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.
Wow, she survived a coyote attack. That’s amazing. She is a feisty lady. Thanks for sharing Tessa.
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.
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 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.
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 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.