This Foreclosed Property Is An Excellent Home For Bobcats
Unlike prospective homebuyers, this pair of bobcats went absolutely wild over a foreclosed Lake Elsinore home. According to the L.A. Times, the bobcats were likely attracted by an outdoor koi pond, which isn't just decorative, but serves as a fabulous source of drinking water. Like any suburban couple, the pair is expected to stay until the kids are old enough to leave.
Residents of the development got their first look Aug. 27 when the feline squatters -- at least two adults and three kittens -- lolled atop a wall outside the Spanish-style house.
"But are they pussycats? No. Can they do a lot of damage? Yes," she said. "They usually look for a food and water source, and there is an old koi pond in the backyard and that's where they are headed."
She said she expected the animals to move on in a few weeks, when the kittens are old enough to travel.
Tuscany Hills has been hit hard by foreclosures, and the house on Vista Palermo has been empty at least six months, neighbors said.
Said one clearly well-humored resident: "They are great neighbors, and as long as they don't want to baby-sit my kids, it's not a problem."
With homeowner in doghouse, bobcats move in [The Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: Karen Brown)
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They're beautiful.
Here kitty kitty kitty...
lolled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There's something perversely appealing about this. It's as if you can see how quickly nature moves in when humans move on. It has a real "12 Monkeys" feel to it.
Any pictures of the kittens?
Also, if the koi pond still had koi, it could be classified as a giant kitty snack pool.
i can haz koiburgerz!
@DePaulBlueDemon: Yeah they really are. Looks like they're posing for the camera.
... They're definitely a more attractive consequence of foreclosure than the overgrown lawns and green backyard pools we've all seen so much of recently. Nothing like abandoned tricycles and trashed houses to make the foreclosure crisis even more depressing. Ugh.
Those cats are lucky they aren't in the SF Bay Area. Around here the animal control officers shoot first and give lame excuses later. Hopefully the LA animal control squad uses their brains before their rifles.
Definitely begging for a LOLCAT caption - maybe, "Your house - I haz it." Or, "Invisible estate."
The prrrfect burglar defense.
@smartwatermelon: When predatory animals become comfortable being around humans and compete with humans for living space and food, they have to be killed. Their value to the ecosystem is irrecoverably damaged because of their interactions with us, and they are a hazard to us, our pets and children. Even when they are moved to remote areas they return to populated areas, and when they encounter humans they are much more likely to be aggressive.
The poor things are victims of human encroachment, but it's not the game officer's fault that the only responsible action is to kill them.
I do population control hunts of coyotes, mountain lions and bobcats here in AZ when they become too dangerous to humans and pets. You would be surprised at how unnaturally aggressive some of them are, its downright scary.
@Snakeophelia: "Your house - I haz it." perfect!
What a totally awesome picture that is... With the tree thingy in the background... It's just friggin' majestic.
not a good time to move in considering a continuation of a downward trend. Bobcats didn't get a memo.
WE CAN HAZ REFINANCY MORE GAGE?
in another announcement...
BOA, tired of vandals damaging vacant properties recovered by the bank, has instituted a new security protocol to keep the properties safe. One BOA VP was heard to say "Let's see the bastards get the copper out of this one!"
They'll probably keep the place cleaner than the previous owners.
Someone get that couple a loan so that they can move right on in. In this market, with their credit rating and employment, I'd say they're good for at least a $500K ARM.
This makes me want to get two stone bobcats to put outside my front door.
I wonder if they sell bobcat gargoyles.
When I looked quickly, I thought the shape of the plant behind them was the huge ribcage of some kill, and I wondered what the hell kind of bobcats they have out there.
I wondered what the hell kind of bobcats they have out there.
@floraposte: The kind that will bite your head off, man. ;)
In some parts of the world, bobcats have been domesticated. Talk about your ultimate guard "dog": sharper claws, sharper teeth, as vicious and ... it climbs trees!
im in ur mansion eating ur koiz
well, we *are * on their turf. They were there first.
"You dids it! You rly dids it! Damn yous. Damn yous all to hellz!"
CAN HAS HOUSE NAO KTHX. GO AWAY OR U BE NOM.
@bbvk05: You're not very imaginative if you think the only solution is to kill these animals. They could be relocated to any number of places in Canada, and wouldn't come in to contact with people much at all. I've come into contact with a few lynxes and bobcats working out in the Alberta oilfield. The ones I've seen are used to workers and trucks being around and are not scared at all, but they are intelligent creatures, and would rather walk away and catch a rabbit than deal with a human with a 18" pipe wrench. I also have a problem with animals like this being considered wild and dangerous instantly, when people can own rottweilers and dobermans.
