Bobcat doing Bobcat things. Everyday is a fight for survival for him. House cats are a food source for him and that's it. I don't tolerate ferals. Most ferals start out as pets and then the owner doesn't care if it comes home at night or not.

We had a couple dozen ferals in the neighborhood. I laid a couple low with the pellet rifle but they breed quickly. All of a sudden we are down to just a few. Don't know if a predator came through or someone decided it was time to put some rat poison in a pound of hamburger and leave it out.
A feral will give a Bobcat a good fight I would imagine. Be a fight worth seeing.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
What are the best actions if a bobcat or coyote comes into your yard near your house (when you're in the yard)?

When I had a small dog, shoot it. If they escape in an unsafe direction, yell slurs at them. Don’t currently have a dog so I just let them eat the rodents. The big ones always bolt at first sight of a human. I would not let any animal I care about roam unattended. They typically turn into missing pet posters.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Bobcat doing Bobcat things. Everyday is a fight for survival for him.

Yep. Mother Nature can be a mighty mean bitch, but critters gotta do what critters do.

A few years back, after egg prices skyrocketed, we got chickens. We have around 35. The eggs are mainly used for a baking business. Before that, I rarely saw foxes, coyotes or other larger predators in the yard on the security cameras. This was the first time seeing a bobcat. When I looked back at the security camera footage, it seemed mainly interested in the chickens. It was looking for a way to get in. One of our cats was following it around until the bobcat realized it couldn't get inside the chicken coop. It never ran at the cats at full speed. The cat would burst full speed for several yards and turn around to see where it was. Even after I went outside, it never moved faster than a trot. We played hide and seek around some low growing evergreen shrubs. I didn't have a firearm at the time but I really wasn't too worried about it attacking me. Those kind of stories are extremely rare.
Bobcats are very efficient hunters and usually interested in rabbits and other smaller animals that don't put up as much of a fight. Without access to the pet door, there would have been very few options for getting away.

I would be very worried if a bobcat attacked me or any of my family because that would likely mean the bobcat was rabid. We see them often on the ranch. First they pancake, hoping you didn’t see then. If it becomes obvious that you saw them and aren’t moving on away from them, they beat feet quickly.

From what I’ve seen, they mostly stay down in the valley, where the squirrels are. I’m happy to have both them and the coyotes on the payroll down there working on the squirrels. They would be much less welcome around the house or the orchard, but that hasn’t been an issue to date.

Like the cats, hate the bobcats? Settle the score.

I would not trust a bobcat or cougar in my back yard. Bobcat will hurt you if sick, or eat your pets, and a cougar could kill you without ever noticing. If it's me or them, I vote for me. So I'd vote for killing them if possible, or alter the property to prevent their entry if it could be done without creating an eye sore.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
Bobcat doing Bobcat things. Everyday is a fight for survival for him. House cats are a food source for him and that's it. I don't tolerate ferals. Most ferals start out as pets and then the owner doesn't care if it comes home at night or not.

We had a couple dozen ferals in the neighborhood. I laid a couple low with the pellet rifle but they breed quickly. All of a sudden we are down to just a few. Don't know if a predator came through or someone decided it was time to put some rat poison in a pound of hamburger and leave it out.
A feral will give a Bobcat a good fight I would imagine. Be a fight worth seeing.

Joe Rogan had a biologist on his show talking about what animals get what pets. It was pretty interesting. He said if you have a Coyote problem you will eventually find a dead dog if there are smaller ones in the neighborhood. Coyotes will oftentimes kill to limit competition and to show dominance.

The biologist climbed up in one owl nest and found 58 cat collars.

Fortunately, we don't have cougars in the area. The predator sightings went through the roof once we got chickens. Several months ago, a great horned owl managed to get inside the pen and couldn't get out. I opened the door and walked past as it was clinging to the fence. I was only a foot or two from it as I went by. Once it realized it could get out, it took off. It was absolutely magnificent with big beautiful eyes and huge talons.

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:
Fortunately, we don't have cougars in the area. The predator sightings went through the roof once we got chickens. Several months ago, a great horned owl managed to get inside the pen and couldn't get out. I opened the door and walked past as it was clinging to the fence. I was only a foot or two from it as I went by. Once it realized it could get out, it took off. It was absolutely magnificent with big beautiful eyes and huge talons.

They are a sight to behold. I was sitting on our deck enjoying a cocktail last summer when I seen a large bird coming directly toward me just over the tree tops about a hundred yards out. As it got closer I could tell it was a Great Horned Owl. As it flew directly over me I could hear the wings effortlessly pushing the air. Huge yellow eyes and cupped face. It had a red squirrel in its talons. Heading for his nest to enjoy his lunch.

My neighbor has about 15 chickens that are free ranging during the day and then they go in the coop in the evening. We have two nesting pairs of Bald Eagles on the lake and we see them almost daily out hunting. How he has never lost a chicken or cat to one of them or an owl is a mystery to me. He has lost a couple but it's been to weasels or minks who find a way into the pen.

We have a fenced yard outside of Tucson. We have bobcats wandering through our back yard where they can easily jump over the 5 ft fence. We’ve had times when a bobcat will jump into our back yard and walk across our yard, passing within 8 feet of us as we sit relaxing. Amazing.

Quite the athletes.

Send the Bobcat here to help me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Johnny 3eagles,

My sister once watched in horror as a Bobcat snatched the beloved family cat and drug it into the woods.

Few Bobcats on the prowl here, development by the lake forced some of the critters out of their nice habitat for the past 1000 years and now we see Coyote's from time to time, cats and small dogs have disappeared.

One of the cats going after a fox.

quote:

Originally posted by Jupiter:
One of the cats going after a fox.

Here inside the DC Beltway most of the critters' habitats have been lost to development. We do see foxes pretty much every day, though, and they usually win the night time fox/cat battles.

We've been able to pick up some interesting cat/fox footage over the years. We've never lost a cat. One thing we've noticed in every case is that whenever the fox gets too close, the cats always turn around and go after the fox at some point. The fox usually decides to move on and look for an easier meal.

Because we have an abundance of other smaller animals like rodents and rabbits, cats are not a standard menu item and may not be worth the fight.

We have a semi feral cat. He came to us as about a 10 month old and we fed him occasionally for the first year. Now we feed him daily if he wants it, but he is an outdoor animal. As he has gotten older he sleeps inside during the day and he is out all night. Plenty of coyotes and all types of stuff that can hurt him here. He travels about 4-6 miles a night on the abandoned golf course behind us and between several developments. No way could we keep him inside. We tried that when we moved and he was tortured. He hated it. He's 5 now and kills all kinds of stuff to eat, birds, rabbits, frogs, iguana you name it.

Each day is a gift and we have no illusions, he lives a dangerous life outdoors.

I will not have him tortured by living inside the rest of his life. When he needs sleep, food or shelter we are always here for him and he knows that. But I'm not going to imprison him so it makes me feel better. He will succumb to the wilds of the night someday, until then, he will continue to live an awesome cat life.

This old boy (Charlie) showed up around 4 years ago. One of his legs looks like it had been broken and healed up slightly rotated. We believe he was hit by a car. His ear was clipped so we knew he was part of a catch and release program. It took me over a year to befriend him. We made sure he had a warm shelter and food close to the house. Once he trusted us enough to come inside, he rarely goes outside. He is living the good life now and found his forever home. The little guy with him was found in the curve close to the house. He looked to be around 6-8 weeks old according to the Vet. His name is Taz. Charlie and Taz are best friends.