Wallasey, a small UK beach town, is being haunted by a gimp in a cat costume. He’s not hurting anyone, but he is leaping out from behind gravestones and growling. Which, depending on who you ask, might be worse.

Residents say the so-called “Pantherman” has been jumping out from behind trees, writhing on sidewalks, and growling at strangers in the dark. He’s been spotted slinking under fences and sliding around near pubs. And he even meows…loudly…at strangers.

“It’s just a bit strange,” Abbie Gilbert told Metro, after spotting the man near Wallasey Beach. “From everyone’s sightings, the Pantherman is harmless, although he does look scary.” She says locals are obsessed with figuring out who—or what—he is. “Everyone and their nan seems to have seen him.”

Someone in a Full-Body Cat Suit Is Meowing at Strangers in the UK

Sightings ramped up after a woman walking her dog heard feline growling in the dark. Her terrier started barking, and when she turned on her phone light, she saw him. “A man in a panther costume then crawled up the hill on all fours,” she told the BBC. “I didn’t feel scared really. I felt more confused than scared.”

Pantherman’s jump-scare tactics have drawn comparisons to the “Somerset Gimp,” who terrified another UK town in 2023 by lurking in a latex bodysuit. That man was eventually identified and banned from wearing masks at night. So far, Wallasey’s mystery cat hasn’t crossed any legal lines—just several personal ones.

Even so, he’s officially unsettling people. One user on a private, local Facebook page posted that he’d leapt out from behind gravestones at Earlston Cemetery. Another joked, “Hi, this is my cat. He’s skittish and unchipped. Please don’t approach.”

Merseyside Police haven’t commented, but officials have encouraged residents to report anything suspicious. Local police commissioner Emily Spurrell said she hopes anyone with concerns reaches out to authorities rather than just posting about it online. 

So far, the man behind the mask remains unknown—and very committed to the bit.

Is it a prank? A cry for attention? Low-budget performance art? No one knows. But for now, the streets of Wallasey belong to one very strange cat.