Bobcat at Audubon Zoo Play with Ice for the First Time and It’s Cuteness Overload

Natalie Hoage
Shutterstock/Harry Collins Photography

Located in New Orleans, Louisianna, the Audubon Nature Institute is home to many animals. There's a zoo, aquarium, butterfly garden, and insectarium, and it's on my bucket list to visit someday. They shared a video on Friday, August 9th of their two bobcats, Creole and Chinchuba playing with ice for the first time, and it's the cutest thing you'll see today!

The video is only 45 seconds long, but it's total cuteness overload. The zoo froze large disks of ice and put them into the bobcats' pond. Watch on as they try to figure out how to grab it with their paws and the effort it takes them to try to 'catch' it!

It looks like they're both fans of the frozen stuff! That's what Audubon Zoo said in their caption, and I agree with them. The two of them look like big kittens and they're both so cute! Commenters all said how cute the bobcats are, and @Olivia swooned, "Gosh I wish that were me!" The zoo cracked me up when they replied, "You wanna be a bobcat or the ice? LOL!"

Related: Mama Bobcat and Her Kittens Move Into Family’s Backyard and It’s Adorable Chaos

Cool Facts About Bobcats

Bobcats look like they may be aggressive animals, but rarely do they attack humans. In fact, bobcats are afraid of humans, and for the most part, these big cats just want to be left alone and will avoid contact with us. Bobcats can become aggressive if they feel provoked or in danger, and as with most moms, mama bobcats are highly protective of their babies and are more likely to become aggressive to keep their little ones safe.

Bobcats look very similar to regular domestic house cats except they are larger. They stand 1-1/2 to 2 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 33 pounds when full grown. Misfit Animals shares some key differences to help you tell them apart tell them apart, so you don't accidentally try picking up a bobcat:

  • Bobcats have a short stubby, wild-looking tail.

  • They have black ears with a white spot on them, that look like eyes (called “ocelli”)

  • Small tufts of fur on the cheeks and ears

  • Fur looks “wilder”, less refined than a domestic cat’s

For their first three months of life, bobcat kittens are completely dependent on their mothers. They stay with their mom for the first year of their lives. During the early months under the mother's wing, she teaches them how to hunt and survive in the wild. As the babies grow and become stronger, they become more independent. When they are old enough and skilled enough to hunt on their own, they leave their moms to find their own territories and start looking for a mate to start their own families.

I'm not sure how Audubon's bobcats ended up there, but it looks like they are happy and healthy. I hope to visit one day so I can meet the animals I've written about so many times, including Creole and Chinchuba!

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.

Advertisement