Texas Native Cats

Texas Native Cats provides education, outreach, and advocacy for our wild native cats, so they endure for future generations of Texans. Texas is home to the mountain lion, bobcat, and ocelot, and jaguars and jaguarundis used to roam some parts of our state. 

Due to its sheer size and location, Texas is one of the most biologically diverse states. It has the second highest mammal diversity after California, including five current and historical wild cat species.

Of our three remaining wild cat species, the ocelot is classified as endangered, though Texas is home to the only breeding ocelots in the United States. Our mountain lion is under threat from hunting and trapping and is considered to be threatened/imperiled. Only the bobcat is believed to be reasonably abundant. 

Much more than iconic species, our cats provide a valuable service to the environment. Mountain lions are an apex species and regulate lower species to prevent them from proliferating and causing ecological damage. They will kill deer with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and will slay feral hogs, the latter causing an estimated $100 million in damages to Texas every year. Their kills also provide an abundance of food for other species. And our bobcats and ocelots consume rodents, rabbits, and snakes. 

We are a Texas-based organization of volunteers whose goal is to acquaint Texans with our cat species, understand the threats they face as well as the value they provide. Based in Dallas, we have expanded to Houston, Georgetown, and El Paso and are seeking additional cities where we can spread the word about our wild cats. We make presentations to diverse audiences, participate in community outreach events, and host free, virtual, guest-speaker presentations regularly. We plan to launch an education program for Grades 1 - 12 this fall in Dallas, with a goal of providing them beyond DFW. 

Our goal is to improve the lives of our threatened Texas felines. 

Learn more by visiting our website Texas Native Cats.