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Here kitty, kitty…

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We have a lot of interesting backyard visitors at Casa River.

Some are regulars… deer, skunk, fox, raccoons, woodchucks… some show up less frequently … owls, ducks, woodcock, porcupine, ring necked pheasant,

But last week?

Even we were surprised to see who was hanging out by the bird feeders.

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At first we thought it was the neighbor’s cat Silas who drops by now and then. But on closer inspection?

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We realized this was a different type of kitty altogether.

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A bobcat!

He was beautiful. And we were thrilled.

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In 22 years of residence, this was our first encounter.

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Stocky, with big paws, pointed ear tufts and a stubby tail.

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He was a gorgeous wild boy.

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And yes, our domesticated feline was on high alert.

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The bobcat sat by the feeders for a good ten minutes, where I noticed him licking his lips. I told the husband that was a sign of feline nausea but he didn’t believe me.

Until the bobcat walked across the back lawn and puked under our bedroom window before trotting off to the woods.

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I’m hoping this elusive and rarely seen kitty felt comfortable enough to come back someday.

💕

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43 thoughts on “Here kitty, kitty…”

      1. He is a fine-looking feline, just differently shaped than the ones we have here. Looking at his coat he is not fit to survive a winter in the Rockies. Have a good day — stay in bed as long as you can.

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      2. You have the Canadian Lynx which is very similar.

        “Physically, these two cats share many features, including the two trademark features of the lynx family of cats: bobbed tails (this is why bobcats are called bobcats) and tufts of fur on the tips of their ears. Bobcats and Canada lynx are also similar in size, but bobcats are slightly smaller. They are the smallest cat in the Lynx family. Bobcats typically weigh between 8 pounds and 33 pounds, while the Canada lynx weigh between 10 pounds and 38 pounds, Animal Diversity Web reports.

        The fur of both these cats can vary in color, but bobcats are generally brown or buff colored with dark spots and stripes on some of their fur. Lynx are usually lighter in color, typically a shade of yellowish-brown. Some lynx also have dark spots on their coats, but bobcats generally have more markings on their fur.

        Although these cats are similar in appearance, there are a few physical features that can serve as identifiers. For starters, the back legs of the Canada lynx are noticeably longer than their front legs, and this makes them appear stooped, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department(Opens in a new window). A Canada lynx’s paws are also much larger — at least twice as big.”

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      3. Maybe we just don’t know the difference. Bot.h names a,re used here. No idea why.
        Apparently many feline species, can interbreed, including wild cats with pet cats
        Take care.

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  7. Definitely not a housecat and better not be your neighbor’s cat. I heard one on my way to the outhouse once years ago. The call is chilling. Neighbors said it couldn’t be. They were not common, but certainly in the area.

    He may reduce the population around your feeders for a while – one way or another.

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  8. Wow, they visit Florida and the panhandle often but I did not realize they were this close to homes in Maine. Beautiful and looks well fed. Although sometimes in the UAE, there were some very wealthy people who kept all sorts of cats as pets in their spatial palaces.

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  12. What a beautiful creature. So lucky you were there to get photos. He is much larger than our bobcats. When we bought our house and had a home inspection they found all sorts of bones on our roof. We had a resident bobcat who slept and ate there. He’s moved on, but we have occasional sightings of other bobcats.

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      1. When we moved in we called all sorts of game and wilderness agencies wanting them to trap the bobcat and move him away. Everyone laughed at us. They have huge territories and live where they want. He moved out and we no longer have a boneyard. 😅

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  13. Awesome!!!! What a treat to have one visit like that.
    We have them here but they are never seen out in the open and in broad daylight.
    I hope there wasn’t something wrong with him/her.

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  20. He was gorgeous! What a surprise for you.

    Sadly, not a good visitor since you are attracting so many other critters, which he would deem prey.

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