...and here's some Sydenham Panther related material.

This article from September 2009 concerns cat remains discovered in a Sydenham park. A commentator describes how the 'sandpapery' tongue of a black leopard can strip away animal fur and leave 'a clean kill' - this reminded me of the description in the original post:-

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgre...f_pet_cat/

This article from 2005 contains an account by a man who claimed to have been attacked by the cat. The BBC is probably a more reliable news source than the News Shopper and, in this case, the cat was also witnessed by one of two policemen who attended the scene:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4370893.stm