Watch: Bellingham residents catch ‘special sighting’ of big cats on video
A pair of Bellingham residents experienced an unusual big-cat sighting in their backyard over the weekend.
John and Charis Brady told The Herald they were getting ready for their Sunday when they looked into their yard and spotted one large cat. Not too long after, the Bradys began filming and noticed the cat was not alone.
“I initially saw the mother walking along the top of our fence, and so then we noticed that it kept appearing,” John Brady told The Herald. “We’d see it in the front yard and again in the backyard over about a 15-minute period. And then we saw there were two.”
The Bradys managed to catch a mother and kitten bobcat on video, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed in an email to The Herald.
John Brady posted two of the videos in a social media post on NextDoor.
“There was a bobcat mother training its young one how to hunt in our backyard this morning in the Samish neighborhood,” the post states.
Bobcats are common throughout Washington, including suburban areas, according to WDFW Communications Manager Chase Gunnell.
But to spot them during daylight was special, Gunnell said.
“They are reclusive and rarely seen, and most active at night, so this is a very special sighting to see a mother and kitten and get it on camera!” Gunnell said.
The Bradys’ home backs up to a greenbelt in Bellingham’s Samish neighborhood. They said they’ve seen lots of deer but this is the first time they’ve had a wildlife interaction like this.
“We’ve only been here a year and had no idea there might be bobcats in our backyard,” Charis Brady said.
Bobcats do not pose a threat to people. But it’s important to give them space and not try to approach or corner them, Gunnell told The Herald.
Bobcats are also not typically responsible for killing domestic animals, according to Gunnell. But occasionally they prey on chickens, small goats, pigs and house cats when these domestic animals are available and not in secure areas, he said.
“Mostly, bobcats tend to prey on wild animals such as birds, rodents, rabbits, and other small mammals,” Gunnell said.
Where bobcats are deemed a problem, WDFW recommends the following management strategies around your property:
- Don’t feed wildlife.
- Prevent the buildup of feeder foods under bird feeders.
- Feed dogs and cats indoors and clean up after them.
- Keep dogs and cats indoors, especially from dusk to dawn.
- Enclose poultry (chickens, ducks, and turkeys) in a secure outdoor pen and house
- Keep livestock and small animals that live outdoors confined in secure pens during periods of vulnerability.
This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM.
