Pet Bobcat

Though Bobcats are very similar to housecats in size, body structure, and coat color, it’s impossible to keep a pet bobcat as a family companion. Bobcats are pure carnivores, like other cats. In the wild, they are opportunistic predators that feed on hares, rabbits, rats, fish, birds, and insects. These animals are able to go without food for long periods of time and then kill a prey and eat heavily. Bobcats stalk the prey or ambush it. They are able to kill animals up to 12 pounds in weight. In winter, they even prey on deer fawns and domestic stock, such as sheep and goats. Some large and strong bobcats are able to kill a fox or a mink. In some cases reported, bobcats killed adult deer by stalking them and biting through the throat. Sometimes, bobcats scavenge on the prey left by large predators. They also tend to leave their prey, if they cannot finish it and return to it several times, so it’s often impossible to determine who actually killed the game.

In captivity, a pet Bobcat needs the same diet and cannot thrive on commercial food. In the zoo, bobcats are kept in spacious enclosures and fed meat. Provided with proper diet and vet assistance, bobcats live much longer in captivity than in the wild. The longest recorded lifespan of a bobcat in the zoo was 32 years, opposed to 16 years, which is the longest lifespan in the wild. Today, bobcats reproduce in captivity. They can be watched in a number of zoos in the USA and Canada.

A pet Bobcat is a very dangerous animal not suited to indoor living. These animals have long retractable claws and sharp teeth. Bobcats are very strong, agile and cannot be tamed. They prefer living on their own and will never make loving and gentle pets.

Like most wild animals, bobcats harbor parasites, like ticks and fleas. There is one mite that is found in bobcats only. Often, bobcats carry the internal parasites of their prey. The death rate caused by parasites and diseases is much higher than that caused by starvation and accident in bobcats. A pet bobcat, even if tamed, will be potentially dangerous for the family and other pets.