Sleeping Bobcat Kittens Awake, and More

By Dan Weisz

These photos are from scenes that are probably being duplicated throughout the Foothills now.

A few days ago I stopped by the house with the bobcats on the roof to find two kittens napping.

Perhaps the sound of my car pulling woke the kittens up. Of xcourse, the pounding of my heart also may have been loud enough for them to hear. One kitten woke up rather lazily.

Okay, he’s fully awake now.

And then the second bobcat woke up.

The second stood up while the first seemed too tired to react.

And then a third cat appeared. I can’t tell whether or not this is a third kitten or just the mother sleeping behind the two youngsters. This was all that I saw of the third bobcat before it dropped out of sight.

This was a typical scene with the kittens in the napping spot and Mom next to them on the roof.

On another day only one kitten was at the nap spot. Cute, cute, cute.

And a close-up of Mom. This is the most I ever saw of her.

On another morning, the two kittens were again side-by-side.

And yesterday, I swung by in the morning. The one kitten I saw disappeared and then reappeared on the roof. It looked at me for a short while.

And then slowly began its descent.

And moved off of the tile onto the roof section where Mom awaited.

I didn’t see the bobcats afterwards. I returned one day later to learn from my friend that the cats hadn’t returned for 24 hours which means that the kittens had grown enough for Mom to begin taking them on longer trips around the neighborhood. They will be learning how to hunt and how to stay safe in our desert and suburban environment. They no longer need the safety of their rooftop nursery and the next chapter in their life’s journey has begun. They were a treat to see.


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