59 Replies to "West Seattle coyotes: Seen at Camp Long & golf course"

• nemobeansmom June 26, 2013 (4:44 pm)

  That Pup is so cute…

• mehud June 26, 2013 (4:44 pm)

  Adorable!

• HC @ Arbor Heights June 26, 2013 (4:54 pm)

  There have been multiple sightings in Arbor Heights over the past couple of months. Someone witnessed a coyote snatching a cat.

• tk June 26, 2013 (5:11 pm)

  sooo tute!

• West Seattle Hipster June 26, 2013 (5:14 pm)

  Beautiful animal.

• mb June 26, 2013 (5:18 pm)

  Little cutie!

• WSeattleite June 26, 2013 (5:26 pm)

  Is it more likely that a coyote or a raccoon will kill a cat? When our cat was killed, we weren’t sure which animal had done it. Raccoons are pretty aggressive in our neighborhood, but… ?

• nemobeansmom June 26, 2013 (5:43 pm)

  Cute but hungry, :( I still don’t understand why so many people let their cats outside when they know these coyotes are around.

  • WSB June 26, 2013 (5:51 pm)

    Nemo, some people say they didn’t know. Which is what we consider one reason to report sightings … a reminder that they are everywhere (and NOT just by greenbelts). They also eat rodents.

• tweetlbug June 26, 2013 (5:56 pm)

  Some people have pets that understand what a predator is, and how to avoid them.

• Snowflake June 26, 2013 (6:09 pm)

  Cute!

• Norma June 26, 2013 (6:18 pm)

  I guess they’re out all day long hunting. I think some people think that their cats are safe being out during the daytime but I think that’s no longer true.

• WestSide45 June 26, 2013 (6:37 pm)

  Saw one on the 9th hole last week in the evening. I took out a sand wedge (not a sandwich) and hit an old ball toward the coyote. It land about ten feet away from it. He (or she) snatched the ball and ran into the ravine. Must be something missing from the diet, maybe Surlyn.

• Sarah June 26, 2013 (6:47 pm)

  A couple of weeks ago my brother followed one down our street as he was leaving. We are just up from EC Hughes park.

• JH June 26, 2013 (7:00 pm)

  I used to hear them almost every night in Schmitz Park, but haven’t heard them in months. I’ve been wondering if they’re even still down there…

• nemobeansmom June 26, 2013 (7:01 pm)

  Westside45>>>>Coyote thought it (old golfball) was a meatball that fell out of your sand wedge maybe?

• datamuse June 26, 2013 (7:18 pm)

  Now, Westside45, if you could just get him to bring it *back*… ;)

• timh2o June 26, 2013 (7:21 pm)

  My neighbors cat got ate a few weeks ago near 48th SW/SW Edmonds. Seen by a neighbor in his back yard.

• Rachel June 26, 2013 (7:50 pm)

  Our nearly 14-year old cat was killed last week likely by one of these coyotes. She knew how to navigate the outdoors and was safe outside her whole, long life. Please be cautious and keep your kitties safe…

• Rachel June 26, 2013 (7:50 pm)

  Oh, and we live on 38th between Hinds & Manning in the Belvidere neighborhood.

• ~~Hockeywitch~~ June 26, 2013 (7:54 pm)

  Cute little one.

• Faith4 June 26, 2013 (8:04 pm)

  Unfortunately I have told people we have coyotes & they say their cat is outside savvy & then I get the sad phone call. In reading the link in the last West Seattle blog coyote article, it looks like this is a very active time with the young coyotes out. According to the link, this includes small dogs, chickens, cats. Please pass the word to others re the safety of their pets. As we have been told before, make lots of noise when you see them & make them uncomfortable being around. I have witnessed a poor cat running for its life & I could not get there to help it as I was too far above. They are all over West Seattle as the past coyote sightings map provided by the WSBlog has shown. Please, please help get the word out. Thanks.

• Bev June 26, 2013 (8:34 pm)

  Cute my A**! Predatory animals eat Our beloved pets!!! I am in Fed way in the Twin Lakes area and the Frakin animal ate my beloved cat with whom my partner let out into his fenced in back yard…about 5 am. His vest was found across the street of the Twin Lakes golf course on the 12th par.We got a call early the next morning by the maintence man saying he found our cat’s vest. Since I live in Everett…I didn’t know what a high kill zone Federal way is for people losing their pets to these “CUTE” predators !!! LOCK UP for pets people!! Danger lucks right in your back yard! DAY and NIGHT!! If I would have a cross bow… I’d go get me some COYOTE HIDES!!!!!

• NotMe June 26, 2013 (8:46 pm)

  is it me, or does this little critter look to have some Australian Cattle dog in his/her blood?

• Robert June 26, 2013 (9:05 pm)

  NotMe, it’s not you.

• shed22 June 26, 2013 (9:24 pm)

  Ears!!!

