As I have mentioned, I now live in the boonies. It ain’t the wilderness, but you can see the wilderness from here. This means deer are plentiful, bears are common, as well as snakes, cougars, and bobcats. Most of the residents in the area are familiar with the wildlife, but to me it’s still a novelty.
There’s a tree on my property under which cell phone reception is always perfect. It’s a few hundred yards from the house. When the weather is chilly I’ll drive but if the sun is shining and the air is warm I usually walk over and stand or sit under the tree while I communicate with the world via cell. Yesterday was be-you-tee-full, and I had a couple calls to make so I threw on some shorts and flip-flops and hiked to The Phone Tree.
I was standing under the tree for roughly fifteen minutes, chatting away when something happened that could only be properly retold with the help of the highly sophisticated computer program, MS Paint.
You can see the phone tree there in the center. I was sipping on a cup of coffee, chatting on the phone. Our dog Bailey and cat Popcorn had accompanied me on my walk. Bailey is getting old and is always tired, so she was napping on the hillside (the hillside begins with the fancy brown line and is pretty steep). Popcorn was chasing bugs around under the tree.
Sometime during the phonecall a bobcat began to stalk Popcorn. In general, bobcats won’t attack humans, which I why I assume it was the kitten and not myself it was after. I saw it running, for a nanosecond I thought it was the dog as it was just about the same size and completely black in color. After that mistaken moment I realized it was a cat, and it was moving so fast. I am going to emphisize the moment I realized it was a wild cat at this time.
THERE WAS A DOG SIZED ALL BLACK CAT RUNNING SOOOOOO FAST HEADING RIGHT FOR MY KITTEN!
The most remarkable thing to me at that moment was the speed at which the cat was moving. It was so close to the ground as it ran and clearly trying to catch breakfast. Now, I found out later after talking with a wildlife biologist that if a cat is running towards you the worst thing to do is run. Whoops. You’re supposed to stand your ground and make yourself as tall as possible and scream and yell at it to scare it off. I did scream and yell and thankfully there were no children around to hear the foul words I was hollering at the person I was still having a conversation with on the phone. But as I was yelling I was running, swinging my arms and spilling my lovely morning coffee all over my bare legs.
After I reached the house I remembered the kitten was still by the tree and I drove my car back to get her. She was on a low branch of the tree clearly spooked from the encounter. Popcorn hopped onto the car, I rolled my window down and she climbed inside.
After I drove home I googled “black wild cat” I googled “black cougar” I googled “black bobcat” and I found what I was looking for.
A bobcat sighting is just another day here. But bobcats are tannish in color with dark spots. What I saw was a large wild cat that was 100% black. I found a website on the topic where I learned that the technical term for the rare animal is melanistic bobcat. Only about a dozen of the animals have ever been captured.
So, now I have a quest. If I don’t find this animal again and take it’s picture, or better yet trap it, I cannot prove to anyone what I saw. The biologist I spoke with told me that every description I had of the cat pointed to the fact it was indeed a black bobcat, but I am sure in their mind they believe there is a chance I was mistaken. Together, we went back to the site looking for tracks and found one that was the size and shape of a wild cat’s, so that helped the credibility of my story some.
And while I am certainly frightful of another meeting with the large feline, if I see it again I am determined to prove to the world that I saw a black bobcat–or at least to a few science geeks in the area.
The Pilver 
that sounds scary, glad you and the cat are OK!
Wow, great encounter. You, yourself, have nothing to fear from a Bobcat. Just enjoy the sighting next time you see it. Your kitten on the other hand might need a hand. Though, after an experience like that one, I’m sure it’s learned somewhat of a lesson in awareness.
