Wolves and cats

I realize this sounds like a stupid question since it’s been known at least since the movie “Homeward Bound” came out that cats and dogs don’t like each other, but will a bobcat remain in an area if there is a fair amount of wolf activity present?

After 2 days of many miles and not cutting any fresh cat tracks I finally found some today on a ridge. The top of this ridge was also covered in wolf tracks that appeared to be from a day or two old to very fresh. Some of the cat tracks were right on top of the wolf tracks. That got me wondering if the cat would remain in the area and if it was worth making a set. If I did set it how would I go about making a set that wouldn’t end up with a wolf in it or a cat in it only to get tore up by wolves.



The last three days have proved to me one of two things…I’m either an expert at locating a species with a population so low it’s deemed “endangered”, or maybe the wolf in WI isn’t so hard to find because it’s far from truly being a valid applicant for the endangered list.

This year I released a wolf and pulled that trap. I had a set 30 feet away and left it to pull the next day before deer hunting. The next day this cat was in the set next to where the wolf was the day before.

All kinds of animals(small carnivores) depend on wolves and follow them around.
Wolves dont bother foxes or cats unless the wolves get overpopulated-then everything suffers.But even when in a balance they wont tolerate coyote for some reason.

I don't know about bobcat but lynx don't seem to mind. I've seen tracks in the snow where wolves have chased lynx but with cats being able to climb I doubt they're rarely successful unless they catch them out in an open area. I bet even if a wolf did get ahold of a cat it would walk away with some serious damage, those claws are nasty!!!

Bobcats are pretty common on wolf baits around here. Wolves cover a lot of ground and don't generally hang out in a spot too long. The cats seem to know when it's safe to come into a bait and seem to stay as long as there's easy feeding. When I get a cat visiting a bait I usually try to catch it quick and get back to wolves, however, I also have a lot of spots with both wolf and cat traps in close proximity in natural funnel areas.

Really cool pic of that cat track inside the wolf!

A wolf pack has such a vast range that bobcats can live (and thrive) within those boundaries

I have quite a few times found bobcats feeding on wolf kills.

In deep snow a lynx would leave the wolves in his rearview mirror.