Watch: Bobcat Spotted In Brookfield Backyard

BROOKFIELD, CT — A bobcat was spotted on video taking a stroll through a resident's yard Dec. 29.

The video as seen on the Neighbors app shows the bobcat strutting leisurely from the woods behind the house, through the backyard, and then taking a shortcut across the patio.

Bobcats are making a comeback in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The species was nearly extinct locally up until 1972, when unregulated exploitation was halted, and the bobcat was reclassified as a protected furbearer with no hunting or trapping seasons. The bobcat is now Connecticut's top predator, feeding principally upon cottontail rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, white-tailed deer, birds, and, to a much lesser extent, insects and reptiles.

Bobcats are the only wild cat found in Connecticut. Adult males are typically between 32 and 37 inches in length and weigh between 18 and 35 pounds. Females typically max out around 32 inches and 30 pounds.

They rarely conflict with humans, but occasionally kill livestock and get into fights with domestic cats, according to DEEP. Generally they will be deterred by fencing and other preventative measures.

Bobcats are most active just after dusk and right before dawn.

Ring, the owner of the Neighbors app, is a Patch advertiser. Patch received no compensation for this article.