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A least it seems the cat was well cared for, though I can't help but feel the animal would be happier in the wild where it belongs. The article didn't say how wild or tame it was, but I hope they can release it to the wild or find a better habitat/home for it.
I have wonder what kind of 'business' it was that had a convicted felon/with weapons/with an illegal exotic pet, working for it.
It saddens me to see a wild creature kept inside like a pet. I hope this bobcat can find a place at a sanctuary.
I have a wild creature living in my house with me. He's a cat. Cats have never been domesticated, but they enjoy living with people. The bobcat was obviously happy. He had a litter box, a climbing tree, and toys. Since there was no mention of a bed, it's rather obvious where he had been sleeping.
I'm saddened that they were found and separated. The cat will never be that happy again. Laws are sometimes better unenforced.
I have a wild creature living in my house with me. He's a cat. Cats have never been domesticated, but they enjoy living with people. The bobcat was obviously happy. He had a litter box, a climbing tree, and toys. Since there was no mention of a bed, it's rather obvious where he had been sleeping.
I'm saddened that they were found and separated. The cat will never be that happy again. Laws are sometimes better unenforced.
Your statement is actually a bit of a contradiction. That they "enjoy living with people" makes them domesticated by definition. I agree that domestic cats retain some of their wild instincts, but they are, by and large, domesticated. Comparing the Bobcat in question to a domestic housecat, as to whether it's 'happy' inside a home is comparing apples to oranges. True, the big cat may be fine in that home environment, but maybe not as "fine" as he could be. But there's also something else to consider in these situations, and that unintentional injuries to the caretaker/owner, and other people that may visit the home. As always happens when humans are injured, the animal involved will nearly always be put down, even it may not have been the animal's fault.
Also not sure about the 'laws' comment. There's a perfectly good reason why it's illegal for the general public to keep exotic animals. It's for the protection of the public, and the animals themselves. The laws are designed to have such exotics kept & handled/cared for only by people that know what they're doing. You certainly don't have that expectation with the general public.
There are a bunch of stray cats the woman next to where I work sort-of takes care of. Some of them are friendly, a couple of which I feed in the morning, and some are "scardey-cats." I can't help but wonder if there's some very subtle genetic difference between the friendly ones and the scardey ones, a difference which makes the scardey ones basically "wild" like the bobcat. But if the difference is so subtle, is it really that much of a difference? Is it like a gene for light hair, and a gene in dark hair, for people - that is, no big deal?
Or, is domestication entirely something that happens in the raising process, like being exposed to humans while kittens?
In either case, I think the difference between "wild" and "domestic" in cats is so subtle, there might not be much of a difference at all. Bobcats, servals and some other smaller cats can be domesticated, and I've even seen domesticated cougars, so even in the case of bigger cats, it might not be much of a difference, if at all.
Your statement is actually a bit of a contradiction. That they "enjoy living with people" makes them domesticated by definition. I agree that domestic cats retain some of their wild instincts, but they are, by and large, domesticated. Comparing the Bobcat in question to a domestic housecat, as to whether it's 'happy' inside a home is comparing apples to oranges. True, the big cat may be fine in that home environment, but maybe not as "fine" as he could be. But there's also something else to consider in these situations, and that unintentional injuries to the caretaker/owner, and other people that may visit the home. As always happens when humans are injured, the animal involved will nearly always be put down, even it may not have been the animal's fault.
Also not sure about the 'laws' comment. There's a perfectly good reason why it's illegal for the general public to keep exotic animals. It's for the protection of the public, and the animals themselves. The laws are designed to have such exotics kept & handled/cared for only by people that know what they're doing. You certainly don't have that expectation with the general public.
Sorry, but we have to agree to disagree.
I consider you a friend of animals. However, I see no reason why the bobcat shouldn't be able to enjoy a comfortable home. Cats of various species have very similar personalities, As long a they're happy living as pets why should they be deprived of that lifestyle? I have never encountered a cat whom I believe would be happier as a "free" animal who may be hunted or cruelly trapped.. That applies to larger cats as well.
Diid you see the picture of the cat in the tiny cage?
I consider you a friend of animals. However, I see no reason why the bobcat shouldn't be able to enjoy a comfortable home. Cats of various species have very similar personalities, As long a they're happy living as pets why should they be deprived of that lifestyle? I have never encountered a cat whom I believe would be happier as a "free" animal who may be hunted or cruelly trapped.. That applies to larger cats as well.
Diid you see the picture of the cat in the tiny cage?
I was mainly taking issue with your assumption that a Bobcat could be judged to be 'happy' in the same way as a domestic housecat. We've had quite a long period of time living with cats to learn how to rate their general happiness. We have not had that learning curve with their larger cousins. So I'm reluctant to say this Bobcat was just as happy living with its human, as it would have been in it's natural habitat.
The Bobcat in this case may have been born in captivity, or rescued at a young age, then 'domesticated' to humans. He could be said to be happy in the man's home, simply because he doesn't know anything else. Even if the bobcat couldn't be released into the wild, I think a better living situation would be in a wildlife sanctuary where the animal could at least have a partially free life.
I'm not totally against individuals having exotics, or big cats, as long as they can provide everything necessary for the animals well-being, and the public's safety. Unfortunately, I don't have that much faith in my fellow humans to always do right by the animals they keep.
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