• Last53BusRider June 26, 2013 (9:41 pm)

  I’ve lived in rural New Hampshire and Kentucky. Coyotes plentiful in both places (plus bobcats in KY.) But they never seemed to come anywhere near my house, and I never worried about my cats roaming the woods.

  Urban/suburban coyotes seem to be a different matter altogether – perhaps because they have less space – or because they encounter humans so often, they lose fear of them.

  Anyway, what may be reasonably safe for a small pet in a rural area may not be the case in the city,

• 935 June 26, 2013 (10:17 pm)

  3 S’s Shoot Shovel Silence
  These vermin are nothing but trouble. Mangy. Flea ridden. No good trash. garbage dogs. They eat rodents?? Not in my hood…they eat pets.
  Bounty now. Shoot on site.

• datamuse June 26, 2013 (10:36 pm)

  The ones here are getting pretty habituated to people. When I encounter them out in the mountains, say, they skedaddle.

  Actually, the last one I saw here in West Seattle left in a hurry, too. I think he was alarmed by my bicycle.

• shed22 June 26, 2013 (10:45 pm)

  Law abiding citizens and responsible pet owners should keep control of their pets at all times. If everyone could follow that simple rule (and law), there would be no concern. Right, 935?

• ttt June 26, 2013 (11:10 pm)

  The cats kill many birds, and the coyotes kill some of the cats. Circle of life people. If you want to keep your cat out of that circle then keep your cats inside (and the birds will thanks you). And coyotes also keep the rats under control.

• NotMe June 27, 2013 (12:02 am)

  Good point, ttt

• pupsarebest June 27, 2013 (5:45 am)

  Hmmmm…if there were to be the suggested “3 S” open-season on “vermin” allowed, I’d choose to put the nasty, predatious, over-populated crows at the top of the list.
  Having said that, gunning down wildlife in a heavily populated urban setting is probably illegal for good reason.

• miws June 27, 2013 (7:57 am)

  935, are you prepared to pay the consequences, (which I hope would be harsh), when one of your coyote bound stray bullets hits and injures or kills an innocent person, or family pet?

  .

  Mike

• Heather June 27, 2013 (9:05 am)

  Just a reinforced reminder – they eat rodents too.

• Dudalina June 27, 2013 (9:10 am)

  Yes, if you want to keep your cat, keep it inside. I’ve seen coyotes up and down the street. E part of Hanford. We took away theirs homes, we need to learn to share.

• higgins June 27, 2013 (1:27 pm)

  I live right near the golf course and occasionally the ambulances coming down 35th with their sirens on will get the whole resident pack howling. It’s a surreal noise to hear in the city!

• datamuse June 27, 2013 (1:31 pm)

  We took away theirs homes, we need to learn to share.
  .
  Actually there’s considerable evidence that coyotes were few in this area before it became urbanized–that, and killing off most of the gray wolves that lived between here and coyotes’ former, much smaller range.
  .
  Still no reason to leave garbage cans unsecured and pet food outdoors, though, which are two things they frequently go after.

• jiggers June 27, 2013 (1:49 pm)

  Coyotes are better than seeing homeless..

• ST June 27, 2013 (4:57 pm)

  Our 11 year old cat was killed on Tuesday by coyotes. She is always brought inside in the evenings but accidentally got out at 10pm. She was killed in our front yard between 10-11pm. We have two large dogs and the coyotes killed her about 4feet from our fence. This happened on 37th Ave SW & Stevens in the Admiral area. We don’t know if this was a lone coyote or more. We are crushed.

• chris June 27, 2013 (4:59 pm)

  Cats are predatory animals too…it has been estimated that 300 million birds are killed by cats every year in the U.S.

• ripper June 27, 2013 (5:07 pm)

  Sorry but I have no sympathy for people whose cat gets killed by a coyote. If you’re that foolish… it’s your own fault. Keep your cat indoors.

• Rebecca June 27, 2013 (5:20 pm)

  Oh, ST, I am so sorry you lost your cat. I would be devastated too. The last time we got kittens (4 week old ferals left in our own back yard!) we decided to raise them as indoor only. They are 8 now, and perfectly happy. Plus, they smell good, don’t track in all sorts of stuff, no fleas, ear mites, injuries, or remains-of-the-hunt brought in at all. I was skeptical, but am a total convert to indoor cats.

• Dana June 27, 2013 (5:23 pm)

  I live on 46th and Erskine just outside Alaska junction. I saw 2 of them one not not long ago coming up Erskine. I was wondering what my cat was growling at when I saw them. I think they had spotted and were coming for him. I stomped the ground and they ran off. Our house sits up off the street so I don’t think they’d come up in the yard. But we have 4 cats. All outdoor. Too late to turn them into indoor cats. Wonder how to keep them safe. Saw a coyote in our neighborhood before this incident too. They’re all over west Seattle it seems

• Marie June 27, 2013 (5:34 pm)

  Yes definitely keep animals indoors but as far as complaining about them, get a clue… we are taking away more & more of THEIR habitat, so where do you want them to go? Let’s kill them cause they’re out in our neighborhoods??? Idiot!

