Bobcat kitten found playing on porch dies despite rescue efforts, wildlife group says

UPDATE: A “mischievous” bobcat kitten found playing with packages on the front porch of a Texas home has died despite rehabilitation efforts, according to a wildlife rescue group.

The kitten was spotted near Austin, in the community of Round Rock, and quickly captured and handed over to All Things Wild Rehabilitation, Inc., but the rescue apparently didn’t come soon enough, the rehab center said in a somber July 17 update.

The bobcat kitten had lost or been separated from its mother and was emaciated, the center said. While workers did what they could to feed the young cat, the damage had already been done and “organ failure had simply taken over from extreme emaciation.”

“We certainly don’t like days like this as there is a bit of sadness throughout the center,” the group said. “Thank you for your donations as they will continue to help other animals in memory of little bobcat kitten.”

Original story continues below:

A bobcat kitten found causing havoc on the front porch of a Texas home was in need of help, according to police.

Animal control officers in Round Rock — a community about 20 miles north from downtown Austin — responded to a call about a bobcat kitten “playing with packages on a resident’s front porch,” police said in a July 12 post on X, formerly Twitter.

The unusual “porch pirate” was rounded up by animal control, police said, sharing photos of the speckled cat looking out wide-eyed from inside a cage.

“The mischievous little feline was safely transported to a local wildlife rehabilitator, where it will receive ‘purrsonalized’ VIP (Very Important Predator) treatment until it’s old enough to be released,” police said.

All punning aside, the fierce little kitten was in a bad situation when the homeowner spotted it pouncing on their packages. According to wildlife experts, he was all alone in the world, and at far too young an age.

The bobcat “had lost his mother before he was ready to survive on his own,” All Things Wild Rehabilitation, Inc, said in a Facebook post. The wildlife center, located in the nearby community of Georgetown, has taken custody of the kitten.

After checking him for rabies, rehabbers discovered he was starving and covered in fleas, the center said.

“He was very emaciated,” it said. “Who knows how long he had been without mom.”

“Once he’s fully awake, he will be fed slowly and little amounts at a time so (as) not to stress out his body,” the center said, adding that he would be kept in quarantine for two weeks.

As of July 12, the kitten was in “critical condition,” the center said.

Officials did not say how old the kitten is believed to be.

In the wild, bobcat kittens are born in litters of 2 to 7 cats, though the average is 3, according to the state Parks and Wildlife Department. A kitten will stay with their mother for close to a year before going off on their own.

Bobcats can be found all across Texas, even in urban and suburban areas, continuing to hunt and roam where most wildlife has been driven out.

“These cats are highly adaptable, and in most places have been able to thrive in spite of increasing habitat loss due to human settlement,” experts said.

This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Bobcat kitten found playing on porch dies despite rescue efforts, wildlife group says."