Editing Bobcat (section)

==Behavior and ecology==
The bobcat is [[crepuscular]], and is active mostly during twilight. It keeps on the move from three hours before sunset until about midnight, and then again from before dawn until three hours after sunrise. Each night, it moves from {{cvt|2|to|7|mi|km|order=flip|0}} along its habitual route.<ref name="wl"/> This behavior may vary seasonally, as bobcats become more [[diurnal animal|diurnal]] during fall and winter in response to the activity of their prey, which are more active during the day in colder weather.<ref name="cons"/>

===Social structure and home range===
[[File:Calero Creek Trail Bobcat.jpg|thumb|Bobcat spotted in [[South San Jose]], California]]

Bobcat activities are confined to well-defined territories, which vary in size depending on the sex and the distribution of prey. The home range is [[territorial marking|marked]] with feces, [[Urine spraying#Felidae|urine scent]], and by clawing prominent trees in the area.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Allen, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wallace, C. F. |author3=Wilmers, C. C. |year=2015 |title=Patterns in bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') scent marking and communication behaviors |journal=Journal of Ethology |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=9–14 |doi=10.1007/s10164-014-0418-0 |s2cid=17453824 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267332222}}</ref> In its territory, the bobcat has numerous places of shelter, usually a main den, and several auxiliary shelters on the outer extent of its range, such as hollow logs, brush piles, thickets, or under rock ledges. Its den smells strongly of the bobcat.<ref name=Whitaker>{{cite book |author1=Whitaker, J. O. |author2=Hamilton, W. J. |year=1998 |title=Mammals of the Eastern United States |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-3475-4 |pages=493–496 |chapter=Bobcat, ''Lynx rufus'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofeastern00whit/page/493}}</ref>
The sizes of bobcats' home ranges vary significantly from {{cvt|0.23|-|126|sqmi|km2|sigfig=3|order=flip}}.<ref name="CAP"/> 

One study in Kansas found resident males to have ranges of roughly {{cvt|8|sqmi|km2|order=flip}}, and females less than half that area. Transient bobcats were found to have home ranges of {{cvt|22|sqmi|km2|order=flip|0}} and less well-defined home ranges. Kittens had the smallest range at about {{cvt|3|sqmi|km2|0|order=flip}}.<ref name="Kansas">{{cite journal |last1=Kamler |first1=J. F. |last2=Gipson |first2=P. S. |name-list-style=amp |date=2000 |title=Home range, habitat selection, and survival of bobcats, ''Lynx rufus'', in a prairie ecosystem in Kansas |journal=Canadian Field-Naturalist |volume=114 |issue=3 |pages=388–394|doi=10.5962/p.363990 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Dispersal from the [[birth|natal]] range is most pronounced with males.<ref name="Texas" />

Reports on seasonal variation in range size have been equivocal. One study found a large variation in male range sizes, from {{cvt|16|sqmi|km2|order=flip|0}} in summer up to {{cvt|40|sqmi|km2|order=flip|0}} in winter.<ref name=Whitaker/> Another found that female bobcats, especially those which were reproductively active, expanded their home range in winter, but that males merely shifted their range without expanding it, which was consistent with numerous earlier studies.<ref name=range>{{cite journal |last = Lovallo |first = M. J. |author2=Anderson, E. M. |date=1996 |title= Bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') Home Range Size and Habitat Use in Northwest Wisconsin |journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume = 135 |issue = 2 |pages = 247–28 |doi= 10.2307/2426706 |jstor=2426706}}</ref> Other research in various American states has shown little or no seasonal variation.<ref name=Kansas/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Nielsen |first=Clayton K. |author2=Alan Woolf |date=2001 |title=Spatial Organization of Bobcats (''Lynx rufus'') in Southern Illinois |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=146 |issue=1 |pages=43–52 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2001)146[0043:SOOBLR]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=85594095 |url=https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-146/issue-1/0003-0031(2001)146&#91;0043:SOOBLR&#93;2.0.CO;2/Spatial-Organization-of-Bobcats-Lynx-rufus-in-Southern-Illinois/10.1674/0003-0031(2001)146&#91;0043:SOOBLR&#93;2.0.CO;2.short |access-date=2021-04-22 |archive-date=2021-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422212528/https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-146/issue-1/0003-0031(2001)146%5B0043:SOOBLR%5D2.0.CO;2/Spatial-Organization-of-Bobcats-Lynx-rufus-in-Southern-Illinois/10.1674/0003-0031(2001)146%5B0043:SOOBLR%5D2.0.CO;2.short |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Chamberlain |first=Michael I. |author2=Bruce D. Leopold|author3=L. Mike Conner |year=2003 |title=Space use, movements and habitat selection of adult Bobcats (''Lynx rufus'') in Central Mississippi |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=149 |issue=2 |pages=395–405 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2003)149[0395:SUMAHS]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=84214895 }}</ref>

