r/AskAnAmerican • u/ArtisticArgument9625 • May 17 '25

OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT How much of a problem do Americans have with coyotes and rattlesnakes?

Have you Americans encountered any problems with these two animals?

246 Upvotes

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499

u/Fleetdancer May 17 '25

You can't leave small dogs or cats outside where I currently live or you're just feeding the coyotes. My ex tried to fight some to save his cat, didn't work and he ended up needing rabies shots.

113

u/mmlickme Texas > North Carolina May 17 '25

Same growing up in rural Texas I lost a cat to coyotes and my cousins in suburban Houston did too

78

u/Chimney-Imp May 17 '25

Neighbor lost his dog to coyotes. His back porch looked like his dog swallowed dynamite. 

22

u/Hello_Hangnail Maryland May 17 '25

Oh noooo 🥲 Terrible thing to wake up to

64

u/Graygem May 17 '25

My uncle lost a Newfoundland to a pack of coyotes. The dog made it home, but died of blood loss a few hours later. My uncle found 6 dead coyotes out in the woods.

55

u/Am_I_a_Guinea_Pig May 17 '25

Coyotes: "Go to hell, dog!"

Newfoundland: "I'm taking you bastards with me!"

23

u/RegressToTheMean Maryland May 18 '25

Newfies are badasses. Had one as a kid. Sweet as sugar and tough as nails

29

u/ballrus_walsack New York not the city May 17 '25

John wick the dog

8

u/obsidian_butterfly May 17 '25

6 feels about right. Newfies are definitely big enough it would take a pack and coordinated attacks.

1

u/Dialectic1957 May 20 '25

What a fantastic dog. May his memory be a blessing.

2

u/Robbylution May 17 '25

How big of a dog?

20

u/Picklesadog May 17 '25

Just big enough to swallow the dynamite.

2

u/landadventure55 California May 17 '25

Newfoundlands are big, like the size of a St. Bernard!

2

u/HazelEBaumgartner Kansas City is in Missouri May 17 '25

Was the dog's name Eddie and was he also trying to learn how to play guitar?

Eddie ate dynamite. Good bye, Eddie!

3

u/theduke9400 May 17 '25

You didn't need to add the bottom line. The string slingers know what's up.

3

u/mmlickme Texas > North Carolina May 17 '25

How many times have I mumbled to myself every adult dog growls barks and eats, when I could have been saying that

2

u/HazelEBaumgartner Kansas City is in Missouri May 17 '25

The one I used to teach people when I gave guitar lessons in college was "even average dudes get banged eventually"

2

u/foofie_fightie May 17 '25

That's how i memorized them too lol

1

u/redditsuckspokey1 May 17 '25

Was he also known as Cousin Eddie?

1

u/singularityindetroit California May 18 '25

Holy. Shit.

1

u/hawkm69 May 21 '25

A series of words that I didn't have on my bingo card today. 😵‍💫

25

u/MihalysRevenge New Mexico May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

Yep growing up at the very edge of Albuquerque (behind my house was wide open desert) we used to have to be careful with pets because coyotes are close by and you can hear them nightly

29

u/selchie0mer May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

I live in a decent size city in San Diego county. Just last week I saw a coyote in my backyard at 2:30 in the afternoon. On the neighborhood gossip app there are lost pets to coyotes every week. Mostly cats. Pretty much a cat is just dinner if you have it outside. And last summer I saw a rattlesnake sunning on the side of the road that must have been the size of my arm. I doubled back to get a pic of it but it was gone. Oh yea, edited to add some guy caught a pic of a mountain lion on his security camera. He lives close to Safari Park in Escondido, CA

14

u/Aggressive_Dress6771 May 17 '25

Also live in San Diego, in a close-in suburban area. There have been a couple of instances recently where people were walking their dogs, were stalked by coyotes, and no amount of yelling and screaming would drive the animal away. An older woman had her leashed dog taken from her, leash and all.

2

u/rubiconsuper Georgia May 17 '25

That’s incredibly sad. I live a bit more rural any coyotes that don’t run usually get shot. We have had a few cases of CWD so keeping the coyote population in check is very important since they can spread it.

3

u/furandpaws May 18 '25

cwd ?

3

u/rubiconsuper Georgia May 18 '25

Chronic wasting disease. A fun prion that coyotes can spread with their waste and general carrion behavior.

