Bobcats No Strangers To New Tampa, Wesley Chapel Neighborhoods

With all of the conservation areas and wetlands in and around the neighborhoods of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, you never know what kind of wild animals you might see roaming your neighborhood. Lately, one bobcat sighting has gotten people talking and drawn attention to the felines that often make homes in our area.

A photo posted to the “Wesley Chapel Community” page on Facebook on August 24 drew the attention of several local news outlets, including ABC Action News. As it turns out, bobcats aren’t that uncommon, and several more photos of local bobcats from New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Land O’Lakes were posted in the comments of the story that ABC posted to its own Facebook page.

Arbor Greene resident Steve Corcoran posted a photo of a bobcat that he took in his own yard, while Meadow Pointe resident Kerri Martin posted a photo of a bobcat in the Aberdeen Lakes community of Wesley Chapel.

“Bobcats are very common,” says Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) spokesperson Gary Morse. “With the high waters lately, they’ll be seen more often. It’s moving them around. It’s not surprising to see more wildlife.”

Tampa-based conservation group Big Cat Rescue reports that the bobcat is a medium-sized cat with a ruff of fur around the sides of the face and that the cats weigh between 13-30 pounds, stand 21 inches high and are 30-50 inches in length. According to Washington D.C-based Defenders of Wildlife, there were 750,000–1.2 million bobcats in the U.S. as of 2009.

The FWC website says that bobcats are frequently found in areas just like ours. 

“Widely distributed throughout most of North America, this cat has adapted well to neighborhoods throughout Florida,” the FWC website explains. “The bobcat is equally at home in deep forests, swamps and hammock land.”

The FWC site says that, in rural areas, bobcats can range five or six square miles, while their territory usually is only about 1-2 square miles in suburban areas. In addition, although they usually hunt at night, the site says that seeing a bobcat out during the day isn’t a rare occurrence, as they typically only sleep for a few hours at a time. 

Morse says that their appearance and habitat also varies depending upon the availability of food. The FWC site says that bobcats generally prey on small mammals, like squirrels, rabbits, rats, opossums and raccoons. Sometimes, they may attack a feral cat, FWC explains, especially if there are many in the area. For this reason, it’s important to always keep an eye on small pets if they are allowed outside without a leash.

“By feeding on these animals, the bobcat provides a necessary control on their populations,” the FWC website explains. Bobcats also feed on small birds. They have a natural fear of humans, so attacks on humans are considered extremely rare and the cats are not considered a threat.

Morse says that, in the history of the state of Florida, there have been only seven documented cases of bobcat attacks on humans, and all were rabid. But, that doesn’t mean that bobcats will always stay away. Morse says that if more people begin feeding bobcats, they can begin to associate people with food and become more “social,” which could result in a bite. For that reason, it’s important to never try to feed wild bobcats.

For more information about bobcats, please visit MyFWC.com.