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Wildlife Spotting

Photo by Holly H
Published on Project Noah
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32.9628, -117.036

Field Notes

Description:

Please help identify this scat. Yesterday our cat was killed in our fenced-in backyard and this scat was next to the kill site. We were thinking because of the violence of the killing (with most of the cat having been consumed) that a coyote/s was to blame, but given our fence I wasn't sure a coyote was capable of jumping over a fence. Our cat was very old (19) and very small (<6 pounds). He had escaped when we let out our elderly dog and we found him the next morning. All advice appreciated! Thank you.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (3)
CindyBinghamKeiser
So sorry to hear about your cat. For scat, tracks, etc, you put them in the category of the owner. In this case, mammals. You can also add it to the Signs of Wildlife mission: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/7208491
Holly H
Thanks Beaker. I'm sure now that it was a coyote - perhaps even two - because we discovered coyote tracks behind our shed (which is in our backyard and completely fenced in) along with more fur from our cat. What was throwing me was the fact that our yard is fenced it quite securely, though I've since observed coyotes jumping fences on YouTube so I am now a believer. I don't know how one can keep a cat here in Southern California at all, unless you either have a large dog like a shepherd to deter them, or you live in a condo. :(
beaker98
So sorry for the loss of you cat:( That's terrible. When I first looked at the scat I though mink or some form of mustelid. It seems small for coyote, but noticing the fruit in the scat could show that it is a coyote having problems finding protein. If that's the case, small pets would be an easy meal. Coyotes can jump pretty high, so I don't think a fence would be much of a barrier. Again, so sorry about your cat:(

Spotted for Missions

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Signs of Wildlife
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Southern California Wildlife

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Photographed
PublishedSeptember 8, 2013

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