Deer Park is terrorized by a massive cat large enough to bring down the titular deer. When Tawny Owl manages to converse briefly with the cat, which the park's residents dub "The Beast", it is described as having golden-brown fur with dark splotches that help it to blend into the shadows, and it proudly boasts that it is of an ancient lineage that has roamed the woods of Britain far longer than humanity, without ever having been detected. It ultimately quits the park to pursue a female cat in heat. Mythological explanation For many hundreds of years the myth of the spectral Black Dog has persisted in Britain – a supposed mythical creature appearing as a large black animal in remote moorland with no firm evidence for its existence, beyond hearsay. It has been suggested that the stories of "Black Cats" are merely a modern continuation of such myths and stories, sharing the same elements but with the idea of a supernatural cause having fallen out of credibility and the modern, more plausible, idea of an escaped or released wildcat supplanting it. In addition, the stories of big cats share many traits suitable for the tabloid press – as such leading to wide exposure of any potential "cat" and further and rapid dissemination of any speculation or supposed evidence for it, helping to build a widespread urban legend. See also Beast of Bodmin Moor Beast of Exmoor Cryptozoology European wildcat Kellas cat, a natural landrace of hybrid cats descended from crossbreeding between domestic cats and Scottish wildcats The Siege of White Deer Park – children's novel by Colin Dann featuring a big cat hiding in an English wood Footnotes References Animals in the United Kingdom British legendary creatures Cat folklore Mythological felines Monsters