Coyote attacked my cat right in my yard in camden county NJ......

Don't know if this is the correct forum, but I couldn't find a wildlife forum....anyway, Monday morning, my cat starts screaming, he is an outdoor cat, next thing I see, he jumps up on my sun porch ledge with blood down his back. What I see next, blows my mind!! A coyote, walking nice as you please, inside my yard by my kids trampoline. I followed it back into the woods...I'm in clementon nj, yes surrounded by approx 32 acres, but never seen a coyote.

Come to find out, a few years ago, the animal rights activists, decided instead of killing them, they would release them into the wild. Not far from me. They told no one. They figured the coyotes would control the deer population.

Fast forward, found out a woman earlier that same morning called in a coyote also local. Finally got a hold of the nj wildlife guy, he tells me they are common in nj, and wanted my address, just to keep track of the sightings!! I thought they might do more since it attacked my cat?? Our 2 sightings were the first they had out of clementon, so far, but now I don't even want the kids playing alone outside...I swear every day, I get more afraid of what's gonna pop outta my woods!! Has this happened to anyone else???

reply to post by j.r.c.b.


The coyote's are making a come back, definitely thanks to the activists, and have been invading the tri state area for a few years now at least.

Coyotes in New York City: A Bonus?

In March 2010, a wild coyote led the police on a chase through Lower Manhattan. The vagabond was ultimately caught in a parking lot in TriBeCa.

It was just one of many coyotes that have wandered into the city over the years. At least four others were sighted the same year, in Harlem, near Columbia University and in Central Park. They’ve also been seen in Los Angeles, Chicago and in the Boston area.

The growing presence of these top predators in New York City has piqued the interest of researchers, who say that coyotes in human territory might not be such a bad thing.

“What happens is that when there’s a top predator, it will help control other levels of the food chain,” said Mark Weckel, an ecologist and doctoral student at the City University of New York.

Sorry about your cat.

If you let your cat roam outside, it's chances of being killed kind of sky rockets.

I'd be much more worried about cars than coyotes.

I usually hear them cackle at night time, it's creepy as hell.

Although media reports of such attacks generally identify the animals in question as simply "coyotes", research into the genetics of the eastern coyote indicates those involved in attacks in northeast North America, including Pennsylvania, New York, New England, and eastern Canada, may have actually been coywolves, hybrids of Canis latrans and Canis lupus, not fully coyotes.

en.wikipedia.org...

~Coyote Attack Vids~

TY....before anyone asks why he is outdoor, my 8 yr old developed a severe allergy to cats, just like myself...we have his bed in a nice warm heater room under the porch, and he is fixed and updated on shots....

Probably time to make your cat stay home for a while I'd guess. I hope it's ok? I live in a large city and we have coyotes all over, I see them on the local pitch and putt all the time deer too and that's in a very densely populated area. Those activists who told no one about the release must have told someone in order for you to find out no?

Originally posted by Trustfund
If you let your cat roam outside what do you really expect to happen?

Amen, we've got all sorts of coyotes and fox here in Milwaukee county... people that don't think things through lose their pets here as well.

i lost a cat to coyotes almost 2 years ago..i see one once in a blue moon..i dunno it sux to lose a pet but everything has to live somewhere..i see alot of skunks a racoons too..i have heard that you can buy wolf urine to put around the perimeter of your property..it will keep them away, google it and there are quite a few pages
good luck

I guess someone who loves coyotes as much as we love our kids and pets won out on getting them released back into the wild.

Hope your cat's ok.

Originally posted by j.r.c.b.
TY....before anyone asks why he is outdoor, my 8 yr old developed a severe allergy to cats, just like myself...we have his bed in a nice warm heater room under the porch, and he is fixed and updated on shots....

Sadly I'd say the cats destiny is sealed, the coyote may remember the near catch and return. Maybe try and relocate kitty?...I do understand how difficult that may be and obviously it can no longer stay in the house. Really hope it ends well for the cat.

reply to post by minkmouse


Wow, even the city??!! Ÿes, we have a good size deer population, turkeys, possums, raccoons......all the usual. The shock is, he made into these woods from apparently the Medford area! Never thought I would see a coyote. What next?? Bobcat, bear?? Bears were spotted in Atco, which is only 20 minutes away. This has me nervous...

If your state law allows keep some firecrackers on hand to scare it next time. It should keep it away. If not use something loud.
A motion sensor light can help. Keep any trash cans up so not to attract them. Other than that Wolf urine to deter them. I don't know if human urine will work but it might work for territorial marking.

Originally posted by vonclod
i lost a cat to coyotes almost 2 years ago..i see one once in a blue moon..i dunno it sux to lose a pet but everything has to live somewhere..i see alot of skunks a racoons too..i have heard that you can buy wolf urine to put around the perimeter of your property..it will keep them away, google it and there are quite a few pages
good luck

Great reply in my books, never would have thought of that

reply to post by minkmouse

We are gonna try to put him in with my older son in the basement....I feel awful for him!! So long as we can keep him in the basement, my youngest should be o.k.

reply to post by j.r.c.b.