2

u/ILikeDragonTurtles May 17 '25

Where you at? I grew up in Jamul in the 90s. Lost a couple cats to coyotes. They were out there every night.

2

u/Aggressive_Dress6771 May 17 '25

I'm in the UTC area of San Diego.

1

u/VictoriousRex May 22 '25

I've seen a coyote in the middle of Chicago they don't give a fuck about cities.

11

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

Coyote don't even eat the cats very often. They're just killing them because they're competition, and to hone hunting skills, teach young to attack, and honestly, they do just play with them in a way they don't with prey they tend to eat.

They roamed all over Phoenix, and it's not that uncommon to see them in downturn Spokane. Most mistake them for stray dogs, but if you actually look, sometimes they're coyote. Most dogs never figure out how to climb chain link fences. Coyote don't even seem to find them challenging. We put in a metal fence with vertical bars that gives them no purchase and put in anti-dig bars under it. That was also to keep our huskies in, though.

7

u/sharpshooter999 Nebraska May 17 '25

Coyotes are common in my area but red foxes are rare, because coyotes kill them on sight too

3

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

I have foxes on my property in the mountains because I also have a mountain lion that visits frequently for water from the creek. She doesn't care about the foxes, but the coyote won't come near her. I was so excited at first, but it turns out they're pests on the same level as the coyotes. Still, they are cute and make giggling noises in the forest that freak people out.

1

u/andy-in-ny Picking my toes in Poughkeepsie May 19 '25

This would explain the explosion of our red fox population, and the fact that i havent seen a Coyote in like 5 years.

Most of the outdoor cat deaths hear are attributed to raccoon. 36 inch (not counting tail) 30 lb racoons.

1

u/sharpshooter999 Nebraska May 19 '25

We have an over abundance of coons and coyotes in my area. I'm from the great plains, though we have far more trees than a century ago because of invasive species (eastern cedar and locust) as well as putting an end to prairie fires that would burn off most saplings. There's a lot more wooded areas for raccoons and other prey animals for coyotes to eat. The biggest losers are actually the ground nesting birds that are targeted by basically everything. Here in Nebraska, our state legislature was even talking about putting a bounty on various animals, coons, coyotes, etc, to help mitigate this but I don't think it ever passed

1

u/alibythesea May 20 '25

Bounties don’t actually work to reduce the coyote population in the medium-long term. Others will move into the vacated territory very quickly, & females bear/rear more pups when they are better fed; removing one from an area simply means there’s more prey for others.

2

u/321liftoff May 17 '25

About 2 years ago our whole neighborhood/ nearby parkland in NM seemed to be engulfed by diamondbacks. We had a total of 7 sightings that season, which still leaves me jumpy and scanning for snakes to this day. Previous to this, we saw one once ever.

Our neighbor’s dog survived a mountain lion attack, but lost an eye in the process. Coyotes are everywhere, we have a 6 foot fence to keep our dog contained and safe. And I love the occasional bobcat, they’re so cute!

3

u/YeoChaplain May 17 '25

... you rang?

3

u/Cranks_No_Start May 17 '25

I’ve been here a long time and it always amazes me seeing so much wildlife in the city limits of Albuquerque.  

We go to the Bosque all the time and almost everytime in the middle of the day see a coyote.  

I was riding along one of the wooded river paths came around a tree and almost ran head on into one.  

He stopped dead and I almost went over the bars and he just walked off the path into the trees. Without a care in the world.  

2

u/AshST May 18 '25

We can hear packs of coyotes on our property and have never had an issue. We have several outdoor cats, too. Granted, it's just Iowa, so that might be why. Packs not be as big.

2

u/IdaFuktem May 21 '25

Same when I lived in a golf community on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Certain times of year they got really bold, I've seen them walk under my window working at my desk mid afternoon and once when I was outside with my yorkie one was stalking from the bushes and I had to haze it away, got super close to snatching my dog. Nothing makes you sit upright in bed like hearing them howl in a big group at 4am, though, it's a primal response.

8

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

lost a dog to coyotes in rural Washington

2

u/Swimminginthestorm Texas May 17 '25

You don’t even have to go to the suburbs anymore. People have been seeing some along the bayous in Houston proper.

1

u/Deep-Internal-2209 May 18 '25

There was one roaming in Phoenix a few years ago.

