TOPEKA (KSNT) - Local Robin Wikle noticed a larger-than-usual feline walking around her home last week in east Topeka.
Wikle spotted the big cat walking through her yard in the area near the intersection of SE 21st Street and SE Wittenberg Road on June 16. Wikle said this was the first time one of the cats has been spotted in the area in a few years and posted a warning to local pet owners on social media.
27 News reached out to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) to find out if local homeowners should be concerned. KDWP Wildlife Research Biologist Matt Peek said in a written statement that people shouldn't be worried about finding a bobcat in the area.
"Bobcats are not a threat to people including small children," Peek said. "However, they will prey on cats and small (cat-sized) dogs, and people are generally advised to take the same precautions with their pets as they do when coyotes are around. Bobcats also prey on poultry if given the chance, with complete enclosure or attend while free-ranging being the best solution. These are precautions that many probably already take to protect poultry from coyotes or red foxes."
Bobcats are about three or four times larger than your average house cat and can weigh around 30 pounds. You can tell them apart from domesticated cats or mountain lions by looking for their short, black-tipped tails or spotted fur.
"Misidentification with mountain lions is pretty common because many people significantly overestimate the weight of bobcats by applying domestic animal weights to the bobcat's dimensions and they also expect bobcats to be more visibly spotted than most are," Peek said.
Peek said you don't need to report bobcat sightings to authorities like the KDWP as they are a native species which can be found throughout the Sunflower State. If you see one in your neighborhood, you shouldn't need to take any actions in most cases.
"Bobcats have become common suburban and even urban wildlife in recent years, and sightings are particularly common in the summer months when shady, manicured yards offer a much more comfortable resting place than heavily vegetated timber or unmaintained grass areas they use to better avoid detection other times of year," Peek said. "Security cameras and doorbells also result in detections year-round now."
Bobcats typically focus on hunting rabbits, squirrels, birds, rats and mice in the wild. Keeping your yard maintained and avoiding feeding wild animals will help prevent bobcats from prowling around your property. Most bobcats hunt between dawn and dusk.
To keep pets safe, Peek recommends keeping an eye on them while outside, especially if they are small in size. Even fenced-in yards are not safe for pets to roam at will. A small and completely enclosed area in your yard is the best precaution for leaving your pet outside unattended.
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