Last night outside my office window I heard that horrid screaming-yelping noise unique to coyotes. I leapt up and ran hollering and flailing my arms wildly toward the ruckus, not knowing, but hoping, the coyote would be so terrified he would drop whatever was in its clutches. The coyote’s jaws were wrapped around my cat’s head. I came within a foot and finally he released him. The coyote tore up the street as Cosmos ran in the opposite direction toward the wooded lot next to our home. We spent the next several hours searching for him when at long last he appeared dazed and disoriented at the back kitchen door.
He stayed in my lap all night, disappeared briefly again this morning, and then we headed over to North Shore Veterinarian Hosptilal. You could see the two teeth holes near his eye and on top of the skull and Dr. Heaney showed me where the bottom row of the coyote’s teeth had punctured his jaw. He will survive and will hopefully not lose his eyesight or have a brain injury. Doctor Heaney has been out pets’ vet forever–and we love her and the staff at the North Shore Veterinarian Hospital–it was she who stitched Cosmos up from coyote encounter #1, when his belly was ripped open, from the tip of his throat to the top of his pelvis.
Our Cosmos has survived two coyote attacks, near death from ingesting my neighbor’s rat poison, and twelve hours trapped in a lobster pot during a winter storm.
Why would a coyote want a skinny old man cat like ours, without a lick of meat on his bones. They must be very, very hungry. Once they know of an animal, they will pursue it relentlessly. In my discussion with Dr. Heaney about coyote attackes in general, she said that the state agencies don’t even acknowledge that coyotes are killing cats. Why do we all have to live in terror over our pet’s safety. There has to be a solution. Everyone on our street, and the next, and all over Cape Ann, and Massachusetts have lost beloved pets– cats, dogs, chickens, and more. I think the problem is out of control. I’d like to know of any GMG reader’s experience with contacting local, regional or state agencies in regard to coyote attacks.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Wow…glad to hear that Cosmos is going to be ok, that looks and sounds awful! I don’t have any experience with contacting any agencies about coyote attacks, but I have heard far too many stories about them and usually the beloved pet just disappears, so horrible. I have an indoor cat now, so luckily I don’t have to worry about Maisy until the coyotes learn to open the screen windows (which can’t be far behind!). Good luck! And what a survivor you have!
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I’m glad Cosmos was saved from the coyote attack. Five years ago my cat Sunny was an outdoor cat being fed by my brother-in-law who lives on a farm in the Phila. suburbs. They have seen a pack of coyotes occasionally,mainly attracted to the large deer herd there. But one attacked Sunny. Fortunately Jim found him and took him to the vet who saved his lifer. He is now my pet who lives inside . I can still see the large scars on his leg from the attack. I hope Cosmois continues to recover. It’s frightening how quickly coyotes have moved into neighborhoods here in the eastern U.S.
.
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The coyotes, foxes, fisher cats, etc., we’re here before people moved in and took over wildlife’s homeland: not the other way around. We’ve left them no place to go/hide/survive except on our trash, our pesticided lawns, our domesticated pets we insist on not spaying or keeping indoors. The reasoning I often hear is it’s “not natural.” Well, it’s not natural for wildlife not to hunt for a meal to survive. Frankly, I’m in their side in the debate.
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Nothing like rooting for a coyote and against someone who loves their pet. congrats on that. must feel nice to be you
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If one loves their pet so much, why would one not take simple precautions to ensure its health and safety? One can’t blame wildlife for acting according to its nature. The coyote isn’t making a logical decision to attack: it’s driven to hunt to eat/survive. The person in this story doesn’t seem to be using the logic we have access to as civilized humans to make a safer decision for the beloved pet,* more than once.* Seems pretty simple/logical. And yes, it does feel nice to be me: I safeguard my pets, and am active in rescue groups. I feel much sympathy for wildlife. It’s not their fault we are experiencing more human/wild conflict, its ours: our blaming the victim; our knee jerk, negative over-reactionary hysteria towards them. You may disagree, Joey, but please stick to the debate, no ad hominem attacks: those just make your position personal and weaker.
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Continuing to let your cat outdoors after it’s 1) been attacked by a coyote, 2) ate the neighbor’s rat poison, 3) spent twelve hours trapped in a lobster pot during a winter storm, and 4) got attacked by a coyote a 2nd time doesn’t sound like loving your pet. After a while, it sounds more like negligence.
