Please Help Me Size This Bobcat

[Torren61]

Hello. I joined this site in order to get help. I work for PG&E, an electric utility company in California. I live in Humboldt County which is in Northern California. My job is a compliance inspector. I go from pole to pole and inspect the pole and lines to make sure everything is okay and I identify potential or existing problems before they become catastrophic.

About a week ago, I was preparing to inspect a section of line. I decided to eat my lunch before beginning the inspection. I was eating while seated in my truck and I looked out to my ten o'clock position and saw a large bobcat sitting on a concrete water trough.

The trough and bobcat were about 200' feet from me. I have Swarovski CL 10X30 binoculars and an iPhone 5 with a frame I bought from Swarovski. The frame fits around the iPhone and has a cup that screws in place over the camera viewfinder and fits around an eyepiece of the binoculars essentially turning the binoculars into a crude zoom lens.

I took some shots of the bobcat. After he left, I took measurements of the height of the water trough. The trough measures 20" in height and from the picture I'm posting, I estimate 18" of trough visible from the side the bobcat is sitting.

So, I'd like to get an exact measurement of the bobcat in height and width compared to the amount of trough visible on the side on which he is seated. I don't know how to place a grid on the picture. If I did, I could size the grid with the trough height and then I could measure the height and width of the cat. I did some rough measurements on my screen and guessed the height of the cat to be twice that of the trough which would make him 36" in height while seated.

If that's true, this cat is "ginormous". The average weight of a bobcat is 15 to 30 pounds. I estimate my cat to weigh somewhere around 60 pounds but I need to know the exact height of it to be able to get a more accurate estimate. For example, my Rottweiler puppy sits at 30" in height and weighs 75 pounds.

Any help you feel like giving would be greatly appreciated. Here are a few pics of the bobcat:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Designer]

I did some rough measurements on my screen and guessed the height of the cat to be twice that of the trough which would make him 36" in height while seated.

Hello!

I think you're over-estimating the height of the seated cat. By my finger-gap measurement, the 18" measurement of the visible portion of the trough comes nearly up to his front shoulder. Certainly not twice the height.

So if the exposed portion of the trough really is 18 inches, (which could be verified by an independent second measurement) your cat could be only a couple of inches taller at the front shoulder.

 

[Torren61]

I'm going to print this out at work and draw a grid over the picture. That'll get me closer. Thanks!

 

[Braineack]

big enough.

 

[Torren61]

The largest bobcat on record is 49 pounds. I think this one is bigger. I just need to get the measurements together and I can prove it. If you had been there, you'd get just how big this dude was. He was no small cat.

The thing to remember is where he's sitting on the trough. He's on the backside. I need to get my grid on the photo and maybe he's not double but if he comes in at just 30" tall sitting, he's GOT to be heavier than 49 pounds. Like I said, my Rottie is 30" tall seated and she's 75 pounds.

 

[waday]

The largest bobcat on record is 49 pounds. I think this one is bigger. I just need to get the measurements together and I can prove it. If you had been there, you'd get just how big this dude was. He was no small cat.

The thing to remember is where he's sitting on the trough. He's on the backside. I need to get my grid on the photo and maybe he's not double but if he comes in at just 30" tall sitting, he's GOT to be heavier than 49 pounds. Like I said, my Rottie is 30" tall seated and she's 75 pounds.

There is some evidence that bobcats can actually grow up to 60 pounds (according to Wikipedia).

Do you have any biologists/bugs-and-bunny people at PG&E that can help with your measurements/estimates of weight and height compared to average physical characteristics of the bobcat?

Side note: NICE binoculars!!

 

[jcdeboever]

big enough.

I know that's right. I stumbled across one in Northern California, Sierra's I think they called it. Anyway, lets just say I was lucky to be with a local person.

 

[CarlosFrazao]

best way to find the correct size is to go to him and get close up measurements lol

 

[waday]

best way to find the correct size is to go to him and get close up measurements lol

Maybe distract the cat with a big ball of yarn?

 

[soonerdg]

Judging by the height of the visible portion of the trough on the far left I'd say you only have 10-12 inches showing where the cat is sitting. Making the cat roughly 12-14 inches tall when standing on all fours. Not really a big cat at all.

 

[katsrevenge]

best way to find the correct size is to go to him and get close up measurements lol

Maybe distract the cat with a big ball of yarn?

Boxes. Boxes are better. Cats of any size will run over yarn to get to a good box.

 

[tirediron]

Looks like about a medium in a Bobcat.

 

[Torren61]

Judging by the height of the visible portion of the trough on the far left I'd say you only have 10-12 inches showing where the cat is sitting. Making the cat roughly 12-14 inches tall when standing on all fours. Not really a big cat at all.

Not correct. I printed out the photo of the cat looking straight at me. I then drew a straight line across the top of the back of the trough. Then, I measured from the lowest part of the trough I could see with no grass and made another line from there parallel with the first line. Then I made a grid. Although this first attempt is pretty rough, I know the trough is 21 inches high (I mistyped before and said it was 20 inches high) and I think the grid would be 18 inches square but I'm willing to give away 2 more inches and call it 16 inches square.

The cat is JUST under two grids making it around 30 inches tall in the seated position. Think about how cats walk. Where is their backline? Just above the top of the shoulder. In the photo, where is the shoulder? Just under the chin. That would be 16" plus about 6". That's 22" at its backline. I know this is all just approximations but I think they are conservative numbers.

 

[Derrel]

I bought a ham last night....looking at the hindquarters of the bobcat and the 12-pound bone-in ham shank type ham and weight I purchased....not sure the cat's front two quarters are anywhere close to the 12-pound ham's size or weight.

Maybe there is some way to gauge bobcat weight by basic measurements, maybe found by the California department of fish and game or somesuch agency?

This bobcat does look pretty good sized. This is from 2009. Another link states that a 76-pound bobcat was trapped in North America some years ago.

Here Kitty Kitty…. New North America Record Bobcat Taken?

 

[Torren61]

I bought a ham last night....looking at the hindquarters of the bobcat and the 12-pound bone-in ham shank type ham and weight I purchased....not sure the cat's front two quarters are anywhere close to the 12-pound ham's size or weight.

Maybe there is some way to gauge bobcat weight by basic measurements, maybe found by the California department of fish and game or somesuch agency?

This bobcat does look pretty good sized. This is from 2009. Another link states that a 76-pound bobcat was trapped in North America some years ago.

Here Kitty Kitty…. New North America Record Bobcat Taken?

That's a big ole cat. I hate they just HAD to kill it, though. I'd rather shoot it digitally, lol. I sent an email to Fish and Game but no response yet. Thanks for the link!