Tuesday 2 March 2021

Pet bobcats instinctively like to use human toilet to poop and pee

This is a story from Melissa, Texas, USA of a couple of pet bobcats adopted quite recently by Mick and Melissa. They have made a video of their experiences of living with the bobcats. Melisssa says that bobcats like to hide the smell of their feces and urine when living in the wild. They do this by using a pond or a stream. This is why they took to using the human toilet so naturally. 

Melissa play-fights with one of the bobcats
Melissa play-fights with one of the bobcats. Watch those hands. A bobcat bite can break the
bones of the hands according to Melissa. Screenshot.

My research indicates that bobcats don't normally hide their feces in the wild. In fact they create a bobcat feces toilet! I visualise mounds of poo at an important place in their home range. They tend to mark territory at the boundaries of their home range using poop, pee and scraping the ground. This contradicts Melissa but I sure that she is correct in saying that the bobcats used the toilet naturally.

So what is going on? It seems that they want to hide the smell of their poop. Sometimes in the wild bobcats need to be invisible. Perhaps it might be a female with her cubs. Or a juvenile bobcat. My reading of the situation is that Melissa and Mick's bobcats are feeling a little anxious and don't feel confident enough to mark territory.

Pet bobcat instinctively pees and poops in human toilet the owner said
Pet bobcat instinctively pees and poops in human toilet the owner said. Screenshot.

They probably don't feel that it is their territory but the territory of their owners. Perhaps as they become more bold and older their toilet habits might change.

Melissa does not say if the bobcats have sprayed urine against the walls as is commonplace in captive medium-sized wild cat pets. The serval is another example.

There are many cases of serval owners giving up and abandoning their exotic pets to sanctuaries because it all becomes to much hassle.

Bobcats can live long lives at about 30 years in captivity. They are the longest lived wild cat species in captivity. If Melissa and Mick are around 40 years old they'll be looking after these gorgeous bobcats when they are approaching 70. Can they do it? Will they tire of it or will their circumstances change so that they can no longer care for the cats?

Melissa admits to getting scratched and even suffering from broken bones in her hands because the bite of these cats is very strong. Not many people are able to accept that. Some delcaw their exotic pet cats. I can't tell if these bobcats are declawed. I don't think they are and I sincerely hope not. It is a very cruel operation.

Bobcat peeing and pooping in a human toilet
Bobcat peeing and pooping in a human toilet. Screenshot.

As you can see, I am against wild cats as pets because ultimately it works against conservation of these animals. So much better to let them live out their lives naturally in the wild and allow them the space and peace to do it.

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