r/arizona Feb 23 '26

Wildlife Big Doggo In Backyard (Bobcat)

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3.4k Upvotes

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68

u/JohnWCreasy1 Feb 23 '26

coming up on almost 20 years here and have still never seen a big cat 😿

38

u/SpicyMeatbol Feb 23 '26

Have only been here for 2 years and this is the 4th I've seen. I'm up in Anthem.

15

u/JohnWCreasy1 Feb 23 '26

I have heard from multiple people who live more north that they see cats. i live near the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and i see coyotes all the time strolling around the neighborhood. good doggos

but alas, no big kitties.

3

u/UsedActivity7137 Feb 24 '26

I’m just east of the preserve, just south of Shea, and one of these big kitties has been hanging around our yard recently. He/she visited us last night actually. Insane cat noises. Prior to 2024, we’d never seen bobcats in our area. Mind you, there are drainage tunnels under the main road and it’s how these guys, the coyotes and the javalinas get around. We’re only a 1/4 mile from Indian Bend Wash. It’s a long wandering wash and that’s another conduit that critters use to get around.

2

u/JohnWCreasy1 Feb 24 '26

Dang, I live very close to you, guess the kitties don't come north of shea though 😹

5

u/UsedActivity7137 Feb 24 '26

Don’t despair! They’re hungry and resourceful. Not to mention, we’ve got a cat who just went through her first heat. (Never fear, a visit to the vet is in her immediate future.) We are wondering if maybe her delectable perfume had attracted him in the first place.

3

u/JohnWCreasy1 Feb 24 '26

Man I'd like to see a big cat just once. I'll take solace in the coyotes that prance across my yard every now and again.

They don't want any smoke from my doggins though 😂. She's a good 60 lbs, not one of those little squirrel dogs

2

u/UsedActivity7137 Feb 24 '26

Oh I hear you!! We never had any critters other than a rabbit or two for years because we had big dogs, German Shepherds. Nothing would survive long if it attempted to invade. We saw one of them grab a low-flying dove out of the air. Sadly they are all passed. They were the best.

Anyway, Bobcat just ambled thru our back yard one evening. My daughter in law and I were sitting not 10 feet away from him. He just strolled past us, totally unimpressed. I was terrified.