Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae
Appearance/Behavior: The domestic cat is a medium-sized visitor to the compost piles. A relatively round face without a well-developed snout (blue arrow), long legs (red arrow), and elongate tail are characteristic. The fur coloration is rather variable. Cats encountered in this study are likely free-roaming pets of people neighboring the study site. They are occasionally present with other animals in the pile vicinity (e.g., gray fox, raccoon, opossum)
Relative Frequency of Visitation in Study: A regular visitor.
Seasonal Activity: Year-round.
Daily Activity: Primarily nocturnal with some diurnal encounters.
Similar Species: A gray, long-haired cat might be confused with an opossum. A black and white cat might be confused with a skunk. However, in both cases, the cat would have a rounder face and longer legs. The bobcat, a native felid, is a rare visitor to the compost piles. It has rusty brown fur with darker spotting, and a tail tipped with black above and white below. Its ears are tipped in fringed and have a white patch on their rear. The bobcat’s legs are proportionately longer than those of the domestic cat.
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