Buffy the Coyote Slayer

Buffy_the_coyote_slayer_2

My neighbors and I call this the "Buffy the Coyote Slayer" picture. It was taken with a motion-detection video camera on April 18, 2008. The coyote is reportedly part of a family of four (two adults and two pups) who make Lincoln Park their home, according to Animal Control employees.

There have been many reports of sightings, including daylight sightings.

This one occurred at 10:30 p.m. Yes, is the cat’s real name.

We have many feral or outdoor cats in our area just north of Lincoln Park. It appears the coyote was scavenging for food that may have been left-over from the outdoor cats being fed outdoors, AND NOT attempting to capture any outdoor pets, although they are apparently known for that. The video revealed a submissive posture from the coyote to the cat, but when a second coyote showed up, Buffy took off. I chased them off. Generally, a single coyote won’t go after a cat, but they will team up on cats, so Buffy had the right intuition.

There is a Northwest Coyote tracking website which I reported two sightings to. It is an interesting site, but does not seem to be maintained since mid-2007.  The Seattle Times has a 2007 article on coyotes here.

It’s a jungle out there!

Thanks to Ron Sterling for this contribution!

Comments

  1. A couple of months ago we went to the parks dept’s big presentation on coyotes. Per the other SPD – Wiley and friends aren’t all that interested in cats and dogs unless you leave cat and dog food outdoors. Coyotoes like the free chow and if they get a steady enough diet of it they then see our dogs and cats and competitors for food.

    So good luck out there Buffy and here’s hoping your dish is indoors.

  2. Hi Patrick: Unfortunately, Buffy has a mind if HIS own (I know, a male cat named “Buffy”….). He doesn’t belong to me, but he is a neighborhood treasure and a classic who refuses to do anything indoors without tearing your place apart and peeing all over it. The guy marks everything in site, literally… like I said, a classic, mind-of-his-own cat.

    He and the other outdoor cats in this area should be okay. I think there are enough sites for outdoor cat and dog food near Lincoln Park that the coyotes won’t be back here very often… and, of course, I will know each and every time they are back. So far, since scaring them off and chasing them across Lowman Beach Park, they haven’t returned.

    One solution we are considering for Buffy’s feeding area is a magnetic or electronic (RFID) cat door fitted into a large cage for feeding so that only Buffy can gain access to the food (he would have to wear a collar fitted with the RFID or the magnetic device that releases the latch so it controls only his access.

    I will keep you posted.

  3. I hope buffy can hold his own – i miss cosmo and gomez on my walks to the park. check this out – another cat owners solution to a hunting problem…. http://www.quantumpicture.com/Flo_Control/flo_control.htm

  4. I believe that to be wishful thinking by the Parks Dept. Coyotes are hunters of opportunity, and will eat either your cat’s food left outside or the cat, They really don’t care which.

  5. Hi Danno: I gotta agree. All the reading I have done recently and the feedback I have gotten from a reliable and old-time Animal Control Officer is “coyotes do what coyotes want to do.” They are a bit unpredictable and quite smart.

    I plan on moving ahead with a solution to the food and protection problem for at least a couple of outdoor cats in our area. I will keep you posted.

  6. I’m from San Diego, a crowded suburban area. The coyotes here definitely eat small dogs and cats, even in condo complexes and in front of the owners standing only feet away. (as they did to my friend) They will also stalk dogs on walks with their owners. I know they have been squeezed out by us humans.I’m sorry for that, but we have to be very careful about our pets.

Speak Your Mind

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.