Coyotes in SE PA (Fisheye? Whats your Take)

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

we had a mama cat who had babies...she was ferral....they are now all gone? So, We have a lot of hawks, and other birds of prey....but I won't rule out coyotes, or coy dogs....is what we used to call them, which is a hybred.

Anything could have gotten at the kittens, even other feral cats.

Ferals come and go in my neighborhood ... Norristown seems to be a popular place for people to dump their unwanted cats. For awhile you'll see two or three, then they disappear, then another couple of cats show up, and they disappear. Again, disease and injury take their toll as much as predators do.

I remember stories when I was a kid, about how people would drive unwanted dog up to the Poconos and leave them loose....sheesh
Man is his own worst enemy....

stupid people do really stupid things

Amen to that. Why people think that domesticated pets can "fend for themselves" in the wild is beyond me. Stupid, indeed, and sad.

My two spoiled lap cats were dumped in my alley as kittens, probably the last of the litter that the owner couldn't find homes for. I never know whether to hate that person, or thank them. Maybe both.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Anything could have gotten at the kittens, even other feral cats.

If you notice domestic cats are listed in the 100 worst invasive species: http://www.issg.org/database/species...100English.pdf. According to the Smithsonian; feral cats kill billions of small creatures ever year: Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year | Science | Smithsonian. So I am not crazy about people that feed feral cats.

Domestic cats belong inside; not out with nature. Feral cat should be either adopted, if possible, or euthanized. I know that it sounds cruel; but it protects our environment.

Here, in PA, we do have our fall hawk migration. While full size cats are usually safe from most hawks and owls; the kittens are not. We have Pekin ducks and have not had any problems with the larger raptures - we did with smaller breeds. My feeling is that our hawks and owls do not bite off more than they can chew + we lock up our ducks at night (although that is not a fair test for owls; but is saves them from the foxes). Fox are not considered cat predators - too great a chance of injury. However the same cannot be said of the new hybrid coyotes.

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Anything could have gotten at the kittens, even other feral cats.

Ferals come and go in my neighborhood ... Norristown seems to be a popular place for people to dump their unwanted cats. For awhile you'll see two or three, then they disappear, then another couple of cats show up, and they disappear. Again, disease and injury take their toll as much as predators do.



Amen to that. Why people think that domesticated pets can "fend for themselves" in the wild is beyond me. Stupid, indeed, and sad.

My two spoiled lap cats were dumped in my alley as kittens, probably the last of the litter that the owner couldn't find homes for. I never know whether to hate that person, or thank them. Maybe both.

When I was little we had a lot of cats in the neighborhood that people would dump off....and the same thing happened, back then we had a lot of owls.

And other birds of prey.....

[cremebrulee]

Originally Posted by fisheye

If you notice domestic cats are listed in the 100 worst invasive species: http://www.issg.org/database/species...100English.pdf. According to the Smithsonian; feral cats kill billions of small creatures ever year: Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year | Science | Smithsonian. So I am not crazy about people that feed feral cats.

Domestic cats belong inside; not out with nature. Feral cat should be either adopted, if possible, or euthanized. I know that it sounds cruel; but it protects our environment.

Here, in PA, we do have our fall hawk migration. While full size cats are usually safe from most hawks and owls; the kittens are not. We have Pekin ducks and have not had any problems with the larger raptures - we did with smaller breeds. My feeling is that our hawks and owls do not bite off more than they can chew + we lock up our ducks at night (although that is not a fair test for owls; but is saves them from the foxes). Fox are not considered cat predators - too great a chance of injury. However the same cannot be said of the new hybrid coyotes.

20 years ago, when I lived in the Poconos, I was reading the PA Game News....and they to said, Feral cats were the number one killer of small game....

[Gerania]

When I was an itty bitty kid, unspeakable things happened to unwanted kittens. My mother thought I should know this stuff. "Mommy, what happened to the kittens." Get the freak out. Really?

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by Gerania

When I was an itty bitty kid, unspeakable things happened to unwanted kittens. My mother thought I should know this stuff. "Mommy, what happened to the kittens." Get the freak out. Really?

Thanks for correcting my raptures and raptors! I actually think one is as bad as the other.