This guy scared me to death, and other pics.

Lakesrider · 06-19-2008, 07:31 AM

Last year I had an altercation with a mother bear and two cubs...But today I had this big guy come up behind me while I was changing a tire on the car. He didn't see me I didn't see him and the twain met. I jumped up and back, he did the same. As you can tell in my picture I was shaking a bit. He was at full trot up the road by the time I got a picture....

Also had this little fox on my deck last night.....

And this fat woodchuck in the backyard last week.....

So the animals are coming back to my yard. I think mostly because the people next door moved out and took thier dog with them....

chipj29 · 06-19-2008, 08:13 AM

Cool stuff! I bet that bear scared the crap out of you!
Careful with the fox. They are cute and all, but they are still predators. A family of fox was responsible for many cats being lost in my neighborhood 2 years ago.

twoplustwo · 06-19-2008, 10:44 AM

He tore the door right off of our shed the other night

. They're so cute when I can watch them from my bedroom window. Up close and in person? No thanks! Glad he went his way when you went yours

Lin · 06-23-2008, 09:10 AM

Lakesider, great shots of your wildlife. Beautiful fox. Looks very healthy and well fed.

brk-lnt · 06-23-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipj29

Cool stuff! I bet that bear scared the crap out of you!
Careful with the fox. They are cute and all, but they are still predators. A family of fox was responsible for many cats being lost in my neighborhood 2 years ago.

Sounds like quite the helpful fox

chipj29 · 06-23-2008, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

Sounds like quite the helpful fox

Not quite sure what you mean, but I am rather fond of my cats...

brk-lnt · 06-23-2008, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipj29

Not quite sure what you mean, but I am rather fond of my cats...

I mean I'm not very fond of people that allow their cats to roam around outdoors unattended. Sorry if that puts you and I at opposite ends of the conversation, no slight intended, but cats are indoor pets...

chipj29 · 06-23-2008, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

I mean I'm not very fond of people that allow their cats to roam around outdoors unattended. Sorry if that puts you and I at opposite ends of the conversation, no slight intended, but cats are indoor pets...

That's your opinion. Myself and a majority of the people in my neighborhood would disagree. All of the cats that I have ever had I have taken in either as strays, or have adopted from SPCA. They have all been outdoor cats. Trying to keep an outdoor cat indoors isn't always the easiest thing to do...especially with 3 dogs coming in and out all day long. lol

SteveA · 06-23-2008, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chipj29

That's your opinion. Myself and a majority of the people in my neighborhood would disagree. All of the cats that I have ever had I have taken in either as strays, or have adopted from SPCA. They have all been outdoor cats. Trying to keep an outdoor cat indoors isn't always the easiest thing to do...especially with 3 dogs coming in and out all day long. lol

We have seven cats. All but one are from a shelter. We adopt mostly older cats. Shelters are full of older cats that sit waiting for a home for months.. if not years. When we adopt an outdoor cat we let it out. They do hunt, it's the nature of outdoor cats. I think you should be aware of the historical role of cats. Still valid today.

Cats are widely credited with the end of the Bubonic Plauge.. they killed the rats that carried the fleas that spread the disease. Now.. please don't respond w/ I'm trying to prevent the Bubonic Plauge from returning. NOT. I suggest that to deny the postive effect of outdoors cats in farm yards and barns is a mistake.

As an animal lover, all animals, I don't always like the fact that they bring me their "prizes'. Most of the time it's a pest.. moles, voles.. etc. Sadly, sometimes rarely it's a cute little chipmunk.

We have lost some of our outdoor cats to "natural" cause. It stinks when it happens, but it's all natural.

Lakesrider · 06-23-2008, 06:42 PM

Wow...all that from a bear picture....Well speaking of cats here is mine. Or maybe he thinks I'm his.

He...all 30 pounds or so of him just wouldn't leave my deck last fall. I doubt any fox would have tangled with this cat.
As you can see it didn't even phase him as I took the picture. He actually just fell back to sleep for about another hour and then up and walked off, pretty as can be. BTW the deck boards are about 6" wide and that rear paw is almost as wide as the board. When it stood up I would say it was about 2' tall or so. We kept our distance.

Waterbaby · 06-23-2008, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

I mean I'm not very fond of people that allow their cats to roam around outdoors unattended. Sorry if that puts you and I at opposite ends of the conversation, no slight intended, but cats are indoor pets...

Wow, BI.... I know you say it's the people, but cats aren't, by nature, indoor pets....... I don't have a cat at this particular time in my life but have in the past and will again in the future, and never will I force one to live against its nature and stay inside at all times, nor will I walk it like a dog. Come to think of it, most dogs aren't naturally indoor pets either.

