Newsday’s Sophia Chang and Arielle Brechisci have a few things to say about a new Mystery Cat report in New York State:

The latest in Long Island animal antics takes the shape of a purported mountain lion roaming through the Bayview neighborhood in Southold, according to a complaint made to police last week.

Around 9 a.m. Oct. 17, [2008] a very large cat was spotted strolling across a lawn and into the woods near Waterview Drive, said John, a resident who declined to give his last name.

“I pulled up into my driveway and I could see it as plain as day, walking across my neighbor’s lawn,” he said. He reported the sighting to police.

He described the cat as 5 to 6 feet long, not including the tail, and resembling a mountain lion.

“We have to believe there’s something there,” said Southold Police Chief Carlisle Cochran Jr. on Friday [October 25, 2008].

“I don’t think it’s running stray in Bayview,” he said. “I have to believe this is someone’s pet who gets out once in a while.”