Ow and Ick. I’m also sorry.
I hadn’t considered a coyote. Geographically I’m on the very northernmost section of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, so I’m in the transition zone between crowded suburbia flatlands and semi-rural hilly horsey land. I had heard rumors of coyotes, but when we moved here in 2000, there had been no confirmed sightings in the Palos Verdes area. Internet research shows that researchers confirmed paw prints and scat in 2007, in the southernmost part of the area (about 8-10 miles from here). I guess they’re spreading out. Most likely they came from the San Gabriel or Santa Monica mountains to the north (unlikely they colonized the south by crawling out of the ocean) via flood control channels.
Our border collie was barking a lot around 5:00 yesterday morning. Maybe that was when it happened.
Coyotes are everywhere nowadays. They have adapted very well to living near humans and according to some of the research I’ve read, cats are a major part of the diet for urban coyotes. They’ve even been seen in busy downtown areas of major cities like Chicago.
I live in a very developed inner ring suburb just a few miles from a major city, right on a busy major street, and people have photographed coyotes around here too.
I feel very bad for anyone who loses a cat to a coyote. Unfortunately it’s becoming pretty common and I’m not sure if many people realize that it is happening.
Why is everyone saying it’s a coyote and not a dog?