Quick Answer
Missouri has one resident wild cat: the bobcat (Lynx rufus). The mountain lion (Puma concolor) is listed by the Missouri Department of Conservation as “SX” — presumed extirpated, because the state has no evidence of a breeding population, even though it confirms an average of about eight animals a year. Those cats are almost certainly young males walking in from western states.
- Tracks about 2 inches long, four toes, no claw marks: bobcat. A young bobcat’s print is easily mistaken for a roaming house cat’s, and MDC says so directly.
- Bobcats live statewide, and MDC describes the population as currently stable — the animals have spread west and north out of the Ozarks and the Bootheel in recent decades.
- Bobcat hunting and trapping runs 15 November – 28 February in the current season, with no daily or possession limit, but every pelt has to be registered or tagged.
Which Wild Cats Live in Missouri?
The short answer is one. The long answer is one plus a steady trickle of visitors — a 150-pound cat with a tail as long as its body, and a 25-pound cat people regularly mistake for something else.
| Species | Scientific name | Status in Missouri | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcat | Lynx rufus | Resident statewide; population stable; hunted and trapped under the Wildlife Code | 18–50 in total length, tail 3–8 in, 8–49 lb |
| Mountain lion | Puma concolor | Species of conservation concern, status “SX” (presumed extirpated); confirmed sightings, no breeding population | 5–8½ ft total length, tail 21–37½ in, 79–265 lb male, 64–141 lb female |
| Domestic cat | Felis catus | Owned, stray and feral, everywhere people live | Typically 8–12 lb |
MDC calls the bobcat “highly adaptive”, able to inhabit many types of Missouri landscape including areas near urban development. That sentence explains most modern sightings: the cat is not moving into the suburbs by accident.
The Bobcat: What MDC Documents
Missouri’s field guide is unusually concrete, so most of what follows is the state’s own description rather than a general account. If you only read one table on this page, read this one.
| Bobcat detail | What the Missouri Department of Conservation documents |
|---|---|
| Coat and build | Yellowish- to reddish-brown, streaked and spotted with black; long hind legs, short broad face, short “bobbed” tail; pointed ears black on the back with a central light spot and black tufts |
| Eyes | Pupils oval and vertically narrowed in bright light, nearly round in dim light |
| Habitat | Heavy forest cover, preferably second-growth timber with much underbrush, broken by clearings such as glades and rocky outcrops |
| Range | Statewide; historically concentrated in the Ozarks and the Bootheel, expanding west and north in recent decades |
| Diet | Rabbits, mice, rats, squirrels and other small mammals; deer (some likely taken as carrion), opossums, domestic cats, wild turkeys and quail |
| Activity | Nocturnal and diurnal; little social interaction; animals can travel 3–7 miles nightly, inspecting objects as they go |
| Breeding | Begins in December and can extend into June, with a peak in March |
| Kittens | Usually 2 or 3, born after 50–70 days, most in May and June; weaned after two months; young stay with the female until fall or later |
| Population status | Currently stable and statewide; both hunted and trapped during the established season |
Two details in that table do real work for identification. The tail is three to eight inches — short enough that a bobcat standing in grass looks tailless at a distance. And the pupil shape is one of the few features readable in a photo taken with a flash at night.
MDC also notes that bobcats and their dens have a very strong odour — worth knowing before you reach into a shed, brush pile or crawl space.
The Mountain Lion Question
Missouri gets mountain lion reports every year, and the state keeps a public record of confirmed animals. What the record shows is the important part: confirmed cats, no confirmed reproduction.
| Question | What MDC’s record shows |
|---|---|
| Is there a breeding population? | No. MDC states it has no evidence of mountain lions establishing a breeding population in the state |
| How often are they confirmed? | Numerous animals confirmed since record-keeping began, averaging about 8 a year since the mid-2000s |
| Where have they been confirmed? | Scattered statewide, as far east as Lewis, Madison, Warren, Wayne and St. Louis counties |
| Where do they come from? | Genetic samples from animals that passed through suggest many originate in western states; young males disperse hundreds of miles looking for territory |
| Official status | Species of conservation concern, listed “SX” — presumed extirpated |
| Is it legal to shoot one? | Only if the animal is attacking livestock, domestic animals or people |
This is where most online arguments go wrong in both directions. A photograph of a real mountain lion in Missouri is not a hoax — the state confirms several every year and publishes where. But a confirmed animal is not a resident pair, and MDC’s genetic work points at dispersal rather than establishment. A dispersing young male can walk through a county in a week and never be seen again.
The identification problem is separate, and it is usually a tail. A mountain lion’s tail is 21 to 37½ inches and heavy, roughly as long as the distance from its shoulder to its hip; a bobcat’s is a stub. MDC’s field guide also points out the ears — small and rounded with no tufts on a mountain lion, pointed and tufted on a bobcat — and the coat, which is uniform on a mountain lion and streaked and spotted on a bobcat.
