At SSR now and guess what I saw?

[wulfekamp]

We have a bob cat that lives near our house. It likes to hunt the creek beside the house. They eat rabbits and other small game. we named it Bob. We tell people that visit don't pet the big kitty. The state of Ky said there is 10 thousand in our state.

 

[littlestar]

Hi I am original OP. I started this post a week ago from today because I was concerned too...I did not know what I saw and whether it was dangerous....a few answered me with some suggestions but then the posters started to make fun of me and what I saw insunuating that I was drunk or made the story up or is was just a cat....so figured it was not all that important... what I worried about too was that I was near the playgound too. But no one seemed in these last 4 pages to think it was all that important.

From what I've read, if they have rabies, they are dangerous. Here's some links about attacks on humans in Florida:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,284635,00.html

http://www.wptv.com/news/local/stor...sitive-for-rabies/yt6mZwVZ00OHgHUoFnA7ng.cspx

http://bigcatrescue.blogspot.com/2009/02/rabid-bobcat-attacks-in-florida.html


In all attacks, they had rabies. Can you imagine having to choke hold a bobcat to stop an attack? That first story is something else! yikes.

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

probably not an otter as suggested, not really cat like as you describe, they are longer and low to the ground with a long thick tail. the height yo describe does sound spot on for a bobcat.

they won't target humans as prey, tho they are dangerous if they feel threatened and don't have an avenue for escape. i don't recommend approaching them, just admire them from a distance once they are aware you are around they won't stick around, they tend to be shy of people.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

From what I've read, if they have rabies, they are dangerous. Here's some links about attacks on humans in Florida:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,284635,00.html

http://www.wptv.com/news/local/stor...sitive-for-rabies/yt6mZwVZ00OHgHUoFnA7ng.cspx

http://bigcatrescue.blogspot.com/2009/02/rabid-bobcat-attacks-in-florida.html


In all attacks, they had rabies. Can you imagine having to choke hold a bobcat to stop an attack? That first story is something else! yikes.

Any mammal can contract rabies. All of them are dangerous. We had a rabid chipmunk in the backyard when I was a kid. It was very, very scary.

ANY animal that behaves in an odd manner is potentially dangerous. You can't sanitize the planet of critters, even in Disney World.

Which brings us to the 4 foot gator we saw at Coronado Springs a few years ago who was snacking on ducks...

Just use common sense and you'll be fine.

 

[PamOKW]

I was at SSR a year ago January and my friend played golf on LBV. He said there was a bobcat in the area around the Treehouses....I'm sure the construction would have him on the move.

 

[UnionJack]

We saw a bobcat on our trip to the world in 07. It was at Riverside. We were leaving our room (Acadia House) early in the morning on our last day to walk to the Mill for Breakfast. My wife stopped and asked if cats were supposed to be that big. I looked up and it was definitely a bobcat. It was walking along the concrete path like it owned the place. Of course I had my camera so I pulled it out and tried to take a picture (and of course the lens fogged up since we had just come from the air conditioned room). I managed to follow it and get a couple of pictures before it went into the shrubbery. It never ran or even seemed to care that there were people around. Didn’t mention it to the resort, that never crossed my mind. Probably should have in hindsight.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Well, we did see a regular cat at SSR right off the path from Carousel to Paddocks. It went into the grassy area next to the edge of the lake. Sounds like you saw something totally different. We were sure our siting was a cat.

 

[wildernessDad]

I think it was a snipe!

 

[pumpkinfish]

I think it was a snipe!

Tee Hee! My uncles used to take me snipe hunting when I was younger...and then I took my younger cousins .

 

[JimMIA]

...Often are the cause of mistaken sightings of a black panther.

"...mistaken" would be ALL sightings of a black panther. There's no such animal as a black panther. The large black cat is a leopard.

 

[1andrea]

Sounds like a Lynx to me....
I'll be staying at SSR in October hopefully they will be hibernating by then!

I hope he has paid his Annual Dues

 

[JimMIA]

My guess is that OP saw a bobcat. They are usually grey in color and are about 18" tall. They tend to be more bouncy than slinky, but if it was stalking something it might slink. If you saw the tail and it was very short, it was almost certainly a bobcat. Bobcats are quite common in Florida, but are not often seen because they are much more active at night. Not so much SSR, but certainly the THV area and the wooded areas north of SSR are ideal bobcat habitat.

Not likely it was a Florida Panther. Adult Panthers are very long (6-7 feet) and low, with a very long tail. Adult females usually weigh 100-120 pounds, and males are somewhat larger (150-160). That is quite a bit bigger than OP described. They are usually a tawny brown in color.

I'd be pretty surprised if there were not a few Panthers in the WDW area. It's an ideal habitat with a lot of deer, which are Panthers' preferred prey. Also, we tracked a Big Cypress female north of I-4 in the WDW area several years ago. Eventually, her radio collar battery died, but there have been no reports of mortality matching her age and sex anywhere in Central Florida so we assume she is still somewhere in that general area.

I'm pretty sure it was not a chupacabra, although SSR would be ideal chupacabra habitat. Chupacabra simply are not seen. The only evidence you usually find is an eviscerated dog, cat, goat, etc. Especially goats -- they LOVE goats!