So You Want To Own A Bobcat?
By John Chuha

Ok, so you are interested in owning a bobcat as a pet, or should I more accurately say, YOU want to be owned by a bobcat. I must first ask you this question and it is very very important that you think about it. WHY do you want to own a bobcat as a pet? The reason I ask this is important. Today, exotic cat owners and other exotic animal owners, are being faced with many ban laws across this country, that are prohibiting our rights to own such wonderful animals. Many of these ban laws get passed due to irresponsible owners and the many negative reports shown on our useless media. To own one of these cats and any big cat, you must be responsible. I can not stress this enough!! Owning a bobcat or any other exotic cat is no walk in the park and it is not for everyone. Yes, all cats whether it is a bobcat or tiger, all behave in the same manner. But, you have to remember, the larger the cat, the more dangerous they become. Think about a domestic cat when it plays. It may swat at you with it's paw or do playful biting. Imagine a 600 pound tiger swatting at you or playfully bighting. Even a bobcat, who is relatively small when compared to a tiger or cougar, can do some major damage, if it should decide to bite you. Bobcats do however, get quite large. Yes, they do make good pets, but ONLY when, they are raised properly in a very responsible way  Do you own any domestic cats? I ask this, because you must have a strong love for all cats, before you can even take on owning an exotic cat. I stated that all cats act similar, but this is where it ends. Caring for an exotic cat is nothing like caring for a domestic cat. You must ALWAYS remember, this is a WILD animal!! It requires a great deal of care.

So now, here we come to the part about caring for such an animal. First, how much of your life, time and money, can you or are you willing to, give up? You must answer, a lot, if you want to own a bobcat. Owning these animals is not like owning a domestic cat. Their diet is an all raw meat diet, no canned or dry commercial pet foods will work. You can not just put their food down and leave for work. If you do, you will come home and find that they had dragged the food all over the house, unless you have an outdoor enclosure for them. Regardless of what you hear about raw meat, like chicken, there is no danger to the cat from salmonella. The food must be raw, cooked food is not healthy for them. Our cats are fed chicken legs, wings (bones and all NEVER COOKED), chicken gizzards, hearts, livers and giblets for treats, turkey and beef on occasion. They must have the chicken with bone, this is very important for the proper calcium intake. All the food is supplemented with a high quality vitamin designed for wild felines. Meat without bone, like beef, is also supplemented with calcium as well. (Diet can be explained more if and when you get a cat).

So, how much time does it take? A LOT. My wife and I have not gone away for more than 15 hours at a time. You can not just leave them home alone for the weekend, if you decide to go away. They will need someone to look after them. Someone who is RESPONSIBLE that you can trust and someone the cats can trust. Do you live alone? Do you work 12 hours a day 5 days a week? I ask this for a reason. Your cat will need LOTS of human contact. The more, the better, especially when it is a kitten. They are fine if you work a normal 8 hour day, they sleep alot during the day. They are most active very early in the morning and the evening hours. Bobcats, in the wild, hunt during these times.

How much money are you willing to spend? I am not talking about money for the purchase of your cat, but for the care. Do you have a veterinarian in your area that will care for a bobcat? If you do, some may charge more. Actually, I have found that feeding a bobcat is generally cheaper than feeding my domestic cats. I feed my domestics Euakanuba, which averages about $2.00 per pound. You can get chicken by the bulk at much lower prices. Also, do you have a place for the animal to go, should something happen to you? What about natural disasters? Do you have a plan?

Now, here comes a very important issue here. Legal issues. What state do you live in? Are you allowed to keep exotics? Are their laws in your county, city? Do you require a permit? You may need a USDA license BEFORE you get the cat and before you can get the permit from your state and or county. I require a state permit, which I do have, that must be renewed every year.

Housing...where is the cat going to live...in your house, apartment or outside in an enclosure? Our bobcats live indoors in our home with us. I also have an outdoor enclosure as well, so they can go outside when they choose to do so. However, this is not necessary, they do fine inside your home. It does take a lot of stimulation however, to keep these cats happy. We always make time to play with our cats. You do not want an escape!! We take our cats out on a leash and harness for walks in our yard, not in public parks or down the street, they love the snow and they LOVE water. WARNING...these cats must NEVER be allowed to run free!! They will NOT return like a domestic cat and this will only promote bad ownership practices. If you decide on an outdoor enclosure, I can give you more information on that as well.

Ok, I have scratched the surface here, I will stop for now and let some of this sink in. I know it is long, but I can go on and on. One more thing to think about and this is the one you MUST make sure you understand fully 100%. You must have a great deal of patience. You must be willing to give up your life for the care of this animal. Once you bring an exotic cat into your life, your life has changed..FOREVER!! This is no joke!! This animal will be depending fully on you for it's care like no other animal. If you decide after you get the cat, that owning an exotic wasn't for you, it will be hard to find a shelter for your cat. Most if not ALL local shelters can not and will not take it and if they do, the animal will be KILLED!!!!! You MUST NOT allow this to happen. That practice only supports IRRESPONSIBLE ownership and helps promote ban laws. We can not afford this and to have a cat die, do to the neglect of the owner, is pure tragedy!!! Once you have owned an exotic cat for awhile, they will trust you fully and will bond with you like no other cat. Owning an exotic cat IS NOT FOR SHOW. You do not own one to say to your friends or neighbors, hey look what I have, aren't I cool. You do not own an exotic cat to look cool or to be a show off. You must promote 100% RESPONSIBLE ownership. I can not stress this enough.
Ok, I hope I do not sound to harsh in this letter. If you made it this far and still have a desire to own one of these cats, we can go on with more questions and answers. My wife and I have been owned by bobcats now for almost 3 years. We have 3 bobcats and a cougar. Our oldest bobcat, Nakoma, is a 3 year old 50+ pound male whom we rescued from a bad irresponsible owner. My wife and I have been around Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Cougars. My wife and I are still learning as well. This is a life long learning experience, it never ends. We also took a class on wild/exotic feline husbandry.

Reprinted with permission

                 
             Amber                              Boris               

               Nakoma                           Carmelo

Photos courtesy of John Chuha

Visit:

Amber The Bobcat's Homepage