Unianimal
No Result
View All Result
  • BIRDS
  • DOG
  • CAT
  • HORSE
  • ELEPHANT
  • SNAKE
  • CONTACT US
  • BIRDS
  • DOG
  • CAT
  • HORSE
  • ELEPHANT
  • SNAKE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Unianimal
No Result
View All Result
Home Cat

Bobcat Poop: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know

IAN WARKENTIN by IAN WARKENTIN
April 22, 2023
Bobcat Size Comparison: How Big are Bobcats?

The typical bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a medium-sized cat about two times the size of a domestic cat. It weighs between 9 and 33 pounds and is about 25 to 40 inches long. Bobcats, also red lynxes, or wildcats, are native to North America and love to prey on mice, rabbits, and deer.

One can easily recognize them by their distinctive bobbed tails and black bars on their two front legs. 

Bobcats are solitary animals that tend to avoid humans as much as possible. They’re also nocturnal; one may only see them between dawn and dusk when they’re active. So, it may be challenging to confirm if they’ve invaded a neighborhood.

However, bobcats are also territorial animals that love to mark their space with poop. We’ll discuss how to identify a bobcat’s poop in this article.

What Does Bobcat Poop Look Like?

A watery bobcat dropping indicates that the wildcat isn’t far away.

©Max Allen/Shutterstock.com

There are many ways to identify a bobcat’s scat; we’ll start with its texture. A bobcat’s poop has different textures, depending on whether it is wet or dry. When wet, the dung is smooth and quite shiny; when dry, it becomes hard and darkened. A watery bobcat dropping indicates that the wildcat isn’t far away.

Additionally, tracks next to the sighting can confirm that it is fresh bobcat poop. Not all scat looks the same, they can vary in consistency and texture depending on the food that the bobcat ate. Furthermore, if you have only one image or sample to compare it to, it may be more difficult to spot.

READ ALSO

Let The Cat Out Of The Bag: Meaning and Origin Revealed

Top 8 Heaviest and Fattest Cats

When it comes to color, a bobcat’s poop is black or dark brown and looks similar to a coyote’s dropping. Its shape is tubular and typically looks like a long string with shorter ones by the sides. A bobcat’s poop is about three to five inches long with blunt ends and segments in-between.

How Does a Bobcat’s Poop Smell?

It depends on how soon one finds them and whether it’s accompanied by urine. If the bobcat’s scat has stayed for long and is already dry, it’ll likely have no smell. However, a fresh bobcat poop accompanied by urine will smell pungent. Bobcats usually cover their scat with leaves, soil, or dirt.

Does Bobcat Poop Pose Health Risks To Humans?

Are bobcats dangerous - Bobcat
Bobcats are common carriers of Toxoplasma gondii.

©Laurie E Wilson/Shutterstock.com

Examining a bobcat’s scat remains the best way to determine if they’re in a neighborhood. However, exercising utmost caution when doing this is important, as their poop can create a health risk. Bobcat scat can spread diseases to humans and pets, as they are common carriers of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis.

Other bobcat-related diseases include cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis (or beaver fever), and bobcat fever (cytauxzoon felis). Common symptoms of these diseases include loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, etc.

Never inspect a bobcat’s poop with bare hands to avoid these illnesses—use a long stick instead. It’s also essential to wear hand gloves and face masks when dealing with a bobcat’s scat.

What Do Bobcats Eat?

What Do Bobcats Eat image
Bobcats eat squirrels, birds, rats, and rabbits.

Bobcats are carnivores and have excellent hunting skills. While they love to eat rabbits, birds, hares, and smaller animals, bobcats may go after larger creatures when their favorite meals are scarce. Bobcats generally hunt their prey by stalking and ambushing them. Next, they’ll pounce on them, pin them down, and bite their necks. Bobcats have excellent vision and sense of hearing.

In snowy regions, bobcats eat mice, grouse, red squirrels, white-tail deer, and snowshoe hares. In desert regions, rabbits, raccoons, lizards, and rock squirrels make up most of their diet.

How Does a Bobcat’s Scat Differ From Other Animals’ Droppings?

Knowing the differences between a bobcat’s poop and similar droppings of other animals is an excellent way to avoid confusion. We’ll compare a bobcat’s scat with those of mountain lions, bears, foxes, lynx, coyotes, and hedgehogs below.

