Found A Baby Bobcat In Your Yard? Read This First

My husband came through the back door holding a dirty garden towel. He looked weirdly proud of himself. Inside the towel was a hissing, spotted furball about the size of a baked potato. He told me he saved a stray kitten from the window well and asked if we had any milk in the fridge. I took one look at the oversized paws, the oddly short tail, and the tufted ears. I work pediatric triage. I know a bad idea when I see one. I told him to march right back outside and put the wild predator back exactly where he found it.

It was a baby bobcat. We live in the Chicago suburbs, but the wildlife boundary is completely gone these days. The animals live with us now. And people have absolutely no idea how to handle it.

The Disney princess complex

People have this bizarre urge to rescue things. I blame animated movies. Everyone thinks they can be Snow White in their own backyard. They see a small, fuzzy animal and their brain short-circuits. They forget about rabies, parasites, and the fact that wild animals bite when they're terrified.

I worked the ER for six years and I've seen a thousand of these incidents. A kid tries to pet a raccoon on the fence. A dad tries to catch a squirrel with a fishing net. A teenager tries to pick up a feral kitten that turns out to be a native apex predator. It never ends well. The hospital protocol for a wild animal bite is miserable. The rabies immunoglobulin is thick, it hurts, and we've to inject it directly into the margins of the bite wound. You don't want to hold down your crying toddler while I do that to them.

When my husband brought that wild cat into my kitchen, my blood pressure spiked. He didn't understand the risk. He just saw something small and thought it needed help. But intervening is almost always the worst thing you can do.

What my pediatrician actually said

Listen, you don't need to panic and sell your house just because you see wildlife. You just need to be smart. At my toddler's last well-visit, my pediatrician told me that wild animal encounters are basically the new normal for suburban parents. She sees bites all the time. She told me these wild felines usually have their litters right around May or June, right when we all start spending time on our patios.

The biology is actually fascinating, even if I only half-understand it. Apparently, these kittens weigh almost nothing at birth. They're the size of a soup can. They're born completely blind and deaf. My doctor mentioned they rely entirely on the physical vibration of their mother's purr to find her for their first meal. It's a nice little National Geographic detail. But just because they start out fragile doesn't mean they need you to step in and play savior.

Single moms of the forest

I fell down a late-night research hole after the window well incident. It turns out female bobcats do all the parenting alone. The males are entirely out of the picture. The mothers have to leave the den for hours at a time to hunt, otherwise they can't produce milk for the babies.

I feel a deep, spiritual connection to that level of exhaustion. Being a single mom out running errands while the kids are home alone is a heavy burden.

So if you find a tiny spotted cat crying under your deck, it's probably not an orphan. Its mom is just out getting groceries. If you touch it, pick it up, or try to put it in an Amazon box, the baby will panic and start screaming. That distress call will bring an angry, protective mother cat running straight at you. Fighting off a wildcat wasn't on my schedule for a Tuesday afternoon.

Indoor distractions

We spent the rest of that afternoon trapped indoors. I had to keep my toddler away from the sliding glass door so we didn't spook the mother cat when she finally came back. My daughter was wearing her organic cotton baby bodysuit while we watched the yard like a security monitor.

This sleeveless onesie is honestly my favorite thing Kianao makes. It stretches perfectly over her big head, it doesn't lose its shape after a massive blowout, and it handles the washing machine better than my own clothes. The undyed cotton is great for her eczema, which flares up the second she wears synthetic fabrics. We just sat there in our comfortable clothes waiting for nature to take its course.

To keep her occupied, I set up her wooden baby gym in the center of the living room. It's a solid piece of gear. The natural wood looks nice in my house, unlike the giant plastic monstrosities you find at big box stores. The hanging toys actually hold her attention without blasting loud electronic songs into my brain. It gave me a solid twenty minutes of quiet analog play while I anxiously watched the bushes.

Take a break from stressing about the backyard and check out Kianao's organic baby clothing collection for outfits that seriously survive the wash.

