Wile E. Coyote.

[Fel]

As much as I've heard that coyotes have been making their way eastward, I had my doubts...until today.

I've seen my first coyote. It's a youngster, looks barely a year old, and has come around my house and steal the food I put out for my cats twice that I've seen so far.

It's odd that it's taken this long for me to see one. I live WAY back in the boonies, so far I have to shoo the deer out of my driveway when I go to work, and I'm used to seeing a lot of wildlife. Raccoons, possums, deer, rabbits, groundhogs, red foxes, they're thick as fleas around here. We even have a couple of bobcats in the area, and while we don't see them anymore, there were black bears around here when I was a kid.

I'm gonna try to get a decent picture of him. I got one on my cell phone, but it doesn't have enough zoom to really make much out.

Heck, I've been kicking around the idea of buying a cheap digital camera anyway. Now I have a reason.

[hoppy]

I would not let your cats out any more coyotes will eat them.

[konman]

We have a number of 3 legged cats in my neighborhood thanks to the local coyote population.

[Wolfee]

I'm a country boy and my family has a policy about this.... Shoot the racoons, groundhogs and coyotes. And of course the boar when they show up, only got a few miles left till they hit my folks place. Personally I can hardly wait till my folks move up near Traverse City, MI... Then bear and cougar become fair game... on the other hand my family's picky about this... you shoot a wolf on our property... and there is going to be a "conversation."

[Fiferguy]

We have pretty much everything out here: bears, coyote, cougar, etc. Most of the time, I just let them be. They aren't hurting me or anyone I know. However, I will defend myself if one ever attacks me.

[dellstart]

I'm a country boy and my family has a policy about this.... Shoot the racoons, groundhogs and coyotes. And of course the boar when they show up, only got a few miles left till they hit my folks place. Personally I can hardly wait till my folks move up near Traverse City, MI... Then bear and cougar become fair game... on the other hand my family's picky about this... you shoot a wolf on our property... and there is going to be a "conversation."

woha, for a city boy that sounds pretty out there, but makes sense.

[khyranleander]

Well, depends on where you live for what sounds "wild". Technically, I'm a "city boy", though probably more due to the legal designation of our small, West-PA town than in reality. I live like 6 blocks (zigzagged) from town center, and we get a lot of wildlife at our dumpsters. I'm talking raccoons, skunks and the infrequent bear. I've watched deer meander past out my back window. Passed a fox today, and it was only "outside of town" because a creek there is a natural border -- otherwise, it was even closer to the center of town than where I live, and on the main highway going south.

[ANTIcarrot]

Alternatively, just get bigger house cats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7B6UClyfmU
Though this solution does sometimes come with disadvantages:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbhkXg9iFYA
Especially if you supersize the solution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1tih6dsjCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPB5lQl9fc4

More seriously, unlike foxes and racoons, coyotes are a threat to pets (as less humurous youtube videos can testify) though like the former their population will quickly expand to fill any available gaps, so shooting them doesn't do much good. Continuing to put food out might attract the coyote (bad) but might also 'train' them to spong food off you rather than hunt bothersome critters (good) but might get expensive (bad). Covering the cats in tabasco sauce probably would at best only save cat B & C at the cost of cat A. And before then the cats would probably leave you in disgust anyway. The best solution would probably be a big dog. Or a wolf. (Taking either on a long walk around your home will deter pretty much any predator.) A complete pack would be ideal and cheap, since they can keep the local coyotes in their place, and sponge off the local farmers and not cost you anything. Suprisingly enough they tend to ignore cats, even when provoked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPTGASZ62ys

Having lived all my life in Hertfordshire, UK I can probably out city-slicker all of you. Biggest 'pest' we have are urban foxes, and the ocasional munkjack deer, and they're far less dangerous than the average house cat. (I got within two feet of a fox once, and used to watch the deer walk though our garden). I'd show no mercy to anyone who tried to attack a pet of mine of my family or neighborhood. But I'm less enthusiastic about proactive predator control programmes. I remember the damage they did last time. I also not that while people might advocate controlling coyotes, eagles and hawks also pose a threat to cats - and no one seems to mention shooting them.