At first, Nikola Zovko thought the creature curled up in his dog Squeakers’s deluxe, heated dog bed was just one of his cats. “I said, ‘Fuzzerhead, what’re you doing in Squeakers’s bed?’” he said. And that’s when it registered. “Oh that’s not Fuzzerhead. That’s a real life bobcat.”
In the week since, Zovko and his family lost and found their beloved pup Squeakers, a 10-year-old chihuahua-dachshund mix. After discovering that he had been mauled by the bobcat who stole his throne, they raised enough money for surgeries to restore him to health. The local game and fish department has used their story as an example of what to do when wildlife wander in to your home.
“Don’t handle entrapped/hurt wildlife yourself,” the Arizona game and fish department Tucson tweeted.
A bobcat lounges on a dog bed in San Manuel home Mon. The homeowner, who found it upon returning from work, suspects it entered through an unlocked doggie door. The bobcat escaped before an officer arrived. Don’t handle entrapped/hurt wildlife yourself. Call 623-236-7201 ASAP. pic.twitter.com/zcQFD4m08h
— AZ Game & Fish Dept (@azgfdTucson) March 7, 2023
“I’m just glad it’s over,” said Zovko, who lives on an 8.5 acre property north-west of Tucson.
The episode began on Monday when Zovko saw the bobcat, a mid-sized North American wildcat, in Squeakers’s bed and immediately called the game and fish department. Authorities advised him to leave all the doors open and keep himself and his pets clear of the wild animal.
The bobcat had snuggled into the shag, doughnut-style dog bed with the pup’s plaid blanket. It took Zovko about 15 minutes to gingerly inch around the wild cat and get the front door open. “Whenever I tried to get the door open, the bobcat would just look at me and just start growling,” he said. “I was a bit freaked out but I understood that you know, he’s a wild kitty.”
He and his family, which includes three dogs, two cats, a sheep and a donkey, are used to living among wildlife. Over the years they have spotted raccoons, badgers, coyote and even mountain lions near their property – and all of them, pets included, know to keep their distance and avoid disturbing wild animals. But they never expected that a bobcat would leap over their 5ft fence, let himself in through the dog door, and settle in.
By the time game and fish officials arrived, the bobcat had shown himself out. In a rigorous inspection of his house afterward, Zovko discovered his son’s terrified little cat hiding behind the couch – but Squeakers the dog was nowhere to be found. There were no signs of struggle, no blood or clumps of hair.
The next afternoon, the family’s two poodles discovered that their brother returned – quite a bit worse for wear. Zovko rushed Squeakers to the veterinarian, who stitched him up and tended to his wounds. He had clearly been in a scuffle with the bobcat, and it’s unclear how he’d gotten away. The veterinarian said he was lucky that his stomach wasn’t perforated or ruptured, though he sustained deep lacerations to his back.
Given Squeakers’s age, and the extent of his injuries, Zovko said the family is monitoring him closely, to make sure none of his cuts become infected.
They had adopted him from a shelter, where he had ended up after being hit by a car – so he had always been a survivor, Zovko said. “Squeakers always does what Squeakers wants,” he said. “He’s the smallest of our dogs, but he’s still the alpha.”
Bobcats are found across Arizona, especially in the Sonoran desert, rimrock and chaparral regions, according to the game and fish department. It’s not uncommon to spot them on the outskirts of urban areas, and in wildland and rural communities. They generally keep away from people, though they might wander into back yards seeking shade or water, or stalking birds or small pets.
Zovko said and his wife had been careful to store pet food away from doors and windows, where wild animals might see or smell it. It’s possible that the bobcat was hunting Squeakers or one of the family cats, and was thwarted – but that still doesn’t explain why he chose to come inside and lounge around for so long. Indoors, nothing had been misplaced or damaged. The wild animal had just made himself comfortable.
On the way back from the vet, Zovko bought Squeakers a fresh new dog bed. “Everybody knows that’s Squeakers’s spot,” he said. “He’s pretty territorial about it.”
