The bobcat, also often referred to as the red lynx, is found roaming the South of Canada right through to Mexico.
These cats are known to be adaptable due to their ability to live in various environments from semi-desert to swampland. This feline is around double the size of your average domesticated cat.
The adorable appearance of these felines is extremely misleading – they are self-reliant, stealthy, and extremely powerful. They are easily able to hunt for animals that are much bigger than they are.
Read on to discover more about bobcat symbolism, what can be learned from these playful creatures, and why these animals that can teach us so much carry negative associations within mythology.
Bobcat Symbolism
Known for its patience when hunting, the bobcat carries strong associations with this trait. We can learn a great deal from this animal’s ability to balance curiosity, socialising, and play with its fierce independence and stealth which it relies on to hunt and survive.
Perhaps you are here because the bobcat has made itself known to you in some way, shape, or form, and you are left wondering why this could be. Let’s explore the reasons that this animal could be leaping into your life.
Stealth
Discrete and patient, this animal is stealthy when it has set eyes on its target. Blending into its surroundings to not be seen by its prey, this cat will carefully strategise how to best take down its target. These creatures are certainly not known to be spontaneous in their approach to hunting.
If the bobcat spirit animal is making an appearance in your life, it is urging you to also be calm and calculating in your approach.
Do not make any spontaneous decisions at this time. Take a step back and assess the situation before moving forward.
You need to be patient and assess this situation from all angles so that you are sure that when you make that move it is going to be the one that gets you what you need and where you need to be!
Playfulness And Affection
Despite carrying a feisty and fierce reputation, bobcats do have a playful and affectionate side to them. This is especially apparent when they interact from a young age with humans. This interaction appears to benefit them and bring out this less defensive side.
The bobcat may be teaching you to relax a little, let down your guard once in a while, and make sure that you are engaging in activities that will bring you joy.
If you have found you have been working a little too hard and are feeling a little more on edge than usual, the bobcat is telling you to interact with those who will bring out the fun and affectionate side of you and do more of what you enjoy.
Balance is the key here, and you may find that work/life balance isn’t quite there for you at the moment. The bobcat serves as a reminder to keep that balance in check.
Self-reliance
These independent animals can certainly educate us on self-reliance. From 8 months old, these animals hunt independently.
Perhaps you are concerned about venturing out on your own. An opportunity has arisen, or perhaps you are considering a new more independent path, but you are questioning whether you are capable.
The bobcat spirit guide wants you to be courageous and confident – being fiercely independent moving forward is going to provide you with great growth opportunities.
Sight
Bobcats are notorious for their excellent vision. This vision is a key part of allowing them to hunt effectively. They watch and they wait from afar to work out how to best tackle their prey.
If this animal has been making an appearance in your life, it may be encouraging you to use your sight and other senses at this time. It serves as a reminder that your vision is not restricted to the eyes and that you need to look beyond the surface of what is happening.
You may need to take a step back from the situation and get a feel for things through observing. Sometimes we are too close to see something – the bobcat hunts from afar, and perhaps you also need to consider whether distance can give you a more accurate perspective.
The bobcat spirit animal may also be indicating that you need to use your psychic abilities more – learn how to work with your third eye chakra and receive communication from other realms.
Grace And Beauty
These stunning creatures are masters of disguise. As I have briefly touched upon, they have an extremely deceiving appearance.
From their beautiful features to the graceful way that they hunt, they have perfected the art of being more than meets the eye and they know it. They own their exterior with such admirable confidence.
The bobcat making an appearance in this respect could mean perhaps you are not owning your grace and beauty in the way that you should and it is acknowledging the presence of these features you possess that you should be more confident about.
It may be that you have had to become more fierce like the bobcat in a situation that you’ve handled but, as evidenced by this creature, being fierce does not mean you cannot be graceful.
These two can co-exist and the bobcat wants to ensure that you maintain your usual grace throughout this period of needing to be more stealthy than you usually would.
Bobcat Mythology
In many Native American tribes, the bobcat has negative associations and it is even considered to be bad luck to encounter a bobcat.
In Native American mythology, they are regarded as cunning and self-centered, and they are thought to rely on these traits when hunting which is considered to be lazy. In some tribes, an individual who has a quick temper or is selfish is called a “bobcat”.
On the contrary, other tribes consider the bobcat to have strong links to the universe and use the bobcat as a tribe animal.
The Zuni tribe also search for the bobcat spirit animal before a hunt as it is thought to create a successful hunt. Such tribes consider the bobcat to be courageous and admire its willingness to defend itself against anything or anyone.
How To Work With The Bobcat Spirit Animal
If the bobcat spirit animal is presenting itself to you, it is reminding you that there is more than meets the eye. This could be relevant to a situation or a person.
Make sure that you are not seeing something through rose-coloured glasses, and look at the bigger picture. Are things as they seem?
The bobcat totem wants you to be reminded of your courage, your ability to see all that there is, and your independence is your strength. To do this, tune into your instincts more and stay grounded.
To enhance your sensory abilities and to navigate your true instincts better, take your spiritual work outside. Focus on each sense one by one when meditating – what can you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Touch?
Once you have tapped into each sense individually, focusing for at least 3 minutes on each, finally focus on what you feel – what is happening inside you? What are your senses leading you to feel?
If you practice this exercise daily, you will find you are more in tune with how things are, and will allow you to see beyond what your eyes allow you to.
Bobcat Dream Meaning
As the bobcat is often associated with self-reliance, dreaming of a bobcat can be a sign that you need to exert control over a situation.
The bobcat encourages independence, and perhaps you have been relying on others a little too much and this has left you in a less-than-desirable situation. Now is the time to change this. Remain focused, calm, and stealthy, and you will achieve what it is you desire!
This also applies to allowing others to influence you. Just as the bobcat is associated with independence, it is also associated with instincts. You need to trust your gut instincts and stop allowing the opinions of others to cloud your judgement.
If you tap into what you feel and believe, your gut will guide you in the right direction. You are powerful, fearless and have a great deal of inner strength that you can rely on when you head in the direction your senses steer you to.
If in your dream you are being attacked by a bobcat, you need to be cautious of those around you. Perhaps there is a sly individual in your circle who is looking to attack.
On the outside, this person may appear as though they care but could have an ulterior motive. It may be that you already have a feeling about this person where something doesn’t sit right but have tried to push it to the back of your mind.
This dream wants this to be brought to the forefront of your mind and you are encouraged to be careful when sharing information with this person. Trust your instincts.
Final Thoughts
The bobcat is a fascinating guide to work with – it can teach us grace, and self-reliance and can encourage us to use the gifts we have been given.
The spiritual meaning of bobcats is also about letting out your playful side – life can become too serious, so it’s important to play.
If you’ve welcomed the bobcat spirit animal into your totem, learn how to work with this guide to enhance your own life.
My name is Lianne – I’m the person behind Spirit of Sapphire.
I started Spirit of Sapphire in August 2017 after finally building up the courage to start reading tarot for people other than my loved ones.
At the same time, I embarked upon expanding my spiritual knowledge and skills and so attended various psychic mediumship courses and circles, and I also began to train as a Reiki practitioner.
I’ve designed this site to be a hub of spiritual knowledge. As I learn new things, I want to share them with you.
