In honor of International Cat Day

Not all cats purr in your lap. Some slip between mangroves in the middle of the day, silent and golden-eyed, staring you down from the tangled edge of the wild.

I didn’t know what I was looking at, not at first.

A Wild Gaze in the Wilderness

It happened years ago, while paddling my canoe through the cut in Rattlesnake Key, Tampa Bay. My dog was behind me, ears forward, tail still. The sun was overhead, the water slick and green. I rounded a bend in the mangroves and drifted silently through the narrow channel.

That’s when I saw him.

A wild cat, standing motionless on the bank just above me. Not a domestic stray, not a panther—something in between. Thick shoulders. Tufted ears. Striped legs. His yellow eyes locked on mine. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t twitch. He just stared.

It was like the forest itself had taken shape.

I froze.

My first thought wasn’t awe—it was fear. Not of the cat exactly, but of what might happen if my dog barked or lunged or tipped the canoe. I did the only thing I could think of. I slapped my paddle hard against the water.

Splash.

The bobcat vanished like a vapor into the woods. A flash of muscle. A whisper of leaves.

Tracking the Shadow

I turned the canoe around and went looking for my dad, who was fishing nearby. We paddled back together and found the bobcat’s tracks, clear and unmistakable in the sand. We anchored and studied them, my heart still thudding in my ribs.

I haven’t been back since.

Not because I’m afraid of bobcats—but because something about that moment feels whole. Like a finished story I’m not meant to rewrite.

Who Is the Bobcat?

The Florida bobcat (Lynx rufus floridanus) is the smaller of Florida’s two wild felines—the other being the endangered Florida panther. Unlike its cousin, the bobcat is fairly common and can be found in a wide range of habitats: pine flatwoods, swamps, scrub, even the edges of suburban neighborhoods.

What makes the bobcat special?

Solitary and secretive: Mostly active at dawn and dusk, bobcats avoid humans whenever they can.

Fierce little predator: They hunt rabbits, rodents, birds, and reptiles—and play an important role in keeping ecosystems balanced.

Surprisingly good swimmers: A fact I wish I hadn’t remembered mid-canoe.

Masters of invisibility: Despite being widespread, they’re rarely seen. Most people in Florida have never spotted one in the wild.

And yet there he was. Watching me from above. A glimpse of the wild watching back.

The Magic of Seeing What’s Meant to Stay Hidden

There’s something deeply Floridian about bobcats—untamed, mysterious, often overlooked. They’re woven into the land itself, walking the same trails our ancestors did, slipping between palmetto shadows and the scent of rain.

I never expected to see one, and maybe that’s the point.

Happy International Cat Day

Let’s not forget the ones with wild eyes and untamed hearts.