Normally, Bobcat Fever might be associated with something pertaining to Southwest Texas State University....alma mater of LBJ and George Strait, and El Gringo Viejo and his son and daughter and son-in-law. But this is a real live bobcat story.
During the early morning hours down at our little mud hut, El Gringo Viejo went out to finish the breakfast ceremony for the dogs. First they receive their allotment of dog gruel, something like Gravy Train, and then about an hour later, they will receive doggy candy in the form of fairly nice, house brand doggy chew bones. The procedure begins around 04:30 and ends around 06:15. So, four or five days ago now as I went out to finish the ritual, it was noticed that we a visitor.
The visitor was a large male bobcat, walking fairly nonchalantly from our land "down under" adjacent to the Rio Corona. He was walking just off of our "long, west-facing corridor", and keeping a wary, defensive eye on the dogs and the Gringo Viejo. Bibi, the labrador growled very slightly. He is used to dealing with regular cats and has been very deferential to our three "house cats".
But he knew that this was not a regular house cat. The bobcat also did not want to become too involved with a dog bigger than him, but neither did he want to gallop off into the diminishing darkness like a coward. The bobcat veered in his path and strode to the outside grill, jumped the stacked-rock fence, and went somewhat briskly back down to the Rio Corona. Bibi went the long way out...(he really probably could not jump the stacked-stone wall) through the front gate, and followed the cat from a distance of about 50 feet.
It was the first bobcat we have had up on the "high part" of the property in several years. On one occasion, I almost lost a finger to one quick whack by a bobcat's left hook. He was confronting a large male domestic cat we had taken in....and that cat had never heard about the "....better part of valour". All of that drama took place five years ago or so on that same long, west-facing corridor, right at the front door. In any regard this was a interesting little episode under the watchful eye of the slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental.
These kitties pictured at this linkage are very similar in size and colour to our early morning visitor last week. http://dfwurbanwildlife.com/2013/02/19/mammals/news-bobcats-roam-carrollton-neighborhood/ .
During the early morning hours down at our little mud hut, El Gringo Viejo went out to finish the breakfast ceremony for the dogs. First they receive their allotment of dog gruel, something like Gravy Train, and then about an hour later, they will receive doggy candy in the form of fairly nice, house brand doggy chew bones. The procedure begins around 04:30 and ends around 06:15. So, four or five days ago now as I went out to finish the ritual, it was noticed that we a visitor.
The visitor was a large male bobcat, walking fairly nonchalantly from our land "down under" adjacent to the Rio Corona. He was walking just off of our "long, west-facing corridor", and keeping a wary, defensive eye on the dogs and the Gringo Viejo. Bibi, the labrador growled very slightly. He is used to dealing with regular cats and has been very deferential to our three "house cats".
But he knew that this was not a regular house cat. The bobcat also did not want to become too involved with a dog bigger than him, but neither did he want to gallop off into the diminishing darkness like a coward. The bobcat veered in his path and strode to the outside grill, jumped the stacked-rock fence, and went somewhat briskly back down to the Rio Corona. Bibi went the long way out...(he really probably could not jump the stacked-stone wall) through the front gate, and followed the cat from a distance of about 50 feet.
It was the first bobcat we have had up on the "high part" of the property in several years. On one occasion, I almost lost a finger to one quick whack by a bobcat's left hook. He was confronting a large male domestic cat we had taken in....and that cat had never heard about the "....better part of valour". All of that drama took place five years ago or so on that same long, west-facing corridor, right at the front door. In any regard this was a interesting little episode under the watchful eye of the slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental.
These kitties pictured at this linkage are very similar in size and colour to our early morning visitor last week. http://dfwurbanwildlife.com/2013/02/19/mammals/news-bobcats-roam-carrollton-neighborhood/ .
