Any bobcat experts out there???

[tyedyeto]

We've had several bobcat sightings in out backyard recently. I talked with a local expert who says just try to live with them. These cats are not small, they look like they are 70+ pounds.

One suggestion has been to mark territory by pissing around the walled in area they are jumping over, thereby marking uman territory.

Any other suggestions?

[tyedyeto]

1. Kick

because I need some common sense approach to this dilemma.

[Kathleen04]

2. Hmm..no expert but..

do you have any outdoor pets/children that they might be a threat to? If so, I'm sure you could call animal control to at the very least, ask them what to do..if they're no real threat, I suppose you could just live w/ them.

I have no clue if the "human territory" idea would work, but it sure conjures up an interesting image. ;)

[tyedyeto]

5. Nope, no children or pets.

I called a 'wildlife helpline' and they are the ones that suggested the 'mark the human territory'.

[Kathleen04]

6. Worth a try then I guess n/t

[EstimatedProphet]

3. They're more like 35 lbs

Do you have any livestock? Anything that is likely to be threatened? I've never heard of them attacking people.

[tyedyeto]

9. These cats are huge!

The ones we've seen are larger than the lab mix dog I had before I moved here. The 'wildlife' lady said they typically aren't aggressive but she's not the one who has to live with them.

[BikeWriter]

12. Sheeit! You may be dealing with something outside the norm...

Be careful.

[HEyHEY]

24. or a cougar

[BikeWriter]

10. Uh, please add the caveat "unless cornered" to that.

[EstimatedProphet]

16. That's what I meant by "attacking"

They aren't going to go out of their way to go after a person-they'll defend themselves, but they will avoid humans as much as they possibly can.

Here's a site on them:
http://www.desertusa.com/april96/du_bcat.html

[BikeWriter]

40. My ex raised one and had him around for years...

The mailman messed up one day and sat a package inside the door. The little badass gave him a new face.

[Lorien]

38. Yes, 35 pounds-and they eat mostly mice, birds and rabbits

no more of a threat than a large house cat,like mine:



Seriously; my cat is 20 lean pounds and still growing, and he's the most gentle cat I've known. I know some people with pet bobcats (rescued from fur farms) and they are sweet, friendly animals-all around 30-35 pounds. I wouldn't worry. :-)

My cat's grandparents; large, but real pussycats-and they eat less than most domestic shorthairs!

[Karenina]

46. WHAT a GORGEOUS CAT!

:hi:

[Lorien]

48. Thanks Karinina!

he's my big hairy baby; not nearly as badass as he appears. ;-)

:hi:

[spacelady]

4. If you are marking territory in this manner, I suggest putting the

repellent in a container and not exposing your actual urinating apparatus to the big kitties.

[tyedyeto]

15. If we do that, it'd be when we know they aren't there. LOL

[BikeWriter]

7. World record sizes may approach what you quote, but not the norm....

I'd get a good dog. If you don't trust pit bulls get a Great Dane or Mastiff. They could crunch the big kitty if it invaded. Do you have something it wants?

[tyedyeto]

13. No dogs here at this point in time.

We don't have anything out there (dog/kitty food) just a very large walled in back yard.

I have seen other bobcats when I lived in the Sierras in Calif and they are tiny compared to these cats. The first time I saw one a couple of weeks ago, I thought it was a mtn lion, but it's definitely a bobcat.

[BikeWriter]

17. Well, nature has produced many a "sport", or abnormal animal...

If you don't want to invest in big dogs, get some good traps. You could wire some of those cheap lights that turn on when something gets close and have them turn on a radio or other noisemaker.

[tyedyeto]

18. Good idea!

A motion sensor might just do the trick.

[BikeWriter]

21. No way an animal can fool it, and they're cheap. :-)

[Lorien]

39. A Jack Russel will scare it away. Pit bull? Talk about overkill!

You'd have more to fear from the dog than from the wildlife you wish to frighten away.Americans are so damned urbanized and so conditioned to fear wildlife by greedy pest control companies that we've lost all perspective. There is nothing more to fear from a bobcat than from a housecat. They catch more squirrels and rabbits than housecats, but that's about the only difference.

