Our neighborhood backs up to the western part of the Saint Sebastian River and also a conservation area, so Bobcats are common around here. At one time, a bobcat family was often seen coming and going from a wooded area next door to our neighbors but unfortunately the lot was cleared a few weeks ago and a home is now being built ... so the cats won't be seen there anymore.
Neighbors on occasion post photos of bobcats in their yards or walking down the street.
Another critter that has become naturalized in the entire state of Florida is the Coyote and we have them in the conservation area next to our neighborhood. Late winter is their breeding season and their vocalizations are really loud during that time. After the pups are born, we always hear lots of cute puppy yips. In the winter, I like to sleep with the windows open and I recall the first time I heard the shrill yipping, I was a bit confused because I knew that none of our neighbors had puppies and after listening a bit, I knew that the vocals were different from domesticated puppies and realized I was hearing coyote pups. I've only seen coyotes twice, about 15 years ago when I was visiting my mom down in Fort Lauderdale. The first time was when I was standing in my mom's driveway talking to my sister who was leaving to go home and a Coyote came walking down the next door neighbors driveway, stopped and looked at us and then walked on across the street to the back of my mom's neighbors house. Another time when I was staying with my mom, I was sitting out on her enclosed porch one winter night and the cat jumped up to one window and was watching something outside and I figured it was a neighbor cat but when I got up and went to the window, there was a coyote looking back at me ... well, actually it was watching the cat! The cat jumped over and began walking along the back of the couch under the long windows and that coyote followed every step the cat was making. There were a few free roaming neighborhood cats taken by coyotes and the sound when one was attacked was horrendous.
Another reason people should never allow their cats to roam free, especially at night!
