Police arrived for a burglar. A bobcat was waiting on the stairs

Imagine lying awake at home, hearing unexplained banging noises upstairs.

You call 911. Officers rush over expecting a possible burglar.

Instead, they find a bobcat.

That is exactly what happened in Kirkland, a city near Seattle in Washington state, where a routine burglary call turned into an unusual wildlife rescue that has since gone viral. According to the Kirkland Police Department, the wild feline was discovered perched at the top of a staircase inside a home in the Moss Bay neighbourhood.

The 911 call that turned into a wildlife mystery

The incident began when a resident heard loud banging noises inside the house and feared someone had broken in.

Police officers responded expecting to confront a human intruder. Instead, they found what the department later jokingly described as a literal "cat burglar" — a bobcat calmly occupying the upper floor of the home.

For a few moments, what looked like a crime scene became something closer to a nature documentary.

How did a bobcat end up inside a suburban home?

Investigators believe the animal likely climbed a nearby tree and entered through an open window.

Officials suspect the bobcat may have been following the homeowner's pet cat, which was later found safe and unharmed. Several local reports quoted the homeowner describing noises that suggested the two animals may have been chasing each other through the house.

It is not every day that an open window becomes a doorway for a wild predator.

The high-tech rescue that followed

Rather than cornering the animal directly, officers took a different approach.

The Kirkland Police Department deployed a drone inside the house to track the bobcat's movements while keeping officers at a safe distance. The drone helped guide the animal into an isolated room, where it remained until wildlife specialists arrived.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife then sedated the bobcat and relocated it to a wilderness area near Forbes Creek. No injuries were reported to the resident, officers, pets or the animal itself.

Why this strange story is getting so much attention

Partly because it sounds like the plot of a sitcom.

But wildlife experts say it also reflects a growing reality in many North American cities: wild animals are increasingly crossing paths with people as urban development expands into natural habitats. Bobcats are generally shy and avoid humans, but they can wander into residential areas while hunting or exploring.

In this case, the suspected burglar turned out to have whiskers, claws and a very different set of intentions.

The homeowner called for police.

The police called for a drone.

And the bobcat eventually went home.

(With inputs from yMedia and agencies)