Besides, what’s wrong with rooting for the home team? Go COYOTES!
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I totally agree with this sentiment! Coyotes have a right to live where they live as we have encroached on their habitat. I have dogs and cats and all are very precious to me which is why I keep my cats indoors and my dogs on a leash unless I am supervising them in the yard. I feel for anyone who has lost a beloved pet to wildlife, but as pet parents it is our job to keep them safe, and in this case cats should be kept inside. We can’t continue to wipe out populations of animals so that our pets can wonder around. If allowed outdoors unattended, our house pets join the food chain so we should be very aware of that. Killing off coyotes or other predators like foxes, etc. is not the answer. But I am glad Cosmos is ok!
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I feel terribly for Cosmos and have to say I agree with both Roam & Jay. I have 4 dogs and would not dream of letting them out alone and thus far they have suffered no problems. After the 4 major issues you’ve mentioned that Cosmos has had to deal with, I have to say it certainly sounds to be bordering on negligence. Please take more responsibility for an animal that does not have the ability to protect herself and don’t place the blame on the coyotes, the neighbor or the lobsterman!
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NOT blaming the lobsterman–again I will repeat–Cosmos came to us as a stray–he wandered onto our porch, pushed the screen window aside, and sat down on the sofa. As he can push in screens, so can he push put screens. With our then young children in an active house it was and continues to be nearly impossible to keep him indoors. Cosmos is under quarantine now, for six months. Hopefully he will adjust and, as he begins to feel better, won’t take to his old tricks.
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Roam your a typical know it all when it comes to everything. Do you own a cat or dog. i’m guessing not. but i’m sure you’ll say you do. I agree with the thought even coyotes need to live. but they were introtuced by the enviro pc groups. “We need to balance out the universe” We simple ugly humans are on top of the food chain. deal with it.
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No, coyotes were not here before people, not in New England – we had wolves, coyotes were strictly west of the Mississippi until midway through the last century. We made things nice & safe for them by exterminating wolves in the east so they moved in. (And that was bad news for foxes.)
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I agree with you 100% by removing top predators like the wolves, who regulate the Eco-system; you unbalance it and usher in issues and problems that did not exists before. Wolves regulate coyote populations and without them coyotes become a problem.
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I’m glad you learned from that scary experience and keep your cat inside now. I know many domestic cars old love to roam outdoors. But it’s not like they don’t have a good life inside. My two indoor cats look at the door with curiosity, and run back to the safety of the couch. I let a cat outside, once, years ago. Car smashed his hips beyond repair. Lesson learned: it’s not just wildlife to be feared out there. Some neighborhoods have cat haters who put poison in tuna. I’d rather take my chances with wildlife!
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Gah, I hate autocorrect! It’s never correct! You know I meant cats, not cars. And it’s would love to roam outdoors, not “cars old love.” sheesh.
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Its been a couple years now since our boy JJ Jinglenuts got eaten by tbe Fishercat at our house. Glas Cosmos madeit
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Thank you Joey–I know how dear JJ Jinglenuts was to you and Jill and the girls. I remember your always hilarious JJ Jinglenuts posts. RIP
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Don’t let your cat outdoors.
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Seconded!
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Bullshit! That is All.
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Um, so this isn’t the first time your cat being outside has gotten it harmed? WHY, then, do you continue to allow your cat outside, exposed to these risks? ( btw, the coyote wants your skinny cat because it’s starving, and any amount of protein seems better than nothing.)
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Kim, so sorry to hear about Cosmos! That must have been terrifying. From what I just read, coyotes are becoming quite accustomed to living in suburban areas as their natural wooded areas are shrinking. Here is where I read some stuff about increasing attacks: http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/central-massachusetts/-Coyote-attacks-once-rare-happening-all-over-Massachusetts/-/11983998/13386098/-/dy4pbs/-/index.html
and some stuff about coyotes and avoiding them:
http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildlife/index.php?subject=Mammals&id=23
Thank goodness Cosmos survived!
