Police are advising people to keep young children and small pets inside in /*Tarrytown*/.
"A cat with a small head, long legs, a tail that goes up and has small striping on it," described Joanne Vale, /*Westchester County*/ resident.
Based on that description, what Joanne Vale came face to face with last week was a bobcat.
The felines prey on small animals and rodents and usually leave humans alone.
Still, Vale who was babysitting her two small grandchildren says she was startled.
The bobcat population is growing in lower Westchester.
The sighting was the second in two days in Kimberly Frankel's backyard.
Her house is in the Greenacres section of /*Scarsdale*/ which borders /*White Plains*/ and where there's been no shortage of wildlife.
Coyotes are more common in Westchester, but a recent incident in which a 6-year-old was chased by one has some Tarrytown residents on edge.
The incident last month occurred at the Edgemont Condo Complex.
At least one coyote was caught on camera, though none were caught in traps set up around the property's 27 acres.
Coyotes typically don't pose a threat to people unless they're sick, as was the case in Rye Brook two years ago.
Still, experts say there are some things to keep in mind, like not feeding the animals.
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