Two unrelated young bobcats are thriving and could be released later this year after being paired together for their rehabilitation.

  • 2 bobcat kits found in Palm Bay pond
  • Homeowners took them to Florida Wildlife Hospital
  • 1 kit did not make it; other needed a companion
  • Female kit survivor will be paired with another

One of the young bobcats, called kits, was part of a sibling pair found in a Palm Bay backyard pond earlier this month. The homeowners, who initially mistook them for otters, took them to Florida Wildlife Hospital in Palm Shores. Both kits were very thin and weak, and one was unable to bear weight on its back legs.

Brevard Zoo veterinarian Dr. Trevor Zachariah, as well as FWH staff, worked with the young kit, but it didn't survive.

“Sadly, that is the nature of wildlife rehabilitation,” FWH director Tracy Frampton said.

Single bobcat kits often fail to thrive, according to the FWH, so it was imperative that they find a companion for the surviving kit. FWH staff reached out to Back to Nature in Kissimmee and found a suitable candidate.

BTN’s female bobcat kit, about the same age as FWH’s kit, was confiscated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because it was being kept illegally by a citizen.

The two kits will be introduced at FWH soon, pending medical treatments, where interaction with staff and volunteers is minimized so the kits will lose their dependence on humans.

“We are so excited and optimistic about this pair of bobcat kits. If they do well, we can expect that they will be with us for another five months,” Frampton said in a news release.