Wylie, TX June 15, 2021 - We're right in the middle of bobcat breeding season, and here at In-Sync Exotics we're receiving regular calls and messages from concerned citizens wondering what they can do about the bobcat family that has taken up residence in their neighborhood. The good news is that bobcats are the best pest control you could hope for! They don't want to bother us, and are not just waiting to prey upon children or pets - they would much rather we didn't even know they were there.
Simply put, the best thing you can do if you find a bobcat is to leave them be. If you trap and remove the kittens, the distraught mother will go right back into heat and there will be another litter. If you remove the mother, the kittens will die. And in the case of either the removal of just the mother or the entire family, this will leave a vacancy for another mother and her young to fill.
If you don't want bobcats in your backyard, don't make it an inviting place - don't leave your pet's food out, pull in the bird feeder (which attracts birds and rodents to the seeds), and don't leave scraps in outside trashcans. You can also leave a radio turned on to a talk radio station, set up motion-sensor sprinklers, or make loud noise any time you do see them. This will encourage the mother bobcat to move her kittens to another location and leave your backyard bobcat free.
We can easily co-exist with wildlife with a little consideration and a few basic measures put in place to make our neighborhoods safe for humans and animals alike.