Wow! Have you ever seen a bobcat? We had a chance to get up close and personal with one just this past week. When we got home to our New Mexico adobe, a momma bobcat and her half-grown kitten were hanging around in our yard!
No reason to call animal control – because we live parttime in an addition of homes in the scrub desert of New Mexico, and we share the area with wild creatures who are used to sharing their habitat with us.
Even so, the mom bobcat wasn’t sure about us. She went into the fenced backyard while we scurried into the house to watch her from the patio door. She stalked back and forth in the yard, while the kitten watched from the top of a pine tree. Eventually, the kit came down and the two of them left the yard and went out into the shrubs – we thought.
So we let the dog out. Our little Trixie, about 30 pounds and mostly dachsund, was doing her thing in the yard when suddenly the little kit got curious. She jumped into the yard to check out Trixie. Trixie barked, the kit went up another tree. Mom got worried and jumped onto the fence to watch.

We figured Mom bobcat probably weighed about the same as Trixie, but she definitely had the advantage, being a wild thing. Trixie just wanted to play. So hubby intervened and Mom backed off while we corralled Trixie back into the house.

Bobcats are beautiful animals. If you’ve never seen one up close, check out a picture. (I’d add one if I could, but can’t right now.) Anyway, their stomachs and underlegs are covered with black and white fur in a speckled pattern totally opposite from the brown fur of their backs and outer body. They have tufts of fur on their ears, and a short tail. But they are majestic. I’ll get pictures on soon, so check back!