Bad Grampa Blog: January 2012

Hey, here's another really great idea. Buy your grandkiddies wild animals to keep as pets. I'm not talking about the little wussy things like turtles, magpies, or even skunks. (Uh yeah, in case you were wondering, I did have a family member who had a skunk as a pet). I'm talking about real things that can inflict pain....Now I'm of the opinion that pets must be fur-bearin critters, but don't let that limit you. Big cats, wolves, bears, you get the idea. Now before you get to thinking I'm suggesting you do things I wouldn't, I tried this. I got a bobcat for my oldest son. I know what you're thinking, a bobcat is just a large house cat.

After all, I got Snickers when he was five weeks old and bottle fed him. He'd be just like a domestic cat wouldn't he? We were his parents, and he never (well rarely) saw us jump on live animals and bite their throats.

My great uncle Hubert had one in his bar in Montana. It was a great conversation piece. He would tell the cat to stand up and box, and it would jump up on the bar and box with him.

So the little furry thing arrives and is very cute. We fed it from a bottle and it was very cute. These are the largest cats that purr. It is very loud. As the little rascal grew, he started to develop some interesting characteristics. He LOVED the water. It would be somewhat disconcerting to be getting a shower and have the little furry thing jump into the shower with you. We would walk him in the park by the river (on a leash) and he would jump in and swim.

A nice feature is they like to crap in water. No litter box needed here, they'll use the crapper.

Another habit little snickers developed was to hunt and kill furry little toys. He would grab them and shake them and then you couldn't get near him. If you approached him, he would back away until he was in a corner. Then he would growl at you and when you got what he thought was too close, he would drop the prize and jump straight at you.....not in a friendly "I wanna be petted" manner. He would bite very hard. Did I mention that these cats are incredibly fast and strong? I should have.

Snickers did like to sit on your lap and be petted. He would sit there and purr so loudly you couldn't hear the T.V. Until he was done. Then, as quick as you please, he would turn around, growl, bite you, and run off. Did I mention that a 40 pound bobcat will hunt and bring down a 200 pound deer?

We also found that he would stalk small children....this was a particularly endearing quality with friends and family. You'd see him start to pace back and forth quickly, then he would crouch down....time to get him away.

I am now a firm believer that these animals are just like other cats. They all have different personalities. I have heard of some who are very gentle and loving. Ours was not for the most part. Tyson was on the West Side of Washington, and I didn't have the time to work with him. Steph hated him, so I finally gave him to a young girl who came by to look at him and play with him. She seemed to have a way with him, and he was gentle with her.

Had I seen the picture below, I probably would have never ventured into this undertaking. Any cat that's tough enough to climb and sit on a Sugaruo cactus probably wouldn't make a gentle pet.

In my next installment, I will ramble on about how an orphaned elk actually makes a much better pet. I have family who can attest to the truth of these matters, but they are somewhat eccentric, so you probably wouldn't believe them either.

I would love to try another bobcat to see if there is a difference in them. I could do that to Bryce, but not to his family. I mean, I'm a bad grampa, but not quite that twisted.