The .22 Magnum is my favorite called bobcat cartridge in tight cover. My experience has been that 'cats don't like to cross open ground during daylight, so if you're setting up across an open space from the cover where the cats live, you'd need a rifle/cartridge combination with a longer reach.
I like the 30 grain Hornady VMax bullets from my Remington 597 for 'cats. The VMax don't usually penetrate through and through and the 597 gives me an immediate follow up shot if needed. I don't know about you, but when it comes to critters with sharp claws and teeth, I prefer to keep shooting until they are, like the Wicked Witch of the East from the Wizard of Oz, morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably, and reliably dead.
I have shot a couple of coyotes with 40 grain JSP and JHP. They died, but not DRT.
I have never shot a hog with a rimfire cartridge.
