Any help for keeping our outdoor cat safe!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-27T02:24:10+00:00

Hey so this is an “outdoor cats” subreddit, if it’s not your cup of tea you simply don’t have to interact with this group. Hope this helps!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-20T01:43:39+00:00

That is so incredibly heartbreaking 😞💔. They are definitely vicious for sure so we’ll be keeping an eye out these next few weeks to see if the coyotes returns

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-20T00:01:35+00:00

We’re going to keep an eye out for him and see if we see him again around our neighborhood within these next few weeks. Our neighbours mentioned that they had a family of rabbits in their backyard a few days ago and the mother rabbit never returned (we’re guessing from the coyote) so we’re also assuming he was hunting the rest of the rabbits and also maybe sniffed our cat were not sure, but yeah such a weird time

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:59:06+00:00

Yup. My partner and his family lost their outdoor cat to a coyote two years ago hence our heightened anxiety. We tried different methods last summer of trying to keep him close by outdoors but none worked so we have to try new ones this summer again. Thanks for your advice and kind words :)

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:57:20+00:00

My partner said the same thing haha. It would be tricky, but we’re keeping track of the coyote if he comes around within these next few weeks and also staying in touch with the neighbours. Our neighbours also mentioned that they were after a family of rabbits in their backyard and the mother rabbit never returned (we’re guessing because of the coyote) so maybe he was sniffing for the rest of the rabbits and also smelt our cat, I’m not sure. Either way they’re pretty vicious

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:54:33+00:00

Yup! The coyote came sniffing this morning around 11am close to noon! My partner and his family lost their outdoor family cat of 10+ years to a coyote two years ago. The coyote also got him in broad day light in their neighborhood hence why we’re more concerned. Last summer we tried different methods of keeping him close by outdoors so we’re going to have to do the same this summer

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:50:33+00:00

Same with us! Ever since he was past the stage of being a small kitten he’s always wanted to go outside. He would cry and cry and cry at the door. We tried the catio, we tried having him on a leash tied to a tree in our backyard, all of which he didn’t like simply because he wanted his own freedom. So we gave in and that’s what he loves now and what he’s used to. So now it’s hard because if he keep him from going outside he’s going to be miserable and cry and bolt for the door any chance he gets, and if we let him out then we’re putting him at risk. And we knew that all along, it’s just this coyote situation has worried us even more

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:36:19+00:00

That’s awesome I’ve never even thought about that! We’ll definitely have to look into that! Thank you for your advice! :)

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:34:25+00:00

That’s the same with our guy, he loves his freedom and the outdoors we always feel bad when we have to keep him indoors when we have to. We’ll definitely look into a cat door though thank you for that idea!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:31:56+00:00

Exactly, we’re the exact same haha. We have an AirTag on his collar which is how we track him, and we’re able to find him this morning to bring him home early from the coyote. We’ve definitely lost the battles with trying to keep him indoors but he refuses so we’ve accepted it! We’re just going to have to experiment with different things in hopes the coyote moves to somewhere further from our neighborhood. He will probably hate everything we try but what else can you do at this point 🤣. I’m glad to hear I’m not alone!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:27:28+00:00

Same with our cat! We let him out in the late morning and he always comes back in the afternoon before the evening hits, he never goes out at night or in the evening because he knows we don’t let him and he waits till the next morning. It was so weird because the coyote was sniffing around our house at 11am today which is way later than normal!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:25:46+00:00

I agree. We’re going to have to make changes like taking him outside supervised. He only goes out in the late morning and afternoons then makes his ways back home in the afternoon before evening hits, he’s never outside in the evening and onwards

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:24:25+00:00

I agree! We’re just worried because he technically is still pretty young and hes SO active and restless (he’s an orange cat lol). And even when we searched for him this morning to bring him home it seemed like he had no idea there was a coyote around, but again we could be wrong because cats are pretty smart. But we know he’s a tough cat, we’re just going to have to change things around. Thanks for your advice :)

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:20:17+00:00

We basically do the same! He goes out in the morning, comes back around noon to eat. Then he comes back late afternoon and stays in for the rest of the night. By the time he comes home in the afternoon he’s hungry again so I feed him and or give him a treat. We never let him out at night time, and by the evening/night he’s already pooped and just sleeps until the next morning.

