Coyote in garden - Photo: by Librarian Avenger (Flickr). The photographer says the coyote was "hunting wild sandwiches"
Can a cat escape coyote attack? Well yes but a lot don't. I guess it depends on the circumstances and the cat's expertise at survival. A cat cannot beat a coyote in a fight so he or she will have to escape. Cat vs coyote - cat loses unless it is a wildcat such as the mountain lion. A coyote would avoid a puma.
I live in the UK so I don't have that potential fear of losing a cat due to a coyote attack. We have foxes here but they don't attack the domestic cat usually, it appears, probably because the adult domestic cat is a match for a standard British fox. My three legged boy got close to a fox once and the two just got on in a slightly tense way.
The coyote (American jackal or the prairie wolf) is a different sort of animal altogether, though. This animal is common across the north American continent as far as I am aware (my American friends will correct me if I am wrong) and it attacks domestic cats and dogs. It is resourceful and can be a hybrid of a wolf.
They are adaptable and have integrated into the human environment. Despite being hunted they survive well as a species. The leopard is an example of an adaptable wild cat.
A recent story (mid June 2011) prompted me to write this. The location is Battle Ground (apt name). The coyote chased the cat into the house through the cat flap/door. American cat flaps are much larger that UK ones. A coyote could not get through a Brit cat flap/door. The US cat doors are in fact large enough for a dog to get through. Maybe in a countryside environment the person should fit a smaller cat flap. Just a thought. Maybe there should be a coyote proof cat door? Maybe there is!
The cat was able to escape the coyote once inside the house (plenty of hiding places) and the coyote became very frightened and defecated and pissed all over the place - the house owner also became scared! The coyote was trapped. Eventually he was forced out and he ran away. Thank God he was not shot. I don't like shooting wild animals as an answer to problems. The coyote was just behaving naturally - why shoot?
The cat's caretaker is very sensible. He says he invaded the coyote's territory not the other way around - true.
So, my question is how concerned are cat keepers who let their cats out about a possible coyote attack?
As to answering the question, "Can a cat escape coyote attack?" the answer has to be a yes but not always.
According to Wikipedia if cats are caught they don't usually survive. Dogs are more likely to survive but be injured. Coyotes will attack large dogs too but may be killed by them.
Apparently coyotes prey heavily on domestic animals in the winter in California. Coyotes also treat feral cats as prey. They successfully prey on feral cats and also eat the food placed down for the feral cats. An entire colony of feral cats was wiped out by coyotes. One argument that people put forward for not putting food down for feral cats is that it attracts coyotes (and other wild animals).
In the UK we have urban foxes. They are all around my home at night and I see them on the golf course. I like foxes. The coyote also does well in an urban environment which must be of concern to cat keepers who let their cat go out.
It appears that one reason why a lot of cat caretakers in the USA keep their cats in permanently is because there is more large wildlife in the USA. In the UK we exterminated nearly all large wildlife hundreds of years ago.
If the cat does get away from a coyote and they’re injured will they come home I have checked the woods all around me with my phone camera and holes and there hasn’t been any sign how long could they survive
Your question prompts me to ask further questions. Are you sure a coyote caused your cat to run away? If your cat was injured, his or her survival depends on the severity of the injury or injuries. We just can’t say what the outcome will be. How long has he/she been missing?
You severely underestimate the battle capabilities of some outdoor domestic cats which are big and aggressive. Even one of these single wolf hybrid Coyote’s in the states will retreat and if there’s multiple aggressive cats the coyote will most likely retreat or lose an eye or worse. Claws on some house cats are ridiculous
Fair point Derek. I take your point. Some cats do fight back and escape but a lot don’t. There is no hard and fast answer to the question.
I know some outdoor domestic cats that are big and aggressive. A single wolf hybrid coyote may retreat and if there’s multiple aggressive cats the coyote will most likely retreat or lose an eye or worse. Claws on some house cats are ridiculous
There would be blood and fur somewhere right…
Yes, quite likely. Although it might not be in the immediate area as the cat might have run and been chased down or the coyote might have carried the cat off to eat. Thanks Trixie.