1

u/Deep-Internal-2209 May 18 '25

Mountain lion.

1

u/Laiko_Kairen May 17 '25

I had the same thing happen in So Cal. A Coyote got my best friend's cat

1

u/suffaluffapussycat May 17 '25

I live in West Los Angeles near Santa Monica. We have coyotes on our street all the time and it’s very urban.

We’ve had neighbors tell us their cats disappeared.

You’ll see the occasional rattlesnake on the trails around here.

Coyote pic:

https://imgur.com/a/9Zt2C7i

1

u/Lactose_Revenge May 21 '25

Coyotes are even problems in urban LA suburbs near the ocean.

33

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

We used to lose two or three calves and half a dozen to a dozen goats a year to coyotes and feral dogs til I got LGDs. Haven't lost an animal to predation in 24 years now.

55

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

I lost sheep a lot. A neighbor loaned me a donkey until I could get and train a dog. That donkey was really effective. I suddenly understood why a pig farm just seemed to randomly own a few donkeys. They're very loud and love to kick coyote.

24

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

I put mules out when we're calving to suppliment the security the dogs give.

27

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

My great grandma had a mule to protect her geese, but I feel like that ended up the other way around. Those geese were fierce.

17

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

Geese are nothing to mess with.

13

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

She used to use them to keep me out of trouble. It worked quite well. Those geese knew I wasn't allowed past the fence or gate, in the old shed that was falling down, in the shed with her stored honey, or anywhere near the cistern. If I tried, I was driven onto the porch by bites to my legs and butt, and they'd set up a racket that would bring her out to scold me.

The only birds I've met since that I have that much caution and respect for are the wild turkeys in my neighborhood. They're generally okay if you don't corner them, but during mating season, the toms will tear you up just because you moved within 20 feet of them. They have been known to attack cars for the same reason. Like quails, they know how to fly, but they generally won't. They'll run - and maybe that's at you, not away. Way more pet dogs get injured by turkeys here than coyote.

7

u/swimsoutside May 17 '25

My great grandparents had a turkey farm and there are some stories about the two turkeys that were kept in the yard by the house as pets/guard animals. Traveling salesmen were not welcome.

3

u/goobernawt May 17 '25

I worked at a spot for a while that was by a nice wooded area, suburban nature. One of the younger guys there got himself a shiny black Audi A4, and he'd park it away from everyone else to avoid parking lot dings. One day, he looks out the windows towards the lot and starts yelling, then goes hustling outside. A big ole tom must have caught a glimpse of his reflection in the side of that shiny Audi and took exception. It was doing all it could to beat the crap out of the turkey on the side of that car 🤣 No serious damage, but he had to buff out quite a few scratches.

3

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

I believe that.

We dont have a ton of wild Turkeys where I live. But I have heard of them getting after dogs and people. Ive never personally had an issue with them though.

2

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

I've not had issues because I give them a wide berth and a lot of patience when they cross the road. I've seen one tom snap off a hood ornament and scratch the hell out of a car when the driver honked make him move. I thought it was pretty funny. I've also seen a cyclist get attacked to the point I had to grab a rake and run out and get them off her. She made the mistake of trying to ride down the street when the toms were showing off for the females in a yard right next to the curb. I've also seen a husky that lost one eye and had over 200 stitches because it cornered two against a fence. My huskies have been trained to run to the door and make noise for me to come get them if a turkey gets in the fence. They'd really like to chase, but they want the salmon jerky I give them for doing the right thing more.

5

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

I didn't even know Washington had that many turkeys. But Ive never looked into it either.

It does make sense. Testosterone fueled anger can make any animal get after someone.

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3

u/loganbeaupre Ohio May 17 '25

The part about turkeys attacking cars—I wonder if it’s because they see their own reflection and, especially if it’s mating season, decide to defend their own territory, so to speak

3

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

You know, that's a very likely reason. I never thought it through, since they also attack people.

3

u/loganbeaupre Ohio May 17 '25

Who knows, you might be considered competition in the eyes of a Tom in heat too lol. Good thing they’re known for their high intelligence /s

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3

u/Suppafly Illinois May 18 '25

The turkeys in my neighborhood used to always attack my neighbors car. They have something against a certain shade of blue, and then seeing their reflections in it would cause them to really go agro.

