Wednesday, November 19, 2008

"Here Kitty, Kitty..."









...Two bobcats...
we think a mother and a cub..."popping in" for a 6 hour visit last week
in our good friends' backyard
just
a mere 5 house down from ours. Yikes!

Did You Know...(info is from Thinkquest)
...When bobcats roar or growl,
it is so rough and deep they are often mistaken for a mountain lion.
...If a bobcat thinks that it is in danger,
it will stay in its home for days at a time without ever coming out.
...Bobcats are twice the size of their relative the house cat.
...Bobcats have five toes on the forefoot,
but the fifth toe does not leave a mark in the ground
because it is raised high up on the foot.
...It is common for a bobcat to walk 4 miles in a day.
...The bobcat does not have an accurate sense of smell.

Happy "Animal Wednesday" Folks!
Ooooh, I almost forgot...
I found a really cool bobcat jigsaw puzzle activity...check it out here!

"Animals give me more pleasure through the viewfinder of a camera
than they ever did in the cross hairs of a gun sight.
And after I've finished "shooting,"
my unharmed victims are still around for others to enjoy.
I have developed a deep respect for animals."
~Jimmy Stewart

21 comments:

Indigo Roo said...

Those bobcats are beautiful -- but in the neighborhood! Cats being as territorial as they are, were there problems? Fights?

Margaret Ann said...

Our community is on the edge of the desert so wild animals are somewhat common place-javelina, coyote, etc...but I had not seen bobcats before...just heard rumors of their presence...we also have lots of jackrabbits which I understand the bobcats really like.....People with small pets have been told to keep their pets in side at night and watch them carefully during the day...No fights or anything ike that...:)

The Victorious place said...

They are simply beautiful creatures. I did not know that they were that small. Are they dangerous?

Anonymous said...

How wonderful! They seem very calm and not concerned about being photographed. Nothing like that around here!

caseytoussaint said...

They're gorgeous - but I wouldn't want them in my backyard!

Wes said...

They are little beauties, and it is good to see that BobCats are living healthy in the wild. I should say the neighborhood! Your Photos and Art are Amazing! I really enjoyed stopping by your place, and look forward to dropping by again. Thanks for joy you have given me by your talents. Beware if you stop by place, it is so low tech, other than the occasional words being painted by my mind.

Peace&Love
Wes

Lisa at Greenbow said...

OMG...what a thrill it would be to look out and see not one but two Bobcats in ones garden. WOW

Angie in AZ said...

What a treat! I would have sat the entire day watching them!

Linda T said...

Wow, these are beautiful animals!

Sandy said...

Wow, Beautiful animals but spooky!!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous photos, Margaret! I'm so envious...I've heard bobcats and seen them at a distance here in Missouri, but the only close ones I've seen have been in wildlife rehab facilities. These are free and mysterious...

DID YOU SKETCH?!?

Brenda Yarborough said...

Wow - what wonderful photo shots! They certainly made themselves comfortable-ha ha. We have bobcats here, too, and my dh has seen them when he takes our dog running on the hill behind our house, but they've not come into the neighborhood (that I KNOW of). It's fun and sad at the same time when we get wildlife near our homes, really reminds us that it was their land first.

Anonymous said...

They are so gorgeous!!! Thank you for posting these pictures! They certainly seem to feel safe in your space.
Guess my "Bearcat" (a Maine Coon) is not an ordinary housecat; At over 20 lbs. and bigger than my Scottie, he is often accused of being a bobcat.

Teri said...

Hmm, now these look so familiar :) They are beauties arn't they.

We have had a coyote and havalina in our park and we are in the middle of Tucson! We are in their territory.

Peachtreeart said...

This is too cool! We get a family of deer at times, and once in a blue moon a big cat comes down for a visit. :)

joanieART said...

Wow Margaret, these are amazing photos...and what a story, "5 houses down."

What kind of camera do you use, a special lens?

Fab photos.

Margaret Ann said...

Thanks everyone for your comments...the photos were taken by my girlfriend's husband with a digital camera with quuite a few bells and whistles...the one that have a greener tone to them were taken through sun tinted windows...

Cathy I have not down any sketches of these...yet...but I am hoping someone might get inspired from the photos to do just that! :)

As far as I know they are not dangerous...but then again they are wild animals...in an "urbanized" environment...so...?

john.p said...

I won't run over these two. Promise!

studio lolo said...

I love the grooming session and the look on the baby's face. Priceless! Unfortunately one of their favorite foods are housecats :( They should stick with other species as their delicacies, such as the poor bunnies. They are beauties though, wow!

marianne said...

OMG what beautful creatures!
But I see Lolo´s comments : favorite food is housecats! Well in that case I´m happy they are not in my garden, but they are stunning!
Thanks for these pics!

Timaree said...

Boy, you just want to reach out and pet the kitties! I didn't know how big/little they were. I've never seen any live. Thanks for the info. You've got some great pics. I can just see a bobcat sitting under some cacti on a Monday!