in which there is a backyard bobcat?

umm...

my father just told me, a bit ago, that he thought he saw this in our backyard yesterday. oddly enough (given everything) my first reaction was to believe him.

i went out and checked all around the shed. on my second pass, i nearly stepped on a two-foot diameter circle of fur scraps in front of the door. i tentatively picked up a leaf with fur stuck to it... something told me "rabbit." strangely, i didn't feel all that bad/sad; the energy of the yard felt - well - undisturbed by anything unnatural. it was obviously a predation incident, but unknown whether the prey got eaten, or got away. there was no blood evident, and - although i looked - i didn't find any other "remains".

still, seeing that, i brought my father upstairs and showed him a picture of a bobcat. he looked at it and instantly said "Yeah, well, that's what I saw." i did some more research...

( ...and sent off an email to the NYS DEC. )

so, how ironic is it that i'm only online telling you this because i'm hiding in my room... away from the roasting turkey flesh smell flooding the house that is making me nauseous again. :(