Woman unwittingly rescues injured bobcat

[May 30, 2007]  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- A woman who helped rescue an injured cat on the roadside got a surprise when a veterinarian told her it was a wild and potentially dangerous bobcat.

Liza Eldred, her teenage daughter and the girl's friend found the female bobcat Saturday on U.S. 98 in south Baldwin County, wrapped it in a sweatshirt and drove it to an animal clinic for treatment.

Veterinarian Andy Duke said the women were "extremely lucky" that the bobcat, which had a broken paw, did not panic and injure them.

They were in "a lot of danger," Duke said.

Eldred believes the bobcat didn't harm them because it sensed they were trying to help.

"It was not moving, making a sound," she said. "It hissed once, so we stopped once so my daughter's friend could move into the (far) back seat."

Duke's staff named the 11-pound bobcat Bobbi. He said it is undersized at 10 to 12 months old, and the animals typically grow to about 35 pounds.

Veterinarian Laura Serio, who treated the bobcast at the clinic Saturday, told the Press-Regiser on Monday that it was doing well.

"I think she will recover well in the wild," Serio said.

Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister

[Text copied from file received from AP Digital]