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I am very glad Cosmos is okay. I think a more important question than why a coyote would want him is why does he keep going outside? There were four incidents listed in this story of dangerous and life-threatening circumstances that Cosmos was in. Why is he still allowed to go out? I realize that once cats get a taste of the outdoors they sometimes want it very badly. I think people need to be more educated about the dangers outdoors for cats and commit to raising them indoors. I know of people who have lost their cats to coyotes and to unexplained disappearances, or whose cats have been injured, and yet they keep opening the door to let the cat out. I just don’t get it. I’m not saying this to be mean – I just happen to believe it’s asking for trouble. I hope for Cosmos’ sake, he no longer goes outside. One of these times, he may not be so lucky.
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You said it sweeter than I could. I’m just so weary of explaining it over and over when to me it seems so obvious. And it’s not just wildlife that’s a danger. The one and only time in my life I let a cat outside (I was 20 and naive) it took only a few hours for a car to crush him. Never again did I take ANY chances! Lesson learned! What’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?
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Kim, I’m very happy your cat was saved. I am. But you can call off the alarms.
Look at an aerial photo of Cape Ann. A vast majority of this island is wooded. I bet any neighborhood on this island is within 2 miles of woods. Coyotes live in Boston, so OF COURSE there are coyotes here. That’s part of the deal when we live so close to nature. Gloucester’s not even suburban.
Personally, I think it’s great that coyotes have returned to the area, and not just because it keeps the feral cat population down (too soon? … sorry, i couldn’t resist), which in turn keeps up the population of songbirds (and Black Swallow butterflies? http://youtu.be/2kcY9fKT5CQ). Coyotes are beautiful, fascinating creatures. And the ones we have here in the east are unique from the ones out west.
I’m a pet owner, too. So I get it. Our pets are precious little loveamuffins. But you have to realize that, skinny or fat, young or old, outdoors your pet is just another walking piece of meat, regardless of how much we want to see them differently. If you’re not happy with that threat, a responsible pet owner wouldn’t let the cat out, especially after it’s first interaction with a coyote.
From the MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife website:
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_coyotes.htm
“Coyotes are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will feed on whatever is most readily available and easy to obtain. … In suburban areas they prey upon unprotected pets, INCLUDING OUTDOOR HOUSE CATS and unsupervised domestic dogs.” [emphasis added]
MassWildlife has been addressing and tracking coyotes in MA for decades. I’ve seen that webpage, or some form of it, on the MassWildlife website since at least 2002. It came up at the top of a list of a google search for, get this, “Massachusetts coyotes.” It sounds like your vet has not been very thorough with her research on the issue.
You may think the problem is out of control, but what do you propose as a solution? Coyotes are territorial animals, and actively defend their home range from other coyotes. Removing your resident coyote will only encourage a new one (even less familiar with the neighborhood) to fill its place. That’s a worse situation. You’re better off adjusting your behavior, and managing your property to make it less appealing to coyotes, which, sadly, may include keeping your cat indoors.
This guys had been doing a lot of research on Eastern Coyotes in Massachusetts:
http://www.easterncoyoteresearch.com/
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Thank you Jenn, Kathie, and Joey for your sympathetic words. Thank you Terry for the links–very sweet and helpful. And thank you for not lecturing about indoor versus outdoor. I’d love to have another cat someday and he will surely be an indoor cat.
Cosmos came to us as a stray–he wandered onto our porch, pushed the screen window aside, and sat down on the sofa. As he can push in screens, so can he push put screens. With our then young children in an active house it was and continues to be nearly impossible to keep him indoors. Cosmos is under quarantine now, for six months. Hopefully he will adjust and, as he begins to feel better, won’t take to his old tricks.
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how about keeping your domesticated cat INSIDE when you aren’t watching him. Coyotes are not the problem.
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Glad Cosmo’s doing alright. Tough little guy. Our cat also fights to be outside so hard that we finally gave in. We try to get him inside before dusk, but he doesn’t always cooperate. I’ve seen coyotes often (along with foxes and fisher cats) since moving to Gloucester six years ago. Go over to Bass Rocks golf course at night and you can hear them yipping it up. I always imagined they survived off of all the rabbits running around. Mostly. Our neighbor’s cat just vanished. I hear the owner suspects our chickens (we have 6) attracted the coyotes. Of course this isn’t true. I’ve seen coyotes and foxes in nearly every neighborhood in East Gloucester. They own this place at night. They’re like bunny vacuums (imagine how lousy with rabbits–and fleas and ticks–we’d be without them). I even narrowly missed crushing a fox with my car on Bass Ave. I’m happy to see the links posted above. I think it would be good if everyone living on “wild” Cape Ann better understood the interesting relationship we have with our natural neighbors.
