This morning I went out to the garden to check the squash plants to see if any squash needed to be picked. I heard a sound that sounded like a catbird, only it was coming from some weeds that were growing immediately along the fence around our garden. I thought that a snake had grabbed a catbird baby. I walked over the weeds and pulled them back. Instead of seeing a snake with a catbird, I saw a gray, furry critter. My immediate reaction was that a young bunny had gotten into our garden, but the more that I looked, I realized it wasn't a bunny. Pretty quick I noticed that it wasn't a bunny at all, but a bobcat kitten. I went in and told Kristi, who stared at me like she didn't understand what I said. I repeated it. I said she needed to come out. She came out and we looked at it. She said she would get some gloves and come grab it by the scruff of the neck and take it out of the garden. I wasn't sure. But she did. That kitten grabbed onto that glove and wouldn't let go as Kristi slid her hand out of it.

I grabbed the camera and shot some photos. Kristi put the kitten down just outside the garden gate. It ran into a clump of peonies and hid. I tried to watch thru the window for the mother to come, but I couldn't just stand and watch. I didn't see anything. I kept going out and checking about every 15 minutes at first. Then on the half hour. After about two and half hours later, after about a 45 minute span of not checking, I went out and checked, and it was gone. I looked all around, but it was nowhere to be found. In 28 years of living here, this is a first. We've never seen any bobcat kittens near our house. But it was and is very exciting. Here is a photo of our friend.