Confused Woman Rescues Wild Bobcat, Mistaking It For A Lost Domestic Cat

Whoopsie.

Elana

• Published in Animals
• June 8, 2019

Sometimes the best intentions are met with the worst consequences. Such was a similar case for one anonymous Richmond, VA, USA woman who turned to Craiglist to try and find the owner of what she assumed was a chubby, lost cat. What she went on to discover was something entirely different and much more dangerous.

It all began when she found the cat outside, stuck in her garden and "screaming it's head off." Being the kind-hearted woman she was, she brought the cat inside and fed him. She then took pictures and posted to Craigslist that she found a cat, too large to be a stray or feral... but very mean. In her defence, she went on to eventually say she was not from America and had never seen a bobcat before, but it was still a wild ride from start to finish!

A day she will surely remember in vivid detail, the woman "rescued" the cat when it got caught in her garden and she found it "screaming it's head off." Her kind-heart took the cat into her home to feed him, as well as take pictures in order to help her find his rightful "owners."

She shared the photos on Craigslist with the following information:

FOUND cat last night was stuck in between my fence screaming its head off. I brought it inside because it looks too big and healthy for a stray and dogs here escape often and will eat cats that get out.

It is very thick and has little stripes and spots on its legs and big white round spots on the back of its ears, only thing that looks wrong with him is he doesn't have a tail, but it doesn't seem like anything new.

He is very vocal (and mean!!!) I think he is a tabby and bengals mix, maybe some Maine Coon because he is just so big and chubby. I took most of these pics last night so the lighting makes him look brown, but he is actually more grey. He was very hungry. Please, if you're his owner contact me ASAP. I can not keep him here because as cute as he is, he is CRAZY and has gotten into everything in the house in one night and is EXTREMELY AGRESSIVE.

Bobcats are large and dangerous predators, not intended for interaction with humans. People who saw the woman's post on Craigslist were quick to inform her the predicament she was in. Although bobcats typically hunt small animals like rabbits and rodents, they are also known to take down deer and have recently been in the news for attacking humans.

While most of the messages she received were helpful in nature, she also received some cruel messages as well and was quick to update her post after everything resolved:

Thank you to everyone who told me this is actually a wild bobcat!!! Wtf!! No wonder he was so grumpy!! I kidnapped him.

I am not from America and have never heard of a bobcat, I thought all wildcats are much bigger than that!! I can not believe I brought it inside! And he p***** all over my damn house so now I have to deep clean everything!!

Anyway, I am glad at least he is okay and not a lost cat. I have let him go already back near the trees where he came from. I am also okay, no bites or scratches.

Hopefully, from here on out, the mystery woman from Craigslist will do a little more research ahead of time before taking in large, mysterious cats. This situation could have ended very differently for her and the Bobcat!

Elana