I love my cat. But Sacramento shouldn’t get so worked up about coyotes in Midtown
I love my cat, Rick. People always ask why we named her that. We didn’t. She came pre-named.
Before my partner and I adopted her, she lived with our neighbors and spent most of her time outside. She used to greet us in the front yard. Then she started begging to come in.
One morning, we woke up to her mewling while she hung by her claws from the screen on our bedroom window. Our neighbors decided to move, so we took Rick in.
Now she’s an indoor cat.
A recent viral Sacramento Facebook post that brings new meaning to the term “cat food” made me glad she is.
A set of photos of a coyote chasing a cat in Midtown, posted by animal advocate Allyson Seconds, has amassed more than 1,000 likes, nearly 2,000 shares and more than 400 comments since it was posted on Facebook days ago.
“Time to start keeping kitty inside,” Seconds wrote.
TV news stations picked it up. The city of Sacramento told residents they could reach out to the Animal Control Department for training on how to deter neighborhood coyotes.
Coyotes aren’t actually a huge threat to cats. They’re opportunistic and might try to catch a cat given the chance, but your kitty is far more likely to encounter other dangers.
Since the start of 2018, Sacramento Animal Control has found 832 dead cats. Chief Animal Control Officer Jace Huggins said two of those cats were confirmed to be killed by coyotes.
“The primary culprit is always cars,” he said.
Which means you should still probably keep your cat inside for their own safety. That wasn’t universally popular with commenters on Seconds’ Facebook post.
“Not all cats can just be ‘indoor cats,’” wrote one.
When we first adopted Rick, we let her out when she asked. When we started keeping her inside, I felt awful about it. I worried about her getting bored or depressed. Being outside was more dangerous for her, but would it be more fulfilling?
My partner, a biologist, didn’t want Rick killing birds. The impact of cats on wildlife is bigger than you might think.
A 2013 study published in Nature Communications estimated “free-ranging domestic cats” kill billions of birds annually in the United States. Cats are also associated with extinctions of some island-dwelling creatures.
Scientific organization Invasive Species Specialist Group lists domestic cats as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species.
How could my precious fluffy-butt baby kitty be an alien invasive species?
As for coyotes, I was surprised when Huggins said people should yell at them when they see them on their urban or suburban street. I was expecting him to tell me to leave them alone.
I haven’t figured out precisely what I would yell at a coyote yet. “There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism”? Which includes eating cats.
He said it’s better for the coyote if you ensure they don’t get used to humans. Leaving them be is best along the river or in open spaces. But if a coyote is in your yard, Huggins says you should bang a tin or shout something loudly.
Perhaps to warn them of the ills of human society.
At the very least, don’t do anything to lure them closer to your home. For example, people should pick up fallen fruit from trees and feed pets inside, Huggins said.
City animal control has picked up 11 coyotes since the start of 2018, seven of which were already dead. The other four were ill, and animal control euthanized three of them. The fourth they sent to a wildlife care center.
In the same two-year time frame, the department has responded to one report of a coyote biting a dog that was off leash along the American River, and no reports of coyotes biting people. He didn’t say anything about people biting coyotes.
Coyotes have always been here. They’re our neighbors, and seeing them is pretty normal, especially near train tracks or open areas. But despite a few dramatic photos, there’s not much to worry about.
Watch out for Amazon delivery vans, though. They’re dangerous.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.