Bobcats are excellent climbers and use trees for resting, observation, and to escape enemies. Like domestic cats, they sharpen their front claws on dead trees or other objects. Bobcats mark their territories with droppings, urine, and gland secretions to warn strangers to stay away. Territories are distributed according to a complex social system. It's rare to find two adult females sharing the same area.
Adult males tend to be more sociable when it comes to sharing an area with others of the same sex.
The territory of an adult male is large enough to overlap that of one or more adult females, especially during the breeding season. Adults of both sexes usually tolerate the presence of bobcats that are too young to breed. Territories left vacant by the death of an adult are filled quickly by young transients. Illinois bobcats have a high survival rate once they reach a year old. They're protected by closed hunting and trapping seasons.