UPDATE: 05/24/2024 I have removed photos of examples of coyote kills because of a complaint. Please, search Google and you will see some photos which you can use to determine if it was a coyote kill or something else. Below is some information.
03/20/2019 Cats killed in Edmonton were killed by coyotes and not a demented person.
"Nick Nation, a veterinary pathologist and adjunct professor, and Colleen Cassady St. Clair teamed up to study case 53 files and necropsy results cats killed between 2007 and 2017." They state exactly what I stated below about how coyotes kill, dismember and eat cats. This is science. These are facts.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-cat-killing-coyote-study-university-alberta-1.5061572
Scotland Yard took three years to come to the conclusion that dead, mutilated cats were killed by foxes and not a "sick depraved human." Here's the summary.
"London police have announced the conclusion of a three-year investigation into a suspected cat serial killer – who activists believe has killed up to 400 animals since 2014. Police said Thursday the culprit, however, is not a person but the urban fox.
Detectives examined dozens of dead cats believed to have been killed by the Croydon Cat Killer, who became something of a local legend as reports of dismembered, beheaded and mutilated family pets began accumulating starting in 2014 in the south London district of Croydon.
But on Thursday police said that foxes were the culprits for the mutilations, which they said were all carried out on cats who had previously been killed by blunt force trauma. “Scavenging foxes then mutilated body parts – especially heads and tails,” police said."
Read the rest of the article. Again there is a suspect who is a male who drives around. How long will the people in Washington still believe a human is killing cats. It's clearly coyotes. It could also be foxes.
http://time.com/5401854/croydon-cat-killer-foxes/?xid=tcoshare
ORIGINAL: There have been many reports over many years about "sick, twisted humans" killing cats in gruesome ways. The owner of the cats and others insist a human must have used a "scalpel" to cut their cat in half or disembowel them with very little blood. Some even swear they saw a "sketchy looking man in a car driving around the neighborhood looking for cats to kill." They swear the body parts were "placed, staged" to cause humans fear. They even offer rewards for the "killer."
Years of evidence has shown that these are generally cases where a coyote or two killed a cat to eat. Their main diet is wild bunnies, ground squirrels, gophers and berries. If you leave your cat outside and unprotected, they will eat it because it's easier to catch than a wild bunny or gopher. Keep your cat and all small pets indoors and protected.
WARNING! There are some dead cat photos at the bottom of this article. Don't scroll all the way down if you can't take it.
How to tell if a coyote or a human or a dog killed your cat.
Coyotes try to approach the cat from behind. They don't want to have to deal with sharp teeth and claws. They will grab the cat by the back of the neck and bite, shake hard to quickly kill the cat. Sometimes when they bite and shake the head comes off. They will keep their jaws clenched on the cat until they know it's dead. Sometimes the cats die from shock or suffocation.
Coyotes will generally just eat the protein and calorie rich organ meats. After the cat is dead they rip open the stomach area, disembowel the cat and eat the organs. Sometimes the intestines will be pulled out. Sometimes when eating the organs the cat ends up in two pieces. Sometimes they are hunting in a pack. One coyote may grab part of the cat while another grabs the other end. Sometimes they rip the cat in two ripping off all of part of the tail and maybe even degloving the remaining tail or skinning part of the body in the process.
They generally attack from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. when it's dark out. Because no humans are generally around at those hours they will eat the cat on the front lawn or parkway. They aren't "intentionally displaying the dead animal" as some state. Outdoor cats generally hang out in the front of homes. If the coyotes are interrupted while they are eating, they may take the cat parts and go eat elsewhere. If it's a pack of coyotes hunting for a female with pups, they may bring the entire dead cat back to the den. They also sometimes do this to train pups how to hunt and eat. Mom will rip open a cat so her pups can get to the organ meat.
Below is an article from Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico, Aug 1, 1993. It quotes Los Angeles County Animal Control.