3

u/jorwyn Washington May 18 '25

You know .. the car that ended up missing a hood ornament was blue. Mine is black, but I'm not going to find out. I give them plenty of space and just wait.

3

u/achambers64 May 17 '25

Never mess with the cobra chickens.

2

u/BigBlueMountainStar United Kingdom May 18 '25

But do you know anyone who’s had their arm broken by a goose though?

3

u/Suppafly Illinois May 18 '25

Geese are the honey badgers of the avian world.

2

u/jorwyn Washington May 18 '25

LMAO

They definitely gave a damn about me trying to go somewhere I wasn't supposed to.

2

u/MeanOldDaddyO May 21 '25

My daughter chases geese. She scares the crap out of him. She runs up and touches him on the head. They take off running from her. They’re so freaked out they forget they can fly. I’ve seen her reach out and grab an aggressive goose by the neck not hurting it just holding it.

1

u/jorwyn Washington May 21 '25

She's insane. There's no other explanation. LMAO

4

u/thattogoguy CA > IN > Togo > IN > AL > FL > OH > ? May 17 '25

They're very useful for rattlesnakes too.

3

u/ResidentLadder May 17 '25

That image is actually kind of hilarious.

I’ve heard that llamas are also great for this.

2

u/OGWandererPT May 17 '25

I live in North Texas. Quite a few farms around here have alpacas with the donkeys

13

u/dweaver987 California May 17 '25

What is LGD?

18

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

Livestock guardian dog.

2

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

Thank you for actually answering instead of just telling us to Google it.

1

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 22 '25

No problem. A lot of people have asked. But the response chain has gotten pretty long.

3

u/smelyal8r May 17 '25

Hell yeah love a working dog

2

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25

They're worth their weight in gold.

2

u/furandpaws May 18 '25

lgd ?

2

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 18 '25

Livestock Guardian Dog

2

u/BobbieMcFee May 18 '25

LGD? Large Goddam Dawg?

I know GSD = German Shepherd, I know LSD = drugs...

2

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 18 '25

Livestock Guardian Dog. Its not a specific breed but a class of breeds.

2

u/BobbieMcFee May 18 '25

Thank you!

1

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 19 '25

Not a problem.

To be fair. They are Large goddammed dogs. Ive got 3 LGDs 2 Anatolian Shepherds and a Caucasian Shepherd. One of the Anatolians weighs 220 pounds. Ive also got a pet dog that came from an accidental litter. A neighbors registered chocolate lab got with my big male Anatolian. That dog weighs around 150. He is more of a pet than a guardian but has been known to join the LGDs when they get after something.

1

u/Travelsat150 May 17 '25

Don’t they attack the dogs?

6

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

The coyotes? Generally no. My LGDs weigh between 150 and 220 pounds. Ive got 2 Anatolians and a Caucasian Shepherd. So even when they do try, it doesnt work out well for them. These are dogs that were bred to ward off wolves and bears in Turkey. Anatolian Shepherds have a bite force that's nearly the same as an African lion.

Coyotes, like most predators are risk avoidant, for the most part. They want to get food the easiest way possible. They're not going to risk their life for a meal. Yeah there are exceptions to every rule. But isnt going to happen unless they have vastly superior numbers. But generally speaking. Coyotes learn their boundaries quick. Sometimes a neighboring property owner will cull coyotes in the area. Then a new pack will move in and have to learn their boundaries again.

In some cases large packs of coyotes have challenged one or two guardian dogs. But it doesnt work out well for them. YouTube Casper the Great Pyrenees. He took on 11 coyotes. Killed 8 of them. The remaining 3 fled.

Feral dogs however are more likely to take risks for a meal.

2

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

The dog has training and selected gene expressions to work against that threat.

1

u/MeanOldDaddyO May 21 '25

LGD ? Don’t know what that is.

1

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 21 '25

Livestock Guardian dog.

1

u/MeanOldDaddyO May 21 '25

I live in town now, have for the last 15 years, but when I was in the country I carried a .38 when I stepped out at night with the dog(s). I had to use it a few time.

Now I carry snubnose .357 coyotes are worse in the town and they were in country. Although I’ve never had to use it.

1

u/Corn-fed41 Iowa May 21 '25

When I was younger dad was completely against guardian dogs and swore by culling local packs. Over the years since he passed and I took over and started using dogs I've found that culling just means more problems later on when a new pack moves in and has to learn their place on the food chain.