@floraposte: I thought the exact same thing. Until a second look, all I could think was 'What is that between them? Did they eat the estate agent or something?'
Lolbobcats say: 'Haus 4 sale. Seerius offerz only -- we meanz it!'
@bbvk05: The animals were here first. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Seriously guys, lolcats? I didn't realize it was still 2006. Sure hope the Democrats take Congress.
@fairywench and AirIntake: : For God's sake, people. Grow up. Everyone - including bbvk05, as you would know if you had read his post - acknowledges that shooting these animals isn't ideal. But it's the only responsible thing to do. Even if they had the resources to do so, why would the animal control office ship these creatures off to the Great White North so that they can (as a result of their acclimation) either starve to death or take
Huh. My post got truncated for some reason, so here's the rest:
Even if they had the resources to do so, why would animal control offices ship these creatures off to the Great White North so that they can (as a result of their acclimation) either starve to death or take up residence in the nearest human settlement and pose a threat to the inhabitants there? Why spend all that money to prolong the issue when a bullet costs a fraction as much?
Like it or not, bobcats are highly efficient predators. Yes, they are beautiful; yes, it is a terrible shame they have to die; but my guess is that the second they started carrying off your housecats and taking swipes at your children, you'd abandon the "POOR WIDDLE AMINALS!" talk mighty fast.
OH HAI. WE TAEK ADVANTIJ OF SUB-PRIME SCANDEL AN' BUY HOWSE AT BOTTEM UV MARKIT. WE CAN HAS RE-FI ON OUTSTANDIN MORGAGE NAO?
@guice: We have a pixie-bob, which is supposedly descended from bobcats. He's a huge cat (over 20lbs), but very friendly. He acts like a dog.
@Nick1693:
Animal Control has rifles?!?!!?!?
In most places, animal control probably has rifles available to them, even if they don't carry at all times.
Where I live (in an urban setting) I know that they've used rifles to dispatch buffalo, bears & elk.
I hate lolcats but some of the lolcats comments here are hilarious.
@fairywench: Obviously I know the animals were here first. Obviously I know that they are victims of our expansion. That does not mean we should further damage the ecosystem by introducing new behaviors to wild animals and then moving them into closer contact with unmolested animals. Example: Coyotes need to eat rabits for that section of the natural food chain to work. When some Coyotes start eating trash they train other coyotes to eat trash, ignoring the need to eat rabbits.
Also, I dont see you lining up to be the first to sacrifice your children as food for these animals as an "im sorry" for destroying their populations. I guess you just want it to be a lottery as to what hikers, pets and children get attacked by these human familiarized animals?
@AirIntake: I specifically addressed relocation in my first post. Relocation cannot work if the animal as developed new behaviors as a result of human contact. They will usually return to population centers, and they will always change the behaviors of the animals they join in the wild, which damages the ecosystem.
The animals you had an opportunity to experience these animals up close in your work. They are amazing self-sufficient things who should not be made dependent on us as a species because we feel bad for individual animals.
Bobcats are relatively small and do not pose a too serious threat to adults. Your comparing them and other predators like coyotes and mountain lions (cougars) to domesticated dogs like dobermans shows a clear lack of understanding about the predator's nature. These animals are very, very wild, and are generally very wary of humans as they go to great lengths to avoid close contact. When that fear is overcome it does not make them domesticated dogs, it makes them wild animals who no longer respect your preeminence over them. They will kill you if they can, but since you are so large, they will settle for just your pets and children. So they become unnaturally aggressive toward humans, I and have seen it. This is bad for them because it destroys their natural behaviors and alters the ecosystem and its bad for us because we value our lives and pets.
Our encroachment on these animals causes their necessary deaths. If you want less dead animals stop urban sprawl, but please dont pretend that relocation is a realistic option.
Do Bobcats like Nutrea? If so, send the Bobcats down to New Orleans as rotent control officers.
LOLBOBCATZ!
I say we send Sarah Palin after them.
Dude, I thought you said a cougar lives there! I went there, and all I found were two bobcats.
A foreclosed house with cougars in it? bowwacacaow. Oh not that kind of cougar?
I worked at a Provincial Park, Writing-On-Stone, Alberta, and we had a mother and her cubs move into the hoodoo's next to our campground.
I will say they "can" be dangerous but you should be fine as long as you stay the *()& away from the kittens and the mother. They also tend to not go after pets unless extremely hungry because the human smell really puts them off, though if they get acclimated enough they could become a risk.