Watch: Possible Bobcat Spotted In Pleasantville

PLEASANTVILLE, NY — Heads up Pleasantville: an animal resembling a bobcat was spotted walking past a Pleasantville home. The lone big cat strolled through a neighborhood late at night, video posted Christmas Eve on the Neighbors app showed.

Bobcats are roughly twice the size of a domestic cat, and are usually smaller than the Canadian lynx, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Long hairs sprout out of their cheeks and black tufts stick out at the top of their ears. Their reddish coats, which are dense, short and soft in the summer, become longer and grayer in the winter.

Male bobcats are larger than females, averaging 21 and 14 pounds, respectively, though they can be over 30 pounds. Males are also slightly longer, stretching 34 inches, compared to 30 inches for females.

The recent sighting might unnerve some residents — particularly pet-owners, but they typically prefer hunting wild animals over Fido. In New York, the free-roaming felines are known to eat white-tailed deer, rabbit and hare.

"They eat deer more often during the winter than other times of the year and will store or cache carcasses for future use," state officials said. "Deer can be a valuable prey item in areas of deep snow because one carcass can last for several weeks."

An opportunistic bobcat is also known to prey on birds, squirrels, meadow voles and, of course, road kill.

Bobcats are notably often confused with the similar-looking Canadian lynx, which has large, "seemingly oversized paws" and a black-tipped tail. Lynx tracks are also roughly double the size of a bobcat.

Ring, the owner of the Neighbors app, is a Patch advertiser. Patch received no compensation for this article.