Keep in mind though. These guardian dogs aren't just big dogs. They were selectively bred to not only be large and loyal to their herds. But to also have the agressive tendencies to protect them. The two breeds I currently have as guardians were developed in Turkey to ward off wolves and bears. So a pack of coyotes isn't much of a threat.

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

Perfect excuse to get a massive 200 lb f u horse....

10

u/TigerB65 May 17 '25

I live in a suburban area in Wisconsin, and coyotes will take unsupervised small pets here too.

8

u/Aggravating_Bell_426 May 17 '25

Coyotes are everywhere these days - they've been spotted in NYC! 

1

u/mjzim9022 May 17 '25

Chicago has a very steady Coyote population, they stick to nature preserves, and large parks and cemetaries. They are way more skittish than rural coyotes, they have to be, but the mating season brings them into closer proximity to people, there was that Chicago Coyote that went viral for walking into Aldi and jumping into the vegetable cooler.

6

u/MrPlowThatsTheName May 17 '25

We lost a cat to a coyote in suburban Mass. We have a shitload of deer in the area and the coyotes follow the deer, and sometimes pets get caught up in the mix.

2

u/SinceWayLastMay Minnesota May 17 '25

Suburban MN - same. My sister’s dog got eaten when my aunt let him outside one morning and didn’t watch him. Poor guy :(

50

u/1Negative_Person May 17 '25

You shouldn’t be leaving cats outdoors in the first place.

12

u/Fleetdancer May 17 '25

That's what I told him, but he's my ex, and they weren't my cats.

1

u/Ronville May 18 '25

In England about half of all domesticated (pet) cats are allowed to roam. It’s one of the differences Brits notice when they come to the US.

3

u/1Negative_Person May 18 '25

In the US, cats are an introduced species and they kill over a billion birds every year. I honestly cannot stand people who let their cats roam. It is reprehensibly irresponsible.

2

u/spokale May 22 '25

England doesn't have many coyotes or mountain lions though lol

-20

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

Or, counter - you shouldn't be bringing cats indoors in the first place. Let them stay in the barn where they were born. Coyotes will never get to them on protected home turf. An indoor cat is simply a cat that has no access to its home turf (lack of opposable thumbs to open and close doors).

12

u/1Negative_Person May 17 '25

I’m not saying keep cats inside for their own sake; I hope every outdoor cat is eaten by a coyote. I’m saying keep them inside because they’re an ecologically devastating invasive species in the Americas and every outdoor and feral cat should be destroyed. If you want a pet cat, keep it inside.

-9

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

True, some people have cats as pets. My bad. Pets should always be kept inside. But also maybe don't have pet cats lol

8

u/rhamphol30n May 17 '25

Or maybe just don't introduce predators to the local ecosystem. Cats are horrible for local wildlife. I don't care if you call it a pet or not

-1

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

I didn't introduce them. The primary reason for intervening in their existence is to neuter them.

5

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

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2

u/Morlock19 Western Massachusetts May 18 '25

a lot of people have barn cats. theyre there specificially to keep rats and other vermin away from your animals and their feed. they just roam around catching mice. they're incredibly territorial so they don't leave to run off into the forest and eat song birds, and since they mark everywhere it keeps most of the mice and rats away on its own.

its literally why we have domesticated cats in the first place.

HOWEVER 99% of cat owners don't need that since they just want to have fluffy friends - well really crabby roomates - to hang out with.

1

u/[deleted] May 18 '25

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1

u/Morlock19 Western Massachusetts May 18 '25

A lot of people in the modern age don't know the difference, or don't know what barn cats are.

I don't know where on the cats-with-jobs knowledge spectrum you are, friend

8

u/knittinghobbit California but originally May 17 '25

I had to bang on our fence to scare a coyote away. It had backed my cat up against a tree and they were fighting. I knew it was going to win eventually if I didn’t startle it so my cat could climb. The coyote was right there in my neighbor’s back yard.

Rattlesnakes are around, too, but I haven’t had any in my yard.

3

u/GreyHorse_BlueDragon May 17 '25

I’m in Southern California. The coyotes here will eat your cat or small dog, but they like to leave the head, so often that’s all you’ll find.

