Ruff & Reddie
Felis rufus - BOBCAT
Born
in 1993, Ruff and Reddie are Bobcats. They are part of the lynx family and
are felis or purring cats.
This
North American cat is like a slightly smaller version of the Lynx,
but it
occurs in a wider range of habitats. The
coat is shorter, the legs thinner,
the feet smaller and the ear tufts
considerably reduced or
even nonexistent,
but the markings can be very similar to the more sandy and
spotted ones of the
Lynx
and it has the same cheek whiskers. The Bobcat’s usual diet is rabbits,
rodents, birds and even deer.
Usually silent, Bobcats sometimes make loud screams, hisses and other sounds
during courtship.
They
are named for their short or “bobbed” tail, which is characteristic of bird
eating cats.
A
long-tailed cat would have trouble maneuvering in the bushes.
The
white spots on the back of their ears look like eyes to larger predators.
Ruff
and Reddie’s parents were owned by a private party
who are typical of the
“Breed for Greed “part of society.
These
individuals sell exotic cats to anyone willing to pay the price. Sadly the
animal
is the
one who loses since, typically, once the novelty has worn off and
the
reality of how wild these cats are, the
owners shirk their responsibility
and want someone else to take over. In
many cases, they will either try releasing the cat
into the wild which will
end up on the news as
“a
wild cat sighting near a home” or they will just have the animal destroyed.