Like most felines, the bobcat is largely solitary, but ranges often overlap. Unusual for cats, males are more tolerant of overlap, while females rarely wander into others' ranges.<ref name=range/> Given their smaller range sizes, two or more females may reside within a male's home range. When multiple territories overlap, a dominance hierarchy is often established, resulting in the exclusion of some transients from favored areas.<ref name=Whitaker/>

In line with widely differing estimates of home range size, population density figures diverge from one to 38 bobcats per {{cvt|10|sqmi|km2|order=flip}} in one survey.<ref name=CAP/> The average is estimated at one bobcat per {{cvt|5|sqmi|km2|order=flip|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=Whitaker/> A link has been observed between population density and sex ratio. An unhunted population in California had a sex ratio of 2.1 males per female. When the density decreased<!--in that area?-->, the sex ratio skewed to 0.86 males per female. Another study observed a similar ratio, and suggested the males may be better able to cope with the increased competition, and this helped limit reproduction until various factors lowered the density.<!--unclear--><ref name=mort/>

=== Hunting and diet ===
[[File:Bobcat having caught a rabbit.jpg|thumb|With a rabbit]]
The bobcat is able to survive for long periods without food, but eats heavily when prey is abundant. During lean periods, it often preys on larger animals, which it can kill and return to feed on later. The bobcat hunts by stalking its prey and then ambushing with a short chase or pounce. Its preference is for mammals weighing about {{cvt|1+1/2|-|12+1/2|lb|kg|sigfig=1|order=flip}}. Its main prey varies by region: in the eastern United States, it is the [[eastern cottontail]] and [[New England cottontail]], and in the north, it is the [[snowshoe hare]]. 

When these prey species exist together, as in New England, they are the primary food sources of the bobcat. In the far south, the rabbits and hares are sometimes replaced by [[cotton rat]]s as the primary food source. Birds up to the size of an adult [[trumpeter swan]] are also taken in ambushes while nesting, along with their fledglings and eggs.<ref name="Smith">Smith, J. W. (1988). ''Status of Missouri's experimental Trumpeter Swan restoration program''. In Proc. and Papers of the 10th Trumpeter Swan Society Conf., edited by D. Compton, 100–103. Maple Plain, MN: The Trumpeter Swan Society.</ref> The bobcat is an [[generalist and specialist species|opportunistic]] predator that, unlike the more specialized Canada lynx, readily varies its prey selection.<ref name="CAP" /> Diet diversification positively correlates to a decline in numbers of the bobcat's principal prey; the abundance of its main prey species is the main determinant of overall diet.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baker |first=L. A. |author2=Warren, R. J.|author3=Diefenbach, D. R.|author4=James, W. E.|author5=Conroy, M. J. |name-list-style=amp |year=2001|title=Prey Selection by Reintroduced Bobcats (''Lynx rufus'') on Cumberland Island, Georgia |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=145 |issue=1 |pages=80–93 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2001)145[0080:PSBRBL]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=85890281 }}</ref>

