Filmed: Bobcat in the Highlands Ranch neighborhood

DENVER (KDVR) — An encounter with a bobcat in a busy Denver suburb has a couple urging neighbors to keep an eye on their pets.

Kora Nicholas is no stranger to seeing animals in her Highlands Ranch yard.

“We’ve seen foxes, coyotes and rabbits. Of course, we have a huge rabbit population,” Nicholas said.

But as she and her boyfriend, Leo Mansfield, drove home Saturday night, something caught their attention.

“We were shocked by what we saw,” Mansfield said.

Just down the street, two animals were walking by, far enough away that they couldn’t tell exactly what they were.

“I thought it was a puma, but pumas have much longer tails,” Nicolas said.

His next thought was that they were foxes.

“But then I saw it wasn’t the face of a fox, it was the face of a cat,” Nicholas said.

They were two bobcats, which the couple said were just cubs. They quickly took some photos and a video so they could verify what they were online.

“They had very pointy white ears,” Nicholas said.

As the bobcat couple quickly moved out of sight, Johnson and Mansfield took to social media to remind people to keep their eyes peeled, both worried because they have two small dogs at home.

“Be more vigilant,” Mansfield said. “You never know what’s going to pop up, no matter what county you’re in.”

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, bobcat populations are healthy across the state and are increasingly being seen in urban areas, including Lone Tree, Centennial, Littleton and Highlands Ranch.

CPW also said if you encounter a bobcat, keep your distance and do not attempt to feed it.