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Thanks for writing funkyfreshgloucester. Cosmos comes when he is called–we often call him small dog and he usually comes in by nightfall, too–usually!
The link to the Mass Audubon coyote page that Terry sent is interesting–coyotes have only been in Massachusetts since around 1957…”Researchers now believe that the eastern coyote is a hybridization between the western coyote and red wolves many generations ago in the upper Great Lakes region of the United States. It is theorized that as populations of the western coyote increased, they were forced to move east and north in search of food. As they moved into Minnesota they crossbred with eastern/red wolves and produced a genetically hardy animal able to sustain itself through New England winters.”
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Our old kitty passed away at 23. My fourteen year old daughter picked a wonderful replacement, older, but very handsome and sweet. Big Kitty went outside and did not return…….and my daughter was once again bummed. Back to the shelter and now a new kitten “Micro Kitty” is in the house — literally. We are all forbidden to let this cat outside and when he sneaks by, its an all out effort to bring him in.
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Oh…Kim We are happy to hear Cosmo is ok…yikes….we see Coyote in our neighborhood all the time and in our very own yard at least once a week….we never let Coconut outside but maybe we should rethink sending the kids out to play in the yard…..who knows a child may be next….
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The coyotes around here are getting bolder and are increasing in number . Do you think we should keep the kids in the house too ? Fox and other wild animals seem to depend on garbage humans leave around for food , I see nothing natural in that . I see life longing for itself in very inappropriate places . Domestic dogs used to keep the wild things in the woods , but the leash laws of recent history have ended that . An example of a good idea with unintended consequences . Something for us to think about as this problem gets bigger .
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Thank you Kathy for your comments. I too am concerned for the safety of small children as the coyotes become increasingly emboldened. Will it take the death of a child to mobilize people to action? Domesticated dogs and cats have always played an essential role in the human experience and have been here far longer than the 60 or so years of the coyotes documented existence in Massachusetts, as sited on the Mass Audubon page on coyotes. There is nothing “natural” about coyotes becoming established in residential neighborhoods, just as there is nothing natural about bears and wolves taking up residence in densely populated areas. The coyote has now a strong foothold because we allow them free reign.
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Kim –
I am so happy to hear that Cosmos is ok. As a avid dog and cat lover myself, I know how much these creatures mean to us. We also had a cat that was a stray and let him roam. (Unfortunately, due to his wanderings he contacted feline aids and had to be put down.) Now I fully understand that outdoor cats do not want to be enclosed, however, after two coyote attacks, poisoning and getting trapped, if Cosmos continues to roam free, he will probably end up dead. And I know you don’t what that to happen! Upgrading your screens and instructing your children to keep an eye on the cat when they rush in and out of the house seems to be a solution, no? BTW: We have coyotes in our neighborhood also. Coyotes do serve a purpose as the earlier post mentioned. They are also quite difficult to catch and, if you do, others will just return. So better to keep pets inside and safe.
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Kim, what mobilization would you like to see happen?
I think the actions needs to start with our own behaviors. Our residential neighborhoods are surrounded by woods, which is ideal “natural” habitat for coyotes. Who is moving into whose neighborhood?
We can alter some of our behaviors to discourage coyotes from coming into our neighborhoods, but it takes responsibility on our own part, so they are not habitualized to coming into areas where we don’t want them. That includes having Kathy keep her garbage stored indoors until it’s time for pickup, so coyotes don’t get used to that as a food source.
I encourage you to take a look at the MassWildlife page again, which lists several strategies for preventing and resolving conflicts with coyotes:
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_coyotes.htm
To put the relative dangers into perspective, “an estimated 4.7 million dog bites occur in the U.S. each year… nearly 800,000 dog bites require medical care”.
http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/stop-animal-abuse/fact-sheets/dog-bites.html
I think there’s been a single recorded coyote-related human fatality in the US, dating back to 1980.
