This isn't encouraging news, but the only recollection I have about a bobcat concerns a rabid one that attacked a young boy on the street in town as he was waiting for the school bus. The bobcat jumped on his back and bit him in the head. He survived after treatment, but can you imagine the shock?

Maybe yours is just young and confused.

Years ago we had a sick looking raccoon wandering around our yard during the day, and on our porch. We had three small children and numerous pets at the time. Fearing he was rabid, we shot him and called Fish & Game. The agent took one look at him and said it wasn't rabies but a fatal skin condition.

Good luck with this, Ronnie.

I'm not an expert, but I've heard that mothers will hunt in the day time to feed their babies, where they won't hunt in the day time any other time of the year. Still, you do need to be careful, in case you have a sick animal living near you.

I live in a condo. WE are now allowed to have bird feeders, cause we are in the woods with raccoons, and possums.

I hike nearly every weekend and have spotted bobcats on several occasions during daylight/early evening hours. No one around here feels it's an unusual sight to see them when the sun is out.

We visited a hiking park a few years ago and saw a bobcat strolling along further up the hill as we were driving through the entrance gate. As I exclaimed at the sight, which to me was thrilling, the ranger just smiled.

A few years ago while visiting relatives in New Mexico my uncle accidentally ran over one in the middle of the afternoon. We often see coyotes during the day at our place in the mountains. I don't think they're strictly nocturnal.

When we took our boat out, in a Missouri lake, we used to see the mom bring the babies to the water to drink at dusk - they are such beautiful animals.

Our family's experience during vacations in Canada is that you can see more wildlife from a boat or canoe than if walking. A deer is not as cautious of a human sitting in a canoe as it is of a human walking. If downwind, you can see deer coming down to drink just before dusk. The trick is to watch the upwind shore. For many wild animals, if they get a whiff of you, you will not see them.

Daytime sighting of bobcats are quite common in the rural and foothill areas of California. They are not really all that nocturnal. They do most of their hunting in early daylight and at dusk i believe.

I don't think rabies among bobcats is too common. Why did you think it might have rabies?

We've had several experiences with them. A few years ago, we woke early up one morning and caught them eating our guineas. They slaughtered almost all of them. We also see one occasionally (few times year) in the "back yard" around the pond.

Around here, bobcats and coyotes are easily spooked and run at the sight of a human. They only time I get a little creeped out is at night when a lot of coyotes are "whooping it up" very close by (very, very close by).

Buie and I ride in the woods everyday.

Are you horseback riding? Make sure you have your horse vacinated for rabies when you have the other yearly shots. Rabies in a horse is a terrible thing - and could be prevented so easily.

I would be totally spooked - lol - yikes!~ It would be fun to see the cat though.

no horses, just a golf cart with big tires.

I have a canyon behind my house and several years ago across the canyon to another canyon,they decided to build condos.While they were doing that i saw a bobcat a few times in our canyon.Have also seen mountain lions there.
Kathi

I think your golf cart will be safe from rabies - lol! Sounds like a very enjoyable ride!

I live at the edge of a small town. We have lots of coyotes in our area because of all the pasture land around us. My neighbor saw a bobcat in her back yard. She has chickens in a coop back there and the bobcat was looking for a meal.
We have had several cases of rabies near us this past month. One case was a puppy and the other was a skunk which got into a fight with 8 dogs at a home around 5 miles from us. So we are watching all animals in our area.

Bobcats can transmit a fatal disease to domesticated cats. Actually it's passed from bobcat to house cat by ticks. Friends in South Central Virginia lost a cat to it.

Here is a link that might be useful: bobcat virus