The twenty-four hour rule

If you spot a wild kitten, the protocol is simple. You just lock your doors, keep the dog away from the window, and wait a full day before you call anyone for help. The wildlife experts are very clear about this twenty-four hour waiting period.

It's hard to just watch a baby animal cry. But it's basically the same concept as sleep training. You have to let them figure it out. Don't try to feed it milk from your fridge. Cow's milk will destroy a wild animal's digestive tract. Don't leave a bowl of tuna out. Don't offer it water. Just step back and give the mother time to return under the cover of darkness.

While we were waiting out our backyard visitor, my daughter decided it was the perfect time to start cutting a lateral incisor. She was miserable. I handed her the panda silicone baby teether to keep her from melting down. It's a decent product. The silicone is safe and you can throw it in the dishwasher, which is my only real requirement for baby gear. The shape is fine, though she drops it under the sofa constantly. It gets the job done when you need five minutes of peace and quiet.

They make terrible roommates

Some people look at these fluffy little predators and think they can keep them as pets. This is a massive, life-altering mistake. Yaar, they're wild animals. Exotic animal rescues are completely overrun with exotic cats that people bought or found and then realized they couldn't handle.

They scent-mark their territory by spraying urine all over your furniture and walls. You can't train that out of them. It's hardwired into their biology.

Their diet is another nightmare. They're obligate carnivores. They need a diet of roughly eighty percent raw muscle meat, supplemented with raw organs and ground bone. You can't just buy a bag of dry kibble at the grocery store. You have to essentially become a butcher in your own kitchen.

Then there's the medical side. People try to declaw them to make them safer. Declawing any cat is barbaric, but doing it to a wildcat is cruel beyond measure. It's essentially amputating their knuckles. It leaves them permanently disabled, arthritic, and in chronic pain. Plus, your local suburban vet won't even let you in the waiting room with one. They require specialized zoological care, which costs an absolute fortune.

Walking away

Eventually, the mother showed up. It was right around dusk. She slinked out from under the neighbor's fence, grabbed her baby by the scruff of its neck, gave our patio door a dirty look, and vanished into the brush. Crisis averted.

My husband learned his lesson about playing wildlife rescuer. We scrubbed his hands with surgical soap just to be safe. Stick to domestic cats, beta. Leave the spotted ones alone.

Before you go checking your window wells for stray animals, browse the Kianao wooden toys collection to find something safe for your own baby to chew on.

Questions you're probably asking

What do I do if my kid touches a wild kitten?

Wash their hands immediately with heavy soap and hot water. Then call your pediatrician. Rabies is rare, but it's real and it's fatal. You don't need to panic, but you absolutely can't ignore it. If the animal broke the skin, you'll likely be making a trip to the ER. Don't try to capture the animal to test it, just let the doctors tell you what the local protocol is.

Can animal control come remove it from my yard?

You can call them, but they'll probably just laugh at you. Most municipal animal control departments only deal with domestic dogs and cats. They leave wildlife alone unless it's actively attacking someone or acting rabid. They will just tell you the exact same thing I did. Stay inside and wait for it to leave.

How can you tell a bobcat apart from a regular stray cat?

It's surprisingly easy once you get close, which you shouldn't do. They look like house cats on steroids. They have stubby little tails that look like they were cut off. Their feet are massive, like they're wearing snowshoes. Their ears have distinct black tufts on the tips and prominent white spots on the back. They just look dense and muscular, even as babies.

Will an adult bobcat attack my toddler?

Usually they're terrified of humans and will run away the second they hear your kid screaming in the yard. But if you corner a mother with her litter, or if the animal is sick, it'll fight. They're predators. They have claws and teeth designed to rip apart rabbits. Just keep your kids away from the brush at the edge of your property.

Is it illegal to keep one if it really is abandoned?

In most places, yes. It's highly illegal to harbor native wildlife without a specific rehabilitation license from the department of natural resources. You can get hit with massive fines. If you genuinely believe the mother is dead, you've to call a licensed wildlife rehabber to come get it. You can't raise it in your guest bathroom.