scooter

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center received a call from a West St. Paul resident who said he was rescuing a bobcat from his neighbor. Apparently the neighbor said his bobcat pet was destroying his house and he was planning to let it go free outside. Not a wise decision for a domesticated wild animal! Since WRC only works with wild born animals that can be released back into the wild, they referred the call to The Wildcat Sanctuary. Scooter was surrendered to us within hours of the call.

We placed Scooter in an enclosure next to Tractor, another resident bobcat. After a few weeks of observation, we were quite sure they would get along. The doorway between the two enclosures was opened to allow for supervised interaction. Tractor, being a less sociable cat, immediately took to his new roommate and a new friendship ensued.

Scooter and his roommate Tractor have become very close. Even though they have multiple dens in their enclosure, they often choose to share one. If you see Tractor, Scooter’s sure to be close behind or vice versa. The two love to wrestle and chase each other in play. Whenever possible, we like to pair animals to offer companionship and stimulation in their lives.

Around the age of two, a bobcat’s demeanor generally changes from adolescent to adult. Scooter, once docile at feeding time, has now become an aggressive feeder. His low, throaty growl lets everyone know that Scooter insists on being fed first. This song continues the whole time he is eating, which has the staff saying Scooter sings for his supper!