Baby bobcats make surprise visit to Calgary home

Katherine Reiffenstein says she had some surprise house guests practicallyknock onher door last Friday.

She had goneout to wash thefront door glass when she ran into a motherbobcatand one kitten sitting on her doorstep.

"I saw the mother and one kitten, and all of a sudden kittens just started popping up," Reiffensteinsaid.

She said they stuck around long enough for her to take a few photos and then they ran across the street to a neighbour's yard.

"I have never seen a wildcat before," she said. "I assumed they were elusive.I was shocked to see them in the city."

Reiffensteinhas not seen them since, but her neighbours have.

She says the consensus in her area is that the mother has been around a while, and had her kittens somewherein theHaysboro neighbourhood.

"I was quite lucky to see them," she said."I had no idea there were wildcats in the city."

Concerns raised for small pets

Reiffenstein says she hasspoken to Calgarypolice about it.

Some of her neighbours have raised concerns about safety of their pets and children, saying thecats are gettingmore curious and aggressive.Reiffenstein says the bobcats were really interested in her cat, which was luckily safely inside during their visit.

The communityis located between two large wildlife areas in Calgary: Fish Creek Provincial Park and the Weaselhead/Glenmore Park.

Bobcats have been making appearancesin the surrounding neighbourhoods for years.

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AlbertaFish and Wildlife have notremoved theanimals in the past, as theydonot posesafety concerns.

"We haven't had any reports of a bobcat going after someone or being aggressive," said spokesperson Brendan Cox."It is rare for them to attack pets unless chased or threatened, but it is prudent to take precautions."

He saysthere are ways to deter the cats from paying a visit:

• Remove birdfeeders that attract small mammals.
• Close off any spaces in decks, sheds, stairs that could provide shelter.
• Keep smaller pets indoors.
• Install motion-detection lights to scare the cats away at night.
• Secure garbage access.