To clarify, I believe coyotes have *returned* to MA over the last 60 years. It’s not their first appearance here. From my readings, as MA initially developed, deer, and with them coyotes and wolves were pushed out of MA. But over the last 60 years, coyotes and deer have been returning to the area, especially now that their predators (wolves) are no longer around.
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Kathy, I don’t understand what’s so bold about a coyote eating a cat.
It’s not like the coyote is strategizing that taking a cat will really send a message to the neighborhood. Just like rodents or rabits, a cat in the woods is prey to anything larger than it. And while an “outdoor” cat is probably more street-savvy than an indoor cat, if it still comes home at night to a warm bed and some kibble, it’s probably not as hardened to its own predators as we’d like to believe.
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Kim, I’m so sorry and hope that Cosmo makes a quick and full recovery. It’s hard when a pet is injured.
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Yes, it is very hard. I lost my cat, Lucy, who, every night, when I’d say: “Lucy! It’s time to go to bed!,” would run upstairs to sleep with me, her paw wrapped around my fingers (she had six claw/pads on each foot and had a prehensile grip on each foot, so she could pick things and throw them). She disappeared around Haskell Street, probably a victim of a coyote or fisher cat. I still have dreams about Lucy, not just a cat, but an important part of my life. Do whatever you can to protect your beloved pet.
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hope all is ok.. we love our pets
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I am so very sorry to hear about Big Kitty and Lucy. Thank you Felicia, Donna, Fred, Ann, and Anonymous for your kind words and advice. Such a pervasive problem, really a worry.
Cosmos ate an entire bowl of salmon tonight–he’s definitely on the mend!!
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Any “outdoor” cat can adopt and learn to be an indoor cat. It takes fortitude and discipline – of the cat owner. For the safety of your beloved pet, keep your cat inside. That goes for everyone. The birds will thank you, your neighbors will thank you and your cat will thank you.
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Our cats have always “earned their keep”–just kidding–now I am really going to be clobbered by the PCPolice.
In that I mean they hunt for rats and mice, and have done an excellent job in keeping them out of our home. Cats have been one of man’s best friends since early Egyptian times–by keeping them out of the granaries. Outdoor cats are blessing, particularly around waterfront areas where there is the potential for an explosion of the rat population. The mouse population is already out of controlI this year, because of a bumper acorn crop the previous year. Mice are the prime carrier of ticks. I wonder what will happen with the rat and mouse population after the coyotes kill all our outdoor cats?
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Two cats on Rocky Neck – my Maggie and a neighbor’s Monty – went missing in June. Probably the coyote that I’ve seen on Wonson’s Cove beach…
It’s hard to keep a cat inside when she’s always been outdoors, doing what she does naturally..
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Why is it that each missing cat account here is being attributed to a coyote attack?
Without evidence, isn’t it just as likely (or more so) that it was hit by a car, especially during tourist season?
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So sorry about your Cosmo. Glad he is on the mend.
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http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html
I am glad to hear your cat is going to survive the attack. It is traumatic to have the family pet injured. However, I do have to vote on the side of the wildlife which humans have squeezed out with our population and development. We need to learn to live with wildlife. I have a bunch of animals that live in and around my yard. Rabbits, groundhogs, chipmunks and deer find my gardens quite appealing, so I have to change to minimize the damage. Although I have been upset when I find a plant eaten, I can’t blame the animal. I have found researched plants that are less attractive to the wildlife and have fenced off garden areas. Now we generally live together in harmony, and I love seeing all the wildlife. Humans can adapt our behavior to live with the natural world.
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The harmony of your garden is lovely indeed . That is not at all the discussion here , its about an incursion of a formally nocturnal hunter stalking your small dog or cat in broad daylight in residential and even urban settings . The words balance and nature are used together by the most ardent wildlife supporters , they recognize habitat problems such as overpopulation and unnatural nesting and feeding is of no more good for the animals as it is for their human neighbors .
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Beautifully written Kathy–thank you!!!
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I am so so so sorry to learn Karen about your recent loss of Maggie, and your neighbor’s Monty–very hearbreaking.
And thank you karen for your kind words.
