You may not see coyotes running around in urban areas as often as you see rats and pigeons but make no mistake, they can definitely live among us. If you do live in areas where coyotes also live then you should be wary.

These animals can be dangerous to your furry domesticated friends. Coyotes are optimistic feeders, and if push comes to shove, your household pet may be a coyote’s next meal. So, do coyotes eat cats? This article looks into it

Coyotes do eat cats. Cats may not be a coyote’s preferred meat but if a coyote is hungry, and your cat catches its eye, then the coyote will eat your cat. The cat will lose against a coyote most of the time. Cats can make up a large part of an urban coyotes diet.

Do coyotes eat cats?

Coyotes are predators, they can easily overpower smaller animals like cats. So yes, coyotes eat cats.

Infant, cats can be a large part of the urban coyote diet. Cats can make up about 20-42 percent of the urban coyote diet. Coyotes can be major house cat predators.

Coyotes are becoming more and more comfortable with living and hunting in human spaces. They are also becoming more comfortable with hunting pets.

Cat food is like a siren call for coyotes, this food leads coyotes straight to your cats. These predators won’t stop at eating cat food, they will eat the cat as well.

How coyotes hunt and kill cats:

Coyotes are nocturnal, they are active at night and this helps them avoid humans and hunt without being seen by prey.

The majority of the attacks on cats happen in the evening and early in the morning. If your cat is out during this time, and a coyote is looking for food, them your cat just might turn into a coyote meal

Because cats are domesticated, they aren’t equipped to fend off a predatory wild animal like a coyote.

If your cat is older then it will have even less of a chance of escaping and fighting off coyotes, as cats get older they become slower and weaker.

The cat’s eyesight also diminishes with age and they begin to lose their hearing. This makes them an easier target for coyotes. Coyotes will attack the weaker cats first.

When cats and coyotes get into confrontations, cats don’t really stand a chance of winning. If the two fight, the cat will be killed by the coyote more often than not.

Even if the cat does manage to run up a tree to seek to refuge, the coyote can simply jump up and grab the cat if it really wants to. Coyotes can jump as high as 6 feet.

Cats aren’t a favorite food of coyotes but these predators will definitely eat cats if push comes to shove.

Urban coyotes like to eat other types of meat such as gophers, dogs, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and rabbits, click the links to read more.

They also eat vegetables, fruits, and seeds.

How to protect cats from coyotes:

Keep the cat inside: The best way to keep coyotes away from your cat is to keep your cat in your home. You shouldn’t leave your cat outside unattended, it becomes vulnerable to coyote attacks if left outside alone.

Keep pet food indoors: Leaving pet food outside brings coyotes onto your property. Coyotes eat pet food and this can lead the coyotes to your cat.

Keep cats on leashes: This is one of the best ways to keep your cat safe. Make sure you don’t let a coyote and your cat interact in any way even if the cat is on a leash.

Use fences: Coyotes can easily jump over 6-foot fences so you’ll need a longer fence to keep coyotes away, around 8 feet. You may also want to use an electric fence to keep coyotes away or use “coyote rollers” on the top of the fence.

Tip: Be very vigilant of your cat during the coyote breeding season. Coyote breeding season is from January to March. Coyotes will attack anything that comes into their territory during this time and are also more aggressive during this time.

What else do coyotes eat?

Coyotes are omnivores, they eat a combination of plants and animals. They are also scavengers.

They eat foods like fruits, flowers, rats, mice, poultry, gophers, lizards, carrion, fish, frogs. The younger juvenile coyotes will eat insects such as grasshoppers and other insects. Coyotes will also eat garbage.

Coyotes packs will hunt large animals like bison and can eat them alive, read more here. These animals can also fight other large prey like wolves. The scuffle has to do with the two animals being rivals not one eating the other, read more here.

What to do if you see a coyote?

Generally, if you see a coyote, and it sees you, then the animal will run away. But because these animals fear humans less and less these days, you may have to scare the animal off. You have to show that you are the dominant animal, do this by:

Being loud and big: Wave your arms while shouting at the animal, this will make the animal scared of you. If you can, use pots and pans to make noise.

Throw stones: Scare the animal away by throwing things at it including stones. Try not to injure the animal while doing so.

Spray it: You can use a hose to spray the animal to get it to leave. If you don’t have a hose, but have a spray bottle on hand, fill it with water and some vinegar and spray the animal

Tip: After the coyote is gone, let people in the area know that there was a coyote sighting. If the coyote was spotted around your home let your neighbors, other homeowners, and friends know that there are coyotes in the area.

Conclusion:

Coyotes do kill cats. Cats may not be a coyote’s favorite meal, but because the coyote’s natural habitat and food sources are being depleted, they are being forced to live among humans and will kill and eat a cat if they have to.

They also eat other domesticated animals like dogs. As a result, you need to make sure that you do all you can to keep your domestic animals safe.

Your cat may be more at risk of a coyote attack than you think, these small animals will lose to the coyote more than half the time. This is especially true if your cat is older as it is weaker than a younger cat.

To protect your cat from a coyote you’d need to feed your cat inside the house, keep it in the house as often as possible, keep it on a leash, and get an electric fence that is high enough to keep coyotes from jumping over.