I saw a large black cat last night in my back yard; it was the size of a large dog. My boyfriend keep telling me that- ohh… it was just a cat ;but believe me I don’t care what he say; it was not a normal yard cat!
you are not crazy, and don’t let anyone tell you that…..I live in southwest Louisiana in a very rural wooded area, and in late spring 2010, I was outside with my yorkie and this very large black/greyish cat comes running out of the bushes chasing a rabbit. I have a golden retriver and it was as large as he is, it had a very short tail. When I told my husband and family this, they said I was crazy, bobcat are not black. But I have finally found different to the contray. They do have black bobcats, and there is one is southwest Louisiana……. your drawing was great!!!!!! 🙂
Hi there, I just moved into the boonies as well, in NY State, and the first morning I looked out the window on our second floor into the 20 acres of woods behind the house, and I saw a large, dog sized pure black cat with a bushy face and a bushy tail, only the face was white. I’m not sure if it was a lynx or a bobcat but its hard to find information on any black wild cat! Nice to hear your story as well :o)
I live in New Caney, Texas. This morning I looked out my window and saw a large black cat sitting on our waterfall that overlooks our small lake. He was crouched looking into the water, I don’t know if he was looking at the fish swimming around or if he was looking at his reflection. I watched for a minute or so. Then he stood up and walked to the top of the waterfall, he had a bobbed tail and large hind quarters that stood higher than the front legs, had a very distinct walk. I walked out on the porch and he stoped turned and looked at me with these fiery piercing yellow eyes, looked as if a light was glowing behind them. He was not at all frightned by me, he stood there for a minute or so and watched me then slowly walked off waterfall and into the woods. I called my husband and told him I saw what appeared to be a bobcat but was black. He told me to look online and there I found your story. I know what I saw and it was a black bobcat with bright yellow eyes. It feel blessed to have seen something so rare and so beautiful!
I love your drawing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
I know right it was beautiful i wish i could draw like that
My in-laws have a cabin in Missouri, and recently a farmer and my in laws have seen a black bobcat hanging around. I found this page by googling black bobcat right after she told me what she saw. This is the first time I’ve heard of a few different people seeing a black bobcat in the same area on different occassions. Interesting.
I live in little town of Gold Hill Oregon and me and my neighbor keep seeing something black about the size of a Bobcat, completely black, it’s but is sort of towards the ground, the head is kind of high in the air and the weirdest thing is the go into town at night in packs of anywhere from 4 to 8 do you know what it is.
I have seen two now and I am thinking from the previous post that perhaphs they may be a new species emerging as i live in noth west oregon wich is far north of what all the info say about where you are supposed to find these critters. I had a picture that I had snapped with my cell phone while one was snacking on some road kill in the ditch and i could see some faint dark spots sort of like a leapord but a very dark brown fur
At about 10 am on 8/27/11, I was driving north on Oregon Coast 101 highway, through Oswald West State Park. Both my husband and I saw a jet black animal with a lithe form, approx 25-30 lbs, quite angular looking in shoulder and hip. I only saw the head in profile and it was an arched profile. I didn’t see any tail at all. It was crouched beside the road then turned and leaped up unto a log and moved into the big trees there.
We have come to the also, an also have googled lots, an I can see how no one can believe this, but we have saw this also. We live in lebanon or. An our property also bored the trees
I don’t think your crazy @ All! My mom and I just seen one ourselfs. They are so hard to describe and ppl just think your nuts. I googled and seen your pic and wa la that is what I just seen! Your story helped solidify it. Ty!
On Jan. 5, 2012 around 11 am, I was walking my dog in a natural preserve, I saw one too. I live in Central Florida.
