Grafton Man Finds Bobcats Ready To Brawl In His Backyard

GRAFTON, MA- One Grafton man got a front row seat to a bobcat face off happening right in his backyard Thursday morning and shared his photos with Patch's quickpost.

Dennis Ditullio said he was in the middle of having his morning coffee when he heard a bang coming from his cellar French doors that lead to the back yard. He said he looked out his kitchen window and found two bobcats hissing at each other.

A real-life Animal Planet episode unfolded in Ditullio's backyard- he said he watched the smaller cat lay down, in what looked like a submissive move, on its side and hiss and paw at the larger cat. Ditullio said for about five minutes the cats hissed at each other, the larger cat moving toward the smaller one but never attacking it, until the smaller of the two was chased away.

Ditullio said he's lived at his home on Beth Lee Drive in Grafton for about 20 years and experienced five bobcat sightings- but never with two cats together.

Grafton's animal control said bobcat sightings are not unheard of but not very common. The department said they only had about two calls in the past two years about bobcat sightings. Grafton Animal Control said residents should keep track of their own pets, especially small cats, dogs and rabbits- bobcats prey on smaller mammals.

The bobcat is the only wild cat found in Massachusetts and according to the state division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the population is growing in the eastern part of the state, including in Grafton.

Bobcats are relatively secretive and elusive animals so they generally avoid humans and densely populated areas. A spokesman for the division of Fisheries and Wildlife said the cats pose an incredibly low risk to humans and can be easily scared off of property with loud noises.

To keep your backyard from becoming a bobcat hunting ground, its best to remove bird feeders and things that attract small prey.