Care to elaborate on your statement? I'm very curious as to your reasoning. Thanks in advance.

Rose · 06-23-2008, 08:48 PM

The wife of a friend of mine took their 4 year old daughter and 2 year old twin boys out to the yard to play recently. To her dismay, to put it mildly, she found some fur and intestines of one of their cats on the ground and proceeded to freak out in front of the kids. A neighbor found more bits, including the tail, in their yard. Since I have no desire to see the insides of my two cats on the outside, I keep them indoors. Nick happily walks around the yard in his harness with me at the end of the leash. Of course he'd prefer to be off it...he'd prefer if the world stopped revolving around the sun and started revolving around him, but neither of those things are going to happen. Nora prefers to remain indoors because she had a hard start in life and is therefore very timid.

brk-lnt · 06-23-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waterbaby

Wow, BI.... I know you say it's the people, but cats aren't, by nature, indoor pets....... I don't have a cat at this particular time in my life but have in the past and will again in the future, and never will I force one to live against its nature and stay inside at all times, nor will I walk it like a dog. Come to think of it, most dogs aren't naturally indoor pets either.

Care to elaborate on your statement? I'm very curious as to your reasoning. Thanks in advance.

If you can confine your cat to your own yard, then by all means let it out if you like. However, not everyone appreciates cats roaming around the neighborhood at all hours of the day or night. When that happens you inevitably wind up with cat fights, cats stalking birdfeeders, and just being a general nuisance.

Keep whatever pets you like, just keep them in your own yard...

hilltopper · 06-24-2008, 07:13 AM

Since this has turned into a cat debate I'll add my two cents...

Our cats have always been indoor cats due to their own safety and not wanting to find them in pieces. We've always had two male cats. The fellas we have now go outside supervised and are well behaved. Because I grew up having indoor cats, I'll probably continue in that direction.

As an avid outdoorsman I realize that the cat is not native to North America as in not a natural part of our local environment. The result of non-native species is never beneficial to native species and the natural environment.

Waterbaby · 06-26-2008, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brk-lnt

If you can confine your cat to your own yard, then by all means let it out if you like. However, not everyone appreciates cats roaming around the neighborhood at all hours of the day or night. When that happens you inevitably wind up with cat fights, cats stalking birdfeeders, and just being a general nuisance.

Keep whatever pets you like, just keep them in your own yard...

........... for your answer and satisfying my curiousity.

Sorry I didn't read or respond sooner!

CanisLupusArctos · 06-26-2008, 09:22 PM

For 13 years we had a cat that seemed to know his way around the outdoors. We watched him come into the presence of a skunk, exchange glances, and lie down to let the skunk know he was no threat. He also seemed to "know" the foxes by name, because their presence never bothered him and they never pursued him, either, although it was clear to us that they had met.

- He was extremely afraid of hawks and eagles, even though he was around 18-20 pounds (mostly muscle) at his prime, and would never go where there was a wide-open sky view unless we accompanied him.

- He did get treed by a bear one evening.

- He was somewhat nervous around raccoons for the first few years of his life, but seemed to know them by name later in life.

- He was nervous around wild turkeys until he realized how stupid they are.

A year before he died, the vet said she didn't expect him to last more than two months. A month before he died, he chased a fisher out of the yard. Most incredible outdoor cat we ever had. If all cats have a distinct personality, then his was "redneck farmer who always swore his family would find him dead at the wheel of his tractor."

hilltopper · 06-27-2008, 07:40 AM

By the way Lakesrider, those are some really neat pictures of what appears to be a young Bobcat (correct?). I'm amazed that an animal so secretive would hang out on a deck with knowledge of people nearby. Of course, I could be way off base. There are some more "exotic" breeds of domesticated cat that look similar.

Lakesrider · 06-30-2008, 06:05 AM

No...that is a Bob cat. I leved in the southwest for a long time and know what they look like. Larger muzzle, big rear legs which cause the back to be higher up while stqanding. This for speed and lunging at prey. I've heard though tha more have been sighted in the hills around here. Maybe making a come back, or had been drivens south out of the higher mountains by the bad winter, lack of small prey?

06-19-2008, 07:31 AM	#1
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	This guy scared me to death, and other pics. Last year I had an altercation with a mother bear and two cubs...But today I had this big guy come up behind me while I was changing a tire on the car. He didn't see me I didn't see him and the twain met. I jumped up and back, he did the same. As you can tell in my picture I was shaking a bit. He was at full trot up the road by the time I got a picture.... Also had this little fox on my deck last night..... And this fat woodchuck in the backyard last week..... So the animals are coming back to my yard. I think mostly because the people next door moved out and took thier dog with them....