Hey i was just sitting on the couch minding my business at around midnight today. I heard a very low pitched loud growling noise outside in my backyard.knowing that my other cat was attacked by something also i sprinted out and yelled at it as loud as i could. It was on top of my black cat, but exactly the same color. As i was screeming it looked at me and i got acared shitless. This thing was 40 pounds or more and just lean and muscular. Its head was probably three times the size of my cats. It ran off and my cat did too, they ran in the same direcrion but thos thing was like a bullet. After the attack i kept wondering what looks like that and isbin Washington state. I googked bobcat and thoughtvmaybe there was a black one, i saw the picture of the cat that you have and knew immediately that was it. This thing has been killing neighborhood cats and racoons even…. It is ery scary but i am going to try to trap ot tomorrow. I am super excited to know what this thing is, i hope some studies could be done on this cat so i could know more. I DO NOT want this thing to be killed jist studied. It is a truly amazing thing to see and i am still horofied by it…
I live in southeast Texas and on a camping trip with a buddy and my son we had a show put on by a horse and a large black cat. The cat chased this horse like he intended on making him dinner. To make a long story short I want to know if a cougar would be in our area and if it would actually attack a horse. For the record I gad been drinking but no drugs were involved haha,seriously though my kids play in the woods a lot and it bothers me that something that large is in our woods
Hello from the North Jersey woods. Caught this guy on my a trail cam set up by our driveway. Picture is blurry as the cat is moving, but looks like could be a black bobcat to me.
my mom and i saw one of these today in my yard – except mine had a white/gray face and i also didn’t get a pic but what a sight ! Now to keep an eye on my poodle when we go out side ! Thanks for the proof that we’re not the only one who saw one ! =)
I live in southeast Pennsylvania and was camping with my wife just this past weekend in Little Buffalo State Park. Its only about 50 miles north of our home. Saturday morning after breakfast we headed out for a hike on a trail in the park we had not hiked before. We had gone about a mile with Tucker our Cavalier King Charles leading the way when suddenly a large solid black animal stepped out onto the trail about 50 yards ahead of us. I grabbed my wife’s arm and we both froze trying to make sense of what we were looking at. I have been hunting my entire life and at 58 I thought I had seen every animal this state had to show me but I was clearly looking at an animal I had never seen before. I tried to make it into a black fox but no it wasn’t. I tried to make it into a black dog but it wasn’t one. It clearly wasn’t a bear and I even imagined I was looking at an enormous black feral cat but it was at least twice the height of my Cavalier and I would estimate its weight at between 40 and 50 pounds.
I was looking at a small panther but there are no panthers in Pa. It appeared to be focused on our dog and not on us as it just stood its ground at the edge of the trail. Realizing this I yelled at Tucker in an attempt to get him on a leash. I yelled several times before he turned to come back and this was enough to scare the cat off. It wasn’t until later that afternoon when my brother’s girlfriend googled black Bobcats that I realized exactly what my wife and I had seen. I am just glad
I had my wife for a witness. We both feel it was an amazing creature to spot in the wild.
I live near the mountains just 15 miles from Allentown and I saw the same animal last week in someone’s yard. I am still in shock.
Really amazing to actually see one of these cats. No one I personally know has ever seen one so I feel very lucky to have sighted it with my wife as my witness. Beautiful animal.
We have one of these hanging around our farm shop.My sister and her husband and family have seen it 3 or 4 times recently!!
We have one of these hanging around our farm shop.My sister and her husband and family have seen it 3 or 4 times recently!! May see if we can get a pic.We have property in the oregon coast range.Also have a nice heard of elk.Black bear deer,A cougar that hangs out there to!!
I saw one in southeastern Alabama, it crossed in front of my car. A few weeks later my husband and his cousin saw it! We are going to get it on a game camera.
Well, I live in India and my dad told me yesterday of some black dog-sized cat that lived on the roof of his house when he was in South India in approx. 1979 when he was probably 16 years old. I searched ‘black lynx’ on Google images and saw the picture of a black bobcat and showed it to him and he was surprised. He had never known what kind of cat it was so he told me to seek out information so i found this page. Well on the contrary, on further questioning he said that there were 6-7 black bobcats which used to live on his roof!! On reading on another page that these species are endangered (i’m not sure, but if they are) then they could easily find more in South India! Thanks..
I believe I saw a malanistic bobcat today crossing a fire road in southern california south of hwy 166. Feral cats would last about 3 minutes here…to big to be a feral cat and bobcat was all it could be….still amazed.