The bobcat hunts animals of different sizes, and adjusts its hunting techniques accordingly. It hunts in areas abundant in prey and waits lying or crouching for victims to wander close. It then pounces and grabs the prey with its sharp, retractable claws. For slightly larger animals, such as geese, ducks, rabbits and hares, it stalks from cover and waits until prey comes within {{cvt|20|to|35|ft|m|order=flip|0}} before rushing in to attack. Less commonly, it feeds on larger animals, such as young [[ungulate]]s, and other carnivores, such as primarily female [[Fisher (animal)|fisher]]s, [[gray fox]]es, [[American mink]]s, [[American marten]]s, [[skunk]]s, [[raccoon]]s, small [[dog]]s and domestic [[cat]]s. It also hunts [[rodent]]s such as [[squirrel]]s, [[Mole (animal)|mole]]s, [[muskrats]], [[mice]], but also [[bird]]s,<ref name=Whitaker/> small [[shark]]s,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bobcat drags shark out of Florida surf |first=B. C. |last=Howard|website=National Geographic |date=2015 |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150408-bobcat-shark-photo-florida-beach-animals-science/ |access-date=2023-05-24 |archive-date=2015-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411164936/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150408-bobcat-shark-photo-florida-beach-animals-science/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[insect]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Donadio, E. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Buskirk, S. W. |year=2006 |title=Diet, morphology, and interspecific killing in Carnivora |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=167 |issue=4 |pages=524–536 |doi= 10.1086/501033|pmid=16670995 |bibcode=2006ANat..167..524D |s2cid=24479345 |url=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Farias, V. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Fuller, T. K. |author3=Wayne, R. K. |author4=Sauvajot, R. M. |year=2005 |title=Survival and cause-specific mortality of gray foxes (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus'') in southern California |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=266 |issue=3 |pages=249–254 |doi=10.1017/S0952836905006850}}</ref> Bobcats occasional hunt [[livestock]] and [[poultry]]. While larger species, such as [[cattle]] and [[horse]]s, are not known to be attacked, bobcats do present a threat to smaller [[ruminant]]s such as [[pig]]s, [[sheep]] and [[goat]]s. According to the [[National Agricultural Statistics Service]], bobcats killed 11,100 sheep in 2004, comprising 4.9% of all sheep predator deaths.<ref>{{Cite book |author= |date=2005 |title=Sheep and Goats Death Loss |publisher=[[National Agricultural Statistics Service]] |url=http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1628 |access-date =December 27, 2007 |url-status=live |archive-date =October 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006163731/https://usda.library.cornell.edu//}}</ref> However, some amount of bobcat predation may be misidentified, as bobcats have been known to [[scavenge]] on the remains of livestock kills by other animals.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Neale |first1=J. C. C. |last2=Sacks |first2=B. N. |last3=Jaeger |first3=M. M. |last4=McCullough |first4=D. R. |s2cid=31260042 |date=1998 |title=A Comparison of Bobcat and Coyote Predation on Lambs in North-Coastal California |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=62 |issue=2 |jstor=3802346 |pages=700–706 |doi=10.2307/3802346}}</ref>

It has been known to kill [[deer]] or [[pronghorn]], and sometimes to hunt [[elk]] in western North America, especially in winter when smaller prey is scarce, or when deer populations become more abundant. One study in the [[Everglades]] showed a large majority of kills (33 of 39) were [[fawn]]s. In [[Yellowstone]] a large number of kills (15 of 20) were elk calves, but prey up to eight times the bobcat's weight could be successfully taken.<ref name=Everglades>{{cite journal |last=Labisky |first=R. F. |author2=Boulay, M. C. |date=1998 |title= Behaviors of Bobcats Preying on White-tailed Deer in the Everglades |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=139|issue=2 |pages=275–281 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(1998)139[0275:BOBPOW]2.0.CO;2  |s2cid=85199402}}</ref> It stalks the deer, often when the deer is lying down, then rushes in and grabs it by the neck before [[throat clamp|biting the throat]], base of the skull, or chest. On the rare occasions a bobcat kills a deer, it eats its fill and then buries the carcass under snow or leaves, often returning to it several times to feed.<ref name=Whitaker/>

