She said, "Something must be wrong with the animal because they usually come out at night. It was just odd to see him out at that time. He was kind of panting like he wasn't feeling too well and we assumed he was out looking for water."
Incredibly Sandy managed to capture several shots of the animal which was out in the middle of the day.
"I immediately got a lot of responses on Facebook just saying, you know, that may have been what happened to my kitten," Sandy said.
The Bankstons spread the word because they are concerned about safety, both of the animal and for residents and their pets.
Sandy said, "Because it was near quite a few houses and two schools."
Dr. Jim Bankston added, "I hope it doesn't have to be killed and hope it finds a better place to live where it belongs more."
Experts with Texas Parks and Wildlife say with rapid development of areas like Pearland and Friendswood, the bobcat sighting isn't unheard of. They say the animals are likely to prey on small animals including pets, especially at night.
Friendswood resident Mary Bocon said, "We just keep the dogs in and we just round up our two cats."
Bocon has two dogs and two cats and is taking precautions to keep them safe. She lost a cat last year and believes a bobcat was to blame.
"The cat never left the area. He was always in at night," she recalled.
Animal control set up a trap two weeks ago, but it hasn't caught anything yet.
You can read more about the uptick in bobcat sightings in the Pearland Journal, one of our Houston Community Newspaper partners.