I have a small cat that is about the size of a loaf of bread. She is an indoor outdoor cat who got into many fights with other cats. She came back one door acting very agitated. We took she to the vet and she got into a fight with a coyote, the vets say from the bite marks she was in the coyotes mouth but she turned around at hit it on the nose of something. I’m very happy and lucky she is alive. She is a great cat.
Wow, she survived a coyote attack. That’s amazing. She is a feisty lady. Thanks for sharing Tessa.
My sister & husband have a beautiful (13 year old going on 4) )cat named Earl Gray. Smart cat, hangs with the pet dogs, sleeps on your head, and is always “smarter” than any of us. Earl goes out day or night but always comes back in. Coyotes have always been around. Last night, we all heard (I am visiting) loud screaming noises. I thought it was a TV in another room. We opened the sliding doors to the back and it was coyotes like I’ve never heard before. Horrible. We blew a fog horn, the coyotes left. We walked the property….no Earl. I wake up today and still no Earl. I am praying that he is up a tree and will return. I am sick to my stomach. My sister does not know yet. As she is bedridden, no one wants to bring it up. Prayers are needed. It does change the course of what seems to have happened.
OMG, this sounds terrible, Georgia. I makes my heart sink. Coyotes are efficient cat killers but cats are damn good at escaping etc.. I wish Earl and yourself the very best of luck.
My cat is missing after a commotion with coyote I guess. I let him go in the backyard and heard a brief fight. When I went out, nobody was there but I found a bunch of animal hair which is not my cat’s. Neighbor says it’s coyote hair. No trace of my cat for last 24 hours. I hope he is safe somewhere and will return soon. He is only a year old though. I am so full of guilt and pain right now.
I know how you feel. I completely do. It hurts. They way I read your story is that he may have escaped and is hiding. I guess you think that may have happened too. Cats are great escapers. Let’s hope. If he did escape he won’t be far away. Have you walked the area calling his name?
My female cat was hospitalized for scrapping with a possible smaller coyote, Our cat is 12 lbs of bad, claws and fangs, but a close call when we forgot and left her out too late 1/25/16 on a full moon night in a Michigan rural area. Took her in right away and received emergency help, it is a must. This cat was saved and means the world to me. It is my best friend. Than you Jesus.
Thanks Brian for telling us and I am so pleased she was saved by your prompt actions. Well done.
My neighbor went to eat and got back home at dusk around 7:00 pm here on the east coast. They have security cameras and they did not see one of the cats they had. They went and were looking on camera and observed the following. Larger cat was sitting on top of the car and started looking all around. Then larger cat jumped off the car and ran off to safety. The smaller cat had been by a bush watching the bigger cat. After he ran off you can see the smaller cat on camera running over to a tree. After about 30 seconds, you see a coyote come into view on the camera with the smaller cat in his mouth. Coyote has him on the top of his back. The cat is moving all his legs and tail but can’t get loose. The coyote stands there in the driveway on camera with the struggling cat in his mouth and then, he runs off along a fence on the side of a neighbors yard. He turns into the neighbors front yard and is out of sight. My question is this, it seems like at some point the coyote has to release his mouth from the top of the cats back on order to start eating him but he had to kill him first as the cat was clearly alive and kicking. Could the small cat have gotten away and ran at this point or do you think the coyote broke his back bone with his teeth and he had no way of fighting back when the coyote put him down. Where did he take him to kill him off and eat him if he did. This is a residential neighborhood with wooded areas here and there. At the back of the ladies yard way back are woods but the Coyote was in the neighbors front yard. You think the cat got away and she should continue to look and call for him or just chalk it up now. It’s been almost a week now. Please advise. Thx. I am so sick after she showed me the video. I want to do away with these coyotes now with an air rifle. Grrrr. Poor little guy was so precious. He was not a kitten anymore but not an adult just yet. Too sad if you saw the tape.
Mary, I’d be very surprised if he got away and is alive. I would guess the coyote would release the cat to eat him but the cat would be too injured and traumatised to escape. It is tough but coyotes don’t seem to lose cats as prey that often. Coyotes must be very able hunters because the cat is a very athletic and able hunter himself. It is sad and one reason why some cat owners keep their cats inside all the time.
