DOB: Appx: April 1, 2021

Rescue Date: June 21, 2021

Release Date: April 26, 2022

Meet Byrdie  12 week old female bobcat kitten rescued today from a rural area where much of the forest had been cleared for the development of 3,500 homes in Davenport. Byrdie was very dehydrated and emaciated when she collapsed in the azalea flower bed outside her finder’s home. Lucky for her they were out watching hummingbirds in their garden and saw her. They caught her last night and gave her food and water which she was eager to have. Today she was picked up and transported to our Rehab Hospital where she is settling in. She weighed in at 2 pounds but looking at her frame she should weigh approximately 3.5 pounds. She was treated for fleas and started on a deworming protocol. She was eager for dinner.

Find out more about our bobcat rescue, rehab and release program at https://bigcatrescue.org/bobcat-rehab/

June 23, 2021 

Rehab bobcat exam today  Byrdie got an intake exam. She tested negative for FIV and got her first vaccine. Byrdie is on routine quarantine for two weeks

July 15, 2021 

Byrdie got her final vaccines and was weighed today. She went from 1 pound 15 ounces to 5 pounds 3 ounces!! Cahira and Byrdie were introduced in the late afternoon. So far so good. Cahira is really excited to have a playmate again! Byrdie is also very intrigued by her new roomy – Cahira

Byrdie spent her last day inside playing dress up! Nice hat

August 1, 2021 

Byrdie and Cahira- girl talk in Bobcat Rehab

Bobcats are growing on trees around here! Byrdie’s favorite place to hide when her keepers are doing their daily rounds.

Update from Jamie 2/21/2022

This photo is the epitome of this dynamic duo. Cahira, the cut up clown, and Byrdie the serious bruiting type. Cahira and Byrdie are finally big enough to be collared. We captured both last week to get current weights on them. Byrdie weighed 15 pounds and Cahira 19 pounds! They will soon be on to their next big adventure This duo will be fitted with radio and gps collars to study their behavior and movements post release. They will be the second pair of our rehabilitated cats to be collared and studied by the fish and wildlife service.

Update 03/17/2022

What a long day but we got so much done! Aside from all the cat moves off and on vacation we captured Cahira and Byrdie to be collared prior to their release.
Byrdie weighed in at approximately 15.5 pounds and Cahira at 18.5! The process of collaring went smoothly.
The data collected after their release will provide crucial information on our native bobcats.
Both will be released after the end of March which is the close of season on these beautiful wildcats. (Hopefully one day we can shut down hunting of them all together).
Byrdie’s collaring went off without a hitch.
Cahira on the other hand was full of surprises. During her exam it was discovered that her adult canine on the upper right side never fully erupted and the root had resorbed. The neighboring upper molar was also defective. In addition she had cracked her lower canine on the same side. All three teeth were extracted. They were very thin and brittle. The rest of her teeth look great and since she is such a good hunter already we do not believe the loss of these teeth will impair her. She will actually feel much better now that they are gone and no longer painful.
Cahira and Byrdie will both go back out to rehab tomorrow but will remain separated for 10 days as Cahira will be on a soft food diet while her mouth heals.

April 26, 2022 Update

Cahira and Byrdie are home!!! It was bittersweet seeing these two go. Cahira went through so much veterinary treatment and ups and downs as a kitten. Today she weighed in at 20.5 pounds and is the most beautiful bobcat ever . Byrdie has transformed from a frail emaciated kitten that literally collapsed in the garden of a couple of elderly bird watchers to the bold and fierce bobcat she is today. She weighed 16.5 pounds. The two were reluctant at first but after some prodding they both left their transports and made a mad dash to the forest edge. The scene was out of a storybook with woodland creatures all around. Cahira and Byrdie have such a wonderful new home and I am excited to get a peek into their next big adventure.

Update May 31, 2022

Updates from the Field: Check out what our bobcats are doing in the wild! Pia’s territory is in blue, Byrdie’s is in pink and Cahira’s is in purple. The scale of the map is approximately 20 miles across.

Unfortunately Cahira’s collar stopped working the day after release, so we do not have much data on her whereabouts. We are hoping to spot her on one of the many deployed camera traps in the area, but if she moves off of the release site grounds we may not get any further information.

Byrdie has been very busy traveling all over the place scouting out an area to call her own. She has overlapped Pia a little bit, perhaps if they run into one another in the wild they will recognize each other.

Pia continues to do well. She is more established and has a pretty set home territory now.

(The map background has been altered to protect the exact location of Pia.)

Learn more about Cahira‘s and Pia’s rehab and release.