"Mason's cat, Weasel, disappeared from the driveway of the couple's Plano home last month." "He found the body" "head and forepaw neatly severed, the heart and other internal organs removed and laid aside." 'Otherwise it was all clean. There was no blood on the cat's coat. The remaining intestines were all gone." "The body, head and paw, and heart seemed placed, Mason thought arranged in a triangle. He notified Plano police." Neighbors frequently see coyotes in the area but "Mason does not think coyotes killed his cat. I wouldn't rule anything out but I don't think so." "It looks like the animals have been surgically taken apart, because coyotes are very skilled predators," says Bob Ballenger, executive assistant of the Los Angeles County Dept of Animal Care and Control. "It's not a chew and a rip-up."
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| coyote, killer, cat, cats, los angeles, california, mary cummins, animal advocates, kill, murder, animal sacrifice, evil, cruel, scalpel, cut open, rip skin, tail, head, organs, santeria, religious, religion, surgical, body parts, placed |
Here's another big scare that turned out to be coyotes. I have redacted the person's name and the name of the group. They were not from the area and not familiar with coyote kills. The coyotes live in the golf courses and leave to go eat outdoor cats for dinner at night.
September 12, 2005
“Dear Friends,
It is with great sadness that I write you tonight, but I feel I must get the word out. There have been a rash of cat mutilations in the area near Cashio St. and La Cienega in West LA. Ten cats have been
chopped in half or into three pieces and posed in the front yards of neighbors in this area since July. *** has been investigating this horrible violent criminal activity and has some leads but have not caught the perpetrator yet. We have posted $1,000 reward signs for information leading to the
conviction of the killer in the area where the bodies have been found. If anyone would like to help with this investigation please contact me at the *** and I will discuss with you ways that you can assist. By the way, it is always best to keep your cat indoors, but especially if you live in this neighborhood!!!"
If a dog were to kill a cat, they also go for the neck. After the cat is dead they generally don't eat it. They may play with it by tossing it around by the neck or legs. You will see a bit of dog saliva on the neck. Coyotes don't play with their food. They just eat it. Very little saliva on the neck. The main wound is on the neck. The other wounds are just from eating it.
Some wonder why there is very little blood at the kill site. There's a very good reason for that. The coyote breaks the cat's neck quickly. This causes the heart to stop pumping. The coyote finally rips into the stomach area, peritoneal cavity when the heart has stopped. For this reason the blood loss will be minimized.
How to keep your cats, small pets safe from coyotes.
The most important thing to do is keep your cats and small animals indoors and protected. If a coyote doesn't kill your cat, a dog, car, another cat could kill them.
It never makes sense to trap and kill coyotes who eat pets. Every coyote you trap/kill will instantly be replaced by another coyote. You'd also need a permit and trappers charge about $1,000-$1,500 to trap each coyote. Coyotes don't go into Hav-a-Hart traps and snare traps are now illegal in Los Angeles, California. It's illegal to trap and relocate healthy nuisance wildlife in California. You'd have to drive them at least 50 to 100 miles away or they'll just return anyway.
The best thing to do is not lure them to your home. Keep small pets indoors. Don't leave out cat food. Coyotes are omnivores who eat berries and seeds. Remove the bird feeder. Lock up your trash. Pick up dropped fruit. Clear brush where they den.
Also deter and exclude coyotes. Every time you see a coyote scare it away by stomping your feet, yelling at it, making loud noise, charge it, run after it... Exclude them with proper fencing and walls. Here's an article we wrote about keeping your animals safe from coyotes which goes into more details.
http://www.animaladvocates.us/coyote.htm
Below are some photos of cats and other animals killed by coyotes. Sometimes just the stomach is eaten. Sometimes they are ripped in two. This cat was disemboweled.
PHOTOS DELETED due to complaint so I can't show you how to identify coyote kills.
