I live across from a canyon that has many coyotes..it's their home and they aren't going to be relocated. Even the street smart cats aren't safe.. some of my neighbors have outdoor cats that have lasted a long time..but all to often I see the "missing cat" signs at the gate to my neighborhood. I also volunteered at the animal shelter and every Sunday we'd have a flood of cat owners looking for their missing cats... I have 2 indooor 3 year old cats...they are happy because they were raised as kittens to be indoors... I'm not saying this to make anyone feel bad... just to know that in coyote areas there is no way to insure they won't get your cat. Of course there are hazards indoors too.. medicines ect... but it is an alternative to be considered. As far as the turkey bones ect... also no one should leave pet food sitting outside for their animals as this can also attract them. Thanyou for sharing about the risk with us kit's dad...

Coyote's are a threat to little children too. There have been many cases where they have gone after toddlers. I live where there is coyote's and my last state I lived in we had lots of coyotes also. They actually will send their females in heat to antagonize a male dog into going out after her and then they attack the male dog which could be your pet. They love to snatch cats. If you live in coyote country you also live where there is horned owls and they also will snatch your cat. I would think about household cats only. If a coyote snatched my cats or killed my dog I think honestly I would be getting a .223 and I would thin the pack. They can be very dangerous. I am not a hunter by nature so don't get me wrong, but when they are becoming a threat to you and your family then something has to be done. Mankind has been taking over natural places that they live, and man has been pushing the predators out of their natural habitat which can spell disaster. I lived in colorado for 26 years and It always made me mad when the people had to have their houses up with the predators natural hunting grounds. Then you hear of the mountain lion that got shot by the fish and game department or the police. So you have to understand that when you do live with natural predators in your area you have to watch your household animals and toddlers very close...Indoor only cats, and when dogs and kids are outside you should be out with them supervising.

I hope my input doesn't seem cold or hard but I have a very strong opinion on this subject. Domesticated animals should not be left to run wild. Neither should small children. Once they do, they are at risk. And WE have then PUT them at risk.

There is no such thing as a "street smart" child or cat. They cannot make judgement calls regarding their own safety. Even if there were, other cats out there carry disease, there are cars, cruel people with rocks, etc... I wouldn't want to handle being out wandering the dark streets alone - and I'm a 37 year old man with a second degree black belt in karate.

By the way, as much as I truly sympathize with anyone who has lost a pet for ANY reason - nobody can ever change my mind on this subject, no matter how "smart" our cats may seem. Please don't try. I have YET to see a single argument that didn't rely on emotional weakness on an owner's part ("I can't bear to lock them up") or a deliberate disregard for their safety ("It won't happen to MY cat"). This is irresponsible and unfortunate.

If cats were smart enough to be wandering out amongst the cars, owls and coyotes, they would be running the world by now. My cat is very smart. And in a panic, he runs in any random direction. I've seen him run into the couch, a wall and other things.

The problem is that coyotes find it easier to take domestic cats and small dogs, rather than wild prey, after their first success. Pets are creatures of habit and have to return to the home. That makes it very easy for the coyote to track them. I read one website where they said 50 cat collars were found in one coyote den. Its not about inside or outside so much: one of my neighbors had their small dog grabbed and taken while they were walking it on a leash. Another had its dogs attacked while they were in the yard (they survived thanks to a quick thinking owner who hit the coyote with a piece of wood). The argument "its only their nature" falls apart then - would you stand there and let your pet be taken because you live next to the coyotes' home? I don't think so.

When the coyote population expands beyond its natural number because they find food from human activity there is a problem. Then I think a case can be made to thin them. There are, however, alternatives to killing them. I felt useless with a coyote standing on my front yard. He saw no danger. But now I have a pellet gun. He will learn that taking pets is not such an easy alternative to rats & mice. It will not kill him but he will feel pain. I was advised by a very experienced woodsman (actually a lifelong dam keeper) that coyotes quickly learn from the very sharp sting of a pellet and will keep their distance.

I lived in New Mexico for three years and I would never have let Misty or Stormy outside unleashed or unsupervised. We had coyotes up and down our street every night, along with the hawks and owls (we were on the very last street before the neighborhood ended and the desert began). Every week, there'd be signs up..."Missing Cat," "Lost Dog." Luckily Misty never tried to run outside, Stormy tried once and only got a few feet.

