Bobcat Family Saved

Residents tend to wild felines in Grayhawk

GRAYHAWK , AZ (Wednesday, July 20, 2005) - Grayhawk can be a bit blasé about bobcat sightings.

The north Scottsdale community's abundant washes, rabbits and water are as cherished by the tufted-eared native Arizona felines as they are by the homeowners, who typically snap a photo and get on with their day when they sight a bobcat on the prowl.

But residents took notice a few weeks ago, and a mother and her two babies may have been saved because of it.

The bobcats had settled in a yard whose owner was out of town. When the owner returned, the mother and babies scrambled.

But there was a problem, said Ferney Hastert Kuykendall, a neighborhood dog-walker who has earned a local reputation as a nature-lover.

The mother had an eye injury, according to eyewitness descriptions.

Kuykendall soon was awash in e-mails from neighbors who'd spotted the mama cat and sent photos. The cat's eye was bulbous and looking nasty.

She called Southwest Wildlife, the Scottsdale foundation that rescues and provides sanctuary to native Arizona wildlife in trouble.

Southwest Wildlife Director Linda Searles said she couldn't pick up the mother and leave the babies behind. It would be a death sentence for them.

"The mother was out of gas," Kuykendall said. "We monitored her just lying on a fence for an hour, but the babies were nowhere to be seen."

July 7 came and Southwest Wildlife called with good news. The babies had been found by gardeners who scooped them up and delivered them to Grayhawk security.

Southwest Wildlife volunteers picked them up and called Critter Control, which humanely traps animals.

Wes Patrick, the head trapper, set up a snare in the yard where the babies had been found and a day later lured the mother in. By then the wound was so serious she was taken immediately to Sonoran Veterinary Specialists in Scottsdale and operated on by Dr. Steve Gilson.

The veterinarian, who provides pro bono services to Southwest Wildlife, removed the eye, which had turned to pulp with infection. It appeared to have been stuck by a thorn or a cactus. The emaciated mother joined her babies at Southwest Wildlife in another day.

"We were very happy because we could get everybody reunited and get that eye taken care of," Searles said.

The cat, who appears to be about 3 years old, is now eating well on rats and mice and is out of pain.

"The infection would have eventually killed her," Searles said.

The stitches will be removed in two weeks, but the next step of the mother cat's journey is unclear.

"After she heals, we'll see how well she hunts. We'll give her prey," said Searles, who is optimistic because the mother was feeding her children at Grayhawk, despite the blind eye.

If the bobcat hunts successfully, she and her babies can be set free in the fall. If not, they'll have to remain in captivity. Babies typically remain with their mothers for up to a year, when it would be too late to free them.

Normally an injured animal can be returned to where it was found, but it's not likely a suburban development is the best place for this cat, so Searles and her group have to find a new habitat, which isn't as easy as it sounds.

Development has narrowed the choices, and open spaces in the region are already inhabited by bobcats that would defend their turf against a new bobcat to protect their food sources.

"We have some donors with property. We'll check with them to see how many bobcats are occupying their areas," Searles said.

Complicating the problem is the fact that Southwest Wildlife is now hosting nine bobcats, all of whom are candidates for release. Searles said it will be hard to find areas for all of them to go free.

She encourages area residents to be tolerant of wildlife. Aside from the fact that bobcats and foxes show up in residential areas that once were their hunting grounds, their skills can still be harnessed by homeowners.

"The roof-rats are expanding their range," Searles said. "Foxes and bobcats are the first line of defense against them, so don't get Mother Nature out of balance."

Back at Grayhawk, the relief in Kuykendall's mood is evident now that she knows the cats are safe.

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