Caught on camera: Bobcat in Highlands Ranch neighborhood

DENVER ( KDVR ) – A bobcat encounter in a bustling Denver suburb has one couple urging neighbors to keep an eye on their pets.

Kora Nicholas is no stranger to seeing animals in her yard in Highlands Ranch.

“We’ve seen foxes and, like, coyotes and bunnies, of course, we have a huge bunny population,” Nicholas said.

But when she and her boyfriend, Leo Mansfield, were coming home on Saturday night, something caught their eye.

“We were shocked, like, with what we saw,” said Mansfield.

Just down the street, two animals walked by, far enough away that they couldn’t tell exactly what they were.

“I thought it was a mountain lion, but mountain lions have way longer tails,” said Nicholas.

Her next thought was that they were foxes.

“But then I saw, like, that’s not the face of a fox, that’s a cat,” Nicholas said.

It was two bobcats, which the couple believes were just cubs. They quickly snapped a few photos and a video so they could verify what they were online.

“They had very, like, pointed white ears,” Nicholas said.

While the pair of bobcats quickly hurried out of sight, Johnson and Mansfield took to social media to remind people to keep an eye out, both concerned because they have two small dogs in the house.

“Be more on the lookout,” said Mansfield. “Like, you never know what’s going to pop up, even, like, no matter what county you’re in.”

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife , bobcat populations are doing well in the state and are being spotted more and more in urban areas, specifically in Lone Tree, Centennial, Littleton and Highlands Ranch.

CPW also said if you encounter a bobcat, keep your distance and do not try to feed it.

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