INDIAN RIVER SHORES — When Public Safety Officers responded to a burglar alarm Sunday night and found a broken window, they discovered a curious unwanted guest inside the home.
Shores Public Safety Chief Rich Rosell said a bobcat weighing five to six pounds had smashed through a low window leaving a small hole and was tearing through the house when officers arrived.
The young cat’s mother was, apparently, not amused.
“On June 7, 2015, at approximately 7:20 p.m., Officers Seegott and Parker responded to an alarm at a home in the Town of Indian River Shores. Upon arrival to the home, the Officers found it to be unoccupied. They checked the home for signs of forced entry and found a broken window in the rear,” Rosell said in a press release about the incident.
“They were able to gain entry into the home, and while conducting a search for a perpetrator, they heard a strange noise. The origin of that noise was found to be a juvenile bobcat. The Officers contacted the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office for assistance in removing the animal, specifically the specialized Agricultural Unit,” Rosell said.
The deputy and the Shores officers, he said, “were able to direct the animal out the door without harming it, and without causing further damage to the home. Waiting outside for the juvenile bobcat was its much larger and angry mother. Both animals returned to the wild without incident.”
Officers secured the home with shutters and a property manager reset the alarm. Rosell said he’s seen many incidents where wildlife broke through a window and entered a home, but that most of those involved deer.
When asked if the bobcat was possibly attracted by a cat, dog or bird in the home, Rosell said officers found no pets. The bobcat’s motive for entering the residence remains unknown.