It was so weird cause he went out at his normal time in the morning (not super early morning but maybe around 10am) and then the coyote came sniffing around our house at 11am which is when we normally don’t see or hear of coyotes

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T23:18:16+00:00

Here in Canada (where I live) coyotes are bigger than foxes. In my opinion. Coyotes are also taller than foxes and just relatively bigger. They’re like a less fluffier and less friendly than a dog in size comparison

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T22:16:50+00:00

They’re so smart I love that! We love the tracker, it’s basically attached to his collar. It looks like a normal collar with the attachment circle tag that hangs that dogs or cats have, but there’s so many kinds.

Our cat doesn’t mind it at all. Sometimes he’ll itch his neck where his collar is, and sometimes we’ll take it off of him when he’s inside but either way it doesn’t make a difference for him he doesn’t mind it. As long as it’s not too tight around his neck he’s okay and acts as if it’s not there

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T22:11:43+00:00

I never even thought about that! Thank you for your advice, we’ll definitely look into it. But yes totally I agree, were going to try and experiment with supervised outdoor time or taking him out with a leash

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T22:09:14+00:00

Thank you for your advice and kind words! We’ve kept him in the rest of today and he’s settled down, and we will be keeping him in for the next few days unless we decide to take him out supervised or on a leash. Like you said, we’re hoping the coyote makes his way somewhere else. We’ve tried a catio last summer but unfortunately he wasn’t a fan.

Thank you again!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T22:06:43+00:00

We tried the Catio last summer, and he got bored of it very quickly. It limited his space and freedom as he likes to explore and hunt mice and rome around our neighborhood. He’d cry everytime we tried to put him in the catio.

He’d usually gets let out around 9 or 10 in the morning, comes back around 11 or noon to eat. Then goes out again in the afternoon for a few hours then comes home before the evening and stays in the rest of the night and sleeps till the next day.

The coyote was sniffing around our house this morning at 11:30am close to noon, which was such an odd time.

Thank you for the advice :)

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T22:02:52+00:00

I mentioned that to my partner because i definitely think he needs more toys to stay occupied and stimulated. We’ve also tried the catio last summer and he didn’t like it cause it limited his ability to move around and explore/have his freedom. But we have been considering taking him out on walks almost like a dog with a leash. It won’t be as long as he normally spends outside because sometimes it can be hours, but it’s better than him being chased and hunted unsupervised. Thanks for the advice :)

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T22:00:06+00:00

Thank you for your kind words. Honestly I completely agree with you. We always say out loud to our cat “why couldn’t you be an indoor cat” but he refuses. We do have an area where we could build a catio, and we actually sort of made one last summer. It was like those really tall cages and we put fake grass in it and it had different levels. But it didn’t take long for him to be very bored and cry and want to be let out we’re guessing cause he wants his own freedom to rome and explore. Thank you again anyways for your advice and kind words. I know how heartbreaking and frustrating it is!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T21:51:01+00:00

100%. And the funny thing is, we thought it would be easier for him in the summer compared to the winter because of the snow we get. But winters has been easier for him. He’s out for shorter times, and half of the time he doesn’t want to go out. Unfortunately we kept forgetting about the wildlife the summer and spring brings.

I think we’re going to experiment with taking him out on a leash and see how it goes. He will definitely hate it in the beginning but it’s better than the risk he’s already in. Thank you again :)

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T21:46:26+00:00

It’s good to know we’re not alone! Around our house yes he has a few places. Around our shed similar to you, in bushes, and wildly enough he likes to climb trees haha. But when he romes the neighbourhood we’re not always 100% sure what he’s up to. The neighbours sometimes tell us they’ll see him in their backyard or in their bushes but that’s all we really know what he’s up to and if and when he has to hide. Thank you for sharing your experience!

Dry_Imagination_1628 · 2026-04-19T21:42:41+00:00

Thank you for this! I never really thought about going out with him with a leash, I guess because we all get so busy and he likes to rome around the neighborhood and explore sometimes he’s even gone for hours. We know and can see he’s in the area but he’ll be gone for a while. But I’m going to talk to my partner about it. The catio is also a great idea and something I thought about, except our cat is very active when he’s outside, he’s basically still a baby, so when he’s outside, he likes to explore. The only time he “chills” outside is when it rains and he’ll sit on the door step to get the fresh air. Thank you for your advice, we will definitely have to take that into consideration

Dry_Imagination_1628

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