
Most pictures are of poor quality.
After extensive investigation into a string of reports around Southampton in 1996, I am now confidant that riverbanks, canals, streams, and railway lines are trunk roads for them. Cats have been seen on rail lines in the New Forest, near Portsmouth, Winchester, Guildford and in London. Years ago I reported for the BBC on the increased deaths of badgers on the newly electrified railway lines in the south of England. These man-made routes provide a useful hunting environment for badgers and foxes. Foxes are commonly seen walking the rails in London.