“It attacked our neighbor’s chickens, and he shot it,” Emily Ruiz told the Wilson County News.

Something had been preying on the chickens on the C.R. 124 property for some time. The neighbors thought it might be a stray dog they’d seen in the Cañada Verde area northwest of Floresville.

But when the birds got in a flutter May 30, Emily’s neighbor took action and shot the animal.

“It was a big cat,” Emily told the newspaper.

While bigger than a domestic cat, it was too small to be a mountain lion. And it had spots. But Emily thought the tail was too long for it to be a bobcat.

We shared the photo Emily supplied with Jamie Killian, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department certified wildlife biologist for Karnes and Wilson counties.

“It’s a bobcat,” Killian confirmed.

Bobcats — lynx rufus — aren’t unusual in our area, and are seen in suburban and urban areas, as well as in rural parts of the state. Despite the rapid growth of housing and human population throughout Wilson County, these cats aren’t displaced by humans and aren’t bothered by our activity, Killian said. Last summer, a county resident spotted a bobcat walking along a road in La Vernia.

They’re considered a beneficial species, preying on small mammals — such as mice and rabbits — and birds. They’re also known to prey on domestic animals, such as poultry and goats, according to www.tpwd.texas.gov.

Largely nocturnal, bobcats favor thickets and heavy brush for protection. As they’re highly adaptable, these cats are able to thrive in many places, despite increasing habitat loss to their human neighbors.

A license is required to hunt bobcats, which are a non-game species.

In addition to the bobcat and mountain lion, or puma, Texas also is home to:

•Jaguarundi, which frequents the brush country of far South Texas; similar, but larger than, domestic house cats

•Ocelot, the most beautiful Texas wild cat, inhabits isolated scattered native brush areas in the Rio Grande Plains; adults can be about 3 feet long and weigh about 35 pounds

•Feral domestic cats, which prey on small mammals and birds, as well as domestic poultry

•Jaguar; though considered extirpated from Texas, an occasional visit from Mexico by one of these big spotted cats is possible.

Bobcat identification

Larger than domestic cats but much smaller than mountain lions, here are some pointers to identifying bobcats:

•Adults are approximately twice the size of domestic cats, growing to about 25 to 30 inches long and weighing up to 40 pounds

•Distinctive short, or “bobbed” tail

•Distinct spots on the back of the ears

•Light tan or gray in color, with little spotting in open, brushy areas; in wooded environments, these cats are often reddish tan with distinct spots.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Certified Wildlife Biologist for Karnes and Wilson counties Jamie Killian welcomes wildlife inquiries. Call her at 830-480- 9043.

nkilbey-smith@wcn-online.com