Bobcat Pair Courting

[Valerie E]

Second year in a row, we've got a bobcat pair making strange noises together outside our house. I was *really* hoping to get some kitty porn, but the poor guy (on the left) was unsuccessful this time. Keep trying, dude — I want kittens!!!!

[Kattt]

Very cool that you not only have the pictures, but also got to see them so close. I see bobcats a lot but nothing that close and special. I am sure she'll be in a better "mood" at some point and kittens will ensue ;)
Thanks for sharing.

[Greg Mihalik]

On two occasions we've had a Mom bring kittens to the back patio, I'm assuming as part of their hands-on education. She sits and watches while they explore. Then they move on.

We feel honored.

Thanks for your shots. They are great!

We haven't been that privileged.

[David Thomas]

(Speaking as someone who's met 4 GFs and my wife on the trail), that boy has to change his game. Whenever I scratch my temple with my foot, the girl I'm chatting up loses interest.

Great pics – good luck with the "kitty porn".

While cat videos were the reason Al Gore invented the internet, I like your posts better.

[Dave T]

Beautiful pictures of some beautiful animals. Nice one.

[Katherine .]

those are great!

[Ian]

What an incredible thing to witness. I've yet to see a bobcat or puma in the wild but hope that someday I will.

Hopefully you'll see their kittens before too long.

[Valerie E]

Glad I could share — we were absolutely in awe that they were doing their "dance" ten feet from our bedroom window. I shot the whole thing through a small gap in the drapes, so as not to disturb them.

I think we're getting more bobcat activity because of a spate of new construction in our neighbourhood (the original homes were each on 3-5 acres, but few folks can afford that now, and most of the lots have been split; we bought an original 1950s home, with the additional acres split off). The newer houses are huge (as is the current fashion) and the vegetation surrounding them is sparse.

Cats like to hang out in areas with more cover, and our home's "untouched natural desert" meets their needs, so our little patch of earth seems to be one of the increasingly fewer habitat spots for them. We intend to keep it that way. We also fought hard to prevent a fence being installed by our neighbours-of-the-giant-mansion, which we believe would have blocked a pre-existing animal corridor.

Ian, I'm not surprised that you've never seen big cats hiking. Neither have I. Even my husband (a former part-time hiking guide for Canyon Ranch with literally thousands of miles under his belt) has only ever seen two lions. Cats are enormously secretive normally, and roam vast territories alone. They blend into the brush SO well that I'm only half-joking in my belief that they're able to de-materialize and re-materialize at will!

[Valerie E]

I have NO idea why bobcats climb these things (I've seen pictures of them on top of a saguaro, fergawdsakes!). The mating pair came back yesterday – I saw her on top of the telephone pole (missed the climbing part); she saw me and started downclimbing. When she turned around to go head first, she started slipping; then she fell about 20ft (a sickening "thump"), but seconds later, the two cats ran full-speed past me into the scrub brush, so I guess she's ok. Phew!

[BlackHatGuy]

"I have NO idea why bobcats climb these things "

She couldn't find a hot tin roof? :-)

[Valerie E]

Well played, Doug — and there are still 13 days before the Ides of March! :^D

[Dan Yeruski]

What's the latest? Are they still around?

[Valerie E]

Sorry to say that we haven't seen the bobcats since the telephone pole incident, boo-hoo, sniff.

For whatever reason, our house doesn't have what they're looking for in a den. But apparently it's highly romantic because (for 2 years in a row!) the mating happens here, then they go somewhere else to have the kittens… I hope everything went well and she had a healthy litter.

Now it's rattlesnake season, and I'm usually too shaky to take photos…

[Bob Gross]

Valerie, don't you think that you are now obligated to provide bobcat healthcare and bobcat housing assistance?

–B.G.–

[Valerie E]

Hmmmmmm "Bob", I wonder you have a personal interest in providing for these bobcats…(aot lions, or lynx).

If they apply for benefits, I'll have to petition the local authorities to repeal the laws banning feeding of wildlife…could be difficult. In the meantime, I hope they bring their kittens by to fill out the paperwork!

[Bob Gross]

Nobody suggested that you should feed the wildlife. You could issue vouchers.

You may need DNA evidence to establish paternity.

Seriously, though, I wonder if it would be practical to augment the habitat for the benefit of the wildlife.

–B.G.–

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