Is it common for a coyote to attack cats??? There is a large field behind our house, and we've heard coyotes?

Question

Is it common for a coyote to attack cats??? There is a large field behind our house, and we've heard coyotes?

back there before, all of a sudden 2 of our cats went missing within a 1 week time period.... I know this might sound like an obvious answer, but we've had cats that have went back there before (they are indoor/outdoor) and nothing has happened to them and we've lived here for 12 years! Now all of a sudden two of our cats were missing....well today I saw some vultures circling around the field with my binoculars so I went over behind the house to go see what was going on, (i knew something was dead, i wanted to see if it was my cat....) and sure enough the vulture had my cat's head in it's mouth and flew away......So I know how ONE of my cat's died and I assume it was a wild animal because there aren't any close roads nearby that could have caused this. So now that I've dragged this on LOL I just want to know what could of killed my cats so suddenly? I assume it's a coyote, but I'm not sure if they are known for attacking cats??

Any ideas on what could of happened? ( btw we live in a surburban area, so we're not in the middle of nowhere)

Answer 1

I am pretty sure that that is true. If you have a cat that goes in the field take him in at nights just in cause they attack your cat.

Answer 2

they eat anything they can catch...

keep the kitties in the house.

Answer 3

YES - very common.  Housecats are one of the favourite meals for coyotes.  As a shelter volunteer I often hear from potential adopters that their last two or three cats were killed by coyotes but they STILL insist "cats belong outdoors". You don't have to be "in the middle of nowhere" to lose a cat to a coyote - if they're present, they'll kill them.  The more humans encroach on coyotes' habitat and kill off their normal prey (deer, rabbits, etc) the more coyotes will seek out free roaming pets for food.  Hopefully any cats you get in the future you'll keep INDOORS where they belong.

Rather disturbing you put "LOL" in a post about your cat's dying!!

Answer 4

Coyotes will definately kill cats. I live in a suburban area, and we have coyotes that actually come up in our yard. Another predator of kitties are foxes. My cousin had a large orange male cat (many many years ago) that went missing one day in the Winter. She went looking for him and found a blood trail with some red fox hair & orange hair. For the last 10 yrs. our cats have all been inside. They made the adjustment well and it's really the best, for their health and safety. (Not to mention the safety of the smaller wildlife in your area)

p.s. Coyotes are not just nocturnal predators. They are active during the daylight hours also.

Answer 5

Aww I'm so sorry to hear this.  I was devastated every time that one of our rehabbed feral barn cats went missing - we couldn't keep them indoors.  Every Spring would cause me to become more extreme with my measure to keep the cats safe, but the coyotes always seemed to win.  I ended up bringing all the cats (the ones that weren't too afraid of me) in the barn at night near the end.

We started out with 17 feral cats on that property we purchased 8 yrs ago.  When we left last year there were only 2; one of which was tame enough to give to the neighbour to become a house cat, the other was too wild still, but spayed so that she wouldn't produce more.  One by one I watched them go.  It was horrible.

Coyotes will take cats at any time.  They are opportunists; if the opportunity is there (ie: the cat) they will take it.  Springtime was the worst as the adults had to feed the pups.  Wintertime had them out in full force looking for anything they could eat.

I would say that the reason nothing has happened in the past is the number of coyotes were low, they were probably further from your home and possibly a food source was already established.  They also get braver with time, and once one cat is killed, then tend to know where to get "food" from and will den at that sight or near.

I do suggest that you keep your cats indoors, or at least do your best to bring them in before dusk, and not let them out before dawn.

My cats are all indoors during the Spring - 24hrs/7 days a week.  Wintertime I do let them out only in the daytime.  Not only do they live longer being indoor cats, but they're are healthier, as well.