Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Ria Hayden
December 02, 2020 - 3:09 PM
A Kelowna woman was surprised to see a pair of eyes glaring at her from a tree outside her home today and even more surprised when she realized it wasn't a domestic cat.
The eyes belonged to a bobcat, which Ria Hayden said at first looked like a cat, but she soon realized it had the markings and tail of a bobcat. It was also the size of a very large cat, she said, after she got a closer look at the wildcat from the deck on her home on Fitzpatrick Road in Kelowna's Rutland neighbourhood today, Dec. 2.
“We have a small fish pond so I’m wondering if maybe that fish looks good. It was spooky, literally just staring at me,” she said.
This is the first time she’s seen a bobcat near her home but with agricultural land across the street from her, she sees coyotes all the time.
Kelowna conservation officer Sgt. Jeff Hanratty said they had received a report of the bobcat today but says officers don’t tend to respond to reports of them. He said sightings of the wildcat are not uncommon and they’re often attracted to food sources like chicken coops.
“Quite likely he found himself hunting and when the light came up he probably realized he wasn’t a good spot, or she, has treed up now. It’s not unusual for them to sit in a tree and wait for a rodent or a bird,” he said.
It’s possible the bobcat might make a living in the area if there’s a good source of food like quail, he said.
“There’s been a couple calls this week,” he said.
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