All the time. I live on a little less than an acre by the lake. I get coyotes, cows, deer, gray fox, racoons, armadillos, opossum, rattlesnakes, copperheads, tarantulas (pretty common), scorpions, black widows, brown recluse, owls, woodpeckers and the list goes on. I can back up my claims with photographs.

Coyotes aren't a common sighting in my back yard, though. Just the deer carcasses they leave behind. I have a pile of bones and skulls in a mock-up pet cemetery in my front yard, all picked up after the ants and buzzards cleaned the flesh off.

Unfortunately, some jackass decided to buy up the heavily wooded area behind my house and is developing suburbs. There goes my peace, quiet, and privacy. I'm sure the wildlife will be scant as well in the coming months as they are developing on a major deer path. I have heretofore been unable to keep a fence erected because of the deer.

I'll put up with the wildlife over any population of humans any day. Count your blessings my friend.

reply to post by vonclod


Interesting!! Gonna check into this. TY!! You've all been very helpful so far...much appreciate it!

reply to post by minkmouse


Łocal cops, which my cousin happens to be on that specific force. He didn't tell us until this happened. He said they didn't expect the coyotes to make it this far...

Originally posted by j.r.c.b.
reply to post by minkmouse

 

We are gonna try to put him in with my older son in the basement....I feel awful for him!! So long as we can keep him in the basement, my youngest should be o.k.

That's a great idea but if it's an outdoor cat it may pine for the wilds and cats can sneak past people unnoticed in a heartbeat if they're on a mission. Maybe it's time to buy that big old dog you always wanted

reply to post by j.r.c.b.


I am also guessing that that's why the hunters aren't getting many deer up there as of late...sad because hunters kept the population of deer down and you did't have to worry about them attacking your pets or children what moronic motivations the darn activists have. I mean isn't there a more appropriate place to place them? Like somewhere with minimal human population?

reply to post by minkmouse


Lol...he lived most of his life indoors, so he does like to come inside..we got a dog, which thankfully alerted me immediately, that his little buddy was in trouble...so sweet...

Coyotes are encroaching all over the place, I'm pretty sure that it has to do with climate change and depletion of their natural environments more then someone releasing a few locally. They are considered a hazardous invasive species, and must consume tremendous amounts of meat per day. Because of the hazard that they present to cattle, and the amount of power that the cattle lobby has, in many places you are free to kill them without a license or permit (check your local laws though).

www.nj.com...
At some point during the 20th century, the wild canines began traipsing their way east, making it all the way to New Jersey, where they’ve found their own suburban niche. With pointy ears, sharp teeth and a certain air of indifference, they’ll gobble everything from grasshoppers to disabled deer.

These suckers will kill your pets, and have no problem with bringing down even bigger game such as cattle and even at least one adult human.

Nova Scotia:

en.wikipedia.org...
Taylor Josephine Stephanie Luciow, known by her stage name Taylor Mitchell, (August 27, 1990 – October 28, 2009[4]) was a Canadian folk singer. She is the only adult person, and second person overall, known to be fatally attacked by coyotes.

California:

www.ktla.com...
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KTLA) -- Huntington Beach residents are demanding a solution to a coyote problem in the city, after three coyotes killed a dog at a park last weekend.

A couple says they were walking their small two dogs at the Huntington Beach Central Park nature reserve when a trio of coyotes snatched one of the dogs, named Chloe.

Chicago:

www.urbancoyoteresearch.com...
One of the greatest conflicts between people and coyotes is the occasional attack on a domestic pet by a coyote. In some areas frequented by coyotes, it is not difficult to find an account of a pet attack or missing cat (presumed to have been eaten by a coyote) in the local newspaper.
To increase our understanding of coyote attacks on domestic pets, we searched newspaper databases for articles on pet attacks in the Chicago metropolitan area. Through these articles, we found records of 70 attacks on dogs, 10 attacks on cats, and alleged attacks on a duck and pig.

Florida:

www.naplesnews.com...
An Estero woman may have the dubious distinction of being the first documented case of a coyote biting a human in Florida.
Deborah Berry, who lives in the Shadow Wood area of the Brooks community where coyotes have been feeding on small dogs recently, was bitten by a coyote on her right calf about 8 p.m. Sunday, according to a report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The bite left four puncture wounds, and she will undergo rabies shots as a precaution.
She was taken by ambulance to NCH North Naples Hospital, where she was treated for the wounds and later released, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Berry’s dog, Ellie, a Dachshund, also was seriously injured in the attack that occurred on Sterling Loop Boulevard near her home at 10000 North Ridge Court.

My best advice is to get a permit then lay out traps or shoot them. They have been known to take pets right off their owners leash, so just watching your pets is not going to be enough to stop an actual attack. It sounds like this time you just got lucky.

BTW...
It appears that you do need a permit in NJ:

Through March 15, an estimated 2,000 permit holders will scout the woods with shotguns and crossbows, seeking out rogue canines after dark.
If state counts are correct, there might be more coyotes in New Jersey than black bears. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife biologist Andrew Burnett estimates that the population could be north of 5,000. In comparison, the bear tally before the December hunt was estimated at 3,400. Both animals feast on small critters and consumer waste.

Good Luck.