What the Walrus said . . .

Yesterday, I was driving east on Utah Highway 12, towards Escaltante Petrified Forest State Park, when up ahead of me I saw a car pulled partially off the road with the hazard lights flashing. As I eased up behind the vehicle, off to my left, standing on the edge of the highway was this adult Bobcat.

The people in the stopped car said tyhey had just came upon the Bobcat standing in the road, and that they believed it had been struck by a car.

As you can see in the photo, the Bobcat looks dazed. It was panting feverishly, had a blank look in its eyes, was salivating, and totally motionless.

I told the people in the car that I would stay with the animal if they would go up the road and call for assistance once that got to a place with good cell phone service. I told this ultimately to three additional carloads of people and never saw anyone come to help!

For the first 30 or so minutes, I was simply watching the cat and directing traffic so the animal would not get hit again. The cat appeared to be getting weaker as the sun cooked both of us. It was easily 90 degrees in the direct light, and I am certain the cat was feeling all of that in its fur coat! Slowly the cat’s hind legs seemed to fail, and it now was laying with its legs splayed out, on its stomach, with its chin resting on the asphalt. I was truly worried this cat was going to be dead before help arrived.

Thirty more minutes passed! The cat was now breathing better, no longer the rapid panting but instead deep and steady breaths. It was still salivating though, and I knew the poor cat must be getting dehydrated where it was lying. I thought about trying to find a lightweight cover for it or figure a way to build some form of shade, but the cat no longer had a blank stare and was watching every move I made very closely.

It had been at least an hour since the car of folks left to raise the alarm and get help. I felt the need to do something and not let this animal simply melt away . . . Since I did not see any blood in its mouth or nose, its eyes had cleared and it was moving its head, neck and upper torso, I decided that I would try and give it a sip of water and see what it did.

So, talking quietly to it the whole time, I slowly sat on the road about six feet from the cat. I then gradually scooted closer, reaching out with my right arm and a very long water bottle, and dribbled water on the cats nose and snout. What I got was a very good look at all of its teeth as it open mouth growled and hissed at me . . . but it then licked the water off of its face.

I backed up and waited about 10 minutes . . . and tried the water again . . . this time with no growl or hiss!! Yet, I am not stupid enough to believe that I was making friends with this Bobcat. It is a wild animal, I know this, and an injured wild animal can be incredibly more vicious.

So . . . I waited and watched. The cat’s head was now off the road, and it was really paying closer attention to everything moving around the road, especially me! As they say, “Third time is a charm!” and when I leaned in for the third attempt to give the cat some water, it licked it off its face, stood up, gave me a quick look, turned and trotted off into the brush. As it left, I was able to see that all of its legs were moving normally with a steady gait and no limping. Plus, there was a small swale between the road edge and the bushes, and the bobcat jumped it with ease.

Suddenly, there I was, sitting on the edge of the highway, still holding out the water bottle, with no cat or anyone else in sight. I truly felt a bit foolish!! LOL

Later I drove back down this section of Highway 12, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Bobcat, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be! The cat was back in its element, maybe having learned a new lesson . . . to look both ways before darting across the road. Next time there may not be a crazy human with a long water bottle!!