) so this isn't the first time it's been outside. Even if it is forever lost there's plenty of small animals for it to hunt. Apparently, they're having a bit of a mouse problem at the moment so I imagine the kitty is going to clear that up and be on its way.
It doesn't have ear tufts though and the pattern just looks too neat to be a bobcat, even the variations that do predominantly have rosette patterns. The bobcats with rosettes just have a crowded mess of pattern, but the cat in the picture looks to have a nice swirl of rosettes, like it's trying to be a classic tabby. All bobcats also have black ears with a white patch in the middle, and the cat in the picture looks to have ears that start as a darker brown at the tip and fade to a lighter brown that matches the coat color.
My dad said the tail is actually short. Where it looks like it continues with or behind the leg is where it ends. It's too bad we'll never know if it's genetic or if it was an injury. I can't believe such a stunning cat is just wandering around in the woods!
There are Savannah breeders in the area in a broad sense (like a 2-3 hour, many mile radius). I don't remember exactly where he lives so I can't be sure how close any of them are. I did check some breeders out and one has pictures posted of taking their Savannahs on hikes in backpacks and on leashes. If the customers are encouraged to take their cats on hikes it's possible the cat escaped. One cattery says they mostly breed f6 and f7 but do produce a few f2 and f3. They partnered with a breeder in Montana to start producing f1. I checked out a couple random websites and there are a fair number of people (not catteries) selling cats they claim to be Savannahs. There's a breeder in Southern California that does f1 Savannahs and f1 bobcat hybrids. It doesn't seem like all the cats are particularly friendly, so if someone drove 5 (ish) hours just to buy an under-socialized kitty they could have ended up dumping it once it became the equivalent of a moody teenager. Another possibility is that a family fleeing from with wildfires came to the area to stay with friends/family and no longer had the usual precautions to keep a rambunctious kitty inside.
but the ears, length of the neck and body, plus the shape of the head looks nothing like a young bobcat. The amazing pattern on the cat doesn't really look like a bobcat either.
