Coyotes and pets

[GOPFighter]

We have a cabin on a mountain in West Virginia which we visit most weekends. Last summer a feral cat and her two kittens showed up on our deck. The kittens were so cute we just fell in love with them. As winter approached we decided to adopt them, but only one kitten allowed herself to be caught, The mother cat and the other kitten were too skittish.

So now we have Skipper. During the week in Maryland she's a house cat, but when we come to West Virginia on weekends we let her out - she loves playing in the woods. In nice weather she stays out all day and we bring her in at night.

Recently I found out there is a large population of coyotes in this area and a neighbor who is a hunter expressed concern for our cat. I've never seen any coyotes in the 5 years we've been here, and in fact we occasionally see feral cats around.

My question is, have any of you had experience with coyotes and pets here in the East? It would be almost cruel to keep Skipper inside now considering she grew up in the woods and she's so happy outside, yet we don't want to lose her to a coyote.

[BikeWriter]

1. Skipper may be happy outside, but so are the wild song birds...

...rabbits and squirrels that naturally belong in those woods. She presents a danger to those animals. It is also cruel to expose her to the dangers of being killed by stray dogs or a coon, whether coyotes and bobcats are present or not.

[Lorien]

2. Raccoons won't kill cats

I have about 15 raccoons living in the backyard. I had an elderly three legged cat that lived exclusively outside (he came with the house when I bought it) and he had no trouble with the coons. Some nights I would see him sharing his food bowl with a huge female raccoon and a possum. They never seemed to mind one another in the least.

Coyotes, however have killed two of my friend's cats out in CA. They'll go after both cats and foxes because they see them as competition for shared prey. Maybe you could train your cat to a leash? One of my cats is leash trained. Walking her every day is a bit of a hassle, but it's better than having her get hit by a car or catch FIV.

[ernstbass]

3. We have cyotes here in SW VA

but I have never heard of them killing a domestic animal

[kslib]

4. Cat fence

I don't know what your financial situation is, but if you can afford it, and it's practical, you may check this out. It is more expensive than leash walking, but may be more convenient, although less variety for kitty!

Check out the link to "purr-fect" fence, this one is awesome, and almost invisible, so it doesn't spoil the view!

Good luck!

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/cat_care/fence_me_in.html