OT: wild cats? What is it?

This AM I saw several squirrels running full tilt up several trees and chasing them was a large cat, maybe 50 pounds or so, as big around as a basketball and 2 feet long or so, it was black/brown. My question is what type of animal was this, it was not a racoon. The animal did not climb any trees, this was about 150' from my house. What precautions should I take if any?
It may be a lynx or bobcat, a guess.

I'd say probably a bobcat.

I am not sure what it was, it isn't any threat to humans. There are a lot of goofy animals loose in se Michigan. My wife is a pet groomer, and has had some enormous cats in for grooming.

Plenty of bobcats over here in this part of Michigan.

Shoot it, dig a hole, bury it and keep your mouth shut. Thats the best precaution you can take. The last thing you want is one of your kids or wife to be outside in the yard and it come back and decide to see if it can run them up a tree.

Cougars too - Randy. Been seen as close to you as a mile north of Edmore. Somewhere I have photos of tracks I swear came from Cougar, taken a couple years ago, half a mile from here.

Wife has seen bobcat as recently as last fall within a mile of here!
Ray

Sounds like a fisher cat with your description of the color and size.

They're increasing in numbers down here along the Ct./ Rhode Is. border. Males can weigh 40 lbs. or so.

Might want keep any small dogs or cats in the house. They're tough predators.

this runs around 12 pounds


FISHER

order: CARNIVORA
family: MUSTELIDAE
genus: MARTES
species: pennanti

The Fisher is a medium size member of the mustelid family often compared to the American Marten, a slightly smaller mustelid, due to many shared habits and characteristics. The "fisher-cat" is neither much of a fish catcher nor is it a member of the cat family though it does resemble a house cat in general body size and shape, but the fisher has shorter legs and a longer, wedge- shaped snout. The fur on a fisher is dark brown to black, as an animal ages the hair tips may become ‘frosted’, especially around the head and shoulders. They molt in the fall. Males generally have coarser hair coats, this makes the females more desirable to trappers. Their bodies measure 20 - 30 inches with an additional 13 - 17 inches of tail and weigh from 3 - 12 pounds. Males are usually significantly larger than the females. Tracks reveal 5 toes in a plantigrade foot averaging 3 in. wide by 4.5 in. long with thick fur on the soles of their feet in winter. The nails are at least partially retractable though not sheathed and the mustelid, 2x2 bounding gate is most common with fisher track patterns. (see tracking section for illustrations)



Fishers are considered to be quite carnivorous, favoring snowshoe hares as well as squirrels, carrion, mice, shrews, voles, birds, fruits like berries, and ferns. They are also famous for their ability to successfully hunt and kill porcupines.

search your local fish and game sight ours has pics of animales that live here and ones that used to live here or just search wild cats

Happy New Year Joe!

BTW, Was Santa good to you?

Hey Glen............"some" folks don"t recognize January 1st as the beginning of the new year because our Gregorian calendar was decreed by Pope Gregory XIII more than 400 years ago.........

Awww geez! You caught me re-handed Joe, guilty as charged...............

Seriously though, I've done some things in my past I'm not proud of, and if I could I'd "take them back".............BUT one thing I'll never loose sleep over is having believed in 'ol St. Nick. In addition, I'll never hold it against my folks for having told me the story or for putting presents under the tree for me from a certain North Pole resident.............In those terms, my conscience AND soul are clear..............

I can tell you this though, if I we're ever to look in the mirror and see a soul as full of hate and judgement as yours must be I'd be doing some major house cleaning.............

It's easy to see from your posts that you're trying to do the "right the things" but you've taken a wrong turn somewhere and the further you go, the further you are from accomplishing them..............

C'mon Joe, aknowledge that you have hate and contempt in your soul! Let go of it and move on! Don't pass it on to your fellow man!

I can't tell you what God wants you to do BUT I can tell you what he DOESN'T want you do and presently you're doing it right now!

If it had no tail, it was a Bobcat. When you see a Bobcat but don't yet know what it is, the lack of a tail is the first thing that strikes you. If you didn't notice a tail missing, it was a big house cat

Joe,

Only God and YOURSELF know where the hate and contempt in your soul originates.

For you to visiously chastise people for having told their children the Santa myth or to scold the actions of a group of kids who let some pigs(or chickens, I can't rememeber?)loose in that school a while back as though they'd committted murder only speaks to me of one thing, you are mad at the world.............Only a person with far too much bottled up hate could find grave error with those actions...............

I know I've got about as much of a chance of changing your opinion, as a snowball has a chance in Hell, but remember this Joe, what you're preaching is merely your interpretation of the book and it's original intended message, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS!

The way to get people to get people "on board with you" is to show them an example they can aspire towards, and buddy you're not doing it!

One last thing, a little quote from a book which you claim to be quite familiar with:

"Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged!"

What does that mean to you Joe?

Joe,

Please re-read my post again. I said nothing of God only knowing hate and contempt. Nor did I mention the source of your hate and contempt. That is a shining example of incorrect interpretation if I've ever saw one! It appears to me like you've twisted it's meaning to what best suits you.

Although you've denounced Catholisism it seems that the only thing that separates you and one of the members sitting on a tribunal during the Holy Inquisition is about 400 and some odd years...........It seems that you'd be only too happy to personally deliver the fire and brimstone right to a sinners doorstep..............

Either way Joe, I apologize for that jab about the presents from Santa, it was kind of judgmental of me to point out your intolerance of such a small transgression BUT I'm more than confident the God I know will not condemn me for it nor will he condemn the purveyors of the Santa myth.............

Anyway, that's ALL I have to say about that!

Despite our differences I hope you have a happy and prosperous New Year,

Glen