The bobcat prey base overlaps with that of other midsized predators of a similar [[ecological niche]]. Research in [[Maine]] has shown little evidence of competitive relationships between the bobcat and [[coyote]] or [[red fox]]; separation distances and territory overlap appeared random among simultaneously monitored animals.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Major |first=J. T. |author2=Sherburne, J. A. | year=1987 |title=Interspecific relationships of Coyotes, Bobcats, and Red Foxes in western Maine |journal=Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=51|issue=3 |pages=606–616|doi=10.2307/3801278 |jstor=3801278}}</ref> However, other studies have found bobcat populations may decrease in areas with high coyote populations, with the more social inclination of the canid giving them a possible competitive advantage.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Litvaitis, J. A. |author2=Harrison, D. J. |name-list-style=amp |year=1989 |title=Bobcat-coyote niche relationships during a period of coyote population increase |doi=10.1139/z89-170|journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |volume=67 |issue=5 |pages=1180–1188|bibcode=1989CaJZ...67.1180L }}</ref> With the Canada lynx, however, the [[Interspecific competition|interspecific relationship]] affects distribution patterns; competitive exclusion by the bobcat is likely to have prevented any further southward expansion of the range of its felid relative.<ref name=CanLynx/>

===Reproduction and life cycle===
[[File:Bobcat-Texas-9110.jpg|thumb|Bobcat kittens in June, about 2–4 months old]]
[[File:Bobcat with offspring on rock - DPLA - 56a48f19c80a1c574e53f79ea35e21b4.jpg|thumb|Adult bobcat with two kittens]]

The average lifespan of the bobcat is seven years but rarely exceeds 10 years. The oldest wild bobcat on record was 16 years old, and the oldest captive bobcat lived to be 32.<ref name=mort/>

Bobcats generally begin [[mating|breeding]] by their second summer, though females may start as early as their first year. [[Sperm production]] begins each year by September or October, and the male is fertile into the summer. A dominant male travels with a female and mates with her several times, generally from winter until early spring; this varies by location, but most mating takes place during February and March. The pair may undertake a number of different behaviors, including bumping, chasing, and ambushing. 

Other males may be in attendance, but remain uninvolved. Once the male recognizes the female is receptive, he grasps her in the typical felid neck grip and [[Animal sexual behavior#Felidae|mates with her]]. The female may later go on to mate with other males,<ref name="Whitaker" /> and males generally mate with several females.<ref name="tx">{{cite book |author1=Fischer, W.C. |author2=Miller, M. |author3=Johnston, C.M. |author4=Smith, J.K. |year=1996 |title=Fire Effects Information System |publisher=Diane Publishing |isbn=978-0-7881-4568-1 |page=83}}</ref> During courtship, the bobcat's vocalizations include screaming and hissing.<ref name="wal">{{cite book |author=Nowak, R.M. |date=1999 |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |volume=1 |edition=Sixth |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore |isbn=978-0-8018-5789-8 |chapter=''Felis rufus'' (bobcat) |pages=808–810 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T37sFCl43E8C&pg=PA809}}</ref> Research in Texas revealed that establishing a home range is necessary for breeding; studied animals without a home range had no identified offspring.<ref name="Texas">{{cite journal |last=Janečka |first=J.E. |author2=Blankenship, T.L. |author3=Hirth, D.H. |author4=Tewes, M.E. |author5=Kilpatrick, C.W. |author6=Grassman, L.I. Jr.  |date=2006 |title=Kinship and social structure of Bobcats (''Lynx rufus'') inferred from microsatellite and radio-telemetry data |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=269 |issue=4 |pages=494–501 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00099.x}}</ref> The female has an [[estrous cycle]] of 44 days, with the estrus lasting five to ten days. Bobcats remain reproductively active throughout their lives.<ref name="cons" /><ref name="tx" />

The female raises the young alone. One to six, but usually two to four, kittens are born in April or May, after roughly 60 to 70 days of [[gestation]]. Sometimes, a second litter is born as late as September. The female generally gives birth in an enclosed space, usually a small cave or hollow log. The young open their eyes by the ninth or tenth day. They start exploring their surroundings at four weeks and are weaned at about two months. Within three to five months, they begin to travel with their mother.<ref name=wal/> They hunt by themselves by fall of their first year, and usually disperse shortly thereafter.<ref name=Whitaker/> In Michigan, however, they have been observed staying with their mother as late as the next spring.<ref name=tx/>

===Predators===
[[File:Bobcat skull Pengo.jpg|thumb|Skull showing large curved canines]]

