Record Numbers of Incredibly Rare Wild Cat Spotted in Texas

As a fellow cat-person, I am very pleased to announce that the number of ocelot sightings in Texas is officially on the rise! Thanks to organizations like Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, these endangered fancy felines are making their way back from the brink of near-extinction.

Have You Seen a Texas Ocelot?

If you have to think about it, then you probably haven't seen an ocelot in Texas. They are roughly about the size of your typical indoor cat, sure, but their color pattern is brilliantly unique. Just take a look:

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department describes ocelots as having bodies similar to bobcats with parallel stripes running down the length of their necks. Unlike bobcats, however, ocelots have long ringed tails.

These adorable wild cats are--you guessed it--nocturnal, meaning they sleep in dens during the day and come out at night to hunt.

Fun Fact: Ocelot kittens will begin to accompany their mother on hunts when they are about three-months-old. Once they're about one, the young ocelots will start to hunt on their own without the assistance of their mother.

Ocelots at the Texas Refuge

The Laguna refuge recently reported seeing a record number of ocelots: at least 22. These wild cats have been the focus of researchers for a while now, with many being documented on trail cameras or tagged for future surveillance.

The reason this is such a big deal is because the grand total of ocelots, an endangered species, in the Texas wild are estimated to be around 120, so seeing 22 in one area is HUGE for proponents of ocelot preservation.