An eight-year-old girl had a close encounter with a big cat near her home in Pembrokeshire.

Jemma Jones was ‘spooked’ by the encounter, in which the large animal stared directly at her while she was in the garden of her home, her father said.

The incident, on the outskirts of Crundale, was reported to police, who told the family that they had also recently received a big cat sighting two miles away.

The encounter took place four weeks ago, at around the same time as farmer Malcolm MacPhee told the Western Telegraph that he believed a sheep kill on his land at Princes Gate was the work of a big cat.

A large prowling feline has been seen in the area on a number of occasions.

And following the Western Telegraph’s story, several people have come forward with their own big cat sightings.

Jemma’s dad, Sid Jones, a 47-year-old builder, was inside the house when he heard his daughter shouting to him: ‘Dad, there’s a massive cat.’ The family’s home at Tulip Hill backs on to fields, and Mr Jones went into the garden to catch sight of the animal going over a low hedge some 50 yards away.

“It was a big cat, there is no doubt about it,” said Mr Jones.

“I only saw its back end, but noticed its tail which was dropped and circular.”

Jemma told her father that the big cat had stared her straight in the face and had ‘greeny-yellow’ eyes.

“We’ve got a wire-haired pointer dog, and she said that the cat stood taller than him,” he added.

“Jemma is very switched-on and knows a lot about wildlife and nature. But she came in crying saying that the cat had spooked her, and she still talks about it.”

Send details of your big cat sightings to us by email at wtnews@westerntelegraph.co.uk.