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I live in East Gloucester and I have Coyotes practically in my back yard everyday! It is hard living near predators because all my neighbors have lost their cats. I have two dogs and they are never allowed outside without me and on a leash. I have coyotes come into the back yard when my dogs were in my fenced in back porch, checking things out to see if they could get little Scupper or Captain, my pomeranians. Because of this I wondered about why the coyotes didn’t eat the rabbits. We have an abundance of rabbits here. Apparently, the coyotes can’t catch the rabbits because they are so fast. They love cat, because they an catch cat. It is heart breaking to see signs in my neighborhood advertising a missing cat. You know they were victims of the Coyotes. Another thing I learned is that the coyotes have moved into the Fox Dens and killed the local foxes and have taken their place in our environment on Cape Ann. When I was growing up here, we didn’t have Coyotes. They have moved in during the last few years. Whether they were here before, I do not know but I wonder.
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Melissa I hope Scupper and Captain continue to stay safe. I feel the same way about the missing cats throughout our neighborhood. My friend on Beach Road has a cat who stays in the house and very rarely goes outside. The coyotes come right onto her porch looking for her cat. Very frightening.
Coyotes are not indigenous to Cape Ann, or anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains, for that matter. They are a very recent introduction to Massachusetts (60 years or so) and an even more recent invasive species to Cape Ann. I found this on the Mass Audubon link that Terry Weber posted yesterday:
…coyotes have only been in Massachusetts since around 1957…”Researchers now believe that the eastern coyote is a hybridization between the western coyote and red wolves many generations ago in the upper Great Lakes region of the United States. It is theorized that as populations of the western coyote increased, they were forced to move east and north in search of food. As they moved into Minnesota they crossbred with eastern/red wolves and produced a genetically hardy animal able to sustain itself through New England winters.”
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Good to hear Cosmo survived. He still has at least 6 lives left.
I get a kick out of all these perfect know it all pet owners and probably a few that don’t own pets but just want to give their sage advice.
We had two cats. They always found a way to beat whatever obstacles we put up.
RIP Sonic and Stitch!
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So sorry to hear about Sonic and Stitch–love their names and I imagine you and the kids named them to match their personalities.
Yeah, I am a little surprised. I only asked the question–what were reader’s experience with reporting coyote attacks to state and local agencies!
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I’m so glad to hear that Cosmo is safe. When the cat came to you as a stray you took him in and loved him when others might have shooed him away. I know that it is near impossible to keep a cat in when he wants out. For instance with groceries in hand and the door open just enough for a person to squeeze in…out goes the cat. When the coyotes God forbid get hold of someone’s child will all the smarty pants give a lecture on the rights of a coyote? I hope not. Keep doing what you are doing Kim and God Bless.
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Exactly how it is walking in the house with groceries Lori!!! Thank you so much for writing!
Cosmos is a treasure and everyone in our family loves and adores him. I am so happy we have more time to spend with him and am just praying he will recover fully.
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I can only guess that Kathy did not bother to look at the the American Bird Conservancy site and the statistics about how cats are a serious threat to local native wildlife. If you choose to let your cat be an outdoor cat there are risks, some to the cat and some to local wildlife. What I am saying is you can chose to manage the wildlife by making sensible choices, or you can demonize the wildlife that is only doing what it needs to do to survive. The coyote is the underdog in this situation. It does not have owners providing shelter and food and has to survive by being a predator. I was using the garden as an analogy. I could remove the rabbits, woodchucks, and chipmunks with poisons or traps. I believe they have just as much right to exist as I do, and therefore I adjust so we can both live. Check out the website below if you think cats outdoors do no damage. Or you can choose to ignore the facts and just complain about wildlife.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html
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The Coyote is the underdog? My lord thats hilarious. Am I supposed to take anything written after that statement seriously?
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Joey, Yes, you are. Your world view is not the only one and I am shocked by how base and demeaning your comments have been with regard to people with opinions that differ from yours. In an a dialogue there is room for disagreement. Did you ever look at the website link about the damage cats cause outdoors? Or would that force you consider another point of view?
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I guess I don”t understand why Kim thinks that because Cosmo was a “stray” that he started out as an outdoor cat. He could have been an indoor cat that was abandoned by his owner. My newest addition, Marlowe, was abandoned outside when the family moved away and left him there. Thankfully, a neighbor captured him and brought him to a shelter where I adopted him. Marlowe looks out windows and reacts to wildlife, but when it comes to going out the door – he runs in the other direction. I have had cats that have adapted to indoor life. As someone said previously, you have to be diligent and that may be a pain, but the alternative is the pain of losing your loved kitty and knowing they died a horrible death be it from coyote, fisher cat, car, poison or other. No excuses, keep him in!
