Some believe a mountain lion may be lurking in northwest Washington.

One neighbor described the creature as larger and wider than a deer, with the long tail of a cat.

Another woman said she was walking her dog in McLean Gardens at the edge of Glover Park when she spotted the large cat last week. The cat, which she believes is a mountain lion, ran off into some nearby woods.

Someone else reported seeing the cat last February.

The latest sighting happened Wednesday afternoon, according to a News4 viewer who says she spotted the animal near the Beltway exit to Connecticut Avenue.

They all agree it looks like a mountain lion.

Animal control officers say they are taking the reports seriously. While they haven't confirmed it is a mountain lion, they say it could very well be one.

A spokesperson for the Washington Humane Society said someone may have been keeping the cat as a pet and then released it once they couldn't take care of it anymore.

Officers will patrol the neighborhood Friday. There have been no reports of injuries associated with this creature.