The adult bobcat has relatively few predators. Rarely, however, it may be killed in interspecific conflict by several larger predators or fall prey to them. [[Cougar]]s and [[Gray wolf|gray wolves]] can kill adult bobcats, a behavior repeatedly observed in [[Yellowstone National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Akenson, H. |author2=Akenson, J. |author3=Quigley, H. |title=Winter Predation and Interactions of Wolves and Cougars on Panther Creek in Central Idaho |work=Wildlife: Wolves |publisher=[[Yellowstone National Park]] |url=http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/wolves.htm |access-date=June 24, 2007 |archive-date=April 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420174741/http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/wolves.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Palomares, F. |author2=Caro, T. M. |name-list-style=amp |date=1999 |title=Interspecific killing among mammalian carnivores |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=153 |issue=5 |pages=492–508|doi=10.1086/303189 |pmid=29578790 |bibcode=1999ANat..153..492P |s2cid=4343007 |hdl=10261/51387 |hdl-access=free}}</ref> [[Coyote]]s have killed adult bobcats and kittens.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Fedriani, J. M. |author2=Fuller, T. K. |author3=Sauvajot R. M. |author4=York, E. C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Competition and intraguild predation among three sympatric carnivores |doi=10.1007/s004420000448 |journal=Oecologia |volume=125 |pages=258–270 |issue=2|pmid=24595837|bibcode=2000Oecol.125..258F |hdl=10261/54628|s2cid=24289407 |url=https://scholarworks.umass.edu/context/nrc_faculty_pubs/article/1109/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gipson, P. S. |author2=Kamler, J. F. |name-list-style=amp |year=2002 |title=Bobcat killed by coyote |journal=Southwestern Naturalist |volume=47 |pages=511–514 |doi=10.2307/3672519 |issue=3 |jstor=3672519 |url=https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7jXe61ZN_z_Y2VmOGZmM2UtMDUyMy00NmZlLWFhZDctNjc3YzVjMWYxMmNh/edit?hl=en&pli=1 |access-date=2013-02-25 |archive-date=2013-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029090035/https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7jXe61ZN_z_Y2VmOGZmM2UtMDUyMy00NmZlLWFhZDctNjc3YzVjMWYxMmNh/edit?hl=en&pli=1 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Knick, S. T. |year=1990 |title=Ecology of bobcats relative to exploitation and a prey decline in southeastern Idaho|jstor=3830671 |journal=Wildlife Monographs |volume=108 |issue=108 |pages=1–42}}</ref> At least one confirmed observation of a bobcat and an [[American black bear]] ''(Ursus americanus)'' fighting over a carcass is confirmed.<ref name="Bobcat vs Bear over Deer Carcass">{{cite web|title=Bobcat vs Bear: Competition over deer carcass|url=http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=13788.0|publisher=Hunting Washington Forum|access-date=November 1, 2008|archive-date=October 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020061702/http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=13788.0|url-status=live}}</ref> Like other ''Lynx'' species, bobcats probably avoid encounters with bears, in part because they are likely to lose kills to them or may rarely be attacked by them.<ref name=CAP/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Krofel, M. |author2=Kos, I. |author3=Jerina, K. |year=2012 |title=The noble cats and the big bad scavengers: effects of dominant scavengers on solitary predators |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |volume=66 |issue=9 |pages=1297–1304|doi=10.1007/s00265-012-1384-6 |bibcode=2012BEcoS..66.1297K }}</ref> Bobcat remains have occasionally been found in the resting sites of male [[fisher (animal)|fisher]]s.<ref>Aubry, Keith and Rale, Catherine (July 2006) [http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/olympia/wet/team-research/for-carnivor/aubryandraley-fisher-report-july2006.pdf Ecological Characteristics of Fishers (''Martes pennanti'') in the Southern Oregon Cascade Range] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074836/http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/olympia/wet/team-research/for-carnivor/aubryandraley-fisher-report-july2006.pdf |date=2015-09-24}}. USDA Forest Service – Pacific Northwest Research Station, Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Olympia, WA, U.S.</ref> [[American alligator]]s (''Alligator mississippensis'') have been filmed opportunistically preying on adult bobcats in the southeast United States.<ref name="Gator eats bobcat">{{cite web|title=Gator eats bobcat |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/feltonphoto/8164136944/|publisher=Flickr|access-date=November 7, 2012|date=November 7, 2012 |archive-date=August 2, 2013|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802045318/http://www.flickr.com/photos/feltonphoto/8164136944}}</ref><ref name="Alligator nearly eats bobcat">{{cite web|title=Sneaky alligator nearly eats bobcat |url=http://www.kens5.com/video/featured-videos/Sneaky-alligator-nearly-eats-bobcat--156459515.html |publisher=Kens5 |access-date=June 1, 2012 |archive-date=January 11, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111043956/http://www.kens5.com/video/featured-videos/Sneaky-alligator-nearly-eats-bobcat--156459515.html}}</ref> [[Golden eagle]]s (''Aquila chrysaetos'') have been reportedly observed preying on bobcats.<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Eagle, Life History, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |url=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/golden_eagle/lifehistory|access-date=2013-07-08|archive-date=2019-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428183720/https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden_Eagle/lifehistory|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Lynx rufus vs. Canis latrans.jpg|thumb|left|Bobcat defending a kill from a pair of [[coyote]]s]]
Kittens may be taken by several predators, including [[great horned owl]]s, [[eagle]]s, [[fox]]es, and [[bear]]s, and other adult male bobcats.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bobcats |url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/00608/wdfw00608.pdf |access-date=18 March 2022 |work=Living with Wildlife |publisher=[[Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife]] |archive-date=19 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519164555/https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/00608/wdfw00608.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> When prey populations are not abundant, fewer kittens are likely to reach adulthood.<ref name=mort/> 

