Here, Kitty Kitty!

Finally, after five years in our house, I’ve seen a mammal that so many Tucson neighborhoods take for granted. When I pulled out of the long driveway onto the paved road this morning, a square face poked out of the shallow wash, and loped easily across the road into the vegetation on the other side. Bobcat!

We knew they had to be out there. This adaptable feline is common enough all around southeast Arizona, a virtually inevitable sight if you spend enough time outside, and we’ve long suspected that the quiet footsteps on our roof of a midnight belonged to Robert the Cat. But even where they’re common, bobcats are secretive, and being in the right place at the right time isn’t always easy.

So I’ve thrown out an extra handful of seed for our packrats and wished the bobcat well. Here, kitty kitty!