A Few Thoughts On Bobcats
I find bobcats fascinating,
intimidating, and entertaining. I never forget that
our wonderful, bottle-raised babies are Wildcats,
fully capable of inflicting serious injury. So far
we have never been bitten, or scratched, even when
they were young kittens, learning manners. Bobcat
body language is very expressive. Their mutton chops
flair when nervous or curious. Their tails, while
lacking in length, are constantly in motion; curled
into a question mark, swishing in anger. And their
vocal signals leave little to the imagination, from
warning growls, to a woo-woo greeting they
communicate their emotional state. We approach our
adult bobcats carefully, and we ask permission for
intimate contact with them. We do not assume our
gestures are understood or even welcome. We ask, and
if they are willing, they grant. To be loved by a
bottle-raised bobcat is a very special gift few
people will ever experience. They can purr so loud,
and be so sweet, that you tolerate all their
bobcatty ways.
And speaking of bobcatty ways, you can't talk about
adult bobcats without talking about bobcat spray.
That's a behavior one needs to accept if there is
going to be harmony in bobcat ownership. Bobcat
urination sites can be classified as 'squirt
backwards'; "squat", which involves only a small
amount of urine; and "voiding", which incorporates a
squatting position and a large volume of urine. Of
217 urination sites made by free roaming bobcats,
McCord documented over 89 percent of these the
"squirt backwards" type, with 4 percent "squats",
and 2 percent "voided", and 3 percent scrapes with
urine detected. If you care for a captive bobcat,
especially a sexually mature pair, you will easily
concur with these observations. It can be tiresome
to constantly be on guard or be golden-showered, but
if you're a true bobcat nut you might actually
develop a liking to the faint, faded odor of bobcat
spray.
Another consideration that comes to mind is just how
long and sharp their canines are. They can bite
rapidly and repeatedly. In describing the killing
method employed by free ranging bobcats hunting
deer, it was noted by McCord that "bobcats generally
bite three areas on the deer; the throat, the base
of the skull and the chest. The chest area at the
base of the throat is rich in blood vessels, and
sometimes a few bite marks were found there in
addition to other areas. The base of the skull was
more frequently bitten, and on some deer was the
only area of attack. Apparently the bobcat is able
to reach the spine in the region of the atlas and
axis. The throat, however, was almost always a focus
of attack. The biting speed of adult bobcats enables
them to pulverize the throat, including the major
blood vessels and the trachea, in a matter of
seconds." I don't know about you, but as a bobcat
care giver, that description gives me the willies.
Adult bobcats need to be outdoors. Our bottle-raised
adults spend time in our home with us, but they have
their space too - a cage outdoors that connects to
our porch. Furniture on the porch is inexpensive and
replaceable. The painted concrete floor must be
regularly washed and bleached. The wall above their
bed on the porch has taken on a permanent yellowish
stain from repeated "squirt-backwards" activities.
We have experimented with different compound designs
for our breeding groups. Cage size varies from 16'
by 24', to 29' by 32'. We have had great results
using bamboo in the enclosures. Once established, it
seems to tolerate bobcat spray, creating shade and a
wonderful jungle habitat. We built elevated wooden
cat walks through the bamboo tops and they are
frequently traveled. We have also been successful
with forsythia, rose of sharon and quince bushes
inside the cages. We planted native honeysuckle on
the outside of the cat compounds and it's growing up
the walls. We placed large rocks and tree logs
inside to add habitat diversity and scratching
posts. First thing in the morning our bobcats are
especially playful, racing the length of their
compound and chasing each other up and down their
elevated highways. In the summer months we fill a
kitty pool with well water and stock it with small
fish. The water has to be drained and replaced
daily, as once the fishing is over, it seems to
beckon them to defecate in it. We have also given
them potted catnip plants to smell and roll in.
These plants don't last long, so we have numerous
pots of it, and after a rubbing session renders the
plants be-draggled, we remove the plant to recover.
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Feline Conservation Center
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