Bobcats have been mating with housecats for centuries, too. That's where we get the "gentle giant" of the cat world; the Maine Coon (see post #38).

[BikeWriter]

41. Tell that to the Houston mail man the exe's cat nailed....

They changed the laws here over that bobcat.

[Lorien]

43. Abuse any animal and it will defend itself

most people who buy wild animals as pets know little about them, and own them to accessorize their macho personas. Sorry, but I fear a badly treated dog far more than I'll ever fear an animal in the wild (outside of grizzlies, sharks, and gators, naturally).

[BikeWriter]

44. You are assuming far, far, too much...

My ex was jockeying her Dad's stallions in races while in grade school and had her own pack of hog dogs shortly after. She's put winning animals on the Ruidoso race track and Champions in the cutting ring. There are few in this country I'd say are better animal trainers.

[Lorien]

45. Did they use traditional methods or clicker training?

There's a 17% mortality rate among "lion tamers" who use traditional methods (which IS abuse, BTW).

I'm still no pussy when it comes to pussies. I've played with Caracals, Lynx, bobcats and servals-I've hand fed panthers, tigers, leopards,cougars, and Barbary lions. Once you know how to behave around an animal, understand their behavior and signs of illness (illness can radically change behavior), you'll have far less of a reason to fear them.

[Renew Deal]

8. Mark your territory with their blood

//freeper mode=off

[BikeWriter]

11. Smart butt... ;-)

[tyedyeto]

14. LOL.... Naw, I couldn't do that. n/t

[fishnfla]

19. What are they after?

Are they on some prey? Birds or rats or whatever/ get rid of that if they are

[tyedyeto]

22. There are birds/ rabbits/ ground squirrels in the area

It would be hard to get rid of them. I live on 5 acres of which 1 acre is walled in. These cats just jump over the 6 ft wall.

[fishnfla]

25. ground squirrels most likely

maybe they are nesting under the wall? (the squirrels)

Find the cats scat, find out what they are eating, try and get rid of that prey

[rupturedlumbar]

20. My 2nd post

Buy a french horn and play it out the window. Guaranteed to keep them away.

[BikeWriter]

23. Bullshit! They'll stick their fingers in their ears! :-)

[tyedyeto]

26. ROTFLMAO!

[BikeWriter]

29. Hee hee hee! :-)

[uppityperson]

37. welcome to DU.

hope you have a good time here.

[HEyHEY]

27. You'll need an elephant gun and a steak....

The steak is for me... and well, elephant guns are cool

[tyedyeto]

28. Had the steak for dinner

and not into cooking an elephant this weekend! Would take forever to butcher!

[SoCalDem]

30. Why fight nature at all.. Just enjoy the sightings..

If you have no small kids or pets..just announce yourself when you go outside, and have your digital camera ready for the sightings..

If it's been especially dry or hot where they have been pushed by humans, they may be coming to where you are , by necessity.. Imagine yourself..out of water..no food...wouldn't you wander to other areas, looking for them??


Please don;t trap them..there are probably babies somewhere, waiting for Mom to return.:)

[tyedyeto]

31. Trapping is not in our plans at all

I do want to try to get some pics tho.

And it has been especially hot so far this summer. Can't remember when the last day we had that's been under 100.

[SoCalDem]

32. Their water sources have probably dried out..

If there are any pools nearby, they are probably coming out for the water.. chlorinated yukky pool water is better than none:(

[tyedyeto]

33. No chlorinated pool water in my backyard

There are 4 or 5 trees I water once a week.

[SoCalDem]

34. Your yard is probably one of many they "visit"

:evilgrin:

[tyedyeto]

35. It seems like they have made our yard part of their territory

at this point.

[tyedyeto]

36. Thanks for all your ideas

Now it's time to hit the hay.

Sleep well everyone and take care.

[BikeWriter]

42. De nada. Later.

[Renew Deal]

47. kick

:kick: