The city’s animal control office was sent a copy of the 12-second video, which shows the animal in the yard for a few seconds before disappearing from view.

“It’s their habitat,” said animal welfare officer Darlene Christensen.

People should watch their pets when feral cats are nearby, Christensen said.

“They are a danger to small pets,” she said.

On Wednesday in Glocester, Rhode Island, a bobcat attacked a family’s dog, a 7-year-old beagle-Labrador mix, while the animal was tied up in the yard. The attack was thwarted when the dog’s owner threw a chair at the bobcat, which ran away, allowing the dog to be brought inside briefly, the Boston Globe reports.

The bobcat ran under the porch and was shot by the owner and police, who later determined the animal had rabies, according to the report.

Bobcat sightings are not uncommon, but according to government wildlife experts, the animals are generally quite shy.

One was spotted in Norfolk last month near the Wrentham border, and last December a Norfolk resident’s wildlife camera captured a pack of bobcats running through his yard, according to Hilary Cohen, the city’s animal control officer.

According to MassWildlife, bobcats are the only wild cats found in Massachusetts today, and they rarely come into conflict with humans.

Although bobcats, like bears, are more common in the central and western parts of the state, they are also spreading into southeastern Massachusetts, according to MassWildlife.

They are about twice the size of a domestic cat and can weigh 7 to 16 kilograms.

They most commonly hunt medium-sized animals such as rabbits, but also eat mice, squirrels, skunks, birds and snakes. They occasionally eat larger animals such as deer, but only when other food is scarce, the agency said.

They may also prey on small livestock and chickens. According to MassWildlife, electric fences can be used as a deterrent.