Breeding takes place from late February to early March. Male bobcats don't become sexually mature until two years old. Female can breed in their first year, but often do not. During estrus, a male may travel up to 20 miles in a single night searching for a receptive female. Radio telemetry research indicates that the male leaves the female after mating and plays no part in rearing young.
Litters range from one to four young, with about two the average.
Females guard their litters carefully, as an adult male bobcat may try to kill and eat the young. Owls and perhaps foxes may take kittens. A mature bobcat has few enemies other than man. Kittens stay with their mothers for a period of several more months, learning to hunt and kill prey, and reach 60 percent of their adult weight by winter. Most wild animals are bothered by parasites, and bobcats are no exception.