Does Smyrna Have a Bobcat?

Like most Atlanta suburbs, Smyrna is home to squirrels, chipmunks, a flock of Canada geese and the occasional deer, but what about a bobcat?

One reader emailed Smyrna-Vinings Patch to say that her husband thought he might have spotted one of the bob-tailed felines in the city.

"Just a couple of weeks ago my husband was returning from the post office and when he got home he said, 'You're not going to believe what I just saw - I saw a bobcat,'" she said.

This particular reader thought her husband “had lost his mind” until she saw a comment on Smyrna-Vinings Patch. Now she said she owes him an apology. 

A reader with the username “HeMaw and SheMaw” said they have spotted all sorts of unusual wildlife in their yard on Love Street. 

“Ancient, backyard fences are grown over with ivy, and the wooded lots back there have confounded more than a few lost animals, trapped behind a hidden fence, on a thickly wooded lot,” HeMaw said. “In the 12 yrs I've lived there, we've had dogs, coyotes, a fox, a bob cat, and...(wait for it...) a (huge) big horn sheep, all wander onto our lot, and be vexed by the barriers on 3 sides.”

Neither city officials nor the police department have received reports of a bobcat sighting. However, a Wikipedia article about the critters indicates that a bobcat in Smyrna might not be that unusual:

“The bobcat's range does not seem to be limited by human populations, as long as it can find a suitable habitat; only large, intensively cultivated tracts are unsuitable for the species. The animal may appear in backyards in ‘urban edge’ environments, where human development intersects with natural habitats.”

Have you sighted the Smyrna bobcat? Tell us in the comments.