Early Morning Hunt

[Lisak1]

I don't consider domesticated cats to be natural predators.
Natural predator populations rise and fall with prey populations. We humans supplement the cats diet (and birds for that matter).
- but there is a documented decline in songbird population, so I think the cats have the advantage.
Cat ownership has never been higher.

There's no dispute that cats naturally hunt birds - it's not like we train them to do something unnatural to the species. A better argument is that domestic cats aren't subject to the same threat of being hunted and eaten themselves, therefore the cat population is higher than it would be if the playing field was level. So in that sense we would agree.

By the way - I'm not a cat person so I definitely don't contribute to the cat problem. We do however have a Jack Russell who considers himself a bird hunter. Luckily for the birds, he's not that good at it!

 

[j.w]

The cats and small dogs around here are threatened by coyote's. If you don't bring your pets in before dark they are goners. Many posters up on poles around here for people missing cats and small dogs. So far I have been lucky w/ my cats and bring them in at night and don't let them out before 9am. During the day they can get in through the garage where a coyote can't fit. Hardly ever see the coyotes during the day..................knock on wood

 

[Big Lou]

Here also. Late at night I sit and listen to cayotes barking from all directions.

 

[Lisak1]

We have coyotes too - every now and again they venture into a back yard. We've even encountered a few while walking our dogs - the ones around here are still very human wary, so they just back away slowly. And we still have enough undeveloped land around us that they have plenty of small critters to fill their bellies so not a lot of issues with missing small pets. We have a hawk that circles our back yard that makes me keep a close eye on our little fluffy pup, though!

 

[Big Lou]

Always be on alert around cayotes. They will attack humans if hungry enough.

 

[addy1]

They used to walk down our street in phoenix, all they would do is look at you and keep going, no fear.

 

[Lisak1]

From the Humane Society website: "Coyote attacks on people are very rare. More people are killed by errant golf balls and flying champagne corks each year than are bitten by coyotes." Not much to fear for us humans. Small pets are obviously another story.

 

[j.w]

They always run when they see us coming. I do like to hear them yip,yip,yowing at night. Makes me feel like I'm back in the good old days of the wild west sitting by the campfire w/my good old horse, Duncan keeping an eye out behind me.......................wait that never really happened did it

 

[HARO]

From the Humane Society website: "Coyote attacks on people are very rare. More people are killed by errant golf balls and flying champagne corks each year than are bitten by coyotes." Not much to fear for us humans. Small pets are obviously another story.

Small comfort to the Young woman in Nova Scotia who was killed by them while jogging, or the two farm boys near us who were attacked and mauled on their parent's farms. By the way, neither of these two episodes (the boys) made it into the newspapers; the local polititions don't want to encourage the people demanding a bounty on the mangy things. Haven't seen a grounghog around here in years, nor a porcupine or a woodcock. Foxes are becomming a rare sight, and farm cats are in danger of extinction. The local (rural) stores all have bulletin boards full of missing pet notices. A local hunter offered to shoot coyotes on farms.... he got over 160 animals on EACH of two farms, only about a mile apart! In the suburbs of Toronto, coyotes have jumped fences to snatch small dogs, and they will work in pairs; one runs up to a person walking a small dog, while the second dashes in from behind and yanks the leash, dog and all, from their hands!
John