Are bobcats dangerous?

[lightcacher]

The only Bobcat I've ever encountered in the wild ran away as soon as he saw me. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to get a better look at him. They really are beautiful creatures.

 

[FroggyTaco]

My aunt & Uncle whom live in Idaho have a pet bobcat. They have had several over the years.

They do not eat cat food. Tank only eats raw meat & is quite the little rascal. Think terrible two's in feline form. But the more human interaction & exposure the more docile they are.

For the pics or it didn't happen people:

My daughter was about 15 mo & JC was 11 at the time these were taken.

 

[Linger]

Wow. Wild animals near delicate precious children. And it looks PISSED. That's like a wet kitty look in the 'I heart caturday' series.
Neat to see its possible. Since my mother moved out of the city I've thought about her getting a bobcat...She always had house cats but they could be dinner in the forest, and I felt a bigger cat would actually give her some sense of protection (she's away far far too often to even consider a dog).
Those are one-of-a-kind pics, thanx.

 

[Glasstream15]

Anyone who has ever spent much time around domestic cats knows they really aren't. They are just comfortable having someone take care of them. But they are still never more than a fraction of a second away from wild. They would rather catch their food than eat from a bowl, no matter what is put in that bowl. And no cat lover, no such thing as a "cat owner", is without claw and teeth marks. It's part of sharing your life with a cat.

You can get a Bobcat as a kitten and raise it to be a house pet. But instead of 12 pounds like Gray Guy, you've got 30+ pounds one generation away from fully wild. It is beyond irresponsible. It is beyond dumb. It is beyond stupid. It is a recipe for someone to get hurt, even though kitty may not actually mean it. Cats play and they play rough. And if they don't want to play and run and jump then someone is seriously overfeeding them and that's not good either.

Those pictures are an open invitation for someone to get hurt. Not eaten. That cat won't go after something even as large as the baby as food. But playing brings out claws and teeth. And I have scars from playing with MUCH smaller kitties.

And feeding any cat just raw meat is also not good for them. But if that cat gets outside it will supplement its diet and should be okay.

JMNSHO &, of course, YMMV

 

[Itchrelief]

deleted duplicate post again! - Damn internet!

It's ok, you only have to push the button once...

 

[TedTheLed]

Anyone who has ever spent much time around domestic cats knows they really aren't. They are just comfortable having someone take care of them. But they are still never more than a fraction of a second away from wild. They would rather catch their food than eat from a bowl, no matter what is put in that bowl. And no cat lover, no such thing as a "cat owner", is without claw and teeth marks. It's part of sharing your life with a cat.

not true. my cat never intentionally scratched (as in reaching out and deliberately swiping) or bit. nope, never. he's around 12 or thirteen now..and there is a reason.

domestic house cat's that scratch and bite are out there, everyone has experienced them, but their behavior has to do with how they are brought up.

don't EVER "play rough" with your kitten or cat. do not play 'pounce' games with your hands or any other body part. ok to play pounce with string, or a stuffed animal. and never use violence towrds them -- one swat, one day, and they may never trust anyone again..

..if i accidentally cause my cat pain, if I snag some fur while combing him, say, he will lunge with his mouth open, mouth my hand possibly but never hard bites..

some animals are wilder and some more domestic than others..people consider (domestic) ferrets "wild" but they are far less wild than house cats in that they have NEVER established a feral clolony, even with help from man, anywhere. but we all know cats do it all the time. ferrets left 'outside' die. end of story.

as for baby with the bobcat. although having a bobcat hang in my house as a friend has always been a dream; they certainly shouldn't be left with children unsupervised. let's hope those two were seperated soon after the photo..

 

[Glasstream15]

One of our cats has only scratched me once. she was frightened and I was trying to put her in her cage to go to the vet. The other cat is the most loving creature i have ever known. But he is wild. He has a temper. He will throw a tantrum worse than any 2 year old ever did. And, although they are indoor cats, we have a screened patio and pool where they love to play and often catch cameleons and tree frogs. And Gray Guy attacks with ruthless abandon. He knows only one way to do anything. Wide open. And that includes being petted or loved. It's wide open. And he grabs and holds on. And there are a lot of cats that way. There are a lot of cats that are very docile. They are all different, just like people.

 

[TedTheLed]

let me add then, Leon is no *****.
I didn't mean he was so docile he sits zazen all day,
no he was a murderer for many years'
he started out biting the heads off targets, but soon discovered this made them no fun any more..so he learned to torture...

but, over the years, he has lost interest in killing. wierd.

he's just as full of pep, tearing around and leaping about the house at full speed.. but he leaves the birds that fly in now and then, alone...
maybe because I discouraged him? I always go after the birds in the house so I guess maybe he thinks those are all mine..?
but he leaves them alone outside too. he still enjoys stalking them..and he'll rush the squirrels to show them who's boss, but no massacrees..

 

[FroggyTaco]

It's always interesting to see the opinions of different perspectives.

If I felt my daughter was in danger, I wouldn't have allowed the interaction to occur.

Tank(the bobcat) was incredibly gentle & careful with Jenna & allowed her to "pet" him without any sort of any malicious behavior. Yes anything could have happened. I could have been killed on the way home in an accident but today wasn't my day & that day with Tank wasn't Jenna's day either.

As far as a comment with regard to meat feeding, this is their 4th bobcat over the course of about 20 years & I would expect they would have figured out what was best over that period of time.

Travis

p.s. "The fear of dying keeps most people from living"

 

[TedTheLed]

Moderation comments removed

as for your daughter froggy, I think we are agreed that you were there and able to respond to any thing going wrong between them..obviously full grown bobcats shouldn't be left alone with little kids...

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Pshaw. You're in much more danger from two-legged predators than you are from any animal on this continent.

A flashlight as protection is a joke, a walking stick and some training could do well. I like my Glock.

 

[geepondy]

I only ever came across one as well and he took right off. Luckily the bear I once encountered in a berry patch did the same thing.

 

[rokspydr]

They are only dangerous if operated incorrectly:naughty:

 

[Greg G]

99.9% of the time they are docile.

But, don't spill deer urine on your boot on the way out to the stand.