Coyotes are so adaptable it is scary. They have been known not to howl and yip at night in urban areas so that humans don’t know they’re in the area. Mankind has tried to exterminate them and if anything they’ve thrived. Western coyotes are smaller and more skittish around humans. Eastern coyotes are huge and are not afraid of humans. They’re the size of a German Shepherd and they have the ‘yote’s cunning. Scientists think they are either a wolf or dog hybrid. A friend of mine in Connecticut said she was working in her garden when she felt she was being watched. When she looked up two large coyotes were standing there staring at her. They didn’t seem to be intimidated even when she stood up. They finally turned and walked away.
A few years back I saw an article about that South Korean scientist who cloned coyotes. Most of the comments were negative: “We already have too many of the damned things, why would he clone some more?” There was a lady who kept posting that ALL coyotes everywhere should be killed. I guess she didn’t know that even if we killed off 70 percent, the biology of the remaining females would ramp up and they would produce more puppies to fill the gap. Mankind’s tried extermination, and the coyote nation has thrived. And what right do we have to kill off another species? None.
Anyway, it turns out that this lady said she had 9 cats and coyotes ate all of them. I asked her, did all 9 disappear at one time, or was it one by one? She admitted it was one by one. I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt since coyotes are so crafty, but I would think that after the third cat disappeared she’d suspect something was wrong. Then she said that she kept opening up the door and throwing the remaining cats out because it would have been too much trouble to make them indoor cats! When I read that any empathy or sympathy I had for her vanished like a snowball in you-know-where. It was clear to me that she was unwilling to go the extra mile to keep her fur companions safe. And it’s not like she lived in a small apartment, because that lady stated she lived in a big house.
It would take an extraordinary cat to fight off a coyote. That might happen sometimes, but usually the cat or small pet loses.
my cat thayer went missing a little while ago i’ve had him since he was a kitten , him and his brother peter are outdoor/indoor cats. peter went missing in november , there are coyotes in the neighborhood ( we think ) and he never came back , they found his body in april , we moved a short while after we have a canyon beyond our backyard fence , and there are coyotes there too. I hope he is still okay , I fear for our new kittens lives . will they make it , if given proper training ? I cannot bear to make them indoor cats.
Hi Loree. You have written a sad comment. If there are coyotes in your area it seems to me that you have to keep your cats in and if possible construct an enclosure which gives them the sensations of the outdoors. I don’t see any other solution. Cats are not able to beat coyotes. I love cats going out but only if it is safe. Good luck. You can’t train cats to deal with coyotes.
Useful advice Regards!
My Maine Coone went missing on 12-22-13. Boots, my maine coone, and Sweetie Pie, my other cat both went missing at the same time. It was at noon and they were both in my front yard. I heard rumors that Coyotes are around here but I ignorantly thought Animal control or the state had been taking care of the situation. I know now the state or animal control don’t care how many pets coyotes kill. I feel so guilty that I didn’t keep them inside. They were indoor/outdoor cats. All my neighbors let their cats and small dogs outside so I thought it was safe. Now, too late, I know it wasn’t safe. I believe a coyote crawled under my fence in the backyard and took them. I saw the evidence of the place where the animal dug a hole to get into my yard. I looked around for any fir or other evidence of a kill but didn’t see anything. Neighbors have said my cats may be hiding and afraid to come out. I prey to God that is true and I prey they are still alive. They are my reason for living. I’m an elderly person and my cats are my babies. I cry all the time. The pain is unbearable. I want my babies back.
Oh, Dixie. I so feel for you and the pain you are going through. What a horrible experience for you all. I’d like to make your comment into a article and then more people can communicate with you. Take care. Let’s hope.
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There is definitely a great deal to find out about this subject. I really like all of the points you have made.
can coyotes climb trees?
No but they can jump up some distance so the cat might not get away. I think it depends on speed and ambush.
My sister lost her Bichon (small dog) when a group of coyote actually climbed over a 6 foot chain link fence into her back yard. It was very sad. This happened in San Diego near the canyons, in a very densely populated neighborhood.
Cats have the advantage of fitting into small places to escape. If a tree is gnarly with lots of low branches I have no doubt a coyote would climb it. But the cat can for sure go higher.
Thanks a lot dw for your input on this topic. Very handy. It adds some specific information that I can’t do myself.
Coyotes
can’t climb trees
Thanks Michael. Agreed 😉 I guess cats have to find a suitable tree to climb to escape them.