When Pets Fall Prey to Coyotes
* I was not surprised to read of the invasion of the coyote. But your warning for people to stay near their pets is not enough. One day I was in front of my home in Anaheim Hills chatting with a neighbor, my Siamese cat sitting calmly between us.
From across the street came what we thought was a medium-sized puppy. It approached us and began to romp around the cat, playfully. Suddenly it grabbed the cat in its mouth and took off for the nearby golf course. I stood there in shock, realizing the animal was a coyote.
I ran madly after them, waving my arms and yelling. Golfers saw the dilemma and waved their irons and shouted as well. The confused coyote dropped the cat and ran on. My poor cat was in shock, its legs munched and its lungs pierced. With nursing, however, he recovered to live two more years until he somehow got out and succumbed to another coyote attack.
In 20 years I have lost 24 cats to the wily beasts. Catless now, I have finally given up the fight. It hurts too much to raise coyote bait.
TERRY J. O’BRIEN
Anaheim
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