Lenny the bobcat

[featherfinder]

Have you ever has one lash out on you? Those claws have to be nasty when they get ahold of something.

 

[kari_dawn]

No, I have never had one lash out at me. Bobcats are actually extremely gentle if they are raised thoughtfully. I have sustained far worse injuries from domestic cats than I have ever recieved from any bobcat. however, I will say that they are very smart, and are very good at bluffing you. The most dangerous animals we ever work with at the wildlife center are those raised by humans, but generally, only ones that were found, and impulsively kept by people who have no clue about them. Even then, as the behavioral specialist for the center, as one who works extensively with these "problem kids", I have never been injured.

Lenny (my very favorite) is a perfect example. The people that raised him found him as a kitten, and impulsively decided to make him into a pet (BAD idea). They had him for two years, and in that time had him neutered; and he lived in their house. Keeping them like that is illegal. I will commend them for being able to keep him past 8 months, because usually when someone is keeping one, at this age is when they call us to come take them off their hands because the bobcat has become unmanageable for them. When it was discovered that they had him, he was forceably removed from the house, and taken to a humane center that had no business holding a bobcat. He stayed there for months before they called us.

After his long stay at the humane society, he was again forced to move to a new place, with new animals, and new rules that he was expected to learn. At the age of two, Lenny is still very young. Emotionally, and litterally. Think of him as a five year old child. He has been torn from his nice, comfy, familiar home with air conditioning and tv, and people that he loves, and thrown into a cage, stared at, and turned into a novelty for months at a humane society (not nearly long enough for him to adjust to the change...we always recommend that if this must be done, to have the animal sent directly to us. It minimizes stress, and does not expect too much from the animal), and then ripped out of a place he was just starting to consider getting used to, and then thrown into an entirely different environment. Of course he threw tantrums (lots of them), but never did he try to hurt anyone.

Bobcats have extremely long memories (if you are the unfortunate person who has to treat Hoover for anything, don't expect him to talk to you for a minimum of three months, if you are in the doghouse for that short amount of time with him, consider yourself fortunate), and they form unbelievably deep emotional bonds with their families (in the wild in urban areas bobcats may stay with their family group for a lifetime. We are currently doing extensive research on the familial structures of urban bobcats). When Lenny got to the wildlife center, he would not even aknowlege anyone for more than three months. Then, for a while he resigned himself to being there, and began to come up to people. That all changed when his family came to visit him. It ticked him off, and he reverted into himself. He wouldn't talk to ANYONE for months. He came around a tiny bit, but then went back to being his angry, very hurt self. Remember, this is the first time Lenny has seen his family in over a year, and he is STILL that hurt about what happened.

When the director left for a few weeks, and I was staying out at the ranch, it gave me the perfect opportunity to work with him. I worked with him, and pushed his comfort zone for hours and hours every day. Holding his feet, scratching his head, playing with him (peacock feathers are excellent enrichment toys), picking him up, and just talking to him. Yes, it made him mad, and yes, he tried to make me leave him alone, but he never ever hurt me, or even tried. In the end I won out, and Lenny and I are now the best of friends. He has done a complete 180. He is friendly, amiable, and doesn't spend so much of his time thinking about how hurt he has been, and how much change and fear, and anger he has had to deal with in his short life thusfar. Usually, these sanctuary cats are held just long enough for us to find them an education facility for them to go to. But for the forseeable future, because of his difficult past, Lenny will stay with us, an I will continue to work with him.

As common as bobcats are in the US, we generally know very little about their behavior, or even the role they play in our ecosystems. Alot of people (including myself before I knew alot about them) are ready to demonize them, and blame them for everything from the disappearance to small household pets to large livestock. For the most part, bobcats are very lazy, and anything larger than a quail is just too much effort to get a meal.

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

Wait, where are you located? I volunteered at a wildlife rehab for a short period of time that had a Bobcat named Lenny. Unfortunately I had to give it up because of health issues, which I hated to do because I loved it out there.

 

[StevenW.]

Awww! Such beautiful animals!

 

[BusyBlonde]

Absolutely gorgeous cat! I know a lot of people want to shoot any animal that may come around their chicken coop, but I feel that they were in our area before we were, and it's my responsibility to take care of my chickens that I've put in their environment. Lenny is fortunate to have ended up at your facility, where he can get the care and understanding he needs. Although I love the animals most consider predators - hawks, bobcats, wolves, etc. - I know better than to think I could take one in and raise them myself. They belong in the wild. Thank you for taking such great care of those gorgeous animals.

 

[kari_dawn]

Im personally in the metroplex...the center is out east.

BusyBlonde, I wish more people saw it the way you do. It is my responsibility to protect my flock, not to dispatch a predator just trying to survive in an ever shrinking habitat.

 

[OtterCreekRanch]

Pretty sure it is the same place.