SIESTA KEY, Fla. (WSVN) — Cats don’t usually like water, but no one told this bobcat, which was spotted strolling on the beach on Siesta Key near Sarasota.
Fox 13 reports that bobcats are somewhat common on the barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, but are rarely spotted on the beach itself.
“There have been many people who saw multiple bobcats around that area,” said Jake Drost, who took pictures of the animal. “I have been a local here all my life and never saw a bobcat on the beach.”
Drost told the station that he and his daughter were at the beach Wednesday, when rain made the usually-busy Crescent Beach more sparsely populated than usual. He said that may have made the cat feel safe about venturing out in the open.
The bobcat’s size made some think it was a panther, but Drost said its short tail gave it away.
It’s not the first time a bobcat has been spotted on a Florida beach. Back in 2015, photos of a bobcat in Vero Beach went viral, showing one pulling a small shark out of the ocean.
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