Anonymous says. yes ther are black bobcats in central fl. Isaw one last year and my son said it was a panther then he say it and it was a black panther. haven’t seen it since.
We saw one today driving out of Ashland,Or on Dead Indian Memorial Road. It looked just like a bobcat but it was black. A mama deer was chasing it across the road. We have plenty of bobcats around,but I have never seen a black one or knew if they even existed.
We were trying to figure out what we all saw.
Go back in time to 1998. I was visiting Dickinson in North Dakota and visiting a nature reserve there, though my normal residence is in the UK. I was recovering – perhaps not recovering is more accurate – from a stroke, which had meant I could only walk with difficulty and very slowly. We were in the car park with windows lowered when I was alerted by a bird’s very persistent alarm call and went to investigate on my own. The bird was calling from a chain link fence around 7ft high dividing the reserve from countryside. At the opposite side of the fence was a large, black cat much bigger than a domestic cat carefully picking its way back to the nearby trees until it was lost in trees. I remember it had a broad darker stripe along its back, almost like it had been ironed. I’m now completely inactive since a further stroke and will never get to North Dakota again, or anywhere else for that matter, but I did know I’d seen something special. Of course people thought I was seeing things, but your reports convince me after all these years.
This evening I saw an animal that at first glance looked like a black dog. The animal was walking slowly along the side of my neighbor’s house towards the rear of the house. He/she stopped for a few seconds looking toward me, then went around the back of the house. The more I looked, the more I realized this was not a dog, but a large cat. Being from FL and now in AZ, I have seen bobcats before as they do come into well-populated neighborhoods. I have heard that many wild cats will migrate from Texas and other states to AZ. After researching this, I am sure this was a black bobcat.
I saw one of these all black wild cats while enjoying a bike ride (my 5 month old baby in the bike/baby seat) at Haile Plantation neighborhood in Gainesville Florida in 1992. It is now almost 2015, and I remember the moment like it was yesterday. He was in the bike path ahead of me…I stopped dead in my tracks and froze…he stopped crouched down and stared me squarely in the eyes…it terrified me…and I am a lover of animals of all kinds and usually not afraid….he did not make a move… After a moment or two I turned the bike around and rode away as fast as I could….not looking back…we were safe. My story didn’t seem believable to anyone…and I also questioned myself….but, I know what I saw. It was a 40ish pound all black wild cat.
I live in metro Nashville, TN but on the very outskirts in a very rural area. The sighting that I had of what seemed like a black bobcat happened on 6/2/15 on a sunny afternoon around 2:30pm. This
cat ran quickly from one side of the road to the other in front of my car. It was very dark in color, had short ears, long legs, sleek body and no tail. It was the size of a medium size dog and in no way was the size of a domesticated cat. I had no idea what kind of wildcat it was at the time until I started doing some research on google. Now I’m sure that it was a black bobcat.
My sister and I saw a black bobcat with a regular color bobcat in the Olympic National Park today they were young ones with a full grown regular color bobcat. I couldn’t believe my eyes and had to google it as soon as I got home. I have never heard of an all black bobcat but now know they do exist. I have been in the woods all my life and this is the first sighting for me. We had cameras but they ran across in front of us before we could get a pic. I would like to put up a trail cam but its in the park and they probably wont allow it. This was an exciting day for us.
I adopted a very large black/brown solid color cat who might be all or part bobcat. He fits the descriptions above. I adopted him when he was 3 yrs old and quite wild, but he is now a well trained housecat, just very large. 28 lbs and 2″ long nose to but, and not including his 6″ tail; so 2 1/2 feet long. He has the taller back legs which make him appear hunched, he also has bigger thumbs with an extra claw on each thumb. He is a great cat and pet.
