Bobcat Kitten Orphaned And Starving

The following story about a bobcat was submitted by All Things Wild Rehabilitation in Texas.

When Round Rock Animal Control called to say they were bringing in a bobcat kitten, we thought “sure you are,” because domestic kittens are frequently misidentified as wild bobcats. However, they were right, and the incoming patient was, in fact, a bobcat kitten. We don’t get many bobcats.

The bobcat is a member of the lynx family and are sometimes referred to as a red lynx. They are found throughout Texas as well as all of the United States and into Mexico and Canada. Their preferred prey is rabbits and hares, but they will also eat small mammals, insects, and birds. Kittens are born in the spring and stay with the mother until early fall.

The orphaned bobcat kitten at All Things Wild was dehydrated and starving. We quickly anesthetized him so that we could fully examine him and take a full-body X-ray to make sure there were no broken bones, buckshot, or strange objects in his intestines. He got subcutaneous electrolyte fluids and a bowl of highly digestible, warm EmerAid IC Carnivore food for carnivores. He ate it hungrily. He has settled into his cage in the intensive care unit at All Things Wild.

The plan for the little bobcat kitten, who is about 2 months old, is to unite him with another orphaned bobcat kitten at another rehabilitation facility and eventually transport both of them to a rehabilitator in North Texas who specializes in bobcat rehabilitation.

In case you are thinking, “what a cute kitty, I want one,” bobcats do not make good pets, especially if you like your furniture, rugs, doors, walls, and fingers, not to mention that it’s illegal. Go to the shelter and adopt a domestic cat who needs a home.