So it’s no surprise that this picture of a wild cat caused quite a stir when a resident claimed it was taken outside her house, in Johnstone, on Friday night.

Scores of stunned locals took to social media site Facebook to express their disbelief over the discovery after the image was posted online.

However they later discovered it was all part of an elaborate prank by a group of youngsters — who had placed the stuffed animal tiger outside as a joke to frighten residents.

In the realistic photograph, the stuffed animal peers over the ledge of a wall looking as though it’s about to pounce.

And while some expressed their astonishment over whether it was real or not, others weren’t quite so convinced.

One seemingly freaked out resident, Suzanne Cameron, said on Facebook: “Looks like a little one at that but keep wotever it is round there!” Meanwhile, another resident Iain Thomson joked: “It’s the king o’ the swingers — aJungle VIP!” However Amy Ballantyne was quick to alleviate worry when she told Facebook users that it was part of a prank carried out by her sibling.

She said: “My brother and his friends put this stuffed tiger out on the road to scare people. Someone must have moved it to there — sorry to disappoint."