Panicked neighbor reports lurking ‘cheetah,’ Oregon police say. It was a stuffed toy

A stuffed animal caused panic in an Oregon neighborhood because it was too lifelike.

A frantic neighbor called the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office to report “a big cat with spots” hanging out near the road of a Portland neighborhood.

The cat was a mystery. The nearby Oregon Zoo wasn’t missing any animals, the sheriff’s office said, and cheetahs aren’t common in the area.

“The caller said the animal looked like a cheetah, but did not appear to be aggressive,” the sheriff’s office said. “Big cats are not uncommon in this area, cougars have been spotted in the West Hills periodically over the years, but a possible cheetah? This was new for us.”

Sheriff’s Deputy Raymond Sullivan arrived at the woods where the cheetah was reported. He approached the area carefully — and then spotted what appeared to be a large cat.

“I used my ninja-like skills to sneak up on the beast,” Sullivan said in the Facebook post. “Of course, it sat there dumbfounded that I was able to get so close for a couple of photos. Turns out it was a stuffed animal!”

The neighbor’s description of the animal was “spot on,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Humor aside, we appreciate this neighbor for reporting what they believed was a serious concern and threat to life-safety in their neighborhood,” the sheriff’s office said. “We encourage all of you to report crimes or anything that you may find is out of the ordinary or suspicious.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Panicked neighbor reports lurking ‘cheetah,’ Oregon police say. It was a stuffed toy."