If so, I'd be certain to keep him inside at night. In a fight with a coyote, I wouldn't count on the cat coming out on top.

Lots of cats around here get eaten by coyotes, sadly. If you think there is one around, please keep your cat inside.

okay, no more nightly prowls for Jed anymore...I sure don't want to lose him.

No, I do not think that is possible. I hope you do not have coyotes nearby. Maybe keep an eye out for them in the next few days, and the other eye on the kitty.

This post was edited by lucille on Sun, Jun 15, 14 at 15:24

We lost our cat to coyotes. We always called her in before dark, but they got her in the afternoon. We have lots of coyotes here, and it is not terribly unusual to see them in the afternoons, especially in the heat of summer.

If that kitty could attack and chase off the dog that was attacking that little boy, then I would think it would be possible your cat chased off coyotes.

But I agree that I wouldn't want to take the chance of losing my kitty that way.

Brave kitty!!

Not likely, coyotes have pack mentality and hunt that way in packs. They will circle their prey and come in from all sides which leaves a single animal no escape path. They are very successful hunters and take out pets of various types and sizes daily. Around here many people have lost their pets to them. My little dog would be a snack, she never goes out unless she is on a leash.

My guess is that the cat was yowling to get your attention and when the door was opened that is what caused them to flee.

It actually could have been a young deer he saw and the cat could have been reacting to the deer. A less dangerous situation but a kick in the head from a deer can be deadly for a cat.

Laura, on my side of town, there are lots of fox sightings.

Warnings have been posted whilst back about keeping small pets inside.

So you might very well have fox.

oh yes we have foxes, but I am not afraid of the foxes like I am coyotes.

But in either way no more nights out for Jed...He can go outside on our screened in porch to satisfy his inner lion, It even has a kitty lock on the lower part of the door so they can't push their way thru the screen door...

Animal experts recommend keeping cats indoors in all cases, because there are so many life-threatening risks outside. Even for those not living near wild areas, there's a significant risk just from having fights with other cats.

Here's one article of a zillion that can be found. A cat's life expectancy more than doubles by keeping it indoors. Those of you thinking "well I had this cat who went outside, he lived to 15" are statistically more than offset by all the people whose poor kitties have "disappeared" or have been found dead.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reasons to keep your cat indoors

Laura, I meant coyote! Here's portions from an article on Inverness near me. Being as you and I love fairly close this could apply to you as well.

............................................................................

Wild coyotes are plaguing the Inverness community in north Shelby County, killing small pets and alarming residents.

The problem has gotten to the point where the Inverness Master Homeowners Association has hired a professional trapper to capture the wild beasts in hopes of stopping the carnage.

The coyotes have been a problem in Inverness for probably five to seven years, but their attacks on animals seem to have escalated

The coyotes tend to feast on cats, but they also prey on small dogs and other small animals, Boyd said.

His 13-year-old cat, Althea, disappeared four years ago, he said. He at first thought Althea may have wandered away, but he soon discovered there were eight cats missing in the community at the same time, he said.

"It was very clear as to what was going on," Boyd said. "Some people watched one cat get torn up one morning on one of the fairways of the golf course ... One family in Inverness, they watched the coyote grab their cat and take off in the woods."

Many people are unaware of the problem because the coyotes come out at night, but the attacks have become more common and more blatant. "In one community, a coyote attacked a dog on a leash as someone was walking a dog,"

It's not just animals that are at risk, One parent noticed coyotes watching their small children in their back
yard.

Coyotes are not native to this area, Boyd said. They were brought in to help thin out the deer population, but as suburbs expanded and the woods have shrunk, people and wildlife have started intersecting more and more, he said.

Coyotes in Alabama don't usually travel in large packs. It's usually the father, mother and their offspring for that year, The pups that are out there now probably are 3 to 4 months old, and he wants to capture them before they realize that people and their pets supply an easy food source for them, he said.

Don't be too complacent about foxes, Laura. I've read that cat skulls and skeletons have been found in fox dens.

No cat anywhere should be allowed outside. Traffic (it only takes one car-even yours) disease, coyotes, owls. Any cat allowed outside is on borrowed time from the moment the decision is made to let them out.

Well Jed & Pepper will be banished to the screened in porch when they want to play "outside" I had Sam clean it up a bit this afternoon. I had him take the chaise lounge cushions and fold them up to look like a tent so that is one hidey hole. They love sitting in chairs so he made sure the chairs are reachable to them.. Sam also cleared out all the pots so I can start planting plants in them. It is mostly going to be marigolds. i wonder if Morning Glories could climb up the screen????

I'd bet that what you heard & saw was your cat, & maybe a fawn, dog, calf, etc, in terrified flight from a predator.

The reason she wanted back outside is because she's a cat.

& cats ain't got no sense.

(& since I am owned by a cat, does that make me???)

My last cat was killed by a car, she was found dead in the curb. I didn't get another one for a while but have vowed she will stay inside. I don't see how that hurts her. We recently went to vet for her shots and was told how healthy she is. Just tartar on back molars.

She is four years and never been outside at this house. She is clean and has no fleas.I believe what the article said.Guess it's just a matter of personal opinion.

Hawks will also kill a cat or small dog. I firmly believe that cats should be inside cats always. No fleas, no dangers to face, much healthier.

I rarely if ever post on this forum, but had to chime in to say, keep your cats inside--much safer, and healthier for them.

My DH was sitting on a bench with our cat on a halter & leash.He/the cat started leaning forward looking around the blind corner, then standing back up. All of a sudden a fox rounded the corner, he knocked it down and I was indoors hearing cat fight screaming noises. Dh yanked the leash, pulling our cat off the screaming fox, which was on it's back....picked up the cat as the fox ran off.

The cat was all puffed up....like he was in his element. He was loving life!

OH.....he's 10lb, 11oz and declawed!

This post was edited by nicole__ on Mon, Jun 16, 14 at 23:34

add me to the list with coyotes...and I'm in an urban area about half a block from famed 8 mile (from the movie) only in Oakland county...not only did I confront one (dumb me) who was trying to get our wild mallard ducks, we also have had deer, once in a great while...was very lucky that my kitties were homebodies, and stayed in the yard...(and all were spayed and neutered)

No. Period.

Laura, coyotes aren't afraid of cats, I don't care how large they are. Plus, they often work in teams. I have seen a mother raccoon chase off a coyote, but it was a single coyote and raccoons are a lot more fierce than cats.