Punta Gorda woman records bobcat chasing squirrel at home

A video of a bobcat chasing the squirrel across a lanai screen in Southwest Florida is gaining viral recognition on social media.

Michelle Kloese captured the video at her home in Punta Gorda Sunday.

“So, this morning I woke up, and I opened up the sliders,” Kloese said. “And I heard a lot of commotion outside, so I took a look and saw that there was a bobcat running around my yard, and before you know it the squirrel jumped on the cage and the bobcat decided to follow it.”

Kloese was first worried about damage to her home when she heard something outside her home.

“We don’t have any animals, but when I heard the commotion, my first thought was I hope it doesn’t rip our screens,” Kloese said. “And then really quickly after that I said to myself, I hope it doesn’t fall through the screen! I’m just glad I wasn’t in the pool when it happened.”

Kloese posted her home video on social media.

“So I posted it on Facebook this morning and just shared with a few friends and family,” Kloese said. “And one of my friends reached out to ask if I could change my video to public and before you know it a few minutes later it was posted everywhere.”

The video gained popularity nationwide. Kloese said this isn’t the first times she has seen this bobcat.

“About a month ago, we had three bobcats, this is actually the baby of the two parents,” Kloese said.

The baby bobcat’s first solo hunt in Kloese’s backyard was ultimately unsuccessful, since its squirrel prey eventually made it to safety.

Kloese hopes the baby bobcat doesn’t continue to climb on the lanai as it grows bigger.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed it is a bobcat seen at Kloese’s home captured on video. They said I you see a bobcat, people should make a lot of noise to scare it off. Secure all food sources, so it doesn’t attract bobcats, and don’t leave small pets outside.