Hi i just saw one too this morning…rosehill hockley area….did you ever find it again?….again there is no one to believe me 100%… i am certain of what i saw with little room for error…it was the cat in your pick…..not much info on these cats that i found
No! We never saw the cat again. Consider yourself very lucky to actually see one. Rare enough to spot a bob cat let alone a black one. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t know where you live but we have aa black cat show up about two months ago. Our coyote population and our cat population has dwindled. First time I seen it I had my dog out and he begin to act funny. Then he walked behind me sat down and got still as he could. We both we mere inches to door so o turned and let him in. I was noisy and wanted to see what he was scared of. Turns out this big black cat that looks exactly like the one you have in pic. I am scared to let my dogs out and heck they get scared alot because they can sense it. I want game and fish to come transfer it. Terrified it get one of my baby doggies
I too have seen a very large black bobcat. But its features were so much more of a bobcat. It seemed to have the stripes and spots of a bobcat but all black tones. Much larger then the normal bobcats in my area. San bernadino mountains. Ive seen this cat twice. Do they eat large cats? For i have five full grown cats. One very large one for he is a maine coon and his son is large enough to look like a small black panther. Do i have to worry about my cats while they are outside.?
These are wild animals that live each day searching for a meal. If hungry enough I’m sure they wouldn’t hesitate on making one out of a small cat. I would keep your pets close.
Bensalem, PA Black cat the size of a retriever. My adult daughter and I had stopped in a clearing on a hill for a break. After a few minutes the huge reeds below the hill started breaking. We sighted the moving reed and followed it to the ground. It was looking straight at us and advancing! We stepped out of it’s line of sight and ran like mad. We are still disturbed about it. I’ve never been looked at like dinner before. Deer live in that spot. Maybe it mistook us for a deer? Couldn’t see it’s tail. 2nd week of June 2017.
I seen what to me seemed like the black panther off of jungle book off the freeway just north of grants pass going to merlin after researching there is no black panthers or jaguars or pumas or any other black lookimg cats in oregon but i know what i saw it was creeping low to the ground just like in the movie lol it was bigger then a housecat or dog but smaller then a bear it had long tail and short shiny black hair it definitly was in cat species but no record of any kind in oregon i wish i wasnt only one who saw it or had proof
My grandmother has spotted one in her backyard recently. We live in Texas. It’s attacking the cats she feeds outside. She thought it was just a very big funny looking black cat. Up until it killed one of the cats in a way that only a predator would.
I live in Southern California/Santa Clarita. Back around 2005 I was driving to work at 5:30 a.m. and had to stop at an intersection in my Housing Development. Sitting in the middle of the intersection was a huge jet black cat, looked like a juvenile/kitten. I stopped the car and started to get out and rescue this poor cat. I opened my car door and started to get out but that cat(kitten) just sat there on its backside and looked at me. All of a sudden the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I closed the door and looked around. The juvenile looked across the street into the darkness and showed no sign s of being afraid or even curious. Not wanting to meet his Mother I just drove off and went to work. Didn’t think about taking a picture. I never told anybody because I didn’t think my story would be believed. HA
I’m in Florida and just saw a mostly dark brown and black bobcat come close to the porch I was sitting on. He starred across the street, his back to me. I tried to take a picture as I had my phone in my hand but the vibration sound made it turn to look at me. We locked eyes and I was frozen with fear. We were barely six feet apart. I whispered “go on now” and he sauntered off into the woods. No one believes me that he was so dark colored. His markings were only visible on his ears and tail. As it walked by there were more visible markings on his lower legs and underneath but none were the usual light brown or tawny color.
I saw a melanistic (black) bobcat in east Texas thevT3xas Parks & Wildlife did not believe me. I saw two bobcats together. One with normal colors and the other was black. This took place in the early afternoon with plenty of sunlight to see both animals.
One was spotted in SW Missouri near Table Rock Lake 2 days ago
Looked to be 40-45lbs
I am sure that I saw one here in West Texas the other night! It jumped the fence as I was driving home from my brother’s place.
