Living With A Bobcat

kittyluv387

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I think I've seen that. I love the Christian The Lion story. You can see the whole documentary on YouTube, but here's the tear-jerker reunion for anyone who hasn't see it.

I love how they bought christian out of ignorance, but they still loved him enough to do right by him.
 

Purr-fect

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I think I've seen that. I love the Christian The Lion story. You can see the whole documentary on YouTube, but here's the tear-jerker reunion for anyone who hasn't see it.

I am so lucky, my cat arnold, literally does that to every night when we go to bed. And then a few more times thru the night.
 

DreamerRose

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I think I've seen that. I love the Christian The Lion story. You can see the whole documentary on YouTube, but here's the tear-jerker reunion for anyone who hasn't see it.

Thanks for posting that. It's such a sweet story and I'm happy you shared it here.
 
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basscat

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I just saw an article on Quora saying that nobody should have a bobcat as a pet, that they are vicious and can never be tamed, that they will tear up your house and will spray even after being altered. That your insurance for your home will go up and that any liability insurance will be enormous. They likened a bobcat to an ocelot and that those can never be tamed either. Considering that there have been people who have had lions tamed to a point where they were practically unfit to be released to the wild without much training to be "wild lions" I find that article to be full of untruths particularly since you seem to have a bobcat that acts just like an oversized house cat. I even read about a woman who had a pet puma, black no less, that lived inside and outside and who came running to her from the woods whenever she came home from work even in the dark as she did not want the puma confined to the house when she was not at home, she had no enclosure for it, it just acted like an indoor/outdoor house cat. Of course it also made a wonderful deterrent regarding burglaries.
A Puma is a Mountain Lion is a Cougar (different names for the same thing).
And from what I understand....Quite possible the best mannered, most gentle, easily handled cat...aside from a domestic cat. At least that's what "they" say anyway.
The smaller ones, especially Bob's, are the trickiest. And that's due to there being more Bobcats than others, and experienced handlers of big cats, taking the small cats for granted. Lets put it this way...A Bear would try to take food away from a Bobcat...twice. A bobcat probably isn't going to kill a person, but, they would be the cat that would tear someone up in a split second if you don't give them the same courtesy you would a bigger cat. There's just not much of anything that's quicker and packs that much punch for it's size.
My cat is not domestic, and he's not wild. He IS tame though. All he knows are people, living rooms, soft couches, and cozy fireplace.
Everybody has an opinions about right or wrong when it comes to keeping a cat like a bobcat. And there's usually several good points to either side of this subject/argument. At the end of the day, in my case, it doesn't really matter. We have a bobcat. He's living the easy life. We love him, take care of him, and in general, he seems to be content and returns affection in the same way we perceive a domestic cat to be affectionate.
 
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basscat

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I'm of the opinion that all animals, if given love and caring when they're young, can be tamed.
In my opinion, you can't take a wild animal and tame it. You might train it not to eat you, but to consider it tame would be a stretch.
I know you said "young" and that's important.
Basically, to be tame, young means darn near birth. The minute they can focus their eyes, it's too late....unless a people is what they are focusing on.
I rehabbed a "wild" Bobcat kitten once. Three months old when we found her and had we not done anything, she probably only had a few days of life left. One year of love, caring, and food later? She was as wild as the day we found her.
 

segelkatt

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This is a possibility, depending on your insurance company. I can tell you that just having a Rottweiler isn't the best thing for one's insurance rates, much less a wildcat :/.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who get in over their heads trying to keep a pet bobcat. Some people are in over their heads with a domestic cat! Having an exotic pet is all about being willing to adjust your habits and lifestyle to accomodate their needs. If someone isn't willing to do that, there's going to be trouble.
There was a follow-up to my objection to the Quora-writers assertions and she said that the stories about people having big cats for pets were just stories and not true. Since there are many people who have seen the story of Christian the lion and Born Free that writer's own story is bs and not worth any further debate. Case closed.

But please keep us advised how your big cat is doing, I think we all love to see pictures of him just like of any other cat.
 
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basscat

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There was a follow-up to my objection to the Quora-writers assertions and she said that the stories about people having big cats for pets were just stories and not true. Since there are many people who have seen the story of Christian the lion and Born Free that writer's own story is bs and not worth any further debate. Case closed.

But please keep us advised how your big cat is doing, I think we all love to see pictures of him just like of any other cat.
???
 

segelkatt

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We all post pics of our cats and like to see those of others so why not yours? I like BIG pussycats which is why I have a Maine Coon and my black alley cat is big too at 19 lbs.
P1010705.JPG
Panthera takes up 2 whole squares of the blanket, Capucchino, a Birman , takes up just 1
IMG_0456.JPG

Chamouti, the Maine Coon, also takes up 2 whole squares
The Bobturd would probably take up 4!
 

Willowy

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she said that the stories about people having big cats for pets were just stories and not true.
Haha, we know that's not true! But still, people do get hurt by big cats as pets. I have scratches all over my arms (accidental, mostly) and that's just from regular cats :D. If they weighed 40 times more I might have a problem! I'm not against people keeping big cats as pets as long as they take all the precautions, but one does need to recognize the potential for injury/death and be very very careful.


