Bobcat Sighting on Russian River!

[sd gross]

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

What appeared to be a buffed out kitty hustled across the road on Wednesday afternoon, stood on the brushy fringe on the meadow's edge and stared at me. I stopped and grabbed two quick shots and the results appear below. Do you think it's safe to let my poodles go out in the woods today, or are they in for a big surprise?
:lionface:

[The Owl]

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

What appeared to be a buffed out kitty hustled across the road on Wednesday afternoon, stood on the brushy fringe on the meadow's edge and stared at me. I stopped and grabbed two quick shots and the results appear below. Do you think it's safe to let my poodles go out in the woods today, or are they in for a big surprise?
:lionface:

Nice pics... very rare sighting... Bobcats roam over large areas... I doubt you will ever see it there again.

[phloem]

Is this a serious question?? By all means, let your dogs out into the woods off-leash. The wildlife could use a good meal. Bobcats and mountain lions love fresh dog!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

What appeared to be a buffed out kitty hustled across the road on Wednesday afternoon, stood on the brushy fringe on the meadow's edge and stared at me. I stopped and grabbed two quick shots and the results appear below. Do you think it's safe to let my poodles go out in the woods today, or are they in for a big surprise?
:lionface:

[Barrie]

A friend who lives off of Sexton Road near Sebastopol says that there is a bob cat in the neighborhood who is frequently sighted. He or she is used to people, makes the rounds of back porches where cats are fed out doors looking for cat food and checks the chicken houses at night to see if they have been left open. If the bob cat can, it goes for a chicken. Also, the care takers of Santa Rosa Creek have told me that they have seen a bob cat along the creek out towards Willowside Road. I saw a bob cat once up in the mountains, he vanished when I looked a way to alert my friend. I think they are around, they are just very good at not being seen. How do I see your pictures?

[Barrie]

I found the pictures, VERY COOL! Thanks for posting them. Barrie

[wulfworks]

I saw a bobcat out at Howarth Park, being chased by a bunch of crows. Just make sure your dogs have crow bodyguards

Seriously though, with all the wild turkeys around now, we have to expect that more predators will also show up.

[Peter O]

Nice pics... very rare sighting... Bobcats roam over large areas... I doubt you will ever see it there again.

There has been a bobcat on the Santa Rosa Creek trail (bike-path side between Willowside Rd and Fulton - usually in the horse-jump field which has a nice woodsy copse - willow & oak & ?). I have seen the cat hunting there at least 5 times a year for the last 6 - 7 years - Not necessarily early in the AM but at 10 or 7 or later also. He hunts there as do several (@#!!) feral cats and today a pair of fine coyotes!

[Barrie]

Which horse jumping field, the one on the north side of the creek? I will look for the bob cat. Don't curse the poor feral cats, curse the humans who didn't get their cat neutered and let the kittens go wild. Barrie

There has been a bobcat on the Santa Rosa Creek trail (bike-path side between Willowside Rd and Fulton - usually in the horse-jump field which has a nice woodsy copse - willow & oak & ?). I have seen the cat hunting there at least 5 times a year for the last 6 - 7 years - Not necessarily early in the AM but at 10 or 7 or later also. He hunts there as do several (@#!!) feral cats and today a pair of fine coyotes!

[MichelleK]

I saw a bobcat roaming right outside my home in Forestville. This was about a week and 1/2 ago. I live on 2 acres by a creek, just off of ross Station Rd. It was about 3 in the afternoon and luckily all my dogs and cats were in the house. It was just meandering about and did not even look in the direction of where my dogs were barking inside the house going crazy, then it leaped over the fence into the vineyard and was gone. The cat was magnificent and it looked comfy in this environment, yet it was a bit unnerving as well. Hmm.

[martil]

I saw a bobcat roaming right outside my home in Forestville. This was about a week and 1/2 ago. I live on 2 acres by a creek, just off of ross Station Rd. It was about 3 in the afternoon and luckily all my dogs and cats were in the house. It was just meandering about and did not even look in the direction of where my dogs were barking inside the house going crazy, then it leaped over the fence into the vineyard and was gone. The cat was magnificent and it looked comfy in this environment, yet it was a bit unnerving as well. Hmm.

We live on Ferguson and our back yard goes along the Atascadero creek. We see bob cats frequently in our yard. We have a dog, but nothing has ever happened to her. We would like to get another, smaller dog, but hesitate because of the frequent bob cat and fox sitings in our yard.

[The Owl]

We live on Ferguson and our back yard goes along the Atascadero creek. We see bob cats frequently in our yard. We have a dog, but nothing has ever happened to her. We would like to get another, smaller dog, but hesitate because of the frequent bob cat and fox sitings in our yard.

People should be sensible... these animals are being squeezed out of what used to be one continuous ecosystem into ever smaller remnants of wild land. Don't go getting prey sized pets, that's just ridiculous and asking for trouble. All it takes is someone doing that and then a cat eats the dog or whatever other pet and people start demanding that it be destroyed.

Respect where you are, there aren't many places where you can see reclusive animals like Bobcats and you wouldn't see them at all if so much of their habitat hadn't been turned into developer residue as it has. You are living in their country and if that unnerves you, right now, thanks to our friendly foreclosure happy banks there are hundreds of acres of vacant houses on the Santa Rosa plain that elegant animals like bobcats won't go near where you can have your little pets and feel "safe".