Is the country East of Castle Rock dangerous for cats? (Black Forest: new house, neighborhood)

[jage]

We're moving to Franktown, which is East of Castle Rock and the people who sold us the home told us that we couldn't ever let our cat outside because the owls would get them...

Our cat is pretty big (18lbs) but of course the owner responded with a story about a 120lb dog that got attacked by an owl.

Now she also said there were coyotes, which is cool- I miss having coyotes traipse through the front yard as we had in Tucson, so it would be nothing new to ensure she is safe from them.

Of course when I wasn't impressed by the coyote anecdotes she responded to that with stories of how a bear comes through a couple of times a year, eats their trash and whatnot. As horrific as that is (for the poor bear) I seriously doubt that's an issue for having a cat outdoors (although she is dumb enough to chase large dogs, she might challenge a bear...)

Of course we've gone all over California, up to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and many places in between and never managed to see a bear, so I thought that was cool too, but in retrospect- they might have been trying to talk us out of buying the house, and just didn't have anything to top the bear with in their escalation of scary things. I mean come on, we used to open the door to tarantulas!

Anyway, part of the conversation was them discussing how hard it was to sell. Which left me wondering...

I'm not too worried about bears or coyotes, but I don't know whether the whole owl thing is B.S. or a real problem I should be concerned about. We really love our cat and part of the reason we're moving is she can't go out here without the neighborhood cats coming into the fence and causing a serious fight... after a few vet trips we have had to relegate her to indoors... the windows are bad here too, so the new house will be an improvement no matter what.

Still, does anybody know about owls as a threat to cats? Anyone living in a rural area North of CS that could weigh in?

[beezle1]

I live in northern Black Forest, and I have heard the same. However we have TONS of Great Horned Owls around my house (I hear them every night), and I have never had a problem with them getting our cats. I think coyotes and mountain lions are the main danger to cats and dogs here.

[RedSoxFanGoingWest]

I live in Castle Rock, not far from Franktown. There is a Great Horned Owl that I see when walking my dogs in the early morning hours and sometimes in the evenings. I've warned my neighbors as they have a small dog (approx. 15lbs) and I've seen the owl perched on the gable of their house.

Great Horned Howls prey on rabbits, squirrels and other rodents. I'm sure cats and small dogs would be on their menu if need be.

[Charlie M.]

I live on a 40 acre property in N. Black Forest and have lost 2 cats to coyotes in the past 8 years.
A neighbor had a barn cat that was picked up by an owl and dropped. It managed to get away with only a broken leg.
We now keep our cats in at night. The coyotes are in packs sometimes and have even killed large dogs on occassion. We have 2 Great Pyrenees that keep them away from the house, but they still got one of our cats when the dogs were not close by.

[treedonkey]

I don't live in Castle Rock, but I am about 20 miles south of there. I can tell you that I never see cats roaming around the neighborhood, which means one of two things is happening:

1) People are not letting their cats out to roam, for fear they might get eaten.
2) People are letting their cats out to roam, and they are being eaten.

[jsherman9901]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

i don't live in castle rock, but i am about 20 miles south of there. I can tell you that i never see cats roaming around the neighborhood, which means one of two things is happening:

1) people are not letting their cats out to roam, for fear they might get eaten.
2) people are letting their cats out to roam, and they are being eaten.

Hahahahaha!!!!!!

[jage]

So is the owl issue only a night/evening or early morning issue, or do they hunt in the midday?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by jage

So is the owl issue only a night/evening or early morning issue, or do they hunt in the midday?

That is the case in my part of the country (Dusk > Dawn). I don't remember an owl problem during my 25 yrs in CO, tho we had plenty around (both cats and owls). Our cats last longer (couple yrs) if we use farm cats. City cats don't seem to last more than a couple months.

Coyotes are our worst issue, but the owls have done some damage too. Cougars and bobcats too. Bear in the yard last week, but only due to apple tree temptation, I don't think they could / would catch a cat. Bears usually scare off EZ.

The dog is interesting to watch, he keeps his distance from the cougars and bobcats, and doesn't make a peep when he sees them. (I think he is a tad smarter (more strategic) than the cats, they are a bit too 'proud', then dead...)

[Bideshi]

Originally Posted by jage

So is the owl issue only a night/evening or early morning issue, or do they hunt in the midday?

Owls are nocturnal mostly, but they wouldn't pass up an easy daylight target if it came to their attention.

[breaksraver13]

basically I own 3 cats..........and my personal belief is if you CARE about your cat you will keep it indoors, if you don't care about your cat then let it out, then you won't have have to care for it anymore because theres a 90% chance it will get eaten