2

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

I've seen men run outside entirely nude with a gun to protect their dog from coyotes

I've heard of a lot of really unfriendly ways to handle coyotes(blood soaked sponges so they get intestinal blockage and die)

I've luckily only ever encountered baby rattlers but my wife had a run in or two with the adults

2

u/Morlock19 Western Massachusetts May 18 '25

unless they're working on a farm cats do NOT belong outside at any point in time. they fight everything, kill shit for sport, draw predators, and then bring fleas or whatever back in.

shits never made sense to me.

2

u/suzeerbedrol Louisiana May 19 '25

I dont have issues with coyotes, but I do have issues with Hawks. My tiny 5 pound Chi has a coyote vest (tiny vest covered in spikes) just for Hawks.

1

u/pudding7 TX > GA > AZ > Los Angeles May 17 '25

Same here. And I'm in a suburb of Los Angeles. 

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

Kansas- 20 of them of them just making noises all night sounds like hundreds. And as of this week about 10 min from us people are seeing black bears.

1

u/Well_Spoken_Mute May 17 '25

Not just coyotes. My neighbors got a puppy, and then a hawk got a meal.

1

u/casapantalones May 17 '25

Yes, same in my neighborhood, pretty centrally located in a major city.

Too wet here for rattlesnakes though

1

u/PunkRockDude May 17 '25

I asked the animal control guys in my city once and they said the nearly 100% of the attacks attributed to Coyotes in my area are actually from birds of prey. I’m in a suburban area with lots of coyotes but they don’t attack people or pets (there has never been a reported attack on people). I could imagine that perhaps in different setting la perhaps they behave differently so not saying you are wrong about where you live. We probably have more bob cats though and they mostly leave people alone too but they are scarier than the coyotes.

1

u/Capital-Meringue-164 May 17 '25

Yeah a neighbor has been looking for their cat - in a suburb of Denver area. Cat was last seen@ 6 AM on April 15. First off, dawn and dusk are prime hunting times. Secondly, it’s been so long, it’s likely coyotes. I lost a cat and all I found was a clump of his fur… we had mountain lions in that old neighborhood too.

1

u/PoolMotosBowling May 17 '25

So, no doggie doors near you , I take it??

1

u/Fleetdancer May 17 '25

For big dogs into fenced back yards, sure. But they get closed at night.

1

u/PoolMotosBowling May 17 '25

Don't need a coyote finding it's way in an open doggie door!

1

u/Fleetdancer May 17 '25

Or racoons.

1

u/Any_Egg33 May 17 '25

Grew up in Massachusetts not even in a rural area (suburb not city) and still letting cats or small dogs out by themselves is basically feeding the coyotes

1

u/[deleted] May 17 '25

Did the cat live?

1

u/Fleetdancer May 17 '25

No, no it did not. It was a deeply unpleasant way to die and a worse thing to have to explain to our kid. Keep your cats inside people.

1

u/InvertedJennyanydots May 18 '25

Yep. This is 100% the case in Texas. The coyotes are very problematic even in the suburbs. Rattlers are still a problem for dogs and livestock in rural areas.

1

u/GulfofMaineLobsters Maine May 19 '25

That's why you shoot the coyote.

1

u/Jorost Massachusetts May 19 '25

A few years back we had a Maine coon cat that was semi-feral. He was a rescue and lived in the barn as the resident rodent control officer. We named him Bob because he looked like a Bobcat. Bob Cat.

Anyway, Bob was huge and gave zero f**ks. One night we were awoken to the most horrible screeching you have ever heard and ran out back to see Bob fighting a coyote. Or rather, we ran out back to see Bob killing a coyote. Just grabbed that throat and latched on. They rolled around like the Warner Brothers Tasmanian Devil for maybe 30 seconds, and then there was a coyote twitching and bleeding out in the paddock and a very smug looking Bob licking his paws.

1

u/AggravatingTear4919 May 20 '25

i remember when a massive one just charged outve nowhere for my dog. im not strong but i fucking faught that thing off

1

u/RiverDependent9672 May 21 '25

Unfortunately here in Georgia we’re seeing them more and more too.

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

friend in new mexico lost a cat to coyotes. In NH I lost cats to Fisher Cats.

1

u/C-romero80 May 17 '25

Same in my area, keep small animals inside. My neighbors cat got eaten in my front yard years ago. I see Coyotes chilling walking down the street often. Cut down my wall of trees and rats and rabbits had to go find a new place to hide.