• shed22 June 27, 2013 (5:41 pm)

  ST, a true reminder to recognize that pets are dependent on their humans securing their safety.

• patricia June 27, 2013 (5:41 pm)

  Chris, that number was overinflated, please do research before quoting figures.

  But please folks keep your kitties inside, don’t risk. There was a particular nasty raccoon that would come up to the front door, I had not doubt that he would have attacked the cat.

• Teri Ensley June 27, 2013 (5:44 pm)

  @ ST (and others), so sorry for your loss. It can be a very difficult decision on whether a feline family member is indoor only or indoor/outdoor. Think we all know the risks of associated and hope for the best.

  I made a decision years ago which has been an excellent compromise for my cats. They are indoor only, with 24 hour access to a secure outdoor enclosure. Their enclosure has climbing structures, clean water and the good ole’ litter boxes. (I don’t put cat food in the enclosure).

  If anyone has an indoor/outdoor cat that you want to protect from the coyotes (plus dogs, cars, hawks, poisons, etc), please feel free to email me at funkietoo@hotmail.com. We can arrange a time for you to come over and see the enclosure–or I can send you photos of different types of enclosures.

• jiggers June 27, 2013 (5:49 pm)

  What’s the coyote supposed to think? turn off those natural instincts they where born with and say to themselves noooo we can’t hunt kitty kats because they are humans pets?…lol

• West Seattle Hipster June 27, 2013 (5:57 pm)

  Indoor cats live much longer than outdoor cats, so if you really cherish our feline friends, keep them inside.

  Lets share the world.

• joan stuart ross June 27, 2013 (6:19 pm)

  It is true, keep your kitties and small pets inside. They trust us to secure their safety. Cats have longer and happier lives inside. If they have been outdoors, you can still make the change. Their lives depend on it! Eagles, coyotes and other animals who were here before we were are out there–it’s their world too.

  Joan

• G June 27, 2013 (6:25 pm)

  Growing up as a kid in West Seattle, I never once saw a coyote and I spent most of my free time playing Daniel Boone in the greenbelts. Foxes, yes, coyotes, no. If there were coyotes, they were very few and far between. But then Barred Owls are faily recent immigrants too.

• shed22 June 27, 2013 (6:37 pm)

  Back to those EARS!!! And eat the rats, please.

• ST June 27, 2013 (10:27 pm)

  Those of you who write patronizing comments need to get off your soapboxes. I lost my cat. Yes I am crushed at what happened. Am I a bad owner? Absolutely not. My cat would have miserable spending her entire life indoors. She had a family and two dogs that adored her & she lived a wonderful full life. That full life included killing rats, moles & birds.

  The point to my post was not for all of your personal opinions, but to let you know that coyotes are killing cats in our neighborhoods.

• ~~Hockeywitch~~ June 28, 2013 (7:26 am)

  Coyote’s were here first… Just like all the people who build homes in the moutains and then complain about a cougar or a bear coming into their yard… SORRY, you are in THEIR Territory. Raccoons, Eagles and Hawks kill family pets in our neighborhoods as well, but you know what?? If your pets were safely inside your home, they would still be around. I would be totally CRUSHED if a Coyote got one of my cats, but the Coyote needs to eat too, so I keep MY CATS indoors. Animals are getting killed to the brink of extinction because people are moving into THEIR habitat and are being killed off.. Humans are the most preditory animal on the planet… Don’t like coyotes in your back yard.. MOVE!!

• Furor Scribendi June 28, 2013 (8:45 am)

  Ripper, and others: show some humanity to people and their pets, at least as much as you give to the increasing numbers of coyotes in our midst. As a long time westsider, please know coyotes are very recent newcomers to our ecosystem, pushing out the foxes etc that used to exist around here. Coyotes are known to kill indiscriminately, just for fun, and will avoid rodents to go after bigger slower prey like someone’s beloved pet. Coyotes don’t solve some environmental loose ends here or control vermin, but contribute more problems for people, pets and other wildlife species that have been here forever. To the fullest extend possible, their population should be controlled before a rabid one bites someone’s child.

• Simone Thomas June 28, 2013 (9:36 am)

  Ripper, nobody asked for your sympathy.

  I suppose I should not let my children play outside in our yard either. I will just lock them all up and let them watch the world from the window.

  It’s so easy to be self righteous when you are anonymous.

• WSeattleite July 2, 2013 (11:08 am)

  What is it about social media? A friendly online conversation, no matter how important or benign, turns into a hostile exchange in minutes.

  • WSB July 2, 2013 (11:20 am)

    This isn’t “social media” but I assume you’re referring to this comment thread. This has long been a contentious topic, but we’ve had thousands of discussions on WSB, over the course of more than 216,000 comments in the past several years, that are helpful, touching, heart-warming, and news-making. Sometimes things do get heated, as they do in the face-to-face world. We don’t allow name-calling or swearing, unlike more than a few other news sites that claim to have rules but never enforce them – TR

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