Community Corner

Watch: LA Bobcat Shows No Fear

A bobcat wandered up to a home near Debs Regional Park, stared down a resident and sauntered off.

A bobcat wandered up to a home near Debs Regional Park, stared down a resident, and sauntered off.
A bobcat wandered up to a home near Debs Regional Park, stared down a resident, and sauntered off. (Photo via the Neighbors app)

LOS ANGELES, CA — It's a bobcat's world, and we're all just living in it.

In this video that appears on the Neighbors app, a bobcat is captured walking up to a home Montecito Heights and staring right into the camera. The wild cat, with it's cheetah-like coat, sauntered across a deck overlooking the city seemingly unafraid as the resident attempted to scare it off.

The cocky cat prowled in broad daylight.

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Bobcats are members of the cat family along with lions and are often mistaken for mountain lions. However, bobcats are much smaller. They are only one quarter to less than one half the size of mountain lion. They are two or three times as large as a domestic house cat and more muscular, according to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.

The National Park Service studies bobcats in the Los Angeles area. In Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, bobcats tend to weigh about 20 lbs and average about 30 inches in body length. They can stand almost 18 inches high. Despite a common misconception, bobcats do have tails.

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They are nocturnal hunters, and they play an important role in containing prey populations. While they aren't known to be aggressive toward humans, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife recommends precautions to protect pets from bobcats.

  • Off leash pets on trails are at increased risk of becoming prey for mountain lions, bobcats or coyotes, so don’t let your pets roam off leash where they risk encounters with predators.
  • Never approach a wild animal such as a mountain lion, coyote or bobcat.
  • Give them an escape route.
  • Pick up small pets and children.

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