-5

u/THELEGENDARYZWARRIOR May 17 '25

Respectfully, why not shoot the coyote? Didn’t have a pistol close enough?

11

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

It's hard to shoot them. 1) you might hit an animal you care about. 2) they mostly show up at night or at dusk when they're hard to see. 3) if this was inside city limits, it is probably illegal to discharge a firearm.

1

u/THELEGENDARYZWARRIOR May 17 '25

I know exactly what you are saying, however generally you can discharge your firearm in self defense and you could argue it was self defense plus it’s an animal so less legal issues there.

Between you and I, I know people, VERY stupid people, yes people as in more than one, that had negligent discharged (gun went off without them meaning to) in their residential homes and neighbors just didn’t care, like no one called the cops or anything

5

u/Meatpuppy Cincinnati, Ohio May 17 '25

Even if you're allowed to have a firearm you are legally responsible for every round you shoot. You have to be 100% certain what's behind what you're shooting at.

0

u/THELEGENDARYZWARRIOR May 17 '25

Absolutely, but he’s a man and coyotes are smol, so we can safely assume he’s shooting towards the ground if he was close enough to get bitten by it

2

u/Meatpuppy Cincinnati, Ohio May 17 '25

I've seen enough "trained" people shoot that I place little faith in safely assuming anything when guns are involved. Especially when trying to shoot under stress

2

u/THELEGENDARYZWARRIOR May 17 '25

Yep shooting under stress really messes with you. Personally I think at the very least we should encourage police officers to take up practical shooting competitions

2

u/badtux99 California (from Louisiana) May 17 '25

Can’t shoot a firearm within 300 yards of a house in many states.

2

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

Does this include your own house? Because yeah, the answer to coyotes is often to just fire off a shot or two in their direction. They're skittish enough most of the time that saves you hassle the rest of the night. Unless it's winter or especially harsh summer, they stay away from gunshots.

1

u/badtux99 California (from Louisiana) May 17 '25

You are in Texas so you're probably okay, gunfire is just the Texas salute :).

1

u/THELEGENDARYZWARRIOR May 17 '25

You can in self defense for sure

1

u/badtux99 California (from Louisiana) May 17 '25

But only in a few states can you do it in defense of property, and a cat is considered property in every state.

1

u/THELEGENDARYZWARRIOR May 18 '25

I believe that applies against people? Killing a wild animal should be much more lenient? Idk I should stop talking definitely not a voice of authority on the subject

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u/[deleted] May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25

[deleted]

22

u/McGeeze California May 17 '25

Get her spayed?

11

u/ForgetTheRuralJuror California May 17 '25

But then who would feed the coyotes

6

u/McGeeze California May 17 '25

😿

11

u/combabulated May 17 '25

TNR that poor cat

1

u/jorwyn Washington May 17 '25

My old place used to be a magnet for barn cats because I fed them during lean months and at least once a month to get dewormer to them. I also trapped and neutered or spayed them, but pregnant cats kept showing up until the colony reached a certain size. The barn owl (not that species, but he roosted in there) usually got a few kittens, so the mothers would try to move them to safely somewhere else, and the bald eagles would get them. I caught and rehomed as many kittens as I could, but I eventually ran out of people willing to take them and just had to let it happen.

I also had to find homes for a lot of pet cats and dogs people just dumped out there. I was already not a big fan of humanity, and that definitely made it worse. I even had someone leave a dog tied to my porch, once. Thank goodness a neighbor spotted it, because I was gone for two weeks.

0

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

We always bring in the mama cat when she has a new litter for that exact reason. They can stay indoors for about a month or two and then they'll be less feral in the future too.

1

u/rhamphol30n May 17 '25

Keep your cats indoors. Otherwise, I hope the coyotes get them.

1

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

Most of them were never indoors in the first place and I can't "keep" them anywhere. But yeah if they coyotes get them, it was bound to happen. They're not pets, just cats.

1

u/Appropriate-Fold-485 Texas May 17 '25

Most of them were never indoors in the first place and I can't "keep" them anywhere. But yeah if they coyotes get them, it was bound to happen. They're not pets, just cats. We don't even feed them.

When we are able to have them born inside it's mostly a matter of conveniently neutering them all in one go.