The following article appeared in the September 1 edition of the Guelph Mercury:
A three-legged coyote earlier suspected of killing a city cat might be at it again.
At least three cats have been found dead on a single property that abuts the Homewood Health centre north-west of downtown Guelph.
All three cats were found “virtually completely consumed,” city councillor Ian Findlay said. The dead animals were found on his property.
“There was not much left. Just some skeletal remains and little batches of fur,” he added. “Virtually impossible to make identification of the cats.”
Meanwhile, several residents have reported seeing coyotes in the area in recent months.
One witness, Steve Beaver, said he saw a three-legged coyote heading eastbound on Pleasant Road in the spring, inviting speculation the same coyote may be responsible for an earlier cat killing on Waverley Drive north-west of the Homewood.
“I woke up about 2 a.m., and I went down to get a glass of water, and I looked out my front window, and there it was, missing its left hind leg,” Beaver said Wednesday. “I had to shake my head twice. It was walking pretty fast, so I was there at the right time.”
Gail McMichael lost her toothless, clawless cat in late July. About a week ago, the corpse of a cat with the same features was found on Findlay’s property.
“I was pretty upset that day. I was devastated, actually,” she said.
A resident on nearby King Street, Kelly Bickey, lost her cat, Fat Bit, about two weeks ago. Findlay and his partner Janet Findlay later found its remains and restored to the owners the cat’s collar along with a tuft of fur.
The Bickeys suspect a coyote killed their pet, though they concede another species could have done the deed. Findlay said there are raccoons, foxes, skunks and hawks in the area.
“We do have a large group of turkey vultures who’ve been cleaning up,” he added, noting the brood out back had doubled in size this year.
“I couldn’t say definitively what got these cats,” he said. “I have heard there are coyotes in our neighbourhood, but I have yet to see them.”
Deb Gray, operations manager for the Guelph Humane Society, cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
“In my mind, I would have to be a little concerned about creating a fear-mongering situation against coyotes,” she said, calling coyotes “a very important member of our wildlife community” and adding “coyotes typically don’t kill cats,” since they prefer mice and other small herbivores.
If a coyote does kill a feline, “it’s going to take the cat away, and you’re not going to find the cat. So my question is, why are these cats dying?” she said, suggesting a fox, dog, another cat or even a mischievous human could be the culprit.
Ric Ament, a spokesperson for the Homewood, said staff in the riverside institution’s environmental services department have not come across any coyotes. “They’ve neither been seen, nor heard,” he said.
Findlay said while he feels sorry for the pet owners, there isn’t much he could do to stop the attacks. “It’s a very difficult situation for everybody involved,” he said. “You do have to be careful with small pets when you let them outside. There are lots of hungry critters out there.”