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When I lived in the foothills of Tucson I had a wolf-hybrid (75% german shep/25% wolf) who chased a coyote from my front door into the adjacent desert. A second one then appeared from behind a creosote bush, and the two rushed him. Even then he had a 2-to-1 weight advantage and towered over them. They thought it better to retreat. However, their fear of humans was completely gone as one of the neighbors was feeding them and javelinas (wild pig-like animals).
When walking in the desert with the wolf-dog we'd often see coyotes, but they would usually bolt for cover. However, one night a brazen coyote scaled a 6-foot block wall to my back yard and was peering down at my other wolf-hybrid who was intently staring up with a "C'mon down and see what you're in for" look.
Feeding them was one of the problems. As they and we move our homes close to each other, coyotes, much like other intelligent opportunists, recognize that we are an indirect source of food, be it trash cans, pet food, or for that matter, small pets. Once the neighbor was cited and fined by the sheriff the problem more or less went away.
...Do you know if they howl standing still or while running? Would they come up on the front porch even if no animal was there? ...
Both. The past three nights I have had choruses in the quarter-section out back. In Tucson one made that "laughing" sound for a good half-hour about 2 in the morning. I could tell the coyote was on the move because the sound got louder and then faded.
As an aside, coyote's scientific name, canis latrans, means barking dog.
We've got coyotes in the area. I think they tend to move through and then circle back. We're in an 80% built out subdivision, surrounded by rural farm land, on the edge of small town. Not a lot of woods, but some stands of trees, surrounded by fallow fields (tall grass) or planted fields (5' tall corn, even in the drought).
For the last couple of nights I've heard them quite clearly. A lot of yipping, but not the sort that belongs to a 5 lb terrier. Not a lot of howling, but I've heard howling in the past. Sounds like perhaps 3-5 individuals, so my guess is a family unit.
There are a lot of deer in the area, rabbits, mice, grasshoppers (coyotes could easily live on grasshoppers alone in the summer), small birds, cats (domestic and feral), and skunks. I would imagine raccoons are in the more solidly wooded areas closer to the rivers, as well as perhaps possums and fox.
I've seen the coyotes a few times. One time near my property (normally I hear them near my property but never see them) -- on the empty lot behind us (our lots our acre+) - he was sitting at the end of the flag-driveway-to-nowhere, on a slight rise, just sitting and watching us. He stayed for about a minute or two, and then went on his way. Good sized coyote - perhaps 30lbs?
Othertimes I've seen them on the farm fields outside of town - either trotting briskly (not hunting, not running, but moving with a purpose), and occasionally in the classic western pose -- sitting on haunches, head tilted back towards the sky.
Wish I'd snapped that pic.
We have a fenced area of our yard, our dogs are out in it unsupervised for short periods at a time. 3 of our dogs are 30-ish pounds, with one large 70lb great pyrenees mix.
We've never seen coyotes up close to the house. Personally, I think the scent of our dogs keeps them away (everyone in our neighborhood has dogs).
Oddly the feral cats (there's a huge all black cat that stalks the back area) don't seem to be hurting either. My guess is the cat is 15+ lbs, and the coyotes know there is easier prey. (i.e. rabbits!)
we're not worried about them. Feel bad when I see them on the side of the road after an unsuccessful meeting with a speeding car. The deer in our area can take care of themselves, though I'm sure an occasional fawn is lost to them.
Oddly the feral cats (there's a huge all black cat that stalks the back area) don't seem to be hurting either. My guess is the cat is 15+ lbs, and the coyotes know there is easier prey. (i.e. rabbits!)
At 15+ pounds that cat is the size of a female bobcat, and if it is a tom it will be an experienced brawler and a formidable target for a coyote. While coyotes are deadly to domestic cats, there are tales of very big, very tough toms fending off a coyote and getting away. These "Top Gun" type cats will often actually go after an attacking coyote rather than run or fight defensively. Unsure about the pain tolerence of a coyote, but it must be excruciating to have their nose and face slashed open by lightning fast razor sharp claws, and a claw in an eye even more so. These cats are exceptions, very few are big enough or tough enough to fend off a coyote, but even so, we sometimes forget just how good fighters even a pampered pet domestic cat can be.
LOL!! All I know is I wouldn't mess with that cat!!!!
Our own cats are all indoors only, as between the hawks (ever present in the daytime), owls, coyotes, and occasional stray dogs (not to mention foxes, which I suspect roam the area but I haven't actually seen in my neighborhood) - my cats would be toast.
But this giant blackie (we have an 18lb tom indoor cat who is a fluff pillow of love, that's why I'm judging the feral cats size at about 15lbs) is a very good sized well muscled cat. We see it hunting all the time (mice, young rabbits, and birds) and it is very brazen. My guess is the coyotes and it have developed a mutual respect.
Strange to me that when I lived in NM, I rarely heard or saw evidence of coyotes (though I did see the occasional mexican wolf). Now I live in Ohio, and I hear them regularly! The wonders of adaptation!
. My guess is the coyotes and it have developed a mutual respect.
I've told this story on CD before, I think maybe in the Florida forum. Anyway, for awhile we lived in rural northwest Florida, and a lady going on vacation asked me to feed the feral cats for her while she was gone.
So I did. I would put out the food at sundown. A beautiful gray fox (pretty sure it was a fox, not a coyote) would appear. He, at least twice their size, would always wait his turn to eat the kibble, just sitting there until the couple of feral cats ate there fill. The cats were not big at all, but I suppose they had established their ownership of the food. When they were done, he ate, then melted away into the twilight.
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Strange to me that when I lived in NM, I rarely heard or saw evidence of coyotes (though I did see the occasional mexican wolf). !
When we visited my sister-in-law in Santa Fe, we would hear them yip-yipping after dark, but she lived in the hills on the edge of town. There were wild dogs, as well.
Someone said they spotted one where I live, which is on a barrier island. If we do have them, they either swam or trotted across the bridge.
Our own cats are all indoors only, as between the hawks (ever present in the daytime), owls, coyotes, and occasional stray dogs (not to mention foxes, which I suspect roam the area but I haven't actually seen in my neighborhood) - my cats would be toast.
No they would not. This "cats as victims" topic has come up before on other forums, but a healthy adult cat of at least average size is just too much of a risk for a predator to attack unless there is a great size difference. A great horned owl only weighs 3 1/2 pounds, one half or one third the weight of an adult cat, and while kittens are at risk, owls eat small rodents, not cats. The same for the smaller hawks. About the only raptor that is a real threat to cats is the fierce golden eagle, with females up to 15 pounds.
As for foxes, the usual pattern is mutual avoidence, not conflict. An average male fox, gray or red, only weighs 10-12 pounds, with 15 pounders considered very large and unusual. A few years ago one of the world's leader fox experts did an extensive study on fox/cat interactions in the UK, and his findings were a chapter of a book he wrote on foxes. He found that actual fights were rare, but when one did occur over food, it was the fox that got the worst of it. Once again, a few lightning fast swats from those sharp claws and the fox was sent on it's way. While it may be prudent to keep Kitty inside when varmints are on the prowl, most surely if it is young or very small, that big, grouchy male cat will be pretty safe from the small stuff. Coyotes, stray dogs, bobcats, cougars, wolves, and golden eagles yes for sure, are a real danger to your cats and small dogs.
Unfortunately, many don' t realize that cooyotes do a lot of good by eating many rodents. Get rid of too many coyotes and you're gonna have a rodent problem. It's happened many times in the past. But as a species we never seem to learn.
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