The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center has welcomed its first bobcat kitten of 2025. Its distinct sounds can once again be heard at the Roanoke facility. This marks a significant moment, as it has been two years since the center received a kitten. In 2023, the center received two bobcat kittens which were successfully rehabilitated and released as young adults in 2024. The pair was featured on the WSLS 10 Bobcat Cam, allowing the community to watch them grow.
This new kitten will be one of their longest, most extensive mammal rehabs to date.
Weighing only 700 grams, this little creature had a tragic start to life.
Katherine McGrath, the intern and volunteer coordinator at the center said the kitten arrived at the center May 21. At the time he only weighed 521 grams.
“He is what we consider a true orphan,” she said. “His mother is deceased. Unfortunately, he was found in Floyd on the side of the road with his mother, who had been hit by a car. Luckily, someone stopped by and picked him up and brought him to us.”
Katherine is the kitten’s main caretaker, providing round-the-clock feedings every two to three hours, much like a newborn baby. She estimates it is about 4 to 5 weeks old.
10 News was able to bring our cameras in for an exclusive look at the bobcat as I helped with one of the feedings. I am allowed to do so only because I am a state-permitted volunteer at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center.
It was amazing seeing firsthand just how magnificent this little creature really is.
Katherine noted that the kitten is still in the nursing stage.
“We are just at the point where we are getting him to eat a formula bowl, which is basically formula mixed with wet cat food to start to get him to eat some solids,” she explained. “He does have a full set of teeth in there.”
His teeth and tiny claws are quite sharp. That’s part of why volunteers wear protective gear when handling him.
To prevent the spread of disease, caretakers also wear medical masks and gloves. They also wear handmade bobcat masks to ensure the kitten does not associate food with people.
“It’s called habituation or imprinting, depending on the animal,” Katherine said. “We want to avoid that at all costs because an imprinted or habituated animal is unfortunately non-releasable. We take a variety of different steps for the bobcat in particular.”
That often includes wearing gloves or gowns to hide the human form from the bobcat.
Other than these feedings, contact with the kitten is limited. The goal is to release him back into the wild in 2026, making this one of the most extensive and expensive rehabilitations the center has undertaken.
“Once he hits a more mature age and is really growing into a full bobcat, he’s going to be eating about four times more than a normal house cat,” Katherine added. “That’s usually like an entire chicken a day, so it’s a lot of food for him.”
The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center said care for the previous two bobcat kittens cost approximately $20,000.
The non-profit relies on community donations to make rescues like these possible. Donations can be made here.
The kitten’s prognosis is good, but he has a long road ahead. Fortunately, he has a community of experts behind him.
Once the kitten is older, he will be moved to an outdoor enclosure where the community can watch him through the WSLS 10 Southwest Virginia Wildlife Cam here.
The camera currently features a Canada goose patient the center is rehabilitating.