Approx. date of birth: April 15, 2023
Date of rescue: April 28, 2023
Date released back to the wild:
Dutton crossed Rainbow Bridge: May 13, 2023
On Friday April 28, 2023 we received a call about 4 baby bobcat kittens in need of rescue in South Florida. A large tract of land spanning thousands of acres was being cleared and in doing so an excavator disturbed a bobcat den site. After dumping a load, the machine operator noticed that there was something moving around in the rubble of vegetation. It was three baby bobcats approximately two weeks of age. The crew searched through the rest of the debris and located a fourth kitten. Unfortunately because of the active land clearing setting up a trap and hoping for the mom to return was not an option. Reuniting the mom with her kittens is always our first choice. The decision was made to admit the kittens into our rehab program. The siblings are comprised of two boys, Dutton and Loo, and two girls, Kaye and Mare. (The crew who rescued them had input into their names) Dutton is the biggest weighing nearly twice as much as the runt of the litter Kaye. Kaye is very vocal and being the runt was the most excited to have access to all the food she could want. Mare has a light brown face compared to the other three and upon arrival some of the fur had been scraped away. Loo is the quietest of the bunch so far. He is dark in color and arrived with a tiny cut on his nose. Their mom had been taking very good care of the bunch and they all seem quite healthy overall. The kittens will be raised together and released together once they are old enough to survive on their own (usually around 6-7 months of age).
April 28, 2023
Dutton bobcat-male
Kaye bobcat-female
Loo bobcat-male
Mare bobcat-female
May 1, 2023 photo update!




May 1, 2023
Baby bobcats check up with Dr. Boorstein!
May 3, 2023
Rehab baby bobcats get fed!
So much cuteness overload here!
May 3, 2023
Kaye wishes everyone a happy Wednesday morning and wonders if there will be second breakfast. ~Jamie Veronica
May 4, 2023
Mare is becoming a favorite She arrived with fur missing around her eyes and forehead. We were concerned it may be mange but it has not progressed so may have just been an injury from being scooped with the excavator. ~Jamie Veronica
May 5, 2023
Loo was our champion eater this morning! He ate 55ml in just two tries
May 7, 2023
Nothing cuter than a baby bobcat tush
May 8, 2023






May 10, 2023


May 11, 2023


May 12, 2023




May 13, 2023


May 17, 2023
Bobcat kittens move to the kitten room!

















Loo has been enjoying Mare and Kaye’s side of the room today. While I would love nothing more than to put him back in with his sisters it just hasn’t worked out so far. After 4 days apart the second I put him in with them today he attacked Mare. We are still trying some other things and are hoping for the best.
May 23, 2023
Loo had a pretty successful supervised play session with Mare and Kaye. There was quite a bit of redirecting, but at least no big squabbles. I don’t know how sustainable this is considering Kaye likes to climb “trees”
May 24, 2023
Kittin Sittin…Supervised playtime with Loo, Mare and Kaye. They were too interested in the “tree” so I’m benched. Watching from cams just outside their room.
May 25, 2023


May 25, 2023
Update on Dutton: Dutton bobcat was found to be negative for Panleukopenia so his body has been sent to the state for further testing. There are no answers so far as to what caused his death.
He will be returned to the sanctuary after the testing is complete to be interred with the other past cats of Big Cat Rescue.
Wild bobcats come to Big Cat Rescue for two reasons.
- Injuries such as having been hit by cars or disease, illness, birth defects.
- Kittens that have been separated from their mothers or orphaned and are too young to survive in the wild.
Upon arrival, the cats receive a full exam and given whatever medical care is needed for their injuries or illness. Blood is drawn and tested for infectious diseases. They are vaccinated, dewormed, and flea treated.
Injured cats are given the time and supportive care they need to heal. They must prove they can hunt and survive before being released. Our six rehab pens are 230 feet long by 20 feet wide giving the cats 4600 square feet of natural space to learn their skills.
When possible kittens are given a domestic surrogate mother. When a surrogate is not available the kittens are bottle fed but weaned from the bottle as soon as possible. They are then raised with as little human contact as possible and given opportunities to learn to hunt.
Rehabbing and releasing bobcats is much more difficult than the rehabilitation of most wildlife. These magnificent little wildcats need every opportunity to fulfill their role in nature and Big Cat Rescue is here to give them that second chance.
Donate here towards the rehabilitation and care of a native Florida bobcat at Big Cat Rescue.
Rehabbing and releasing bobcats is much more difficult than the rehabilitation of most wildlife. These magnificent little wildcats need every opportunity to fulfill their role in nature and Big Cat Rescue is here to give them that second chance.
Shop here for Rehab merchandise to help support the rehab program.




Could areas undergoing such activities be scanned with airborne heat identifying cameras,so saving animals not visible to the naked eye being hurt/killed?
I’m so sorry for your lost( Dutton)