"People just say they'll have to keep their eyes out for it," he said.
"But it will probably be pretty hard to see again because they're nocturnal. I'd be lucky to see it again I reckon."
Mr Harrison, who is widely regarded as a reliable bloke, said was about 30m from the large feline when it ran into bush near a rabbit warren one afternoon as he was driving a tractor along a fenceline.
His story was reported on the front page of Swan Hill newspaper, The Guardian, accompanied by an image of a yawning spotted leopard.
A survey in yesterday's edition, asked six people if they thought there might be big cats in the area.
Two said yes, one said anything was possible, and others said "If I see it then I'll believe it" and "Depends on how many stubbies you've had".
Mr Harrison said he had personally received only positive feedback from the story.
"There's been a lot of people that have seen things that haven't been game to say anything," he said.
"It's encouraged a few more people to talk about things.
"One farmer has lost a lot of stock and was sure it wasn't a wild dog and there's a couple of people around Nandaly that have seen big cats in the past."
Mr Harrison said the leopard-like creature had a body the creamy colour of a lion, with dark spots, and a long tail with a dark tip.
It was solid, with stumpy legs.
"I couldn't take a photo at the time because I was spraying," he said.
"I was concentrating on not hitting the fence with the sprayer and by the time I could get the (smartphone) out it was gone into the bushes.
"How it would get to the Mallee I have no idea.
"It was a bit of a shock to see it. It was way bigger than anything else I've seen."
Mr Harrison said weekend rain would probably have eliminated any footprints, but he planned to go back to the area to look for droppings and other evidence that might help identify the cat.
A Victorian Government "desktop study" last year into the existence of big cats in Victoria found it was highly unlikely.
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