  • Bobcat Poop vs. Lynx Poop 

Bobcat and lynx poop look so much alike that they’re the most difficult to tell apart in this list. That’s mainly because they have the same length and color. Bobcats are a lynx genus, and there’s no sure way to differentiate their scat.

  • Bobcat Poop vs. Hedgehog Poop

Unlike bobcat poop with a tubular shape, hedgehog scat resembles a shiny sausage. While bobcat poop has blunt ends, one would find that the waste of a hedgehog is round at one end and narrow at the other. A hedgehog feeds on berries and insects, and one is likely to find traces of these meals in their poop.

Fox poops are shorter and thinner than bobcat droppings; unlike bobcat poop, they have pointed ends. The color of a fox’s poop ranges from dark brown to light tan. Foxes are omnivorous and love to eat small birds, rodents, berries, and earthworms. Like many other animals, one can find undigested food particles in their poop.

  • Bobcat Poop vs. Coyote Poop

The best way to describe a coyote’s dropping is a “knotted rope with multiple pieces.” Like bobcat poop, a coyote’s scat has a tubular shape and droppings ranging from 3 to 5 inches long. However, large male coyotes may excrete poop as long as 12 inches. A coyote’s scat is long, curly, and tapered at the ends. It’s not unusual to find fruit remains in a coyote’s poop.

  • Bobcat Poop vs. Bear Poop

Bear poop is tubular like bobcat scat and shares some resemblance to human excreta except that it’s longer. Their poop is about 2 inches wide and can weigh more than a pound. Note that a bear’s dropping may also be semi-liquid or watery, depending on what they fed on. 

As omnivorous animals, bears love to eat meat and fruits depending on the weather, and you’ll likely find traces of their diet in their scat. Bear poop doesn’t pose as much health risk as a bobcat’s scat.

  • Bobcat Poop vs. Mountain Lion Poop 

A mountain lion’s dropping is significantly bigger than that of a bobcat, with a length of up to 5 inches and a diameter of about 1 ¼ inch. However, like bobcats, their poop may be segmented and have blunt ends. Mountain lions also love to cover their feces with soil or leaves, and one may find hair and bones in them.

Up Next:

IAN WARKENTIN

I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.

Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.

Next Post
Types of Exotic Cats – AZ Animals

Types of Exotic Cats - AZ Animals

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

POPULAR NEWS

Prepare to be Amazed: The 10 Most Gorgeous Birds You’ve Never Seen Before

Prepare to be Amazed: The 10 Most Gorgeous Birds You’ve Never Seen Before

March 13, 2023
12 Teacup Dogs That Don’t Shed

12 Teacup Dogs That Don’t Shed

March 5, 2023
10 Prettiest Horses in the World

10 Prettiest Horses in the World

May 19, 2023
Unbelievable Velocity: These 9 Horses Hold the Title for Fastest Land Animals

Unbelievable Velocity: These 9 Horses Hold the Title for Fastest Land Animals

March 14, 2023

Deacon Frey Eagles Departure: Here’s Why He’s Leaving After Almost Five Years

November 22, 2022

EDITOR'S PICK

History from Home – Presidential Pets | The Hermitage

December 6, 2022

Finch Bird Lifespan – How Long Do Finches Live in Captivity? – VIVO Pets

November 20, 2022

How to keep birds away from your house

November 20, 2022

Vince Gill and the Eagles return to Tulsa, flaunting their status as a commercial force

December 10, 2022

About Us

Unianimal is a site specializing in knowledge of terrestrial animals, helping you better understand the plant and animal worlds through the most realistic images and videos from our explorers.

Follow us

Category

  • Birds
  • Butterfly
  • Cat
  • Dog
  • Eagle
  • Elephant
  • Horse
  • leopard
  • lion
  • Pig
  • Pitbull
  • tiger
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • Owl Predators: What Eats Owls?
  • Meet The 7 Types Of Chihuahua Dogs
  • Chihuahua Lifespan: How Long Do Chihuahuas Live?
  • Discover 10 Beautiful Butterflies That Live in Arizona

DMCA

DMCA.com Protection Status
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use

© 2022 designed by Unianimal

No Result
View All Result
  • BIRDS
  • DOG
  • CAT
  • HORSE
  • ELEPHANT
  • SNAKE
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 designed by Unianimal