Bobcat Bites

May 4, 2023

Question: What do bobcats eat?

Answer: Bobcats are mostly carnivorous. Their diet consists of a variety of animals, such as rabbits, rodents, wood rats, porcupines, raccoons, deer fawns, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects. Bobcats will stalk or ambush their prey from the ground, trees, logs or rocks. They sometimes consume plant materials such as grass. Bobcats can also opportunistically hunt pets or small livestock such as chickens if those animals are not kept in a secure enclosure, especially at night.

Bobcats can be found in diverse habitats throughout most of California. Suitable habitat includes chaparral vegetation, brushy stages of low and mid-elevation conifer, oak, pinyon-juniper woodlands and forests, and riparian and desert environments. Bobcats prefer areas with dense brush cover and will use cavities in rocks, snags logs, and stumps for cover and denning. They are generally most active at night and during twilight hours, though it is not unusual to see them during daytime.

For more information visit CDFW’s bobcat page ( https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Bobcat ).