[meteorite-list] Sort of OT (except for Brix!): North Las Vegas bobcat

[wahlperry at aol.com]

Hi Rob,

I was working that night when the incident occurred. Georgia heard Brix 
barking and a large cat screaming. Georgia shined a light in the 
direction and saw  the fight. During the fight she thought she had seen 
a second set of eyes on the block wall as Brix was on the ground with 
the other animal.The Department of Wildlife officer thought the fur 
that was found on the wall and kennel looked like it may possibly be a 
bobcat but the large covered scant piles did not match a bobcat 
scant.The officer's only explanation regarding the large scant piles 
could possibly be from a bobcat that was eating dog food form one of 
the neighbors yards.  I'm still not sure what kind of animal it was. 
The cat was a little shorter than Brix by 8-10" and not as long but 
stocky. The animal hung around also for around 15-20 minutes from start 
to finish.

>For me, the news story was disturbingly ignorant
>about bobcats on many levels, and it is a shame that
>the slant seemed designed to stoke the irrational fears
>that some people have about them.

Yes I feel the same way. I have seen many bobcats in the field and they 
act just like a house cat curious and slow moving. Also my thoughts 
would be to leave the cat alone and let it live.The animal has been 
around for at
lest six months and has never caused any problems before and I really 
doubt it will come back. I have also closed the gate to the kennel to 
keep Brix from area just in case it does come back.

Sonny






-----Original Message-----
From: Matson, Robert D. <ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com>
To: wahlperry <wahlperry at aol.com>; meteorite-list 
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Fri, Jun 15, 2012 11:37 am
Subject: Sort of OT (except for Brix!): North Las Vegas bobcat


Hi Sonny,

Glad to hear Brix is fine! Is your neighborhood sure
the interloper was a bobcat? No way would a bobcat
~intentionally~ go up against a German Shepherd, or
any comparably-sized dog. They are quite shy of humans
and large dogs; a Brix-bobcat encounter pretty much
requires the cat to accidentally enter the yard not
knowing a dog is present. In such cases, I should
think the cat would be quite lucky to survive the
encounter.

For me, the news story was disturbingly ignorant
about bobcats on many levels, and it is a shame that
the slant seemed designed to stoke the irrational fears
that some people have about them. Yes, if you have a
Maltese in your backyard, a bobcat might have it for
lunch. But more likely a coyote would get to it first.

In my neighborhood when there is a bobcat sighting,
the police come out and educate the homeowners that
they are natural, not a danger, and not to be concerned
about them. Yes, they will go after small animals if
given the opportunity, but coyotes are far more
aggressive ... and far more numerous.

--Rob