A four-foot long cat has University of Maryland students looking over their shoulders, as campus police said they recieved several sightings Thursday.

“Reliable sightings” of an animal fitting the description of a cougar have been reported from the area near Cole Field House, by the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and through the wooded areas by the Comcast Center and Arena Drive Garage, campus police said in an email alert to the campus community.

Capt. John Brandt, the campus police officer assigned to the case, said it was rare for a cougar to be seen east of the Mississipi River or north of Florida.

“It couldn’t have wandered here on its own,” he said. “And even if it could, they don’t come here.”

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Brandt said the animal seen could have been a bobcat, but if it turned out to be a cougar, the cat could have originated from an illegal zoo or been a pet.

Police described the animal as “light tan and tawny brown, about four feet long with a four foot tail, and weighing about 50 pounds.”

“There has been no report of aggressive behavior on the part of the animal,” a police statement read, “but community members are warned that cougars are a predatory species and that, if seen, the animal should not be approached.”

Students gave mixed reactions Thursday as they crossed the quads between buildings.

Leila Taha, 22, from Princeton, NJ, has been running from building to building and hoping no one left any doors open for the cat to sneak inside.

“I’m pretty freaked out and hope it’s not true,” she said, “but it sounds like it’s something out of the ordinary.”

Matt Moore, 21, from Delran, NJ, said he heard some helicopters overhead while he was at work, but he’s not going to lose any sleep.

“The description said it was a small cougar so I wasn’t really worried,” he said.

If you see the animal, call 301-405-3555. University police are working with the Department of Natural Resources to remove the animal from the campus area.

Aleksandra Robinson contributed to this report.

khille@baltimoreexaminer.com