Coyotes and feral hogs and now...
We have yet to capture one (figuratively speaking of course, ha) on our trailcam but 2nd Family has confirmed that there are now at least two bobcats that have been on and around our property/theirs.
She went to their carport one morning to take out the trash and there was one curled up in the corner. She carefully backed away to the safety of her porch and waited for it to leave. Since it was startled by her, it had gotten nervous and left as well, heading toward the undeveloped front part of our property.
Then a few nights later, it was dusk and she was on her back deck and a larger one with darker colors, was walking through the back pasture that is between our front yard and their house, heading toward our general direction. There are a hundred or so acres behind us that are just cattle grazing land with trees so it had plenty of places to go once it passed through but still...
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| Bobcat, image via wikicommons.com |
I read some articles where people "rescued" kittens that they found in their yards only to find out they were bobcat kittens. I'll need to remember this so I don't tell 2nd Man, "look! I found a kitten at the farm!", ha!
We had one hanging around our chicken coop a couple years ago, caught it on game cam. Hub chased it away with yelling (from a distance). Then about a year ago saw one around the front pond (which is pretty close to the house) but evidently (and hopefully) it was just passing through. Good luck with yours! Deb
ReplyDeleteThanks, we hope they are passing through as well. 2nd Family has lost a few chickens, so they are guessing that is a possible culprit.
DeleteYou sure are getting a variety of wildlife out there.
ReplyDeleteRight? Cool, as long as we all coexist peacefully, ha.
DeleteNow being called; 'The Seda Bolsa Farm Zoo'. :-}
DeleteHa, that's funny!!! "Now featuring dangerous animals!" LOL!
DeleteOur bird barn (where the hens and ducks live at night and lay their eggs) has a metal roof. One day I went out to check the propane level and there was Bobcat on the roof trying to pry a panel of the roofing up. The dogs saw it and were barking but the Bobcat just could not be at all afraid. I finally went inside and got a gun. I just fired it into the air, I am not a killer of critters unless they push thier luck or they are a snake, and he took off running never to be seen again. I did have to go up on the barn roof and re-fasten several panels of the roofing. Good luck with yours. They will pretty much stay away from you but they will go after smaller animals, poultry and small children.
ReplyDeleteOh wow!! That's crazy, but of course all of us that have house cats know that they are pretty smart when it comes to food, so I guess wild cats like that do the same. We've read that there loud noises are good. I saw online several people who carry an air horn with them because that works well. Not a bad idea.
DeleteYikes! A bobcat sleeping in the carport - that will wake you up!
ReplyDeleteYou have plenty of brush and trees around you and, since you’re only there on the weekend, it’s a quiet area. So I can see that as habitat for all kinds of wild creatures.
I never realized that domestic kittens and bobcat kittens look so similar. It would be easy to make a mistake.
Some cat encounters in my family:
My sister lives several miles out of our town and they saw a black panther under the pickup one night. They carefully retreated back into the house.
My brother lives about a mile out of town in an area of about 20 houses. Numerous residents have seen a mountain lion prowling in the area on several occasions.
In researching my family history, I came across this Cat Story in a book written by a cousin. It’s about my 3rd g-grandfather. He noticed a movement at the open double doors and saw two pairs of eyes shining in the dark. He told his nephew to get some fire from the fireplace and run those dogs off the porch. The boy picked up a blazing log and waved it at the animals by the door. The animals turned back from the fire, and the boy quickly closed and barred the doors, for he realized that those were not dogs at all, but cougars.
Yep, she said in all the years out there, she had never see one. There are some funny (in retrospect) stories online about people who "rescued" cute little kittens and then realized they were bigger as they started growing and oops, bobcat! What a great story to share, thanks for that. Wow, another one, that in retrospect, was fun to share but probably a little frightening firsthand.
DeleteOh my, ... but I think having a bobcat for a pet would be fun
ReplyDeleteIt would, they are beautiful animals for sure. You'd probably keep people away if you had one lounging on your porch, ha.
DeleteHello—long time reader, first time commenting. When my son was little he called these critters “bomb” cats. 😅 So cute. 😀 JB in CA
ReplyDeleteWell hello and welcome!! How cute, "bomb cats". Hey, that's what he thought he heard people saying. Too fun. I think we might call them bombcats just because, ha. Thanks for sharing that. And thanks for commenting. You're always welcome here. :-)
DeleteJust remember, you are tresspassers in their territory
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, that's why we said we'd adapt since we live in their habitat. hopefully we will all peacefully coexist. It'll be a regular Nat Geo special out there, ha.
DeleteThe idea of a bobcat hanging around is a bit scary. I'm glad Hobart isn't living there, but he stays inside, doesn't he?
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Yes, all three of our cats have always been inside cats. They were all rescued outside as tiny kittens from various locations but then they all came in and lived/live their lives inside. God willing we still have Hobart when we move out there, he will definitely always stay inside.
DeleteHopefully the Bobcats will run the hogs off
ReplyDeleteNow we never thought about it that way!! Hmm, not a bad trade off, ha.
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