by George Packard on February 14, 2010 · 0 comments
Wildlife experts think there may be more or less one bobcat per town in NH. This Warner cat stood for her portrait in 2008.
In early February two years ago Chuck, our big black tough tomcat, developed, overnight, a sudden and complete disinterest in going outside. We’d had a few inches of fresh, wet snow, but I’d never known him to be a wimp about the cold. It wasn’t long before I discovered the cause of his concern: fresh bobcat tracks criss-crossing our yard. Chuck was (may he mouse in peace) a cat who never met a dog he thought he couldn’t take. But you don’t get to be 18 years old if you are a cat by making a whole lot of bad decisions. There was no doubt in Chuck’s mind. The only good bobcat is the one that’s on the other side of the door.
Our bobcat's calling card: just like a house cat, but much bigger.
A bobcat in Faith's drive staring down her dogs in early February.
Chuck’s nemesis prowled our place for about a week, which meant we had to change Chuck’s catbox a lot more than usual. We saw a lot more of Chuck that week, but never saw the big wild kitty. That’s why I was thrilled when Faith Minton, who lives on a hill just north of the center of Warner, sent around an email with a long shot, slightly blurry, of a bobcat sitting in her drive.
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