A bobcat has been hanging out on the back porch of Earl and Barbara Huyser’s Lawrence home.

It has shown up twice.

The first time was early in the evening of Feb. 14. The couple discovered the cat on their deck after attending a friend’s birthday party. The Huysers entered their Presbyterian Manor condominium along Kasold Drive and looked out their sliding glass door.

“There’s a big cat sitting by the door!” Barbara said.

Earl said the bobcat sat by the door for about five minutes, long enough for him to grab his camera and take some photos. Then the animal sauntered into the woods of the Girl Scouts’ Hidden Valley camp property adjacent to the Huysers’ back yard. Earl showed the photos to family and friends the next day.

Barbara said they again saw the bobcat last week. Barbara was reading the newspaper in the living room of their home and glanced up to see the bobcat sitting outside their sliding door again.

Earl said none of their neighbors had seen the bobcat.

“As a matter of fact, a lot of neighbors have been asking to see it,” Earl said.

Barbara said she had shown the photos of the bobcat to fellow volunteers at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

The couple said they weren’t sure why the bobcat visited their condo. One possibility could be the Huysers’ cockatiel, which is kept in a cage along the wall next to the sliding door. Earl said he thought about the bobcat wanting the cockatiel but hadn’t seen the bobcat try to get to the bird.

The Huysers said the bobcat hadn’t been a bother.

According to the Mammals of Kansas Web site — www.ukans.edu/~mammals/ list.html — bobcats live throughout Kansas, and in eastern parts of the state prefer wooded areas.

Several mountain lion sightings have been reported during the last year in Lawrence, including on west campus and in western Lawrence.