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| coyote, killer, cat, cats, los angeles, california, mary cummins, animal advocates, kill, murder, animal sacrifice, evil, cruel, scalpel, cut open, rip skin, tail, head, organs, santeria, religious, religion |
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| This cat was on my lawn May 2005. A neighbor was feeding a lot of outdoor feral cats. Coyotes came through and within three days ate most of them. Coyote also ate neighbor's two outdoor cats. I know for sure this was a coyote kill. coyote, killer, cat, cats, los angeles, california, mary cummins, animal advocates, kill, murder, animal sacrifice, evil, cruel, scalpel, cut open, rip skin, tail, head, organs, santeria, religious, religion |
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| Notice spine is broken clear through. Most of it is missing. Ribs were broken to get to organ meats. Part of intestine is hanging out with part wrapped around the cat. This cat was on my lawn May 2005. A neighbor was feeding a lot of outdoor feral cats. Coyote came through and within three days ate most of them. Coyote also ate neighbor's two outdoor cats. coyote, killer, cat, cats, los angeles, california, mary cummins, animal advocates, kill, murder, animal sacrifice, evil, cruel, scalpel, cut open, rip skin, tail, head, organs, santeria, religious, religion |
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| coyote, killer, cat, cats, los angeles, california, mary cummins, animal advocates, kill, murder, animal sacrifice, evil, cruel, scalpel, cut open, rip skin, tail, head, organs, santeria, religious, religion |
This is from September 2018 in Florida. It is of course a coyote kill. Part of the spine is missing as are the ribs and organs. The coyote chewed through ribs to get to organs, also ate organs in abdominal cavity. Coyote may have been disturbed while eating and took that portion away from the site. TNR people believe it's a human doing this. No. TNR people are responsible for these cats' deaths. Don't leave cats outside for many reasons.
"This week, several mutilated cats were found along International Drive in Orlando Florida, by wait for it...TNR feeders. Someone is apparently going around and mutilating TNR cats, cutting them in half and even skinning a few. Then putting them on display."
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So many times people think it's evil humans when it's not. There have been some truly embarrassing cases of people even police insisting it's a devil worshiper or someone who practices Santeria killing the cats. In the end people realize it's just coyotes. Only three out of 1,300 dead cat calls to Los Angeles Animal Services were not killed by coyotes. Coyotes eat cats and small pets to survive. They don't do it to be mean to people or pets. If you left a stack of money in the middle of the street and someone took it, don't blame the person who took it. Blame yourself for leaving it there unprotected.
Below are some good articles about this subject. This includes research on what coyotes actually eat. It also includes necropsies done by experienced wildlife veterinarians and other experts. They can DNA test the saliva on the neck and other places on the body. They can check to see if there is any coyote fur under the nails of the cats. Generally there's not as the coyotes kill so quickly from behind. Of the small dogs I've seen who were attacked by coyotes and survived, they only have a neck wound.
"Cat Mutilations Spread Fear of Cults in Suburb" 1989
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/13/us/cat-mutilations-spread-fear-of-cults-in-suburb.html
"Case closed? Canada cats killed by coyotes — not humans" 2012
https://cattime.com/cat-facts/lifestyle/1289-case-closed-canada-cats-killed-by-coyotes-not-humans
"Signs that a coyote killed your pet"
https://animals.mom.me/signs-coyote-killed-pet-2226.html
"Observations of Coyote Predation on Cats" 2011
https://lostpetresearch.com/2011/01/observations-of-coyote-predation-on-cats/
"Pet owners warned after cats found killed in Westwood" 2013
"How do coyotes thrive in Southern California? Scientists dissect 200 plus carcasses to find clues" 2017
https://www.ocregister.com/2017/06/08/how-do-coyotes-thrive-in-southern-california-scientists-dissect-200-plus-carcasses-to-find-clues/
Mary Cummins of
Animal Advocates is a
wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the
California Department of Fish and Game and the
USDA.
Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.
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