Three friends have reported a close encounter with a large cat in Pwllheli.

The trio were night fishing when they claim they came face-to-face with a “very large cat”.

They reported the sighting to Puma Watch North Wales, adding that they believe what they saw may have been a puma.

A puma. also known as a mountain lion, cougar or panther. is a large brownish cat native to North and South America that is comparable in size to a jaguar.

Paul Wilson, Paul Owen and Patrick Owen spotted the “brown or tawny” animal while parking their cars at Gimblet Rock on Friday, March 18.

READ MORE: Three more encounters with 'big black cat' in Prestatyn and Dyserth

Gimblet Rock is a rocky outcrop at the end of the town’s beach, also known as Carreg yr Imbill.

Paul Wilson said: “Myself and two friends had turned up to do night fishing.

“We had just parked our cars when we noticed what at first appeared to be a dog of medium to large size sat upright watching us at approximately 20 metres from us.

“It was sat amongst the dune grass which was on a slope going upwards away from us. I walked a few metres towards it whilst my friend turned his headlights on to illuminate it more.

“We all then realised that it was not a dog but a very large cat that then stood up and turned away and loped away from us turning its head to look back once at us.

"We didn’t see it again. The cat was as big as a golden retriever.”

Puma Watch founder Tony Jones says the latest sighting has been added to the group's interactive map.

North Wales Chronicle:

He said: "It’s the first sighting reported to us from the Llyn Peninsula, though we’ve had multiple reports of pumas in sand dunes from elsewhere in North Wales.

"Most recently, a black panther was spotted hunting for rabbits and birds in dunes at Prestatyn beach. In September 2021, an animal matching the same description was spotted on the golf course adjacent to the beach in Rhyl."