Kate Smith, a resident of Mesa, Arizona, awoke one morning to find a group of young bobcats had taken up residence in her front courtyard. She was horrified.
The photo above was shared on Twitter, and Smith responded with the caption, “Apparently, I’m running an Airbnb for bobcats. Three immigrants came into my courtyard for the weekend, two of whom were here last month and one who arrived today.”
After some time had passed, the bobcats had grown more accustomed to their new hangout spot and began to move even closer to the house where Smith resided.
“This group has been here for one month now. After the cubs are mature enough to hunt on their own, it has been suggested that they should be relocated, however they have been here for quite some time.”
In the 24 years that Smith has lived in this property near Usery Mountain Regional Park, she has only had two close encounters with bobcats.
Although the previous meeting was due to a bobcat that required medical attention and hence only lasted a few days.
Smith sought help from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, who informed her that evacuating the group that has now relocated into Smith’s property could result in their deaths.
“They told me that if you take them out of their territory, they don’t usually survive, so I replied, “Oh, forget it.”
Smith kept her followers up to date via Twitter, and they didn’t leave for another four months.
“We’re thrilled to have our outdoor area back,” Smith tweeted, “but we’ll miss them.”
“To assist deter bobcats from coming near your home, make sure any grass and shrubs surrounding your property is neatly trimmed and pet food is removed”, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