Back in the 1990’s I saw a melanistic bobcat in Fawn Lake Forest, PA. I was around 10 and for over 25 years I have thought about that cat. When I was little I labeled it as a big house cat. The thought popped in my head and thanks to this post I know for sure it was a melanistic bobcat. Looked just liked his. It was standing tall in the woods, looking at
me with it ears pointed my way. I ran like fire when I saw it, yelling loud and did not look back. I will never forget what I saw.
Today i saw one black cat and after googling i found that it is a bobcat. It is really black with golden eyes.
New Hill , NC.
I have a black bobcat living under my lake home.
Need it to go away
Black bobcats actually do exist I found a baby black bobcat they call them a Melanistic bobcat and she was on the verge of death and I nursed her back to health and she’s the cutest craziest and most loving animal that not only myself but my entire family just loves and adores her as she’s become apart of are everyday family so for all the people out there who didn’t and don’t believe you and or your story about seeing and encountering a black bobcat I’m here to tell them all that black bobcats truly do exist and I truly do hope that you’ll get another chance to see the black bobcat again as they truly are amazing and magical animals and I truly do hope and pray that you don’t intend to capture or kill it as it would be impossible for you to tame a fully grown wild bobcat and I truly do hope and pray that you don’t wanna catch and kill it either and that you’ll let it live out its natural life in the habitat in which it was born and meant to live naturally and die naturally in as yes to answer most people’s question I would’ve released Bobby as that’s now her name if she wouldn’t have been so young tiny and on deaths door steps when we found her for she couldn’t have even been more then 3 weeks old at the time which it toke us about 5 days before we were even able to even catch her she was up in the motor of are motorhome and when we finally did catch her she was under my van and she was so weak at the time that she didn’t even resist my grandson picking her up and giving her to me she just laid there in my arms and didn’t even try to resist she acted like she had gotten into something or had eaten something that was bad and that had made her deathly ill so I turned my wheelchair around right away and went over to the grill and got a piece of charcoal and went into house with her and laid her on my lap where she just laid and lightly cried as I finely grated up some of the charcoal and mixed it up with some milk and got a small dropper and started making her slowly drink it as is put the dropper in the back of her mouth and near her throat and I started slowly squeezing it into her mouth and throat until it was empty and i’d clean her mouth off and I’d do it again and I just keep slowly repeating that throughout the evening and the entire night and in the morning I picked her back up off the pillow and blanket where I’d lay her at and on when she wasn’t in my arms and on me where she had been almost the entire time and she finally opened her eyes wide up and I was overwhelmed in and with happiness and joy that she was gonna be ok and I tried to put her down on the pillow and blanket but she absolutely refused to let me put her down so i just picked her right back up and she’s been right here with me and by my side ever since and she either sleeps right on top of me or right beside me and she’s stays in my room with me for the most part however she is stating to follow me when I go out of my room now but she’ll very quickly run right back into my room as everything’s new for her so she gets a little bit scared and or shy at seeing new things and or hearing new noises or at and with sudden and or fast movements but she’s getting a hole lot better and she’s been adventuring out of my room and around the house with me more and more each and everyday and she even went out of my room and into 2 of my grandson room that’s across from my room on her own the other day and yes she answers to her name Bobby and she comes when right to me whenever I say her name and call her and for all of you’ll out there that asking or wondering if it’s legal for us to have and to keep bobby a bobcat as a pet the answer is most definitely yes it is as that’s one of the very frist things that I checked into and on and found out after we found her and before I even allowed myself or my family to get attached to bobby or even to give her a name which we all thank god that we were and are allowed to have and keep bobby for we all truly have come to not only adore Bobby but to truly love Bobby as she is now and will forever more be a family member to and for us all and not just a pet to and for us! And thanks for reading are story and please keep it going so that everyone knows that this man and anyone else who says that they’ve seen a black bobcat isn’t and wasn’t crazy because black bobcats really do exist!