Move Over, Coyotes; Bobcats Arrive In Belmont

It appears that bobcats have decided to make Belmont Hill home.

A Rutledge Road resident spotted its new neighbor on Monday, marking the third time (once on Pleasant Street and another time on the Lexington line along upper Concord Avenue) in the past year the relatively shy animal – it is a cat – has been seen wandering the neighborhood of high-end homes and woodlands. 

"They're beautiful, beautiful animals. They're gorgeous," said Belmont Animal Control Officer John Maguranis in a Boston Globe story.

A North American-relative to the lynx, the bobcat will be a handsome addition to Belmont Hill wildlife scene with its gray-to-brown spotted coat, black-tufted ears, an expressive ruff-filled whiskered face and its distinctive black-tipped "bobbed" tail.

Oh and it will eat your pet cat.

While mostly located in the western part of the state, bobcats are likely attracted to Belmont by the growing number of rabbits and hares populating the town's suburban yards. They will also hunt for insects and rodents, even attacking much larger deer and the stray kitty.

The bob will establish a territory to hunt. They prowl from three hours before sunset until about midnight, and then from before dawn until three hours after sunrise. 

The cat breeds in winter, giving birth in early spring.

But don't expect a hoard of bobcats setting up camp in Belmont; one bobcat's territory will encompass roughly five-square miles, about the size of Belmont.