Some residents of the posh South Maui community say it's possible after one woman said she saw a big catlike animal and some neighbors said they heard some catlike noises in the night.

Phyllis Thompson said she and her husband heard loud, high-pitched animal sounds for about a half-hour at 2:30 a.m. Dec. 23 — the same night that a neighbor told police she saw a large black cat roam through her yard. Officers investigated but found nothing.

State wildlife officials were expected to investigate the incident, but Thompson said no one has heard anything unusual for at least 10 days.

"He's gotten smart and left the area, I think," she said this morning.

Meanwhile, state officials say no new big-cat sightings have been reported in the Olinda area, where dozens of residents reported seeing or hearing a large cat throughout last year. In November, the sightings ceased.