Mysteries in the backyard
by Suzanne Grover
Animal experts argue that bobcats don't interbreed with domestic cats, but Ben Willis said proof to the contrary is lounging in his living room.
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Exmoor was named after "The Exmoor Beast."
According to legend, the "beast" was a black cat spotted in Devon and Exmoor, England in 1963. Farmers claimed it was killing sheep, and the government sent in Royal Marine Commandos to eradicate the beast. None were caught or killed and the mythical cat became known as the "Exmoor Beast." One of the Marines called it "a black cat of the puma variety," but Ben Willis said there is no variety of puma. "I suspect the cat to be a leopard," he said. "Or it may have been a wolf or something and not a cat at all." British author Di Francis theorized the cat was indigenous since undiscovered felines have inhabited the British Isles since Roman times. Scientists and zoologists were critical of her ideas, but in 1991, she acquired the carcass of an exceptionally large black feline killed near the Scottish Highland’s village of Kellas. She’d hoped it was a cub of one of the mysterious big cats, but was disappointed to learn it was an adult. Nonetheless, it was an extremely unusual cat with huge canine teeth, a jet-black coat with silvery guard hairs, and a whip-like kinked tail. Many similar animals were spotted in the Highlands and were referred to as Kellas Cats. Dr. Andrew Kitchener, of the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh conducted examinations on eight of the so-called Kellas Cats and based on evidence, he concluded that seven of the specimens were introgressive hybrids between the European Wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the common domestic cat. The final specimen proved to be a pure melanistic wildcat -- the first ever to be documented. Dr.Kitchener's findings remain controversial. Ben sent photographs of two pelts of his ferals who didn't survive to Kitchener, and the doctor agreed that Ben's cats appeared similar to Felis silvestris. Ben sought the advice of other experts including Dr. Lee Corbridge, a exotic feline veterinarian in Sebring Florida, Mr. John Murray, the former head taxidermist at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh who had prepared specimens of the Kellas Cats, and Dr. Christina Smith in Paris. Smith and Murray examined images of Panther and the other two, and the consensus was that the cats share recent ancestry with some species of wild feline. "Whether this species is the European wildcat is questionable," Ben said. "The most probable conclusion is that these animals are introgressive hybrids of the bobcat." Bobcat attacks |
The cat may be bobcat hybrid - a descendent of a feral domestic who mated with a bobcat.
The couple had been caring for a feral cat community in their backyard and while spaying, neutering and vaccinating them one at a time, they discovered something very interesting.
"A few of the kittens had unusually large paws and claws, and some had ferocious natures," Ben said. Unfortunately only two of the unique cats survived. The Willis family took them to a local veterinarian and got proof they weren't "wild" and adopted them. "Exmoor" is now a docile four year old who closely resembles a wildcat, and "Panther," is as lazy as a housecat who looks just like a mysterious wildcat seen in Europe called the Kellas Cat - a hybrid of Felis silvestris, is now 12 years old.
The main difference between these hybrids and their wild counterparts is that they've bonded with humans. Ben and Linda said they never would've kept them in if they were wild. "First of all, it's against the law," Ben said. Bobcats are property of the state, but confinement permits for particular circumstances can be obtained. "But that doesn't include keeping them as pets," Ben said.
Even though the family loves their cats dearly, do they recommend purposely seeking such hybrids for pets? "No," Ben said emphatically. "First of all, most people aren't equipped to take care of them properly." And secondly, they are not at all practical he said. "There are cats specifically bred as pets, such as the pixie-bob and bengal, which are different hybrids altogether," he said.
"We do not want to advocate in any way, nor do we recommend, purchasing bobcats as pets," Ben said. "They are the most aggressive of all 37 species of wild feline. Also known as the American Lynx, the bobcat is a small version of the extinct sabre-toothed tigers. On the chin of every bobcat are two vertical lines indicating where giant canine fangs once extended."
The cats found them, and the Willis's adopted them because with a dangerous road, hunters and wild animals nearby, they didn't think they'd survive - especially Exmoor who bonded with them immediately.
"She's happy here," Linda said. "She's comfortable, she's not scared, she's just happy - if we knew that she wasn't happy we'd (make other arrangements)."
Both cats sleep with their adopted parents, and are very loved and obviously well cared for. "They have the run of the house just like any other cherished pet," Ben said.
Linda was reluctant at first to adopt the cats, but her animal-loving husband finally persuaded her, now she said, "I consider it a privilege."
"It's like having a child," she said with warmth.
She takes care of the feeding with assorted meats and cheese treats and said she buys two or three hunks of cheese per week and a lot of meat. "It's expensive keeping these animals," she said.
She added that Exmoor's just as finicky as any other kitty. "She'll only eat cheese if it's sliced," she said. "One time Ben gave her shredded cheese which she rejected immediately." Ben even wrestles with Exmoor, and other than a few playful scratches on his arm, she's never done any damage. "But that's my fault," he said. "I play rough with her."
"But in fact, she has not put one scratch on this furniture," Ben said. Panther, on the other hand, wreaks havoc on a particular leather recliner.
Since his discovery of the cats, Ben's done extensive research on hybrids and sightings of mysterious species. "In Great Britain the wildcat Felis silvestris is presently threatened by extinction due to hybridization and I theorize that a similar phenomena is occurring in the U.S. between the American bobcat and feral cats," he said.
In 2000, he was invited to join a team of European researchers and scientists to examine evidence and police reports concerning mysterious cats. He's now the honorary president of the group and has been invited to Scotland to assist in tracking the purported big cats.
Mike Inglis, the team's director of field operations, is planning a trip to Jacksonville in Spring to track what he believes is a small population of the jungle-cat (Felis chaus) that's inhabited North Carolina and is possibly interbreeding with feral domestics and bobcats.
"Researchers believe the black-colored version of this species may account for sightings of panthers around our woodlands," Ben said.
"My possible theory is that were experiencing the same thing as over in Europe because we’re seeing subtle changes in the feline population.
Ben is curious to know if other locals have spotted unusual cats. His main focus is the good health and the reduction of feral cat populations, and the protection of each wild feline species.
"Hybridization between wildcats and ferals presents a threat to the speices in Britain, but locally it may simply reduce the feral population. Generally, hybrids of any two species are sterile. Only rarely do we see what has become known as introgressive hubrids. These cats may interbreed with either parental speices or other hybrids and may exhibit characteristics of both."
He hopes that next time people see a bunch of feral cats they're not thought of as nuisances.
"These wildcats have been here for thousands of years - they could be considered living fossils."
Ben said take a good look, there might be some historical significance living in your backyard.
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