How do I protect my cats from coyotes?

[bock]

I have lived in coyote thick area for 7 years, and have lost 2 of my 4 cats to them. Both of the cats I lost (Sam and Oliver) were orange males, and my favorite of all my cats. They spent most of their time outdoors, but were aloud to come in when they wanted. The 2 I have left (Bella and Tigger), they are both females. Tigger spends most of her time inside, but will go in the front yard sometimes, though she doesn't go very far. Bella is scared to death of going outside, and spends most of her time on the couch or on the balcony. I really want to get another cat, but my Mom thinks it's mean to get one just to ''feed the coyotes''. I can't help but agree with that, so I have been trying to find ways to protect this new cat. I would rather have a male, but now that I think about it, the males are the ones that get themselves killed. All of my cats are fixed, and if we got a new one it would be too. I also have always gotten all my cats as kittens, except for Tigger who my uncle found when she was about 4-7 years old. If we were to get a cat, I want to find a way to protect it when it goes outside. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[redhen]

I know its hard..
I'm worried about the coys here too with my pigs...
I keep my cats indoors..thats the only way i can think to keep them from getting eaten.

 

[Jaguaress]

The only way to protect a cat outside from coyotes, in my opinion, is to build a covered run for it. Chain link covered completely - top and sides - with hardware cloth, with a hardware cloth apron out 2', then circled with electric fencing on at least two horizontal levels. (Like 6" and 2'.) I personally wouldn't want to put my cat through the stress of being stalked by coyotes, though, no matter how secure the run.

Since you have cats now, I wouldn't recommend getting another, especially if you're going to keep it outside. Let the two indoor cats be indoors, and then they'll stay alive.

 

[bock]

Yeah, I guess the best thing to do would be to just not get another cat. I have been doing some thinking though, and what if I called it in for dinner at about 6 every night and didn't let it out until 8 AM? That would still be risky though, because when we are on vacation nobody would be there to do that, and sometimes the coyotes come around during the day, but only rarely.

 

[RabbitMage]

There are so many dangers to outside cats, I don't think it's ethical to keep them that way.

IMO, if you can't keep a pet cat indoors, don't get another one.

 

[Skyesrocket]

what if I called it in for dinner at about 6 every night and didn't let it out until 8 AM?

That would be your best bet. I know coyotes pop up once in a while during the day, but not too often.​

 

[sourland]

The only way to absolutely guarantee a cat's safety from coyotes is to keep it inside 100% of the time. Coyotes are opportunistic feeders and will hunt whenever human activity is at a low point. When my daughter and her family lived in Atlanta, coyotes killed every outside cat in their development and then started on the dogs. One evening when I was there, a pack of 5 was fence fighting their German short haired pointer and lab/dalmation cross. Both of these dogs were large and the coyotes wanted them.

 

[bock]

Quote:
The 2 cats that got killed WANTED to be outside. We tried to keep them in at first, but after 2 weeks of loud meowing by the door, we gave in. The only time they wanted to come in was when is was pouring rain and in the summer heat, and they were always welcome in. To us it seemed mean to keep him in. the 6 years they lived, he was very happy, trust me.

Though, I do agree, getting another indoor/outdoor cat would be very risky.

 

[RabbitMage]

My oldest cat used to be an indoor/outdoor cat, too. She only came in at night, but she always WANTED to go outside.

Then she went missing for 3 days and came home with an abdominal hernia that cost $500 to repair. She didn't go outside after that, regardless of if she wanted to or not.

She's 11 years old now and is a happy, healthy, content indoor cat. What an animal wants is not always best for them.

 

[domino7]

I don't think any animal should be allowed to roam the neighborhood. My neighbors have outside cats and I HATE IT. They're lucky I'm not mean lol.