Is It Safe To Feed Coyotes Cats?

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Post on Mar 22, 2025

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Is it Safe to Feed Coyotes Cats? A Dangerous Proposition

The question, "Is it safe to feed coyotes cats?" has a resounding and unequivocal answer: absolutely not. Feeding coyotes, regardless of what you feed them, is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible, and using a cat as bait only exacerbates the risks. This practice can have devastating consequences for both your pets and your community.

The Dangers of Feeding Coyotes

Coyotes are wild animals, and their behavior is inherently unpredictable. While they might appear docile at times, feeding them creates a dangerous dependency and significantly alters their natural behavior. Here's why feeding coyotes – especially with cats – is a terrible idea:

1. Increased Boldness and Aggression:

Regular feeding removes a coyote's natural fear of humans. This leads to habituation, making them bolder and more likely to approach homes and even people in search of food. This increases the likelihood of aggressive encounters, especially if they associate humans with easy meals. A habituated coyote is a dangerous coyote.

2. Loss of Natural Foraging Skills:

Coyotes are skilled hunters. By providing them with easy food, you disrupt their natural foraging patterns. This can lead to malnutrition if your supply is inconsistent or unavailable, forcing them to seek food elsewhere, potentially targeting pets, livestock, or even small children.

3. Attracting More Coyotes:

A readily available food source acts as a magnet, attracting more coyotes to the area. This increases the chances of conflicts and makes managing the population significantly more challenging. Instead of one coyote, you could easily be dealing with a pack.

4. Disease Transmission:

Coyotes can carry various diseases that can be transmitted to humans and pets through bites, scratches, or even their feces. Feeding them increases the risk of contact and the potential for disease transmission.

5. The Cat's Fate:

Finally, let's address the most disturbing aspect: using a cat as bait or food for coyotes. This is cruel, inhumane, and simply unacceptable. Your cat is a vulnerable creature, and deliberately exposing it to coyotes is putting it at severe risk of injury or death.

What to Do Instead

If you encounter coyotes in your area, the best course of action is to deter them without directly interacting. Here are some effective strategies:

1. Remove Attractants:

Keep your property clean. Remove any sources of food that might attract coyotes, such as pet food, garbage, and fallen fruit. Secure your compost bin properly.

2. Make Noise:

If you see a coyote, make loud noises to scare it away. Yelling, banging pots and pans, or using an air horn can be effective.

3. Secure Pets:

Keep your cats and other small pets indoors, especially at dawn and dusk when coyotes are most active. Never let your pets roam freely unsupervised.

4. Proper Waste Disposal:

Always store your garbage securely in containers that coyotes cannot access.

Conclusion

Feeding coyotes, especially with domestic animals like cats, is a reckless and dangerous act with potentially devastating consequences. Prioritizing the safety of your community, your pets, and the well-being of the coyotes themselves requires a proactive approach of deterrence, rather than harmful and irresponsible feeding. Remember, coyotes are wild animals – treat them with respect and maintain a safe distance.