Reading the Signs: Tracks and Trail Pattern
Most people never see the cat: they see a print in mud, a kill under a log, or a shape crossing a gravel road at dusk. Missouri’s field guide gives enough detail to separate the plausible candidates.
| What you are looking at | Bobcat | House cat | Dog or coyote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track length | About 2 inches | About 1–1½ inches | Larger, with a longer pad and a different outline |
| Toes and claws | Four toes; retractable claws usually leave no marks | Four toes; claws usually retracted | Four toes; claw marks usually visible |
| Walking stride | 6–13 inches | Shorter | Longer, and the trail wanders more loosely |
| Trail shape | Narrow, almost a straight line, with hind feet stepping into the tracks made by the fore feet | Direct-register too, but the prints are small | Prints sit side by side rather than registering |
| Tell | The trail often zigzags; young bobcat tracks are easily confused with house cat tracks | Common around buildings and feeders | Claw marks and a wider straddle |
The direct-register walk is the most reliable pattern in the set: a cat places its hind foot almost exactly where the front foot was, which produces a single line of prints rather than a pair. That, plus no claw marks and the zigzag, is what a bobcat trail looks like on a sandbar or muddy two-track.
Seasons, Tags and the Law
Missouri manages the bobcat as a furbearer with a defined season, a tagging requirement, and a rule that covers the mountain lion separately because its status is different. Both matter if you find an animal on your property or want to know whether a neighbour’s season dates are current.
| Rule | What the current Missouri regulation says |
|---|---|
| Bobcat season | Hunting and trapping, 15 November – 28 February |
| Limits | Daily limit any number; possession limit any number |
| Pelts | Bobcat pelts must be registered or tagged; tagged bobcats and otters, or their pelts, may be possessed by the taker throughout the year |
| Mountain lion | May be killed only if attacking livestock, domestic animals or humans; otherwise protected as a species of conservation concern |
| International trade | Bobcat hides are highly regulated because of their resemblance to other, endangered wild cat species |
The trade rule surprises people: a bobcat pelt is legal in Missouri and a documentation problem internationally, because the cat looks enough like a protected spotted cat that customs officers cannot tell them apart at a glance.
Living With a Bobcat Next Door
MDC’s habitat note predicts the encounters: second-growth timber with thick underbrush, broken by glades and rocky outcrops, describes a lot of Missouri’s exurban edge. A bobcat in a subdivision is not lost. It is using the brushy corridor behind the lots.
What the state’s own diet list implies for households is narrow but real. Domestic cats appear on it, so an outdoor cat at dusk is the one genuine overlap most people have. Poultry is the other: a bobcat that finds an unroofed chicken run will return to it. Neither problem is solved by removing the cat — a roofed run and an indoor cat settle both.
For the indoor side, the cat-proofing guide covers windows, doors and escape routes, and the indoor enrichment basics guide is the practical answer to a cat that wants to be outside. The indoor enrichment planner turns that into a weekly plan, and the territory entry explains why the same fence line gets patrolled year after year.
Neighbouring states make the comparison concrete. Connecticut protects its bobcats with no hunting season at all, while Wisconsin has a resident bobcat, a protected Canada lynx and dispersing cougars in the same mix. Florida is the one state on this site where a second large cat is genuinely resident.
Trusted Sources
Every figure above comes from the Missouri Department of Conservation’s published pages, fetched live for this guide:
- Missouri Department of Conservation — Bobcat field guide (description, size, statewide range, habitat, diet, breeding, kitten timeline, track measurements, population status).
- Missouri Department of Conservation — Mountain Lion field guide (SX status, the eight-a-year confirmation average, the county list, the western-origin genetics, size and gestation).
- Missouri Department of Conservation — Bobcat hunting and trapping (the 15 November – 28 February season, unlimited daily and possession limits, the pelt registration requirement).
The wild cats hub collects every state guide on the site, and the Louisiana guide is the closest comparison for a state with one resident cat and a documented cougar record.
Related Guides and Tools
Wild Cats in Louisiana: Bobcat, Cougar and What You Saw
Louisiana has one resident wild cat, the bobcat. Cougars are dispersing visitors, not a breeding population — with LDWF sizes, seasons and law.
Wild Cats in Connecticut: The Bobcat and the Cougar Question
Connecticut has one wild cat: the bobcat. DEEP sizes, home ranges, the 1972 protection, the 2017 study findings and the mountain lion question.
How to Cat-Proof Your Home Room by Room
A room-by-room cat-proofing guide for cords, plants, small objects, windows, cleaners, food hazards, and hiding spots.
Related glossary: Territory, Prey Sequence.