Camera captures wild bobcat prowling in Pearland neighborhood

PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Security cameras don't discriminate about what they catch on digital video, and Tinsley Guinnshaver is glad for that.

She was alerted before dawn Thursday by her cats.

"They were looking out the front window, growling at something," she said. "I walked up and looked out and saw this creature walking. A big bobcat."

The carnivore supervisor at the Houston Zoo, Kathy Watkins, confirmed the video appears to be that of a male bobcat, possibly 40 pounds.

"As more and more people are moving into those wild spaces, wild animals are having to adapt and live around them," said Watkins. "They're way more nervous and afraid of us. They really want to avoid us at all costs."

Guinnshaver's home sits on more than an acre of land on the edge of Pearland, and is next to a creek and woods. Her landscaper believes it's the same bobcat he saw a few weeks ago and in the same area.

"When the bobcat saw me, he looked, and then ran into the woods," said Alanzo Valdez, who saw the wild feline.

Bobcats are native to Texas and often prey on rodents, such as mice and rats. To keep wildlife away, it's recommended dog and cat food not be left outside.

Guinnshaver said to be on the safe side, she'll keep her pet door closed at night to ensure her cats stay inside. But she's intrigued by the image of a bobcat casually strolling up her driveway and walking by her front door.

"He literally came calling," Guinnshaver said. "He's gorgeous. As a human race, if we haven't killed all the gorgeous things, we're doing okay."

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