House cat nurses abandoned bobcats

[foxfeet]

Wild litter found after demolition of an abandoned house in S.C.
By PAGE IVEY
Associated Press Writer

updated 2 hours, 19 minutes ago
COLUMBIA, S.C. - In just a few months, three baby bobcats found in South Carolina could be a danger to a gray tabby named Zoe. But these days, the fuzzy felines are just members of the family for the nursing mother. The bobcats, orphaned after the abandoned house they were living under in Newberry County was demolished, are being nursed by Zoe at Carolina Wildlife Care near the Saluda River a few miles northwest of downtown Columbia.

The nursing is expected to last about four weeks and is intended to give the bobcats a feline on which to imprint, said Joanna Weitzel, executive director of the wildlife rescue group. "It's important they get that nurturing and care from a species similar to their own."

After five weeks, though, their razor-sharp teeth and claws could hurt Zoe and Zoe's kittens — an orange tabby and a calico that now dwarf the three bobcats in their kennel. The bobcats are expected to grow over the coming months to the size of large dogs — about 22 inches tall and up to 70 pounds — while their adoptive siblings will likely max out around 10 pounds.

Full article with pic and video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36869310/ns/health-pet_health/

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. I had some difficulty deciphering your Subject line...

.
...and, until I figured out how to take it, I had a fleeting
glimpse of them in their crisp, starched white uniforms...
.

.
...and a fleeting glimpse of CaliforniaPeggy's reincarnation?
.
:hi:
.

[geardaddy]

3. Me too.

Shouldn't it be "Housecat nurses..."

[foxfeet]

5. I copied the subject line as written in the article.

Although I have worked with some nurses who could pass for bobcats.

Edit: spelling. Duh.

[spinbaby]

2. Zoe looks none too pleased with the situation

[BlueIris]

9. Neither do that other (house) kittens in that box with her.

The orange kitten and the other grey tabby have total WTF faces on.

[nickinSTL]

4. a 70 pound bobcat?

what was their source for that?

That would be an ENORMOUS bobcat. More than twice the usual size.

I'm guessing this writer's never seen a bobcat in person. They're just not that much bigger than a large housecat.

I think they have the height about right, but the weight is way off. Did they look up the wrong member of the Lynx genus?

According to National Geographic's page on bobcats:
Weight: 11 to 30 pounds

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bobcat.html

[foxfeet]

6. Yes, I think they confused bobcats with Canada lynx .

The Canada lynx weighs in at 22-44 lbs., per National Geographic.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/lynx/

But when does MSNBC ever get all the details correct?

[charlie and algernon]

8. Wiki says that the largest Bobcat on record weighed 48.9 pounds

[ChickMagic]

7. Whatever they are, they're cuties

Mom doesn't look too excited, however.