The DuPage County Wildlife Conservation Center is helping a young bobcat recover after it was hit by a car and rescued from Ogle County earlier this month.
The conservation center’s Head Veterinarian, Dr. Sarah Reich, said the feline was only semi-conscious when she was found.
“A very kind of conscientious, responsible wildlife trapper was able to contain this animal after they were found at a homeowner’s yard, just kind of on their patio, I believe,” Reich said.
Journey from DeKalb to DuPage
The bobcat made a brief visit to Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in DeKalb County, where staff said they did not have the resources to provide the animal the care it needed. DuPage County’s new and improved conservation center, opened Jan. 2026, did.
“We were afraid we would either further injure the cat or one of our staff if we tried to remove it from the trap without sedation. We do not have those drugs available to us soooooooo, off to Dr. Sarah at #Dupagewildlifeconservationcenter it went. We all breathed a sigh of relief that they were able to help,” Oaken Acres shared in a social media post. “Lucky Oaken Acres. LUCKY BOBCAT!”
The bobcat then made its way west to Reich and her team.
“Once this kitten basically was captured and was brought over to them, they realized that, oh, she’s already quite sassy,” Reich said. “She was already very active. She was in a humane trap, so a little bit hard to manage in that space. And so what they realized is that this animal probably needed to be sedated and had some diagnostics done. So they almost immediately then transferred over to us.”
The rescued bobcat sits in a humane trap at the Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in DeKalb County prior to its transfer to DuPage County. Image courtesy: Oaken Acres Wildlife Center
First bobcat intake in eight years
The conservation center hadn’t taken in a bobcat since 2018, but was ready to help this animal in need.
“We sedated this animal on intake. We did all of her diagnostics at that time as well, or at least all of her initial diagnostics at that time. So X-rays, radiographs and ultrasound, bloodwork, a full physical exam to kind of see how she’s doing, and gauge what is going to affect her treatment over time. We found a couple of older changes for her,” Reich said. “She has some signs of some older fractures that happened long before her recent trauma. And then she had a recent canine tooth fracture. And so we knew that we needed to kind of do something about that.”
After making sure the bobcat was stable, hydrated and eating properly, she underwent a tooth extraction.
Bobcat moves to larger outdoor space
Now, she’s moved to a larger outdoor space to rest and continue her recovery.
“Right now, she’s in a space that’s probably about 20 by 20 feet. And then eventually she’ll move into a space that’s about 40 by 40,” Reich said.
Recovery and reintroduction to the wild
Once fully recovered, the bobcat will be reintroduced to the wild in the same area where she was found. Dr. Reich said it’s a team effort.
“For our carnivores, especially when they are adults, we do want to send them back basically right where they came from. Obviously, for this individual, since they were potentially hit by a car and they were found just in a homeowner’s yard, we probably want to find kind of the closest wooded area to that,” Reich said. “So that’s when we work with the previous rehabilitation center, Oaken Acres, potentially with the trapper, potentially with the homeowner, and then, obviously, our staff to get her back out into the wild.”
Encounters of the feline kind
Bobcats are typically found in rural areas in the southern and western regions of Illinois.
An encounter in DuPage County is unlikely – but if you see one, Dr. Reich said to simply leave it be.
“We would definitely recommend no one approach any sort of carnivore,” Reich said. “But in most of those situations, they’re going to leave you alone. Now, obviously, if they’re injured, that’s when we want people to reach out to their local wildlife rehab center so they can get a little bit more information on what’s going on.”
Reich added that this bobcat is off display and not available for public viewing as she recuperates.
Featured image courtesy: DuPage County Wildlife Conservation Center
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