Diseases, accidents, hunters, automobiles, and starvation are the other leading causes of death. Juveniles show high mortality shortly after leaving their mothers, while still perfecting their hunting techniques. One study of 15 bobcats showed yearly survival rates for both sexes averaged 0.62, in line with other research suggesting rates of 0.56 to 0.67.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Fuller |first=Todd K. |author2=Stephen L. Berendzen|author3=Thomas A. Decker|author4=James E. Cardoza |date=October 1995 |title=Survival and Cause-Specific Mortality Rates of Adult Bobcats (''Lynx rufus'') |journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume=134 |issue=2 |doi=10.2307/2426311 |jstor=2426311 |pages=404–408}}</ref> [[Cannibalism (zoology)|Cannibalism]] has been reported; kittens may be taken when prey levels are low, but this is very rare and does not much influence the population.<ref name=mort/>

The bobcat may have external [[Parasitism|parasites]], mostly ticks and fleas, and often carries the parasites of its prey, especially those of rabbits and squirrels. Internal parasites (endoparasites) are especially common in bobcats.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hiestand |first1=S.J. |last2=Nielsen |first2=C.K. |last3=Jiménez |first3=F.A. |title=Epizootic and zoonotic helminths of the bobcat (''Lynx rufus'') in Illinois and a comparison of its helminth component communities across the American Midwest |journal=Parasite |volume=21 |page=4 |year=2014 |doi=10.1051/parasite/2014005 |pmid=24521984 |pmc=3923260 |doi-access=free}}</ref> One study found an average infection rate of 52% from ''[[Toxoplasma gondii]]'', but with great regional variation.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Kikuchi, Y. |author2=Chomel, B. B. |author3=Kasten, R. W. |author4=Martenson, J. S. |author5=Swift, P. K. |author6=O'Brien, S. J. |year=2004 |title=Seroprevalence of ''Toxoplasma gondii'' in American free-ranging or captive pumas (''Felis concolor'') and Bobcats (''Lynx rufus'') |journal=[[Veterinary Parasitology (journal)|Veterinary Parasitology]] |volume=120 |issue=1–2 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.01.002 |pmid=15019138}}</ref> One mite in particular, ''[[Lynxacarus morlani]]'', has to date been found only on the bobcat. Parasites' and diseases' role in the mortality of the bobcat is still unclear, but they may account for greater mortality than starvation, accidents, and predation.<ref name=mort>{{cite book |author1=Feldhamer, G. A. |author2=Thompson, B. C. |author3=Chapman, J. A. |date=2004 |title=Wild Mammals of North America |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-7416-1 |pages=769–770}}</ref>