06-19-2008, 10:44 AM	#3
twoplustwo Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 456 Thanks: 51 Thanked 39 Times in 21 Posts	I think I know his brother He tore the door right off of our shed the other night. They're so cute when I can watch them from my bedroom window. Up close and in person? No thanks! Glad he went his way when you went yours

06-23-2008, 09:10 AM	#4
Lin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Massachusetts & Moultonborough Posts: 673 Thanks: 41 Thanked 15 Times in 11 Posts	Lakesider, great shots of your wildlife. Beautiful fox. Looks very healthy and well fed. __________________ Lin

06-23-2008, 08:48 PM	#12
Rose Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 498 Thanks: 62 Thanked 71 Times in 32 Posts	Yes, cats on a leash The wife of a friend of mine took their 4 year old daughter and 2 year old twin boys out to the yard to play recently. To her dismay, to put it mildly, she found some fur and intestines of one of their cats on the ground and proceeded to freak out in front of the kids. A neighbor found more bits, including the tail, in their yard. Since I have no desire to see the insides of my two cats on the outside, I keep them indoors. Nick happily walks around the yard in his harness with me at the end of the leash. Of course he'd prefer to be off it...he'd prefer if the world stopped revolving around the sun and started revolving around him, but neither of those things are going to happen. Nora prefers to remain indoors because she had a hard start in life and is therefore very timid.

06-26-2008, 09:22 PM	#16
CanisLupusArctos Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,049 Thanks: 15 Thanked 472 Times in 107 Posts	Depends on the cat... For 13 years we had a cat that seemed to know his way around the outdoors. We watched him come into the presence of a skunk, exchange glances, and lie down to let the skunk know he was no threat. He also seemed to "know" the foxes by name, because their presence never bothered him and they never pursued him, either, although it was clear to us that they had met. - He was extremely afraid of hawks and eagles, even though he was around 18-20 pounds (mostly muscle) at his prime, and would never go where there was a wide-open sky view unless we accompanied him. - He did get treed by a bear one evening. - He was somewhat nervous around raccoons for the first few years of his life, but seemed to know them by name later in life. - He was nervous around wild turkeys until he realized how stupid they are. A year before he died, the vet said she didn't expect him to last more than two months. A month before he died, he chased a fisher out of the yard. Most incredible outdoor cat we ever had. If all cats have a distinct personality, then his was "redneck farmer who always swore his family would find him dead at the wheel of his tractor."

06-19-2008, 08:13 AM	#2
chipj29 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bow Posts: 1,874 Thanks: 521 Thanked 308 Times in 162 Posts	Cool stuff! I bet that bear scared the crap out of you! Careful with the fox. They are cute and all, but they are still predators. A family of fox was responsible for many cats being lost in my neighborhood 2 years ago.

06-23-2008, 06:42 PM	#10
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	Wow...all that from a bear picture....Well speaking of cats here is mine. Or maybe he thinks I'm his. He...all 30 pounds or so of him just wouldn't leave my deck last fall. I doubt any fox would have tangled with this cat. As you can see it didn't even phase him as I took the picture. He actually just fell back to sleep for about another hour and then up and walked off, pretty as can be. BTW the deck boards are about 6" wide and that rear paw is almost as wide as the board. When it stood up I would say it was about 2' tall or so. We kept our distance.

06-24-2008, 07:13 AM	#14
hilltopper Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Meredith Posts: 716 Thanks: 25 Thanked 105 Times in 66 Posts	Since this has turned into a cat debate I'll add my two cents... Our cats have always been indoor cats due to their own safety and not wanting to find them in pieces. We've always had two male cats. The fellas we have now go outside supervised and are well behaved. Because I grew up having indoor cats, I'll probably continue in that direction. As an avid outdoorsman I realize that the cat is not native to North America as in not a natural part of our local environment. The result of non-native species is never beneficial to native species and the natural environment.

06-27-2008, 07:40 AM	#17
hilltopper Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Meredith Posts: 716 Thanks: 25 Thanked 105 Times in 66 Posts	Lakesrider's picture... By the way Lakesrider, those are some really neat pictures of what appears to be a young Bobcat (correct?). I'm amazed that an animal so secretive would hang out on a deck with knowledge of people nearby. Of course, I could be way off base. There are some more "exotic" breeds of domesticated cat that look similar.

06-30-2008, 06:05 AM	#18
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	No...that is a Bob cat. I leved in the southwest for a long time and know what they look like. Larger muzzle, big rear legs which cause the back to be higher up while stqanding. This for speed and lunging at prey. I've heard though tha more have been sighted in the hills around here. Maybe making a come back, or had been drivens south out of the higher mountains by the bad winter, lack of small prey?