OK, I have an actual question about the actual topic! Anyway, once I was on an exotic pet kick and was looking up bobcat breeders. Almost all of them (at least 5 that I could find) said they de-clawed the kittens at a very young age, and, while they would leave your kitten's claws intact if you asked, they "strongly recommended" having it done and were very reluctant to place a clawed cat in a pet home. This was after the USDA made de-clawing big cats illegal so I was surprised by that. I notice Gibbs has his claws. Is that something you had to specially request or is de-clawing not as much of a thing among breeders now?
 

artiemom

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And..... do you ever attempt to trim his nails??? Ghads. If you do. The thought. :nono:
 

segelkatt

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Four more bobcats for California, yeah! They also found another female in the area but she had no kittens with her and probably did not have any to begin with although this is certainly kitten season for bobcats, they think she may have kittens next year.
 

Mer.kitten

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A Puma is a Mountain Lion is a Cougar (different names for the same thing).
And from what I understand....Quite possible the best mannered, most gentle, easily handled cat...aside from a domestic cat. At least that's what "they" say anyway.
The smaller ones, especially Bob's, are the trickiest. And that's due to there being more Bobcats than others, and experienced handlers of big cats, taking the small cats for granted. Lets put it this way...A Bear would try to take food away from a Bobcat...twice. A bobcat probably isn't going to kill a person, but, they would be the cat that would tear someone up in a split second if you don't give them the same courtesy you would a bigger cat. There's just not much of anything that's quicker and packs that much punch for it's size.
My cat is not domestic, and he's not wild. He IS tame though. All he knows are people, living rooms, soft couches, and cozy fireplace.
Everybody has an opinions about right or wrong when it comes to keeping a cat like a bobcat. And there's usually several good points to either side of this subject/argument. At the end of the day, in my case, it doesn't really matter. We have a bobcat. He's living the easy life. We love him, take care of him, and in general, he seems to be content and returns affection in the same way we perceive a domestic cat to be affectionate.
I have no problem with you keeping a bobcat-hes obvipusly treated well. But id have to disagree that a bobcat couldnt kill a person. We tend to take smaller animals for granted-i know i did, until i came in contact with a housecat that had some sort of mental or behavioural problem. Hed be loving one minute, and the next hed attack-but by attack i dont mean a swipe and a bite and retreat-hed come at you continuously til you could get away. His owner was sent to the ER twice and was terrified of him, he was surrendered to a shelter, who at first expressed dismay that this sweet cat was being given up-til he exploded on them too. Screaming, launching at their faces scratching and biting.. he was put down after 4 days
And no he wssnt rabid.

My point is that if a housecat can send someone to the ER, a bobcat could probably kill a person. You havent seen him in that mode,but that doesnt mean it doesnt exist inside him. All im saying is to accept that thats a possibility, and have a plan in advance for if you or your wife are being seriously attacked, be it pepper spray, a fire extinguisher-who knows. Something to keep him at bay til you can get away.
 

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They found something similar to what mer.kitten describes sounds much like rage syndrome found in

Rage syndrome can occur in any dog, but there are breeds that seem more prone to the condition. These breeds include: English Springer Spaniels Cocker Spaniels Bull Terriers Retriever breeds

Read more at: Rage Syndrome in Dogs - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost


I suppose it could happen in cats and other mammals like people.
 
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basscat

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Mer.kitten Mer.kitten I was trying to say that Big Cat handlers often take the smaller cats for granted "due to their size". They handle lions and tigers all day and become complacent when switched to a smaller cat. Thus not giving the smaller cat the same respect as a Tiger. And that's how one gets hurt.
Given the right circumstances, yes, a bobcat could kill an able, adult people. It's just not likely though.
The most likely outcome is the person and the cat both get hurt.
Since I don't handle Lions and Tigers, oh my (lol)....my bob seems big to me and there's no taking him for granted due to his size.
I also never take him for granted due to his non aggressive demeanor either.
In a "way", he's actually safer than a house cat.
Where a person might get torn up trying to round up an unhappy house cat. One SURE won't attempt the same with an unhappy bobcat. :lol:
 
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basscat

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Haha, we know that's not true! But still, people do get hurt by big cats as pets. I have scratches all over my arms (accidental, mostly) and that's just from regular cats :D. If they weighed 40 times more I might have a problem! I'm not against people keeping big cats as pets as long as they take all the precautions, but one does need to recognize the potential for injury/death and be very very careful.


OK, I have an actual question about the actual topic! Anyway, once I was on an exotic pet kick and was looking up bobcat breeders. Almost all of them (at least 5 that I could find) said they de-clawed the kittens at a very young age, and, while they would leave your kitten's claws intact if you asked, they "strongly recommended" having it done and were very reluctant to place a clawed cat in a pet home. This was after the USDA made de-clawing big cats illegal so I was surprised by that. I notice Gibbs has his claws. Is that something you had to specially request or is de-clawing not as much of a thing among breeders now?
I'm not a "holier than thou" person. There are valid arguments FOR and AGAINST having something like a bobcat as a pet. The same is true for declawing. By "valid" (to me) just means that I understand both sides.
For ME, furniture isn't enough of a reason to de-claw a cat. For ME, the only reason to have that done would be for personal safety.
And the way I see it....If I'm that worried about my safety, I probably shouldn't have said cat. So, he's still fully equipped with utensils of mass destruction. :lol:
 
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basscat

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I found this picture of a bobcat in mid-pounce, I think it's awesome, it caught a bird and the photographer had been waiting and caught it just right. If you blow up the pic you can read the caption.View attachment 286605
A bobcat has no regard for personal well being when going after something. And I mean ZERO. The cat landing on all fours gracefully? Not a bobcat. He'll hit the ceiling fan every now and then chasing a throw toy and land flat on his side. He'll get that toy though. He seldom misses.
 
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