I could have built a gilded cage but what would I have done? I would have killed the very thing I loved. There was no way I could have kept her in. Every time anyone opened the door she would zip out and when you chased her she would make good her getaway. The compromise was to make sure they were in between dusk and 9 am. It wasn't enough. My friend, who once owned a farm, told me that they "solved" their coyote-cat problem by not feeding them until 4:30pm to make sure they were in at night - well I did that too and they were always locked in before 5pm. It just didn't work.

She knew when the garage door would open in the morning and she would contrive to be hidden in the garage waiting for it. She even knew when my wife would come home and there was quite a dance to make sure that Kit was in the house and everything was sealed up before the kitchen door opened.

When she first went to my neighbors house Kit entered through the dog door. My neighbor was at home and watched the drama unfold with Rusty, her lab, asleep in the hallway. Kit walked up to Rusty (she hadn't seen the human in the kitchen) and sniffed his nose. Rusty woke up with a start and Kit jumped back 6 feet. Then Kit went back to his nose and sniffed him again. Rusty's tail wagged. They sat looking at eachother for a few minutes then they went outside where a long game of tag ensued. My neighbor was captivated. She said Rusty pined for Kit when she wasn't around.

I just don't see how one can confine a cat to the indoors when they're not built that way. Two cats we've owned were "stay home" cats, the current tuxedo and one of our tabbies - even if they went out they would never dream of leaving the garden and the slightest russle would have them scampering in.

The other two, including Kit, were the opposite - going into the garden was just a way of starting a journey. Remember that the tabby lived to be 16 1/2 even tho' she was a wanderer. I think that's a pretty good measure of the relative safety of the area. When she passed it was quietly in my arms. She became a great cat, she certainly wasn't one when we got her as a 2 month old kitten - nobody wanted her! One of our relatives nicknamed her "Hissing Sid". I don't think she would have lived and loved if I had locked her in.

As I sit here I hear the tuxedo hammering at the screen door, trying to get out and giving the most plaintiff wail!

Romeo's dad,
Please don't get the idea that anyone blames you for letting your cat out... you took the measures that you could to protect your dear kitten.
As a cat owner of 2 indoor cats... I'm just saying that it is possible to provide them a good, interesting quality of life indoors especially if they are trained to be so as kittens. In the area I live in it is very dangerous for cats and they don't last long so at the shelter I volunteer at we try to encourage indoor homes for the cats we adopt out.
Pet disease is also rampant in our area right now... The latest studies have shown that the average life span for an outdoor cat is 3 years... indoor 16... I got that from a reputable study at the shelter (nation wide study) but don't have the facts to support it anymore.
I feel bad because I'm the one that brought up the outdoor vs indoor and I'm sure it's doing nothing to comfort you in your loss. You did nothing wrong, you clearly loved your kitty and gave that kitty a wonderful home. As far as your cat with the plantive howl to get out... as that cats owner you would decide if the quality of life indoors was not enough to make him/her happy to offset the risk (slight or large in your area) to let him/her out. God bless you and thankyou for your intelligent input as to what we can do to minimize the coyote risk. You are clearly a special person any animal would be blessed to be in your care. Terri

My 2 very first cats I had were indoor outdoor cats. My male cat was named Red and the female was named Doo Doo. lol Red was a very territorial cat, and his dispostition was very undesirable when he was young. He finally grew into a really neat cat. From his inside/outside experiences he was shot with a pellet gun and in the end he died of FIP when he was 12. I had other cats but they were indoor only cats. I had learned from experience you just could not keep a cat as long being an outdoor cat as well. Doo Doo was his side kick. She was my other cat that went outside. After Red got FIP and died she was kept inside and never let out again. Sure there was a battle with her. And oh she tried to get out every chance that she could. She finally gave up. I had her till she was almost 21. When Red got FIP and I saw him dying of FIP there was no way that I was going to let my other cats get a disease like that. The odds of your cats living a long life without disease or accident is low when you let them outside. They can be taught to stay inside. Usually it is better to teach them when they are young. I have only one cat who likes to bolt for the door and that is Mort, she likes to graze the grass outside, and she gets put back in the house. However mort has been taught to go outside now with a harness, leash and mom or dad. All my other cats do not like the great outdoors because they do not have experience out in the big world. It is not cruel to keep your cat inside. Ask your vet and he/she will tell you the samething. Besides coyotes, disease is a big threat. You don't want your outside cats to bring home FIV, Feline lukemia, or FIP to your other cats. That would be a heart wrenching experience as you lose 1 at a time to one of those diseases. Trust me it is awful to see them die like that.