Just lost one of our cats to a coyote
Oct 12th 2007, 7:07 pm
#31
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: St John's NL
Posts: 246
Re: Just lost one of our cats to a coyote
Really sorry to hear about your cat. I think it was a nice idea to wait to tell the children, I hope they are ok.
TG~
TG~
Oct 13th 2007, 2:50 am
#32
Banned
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: Beautiful BC
Posts: 1,106
Re: Just lost one of our cats to a coyote
Poor you, how traumatic! 
but it's true it seems to be a fact of life out here. The coyotes are quite unafraid of humans and will attack many dogs let alone a little cat!
Subsequent posts have put me in mind of when my parents first moved to their small country village in Sussex. They had a large male burmese cat called Bruno. When they had been but a few days in their new home, said cat came home dragging a HUGE white rabbit, obviously somebody's family pet! It was quite dead but totally unmarked, and about half as big again as the cat.
So my dad had the unenviable task of going round the neighbours to introduce himself, and ask if anyone had lost a pet rabbit.
(he did consider leaving it somewhere where it might be found, but his conscience got the better of him!) 
It turns out the rabbit had been housed in a pen specially high-sided so it'd be unable to jump out and would be safe from marauding foxes! ..... they hadn't met our cat!!
I think the neighbours forgave them..... eventually.
This cat was a wicked hunter though .... even brought home pheasants which were also considerably bigger than himself. We were sure he'd end up shot by the local gamekeeper!
One time dad wrestled the pheasant off him, as it too was unmarked, and decided to hang it in the garage from a hook in the ceiling, planning to pluck it and eat it themselves. That evening, hearing a disturbance, they went out and found the cat swinging from the garage roof, trying to reclaim his prize!
but it's true it seems to be a fact of life out here. The coyotes are quite unafraid of humans and will attack many dogs let alone a little cat! Subsequent posts have put me in mind of when my parents first moved to their small country village in Sussex. They had a large male burmese cat called Bruno. When they had been but a few days in their new home, said cat came home dragging a HUGE white rabbit, obviously somebody's family pet! It was quite dead but totally unmarked, and about half as big again as the cat.
So my dad had the unenviable task of going round the neighbours to introduce himself, and ask if anyone had lost a pet rabbit.
(he did consider leaving it somewhere where it might be found, but his conscience got the better of him!) It turns out the rabbit had been housed in a pen specially high-sided so it'd be unable to jump out and would be safe from marauding foxes! ..... they hadn't met our cat!!
I think the neighbours forgave them..... eventually.
This cat was a wicked hunter though .... even brought home pheasants which were also considerably bigger than himself. We were sure he'd end up shot by the local gamekeeper!
One time dad wrestled the pheasant off him, as it too was unmarked, and decided to hang it in the garage from a hook in the ceiling, planning to pluck it and eat it themselves. That evening, hearing a disturbance, they went out and found the cat swinging from the garage roof, trying to reclaim his prize!
Oct 13th 2007, 6:00 am
#33
little snowy owl
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,921
Re: Just lost one of our cats to a coyote
.....Anyway, they went out and left the cat shut in an upstairs bedroom, as they didn't want the dog to eat him while they were out. It was a hot summer, and they left a window open just a tiny crack.......
The room was empty when they returned, and the cat was never seen again; not a trace! They lived for a while in hope that he'd turn up one day, or even find his way home! Posters were put up and all the neighbours were searched! (Bro was a policeman
) I once watched a cat slide out of a tiny crack in a window frame .... it was phenominal to observe as it flattened it's head to get that through, then turned sideways and sort of wriggled until its shoulders were out, then the rest of it slithered after! Be warned folks! A determioned cat makes a great escape artiste!!
Oct 13th 2007, 10:47 am
#34
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: SUMMERSIDE PEI
Posts: 145
Re: Just lost one of our cats to a coyote
just read your thread
sad story
don't blame yourself cats need to get out
feel for you though (remenbering how sad i was when i lost mine )
vee
sad story
don't blame yourself cats need to get out
feel for you though (remenbering how sad i was when i lost mine )
vee
Oct 13th 2007, 5:20 pm
#35
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 1,464
Re: Just lost one of our cats to a coyote
Sadly, he was lost! Mum and Dad took Bruno with them when they went to house-sit my brother's place in Dorset. He also had a Newfie dog, so I guess they were dog-sitting rather than house-sitting ........ I digress, sorry.....
Anyway, they went out and left the cat shut in an upstairs bedroom, as they didn't want the dog to eat him while they were out. It was a hot summer, and they left a window open just a tiny crack.......
The room was empty when they returned, and the cat was never seen again; not a trace! They lived for a while in hope that he'd turn up one day, or even find his way home! Posters were put up and all the neighbours were searched! (Bro was a policeman)
I once watched a cat slide out of a tiny crack in a window frame .... it was phenominal to observe as it flattened it's head to get that through, then turned sideways and sort of wriggled until its shoulders were out, then the rest of it slithered after! Be warned folks! A determioned cat makes a great escape artiste!!
.....Anyway, they went out and left the cat shut in an upstairs bedroom, as they didn't want the dog to eat him while they were out. It was a hot summer, and they left a window open just a tiny crack.......
The room was empty when they returned, and the cat was never seen again; not a trace! They lived for a while in hope that he'd turn up one day, or even find his way home! Posters were put up and all the neighbours were searched! (Bro was a policeman
) I once watched a cat slide out of a tiny crack in a window frame .... it was phenominal to observe as it flattened it's head to get that through, then turned sideways and sort of wriggled until its shoulders were out, then the rest of it slithered after! Be warned folks! A determioned cat makes a great escape artiste!!
I Know exactly what you mean. I have had to cat 'proof' our deck so the cats don't get out. 1st of all husband put a childs stair gate on but put it a few inches up from the bottom.:curse: when i pointed it out he said the cats can't get through that so i let them out. They sniffed the gate and hey presto, one of them flattened themselves out and was off down the stairs.
Next i put some mesh wire at the bottom. That stopped Dora for a day or 2 and then she decided to walk under the glass panel on the deck, teeter on the edge and walk round to the stairs :curse: so....i then wire meshed all around the deck!!! And all escape bids ceased.
A few weeks ago (2months after putting the mesh up!) Dora decides to jump the stair gate! so now i have a HUGE piece of wood propped up against the gate untill i can think off something else.
Im sure that cat must have been an acrobat in a past life