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Sorry to hear about Cosmos too ! But as someone stated before its not the coyotes fault they too have the right to eat .and I agree we mankind are kinda taking over what was to be theirs and give them not much choice but to hunt closer to our homes which should secure our beloved cats and dogs and do understand a busy lifestyle “extremely busy lifestyle”and I have four American bulldogs or about 700 lbs of dogs a bunny a bearded dragon 8 fish all in different tanks,and have a huge yard surrounded by woods and plenty if wildlife and yes it’s not EASY to make sure my animals are safe not only indoors from each other but when they are outdoors too I never leave my animals without supervising .YES….. It’s a huge chore that we all signed up for when we agreed to adopt each and everyone .so I know it’s not easy to keep a cat indoors but I do know plenty of other families who too have active lives w children friends galore as my kids and manage to keep their cats indoors. So I’m sorry your poor kitty had to go through all that but they do say cats have 9 lives.
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I’m sorry that your cat was hurt, and I agree with you. I lived near conservation land for over thirty years and you could let your cat out not anymore!. By the way cats have been around for thousands of years! We don’t let dogs go wild and they are from the same family as coyotes. I find it hard to believe that when a cat goes out it stays by your side and goes in the house when you do. Its just not in its nature, not all cats are happy in the house. There is danger everywhere, when we go out we face many dangers things can happen, You can slip on ice, you can hit by a car, get in a car accident, you can get mugged ect My point is that we take precautions when we go out to and try to keep safe. We don’t stay locked in a house out of fear. In the last ten years the coyote population has increased and it is not safe, My neighbor walked his dog on a leash and was followed by a few coyotes. I don’t like the idea of killing coyotes either, but I have small grandchildren and live on a dead end street and I don’t like them to be 3 feet away from me in case the coyotes come out. I think if people really care about the coyotes they should save there money and start a non profit group to find a safe place to relocate these animals, start a spay and neutered program, open a sanctuary or if its nature takes its course people have a right to protect their family and love ones and pets just as a coyote would protect their family or loved ones. It would be much better to find a positive solution to the problem because like it or not coyotes are becoming a problem.
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Susan…shut your pie hole!
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I’ve heard of at least one cat vanishing in the Billerica, MA area. As in other cases, they hunt in pack in the suburbs north of Boston. It’s actually very scary. And yes, the truth is they are wild, predators who have to hunt to eat, but what bothers me about the Eastern Coyote is that they are a wolf hybrid. Researchers have confirmed that they have the natural, calmness that coyotes have around humans; a comfort. They are not all that scared of us. They have this combined with the size, strength and instincts of the Gray Wolves that are in their DNA – this is why they have grown so big and husky. They are beautiful, but a certain threat. Many are saying that it is only a matter of time before a child or an elderly person is attacked. Or a disabled person. So, humbly do I agree with the researchers who have concluded, in many cases, that they need to be “taught” to fear people. That’s right. The truth. They do. If not, beloved pets like Cosmo “the tough guy” 🙂 LOL – God bless him, won’t be the only ones falling prey.
They are HUGE up here. At least the size of a German Shepard or Husky. Nothing you want around. A person will eventually be attacked.
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We just lost our 15 year old cat about 5 days ago…..well he’s been missing for 5 days now and he NEVER wandered away. The only thing we have left of him are some large dried blood droplets (about the size of a quarter) on the driveway that leads down towards the road and then they stop. I’m devastated, he was our only cat and managed to survive for 15 years in the mountains that are filled with bobcats, coyotes, cougars and hawks. If it wasn’t a coyote, it was something else. We last saw him go outside at about 6pm on a Sat., it’s now Thurs. and no other sign of him. We had our windows open that evening he went missing and never heard any noise like an animal attack was happening, so it must happened fast and by surprise. I miss my kitty so much, the mental visual of my beloved cat being snatched and taken is haunting me non-stop right now. I wish there was a way to find him for some closure, blood stains on the driveway do nothing but add salt to the wounds.
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