Noel is a blackish tortoiseshell older female cat, last seen in their front yard at Calavaras/Midwick and Allen Avenue. Has a distinctive throaty meow and only four teeth left.
And, they say:
Also, we would love to hear comments from residents who may have lost pets to coyotes in the past. Has anyone actually witnessed a coyote snatch a small animal and run off with it? We are so curious because we have no physical evidence whatsoever; no fur, paw prints, or any signs of a struggle. Neither did we hear anything. It was between 6:00 and 7:00 A.M. on Friday morning, September 6 that Noel disappeared from our front yard.
Any comments or info on the act of pet snatching by coyotes would be greatly appreciated.
Call 626-585-0610 if you can help. You can also leave coyote-snatching tales in the comments below.
I lost a cat to a coyote. I didn’t see it, but a neighbor saw a coyote running off with the already-dead cat in its mouth. I think it’s unlikely there would be any sign of a scuffle or you would hear anything but (maybe) a quick yelp. Coyotes are very quick at capturing and killing their prey and taking it back to their dens.
I have two sad stories: one of a little dog owned by a neighbor of my father-in-law on the West side, and our own dear Queenie, a tabby cat, here in Altadena, several years ago. In both cases, the coyotes left evidence in the backyard so there was absolutely no doubt about what had happened to whom, which at least gave us closure. Coyotes don’t waste much; but in both cases left tails and spines.
I’m so sorry you’ve lost Noel, but he must have had a good life. I couldn’t find any sign of my cat, who looked like Noel, when she went missing but as I headed up my neighbor’s driveway with a “missing” flyer I noticed a small dark pile on the lawn that looked like dog poo. It turned out to be some innards and fur. I was hoping it was from a dead rat, but when I looked closely at the fur, I could see it was torty-colored. It was very sad to find this but, as you say, I had closure and could bury the remains. My new cat from the shelter doesn’t want to kill anything, sticks close to the house, and comes in at night, which is a big relief. It can be advantageous to adopt an older cat.
We lost our cat to a coyote, as well. A young, cranky, half-feral, trickster cat, mind you–one who could hold his own against almost anyone or anything. We heard nothing, saw nothing–coyotes are skilled and stealth. I’m sorry for your loss, but don’t lose all hope quite yet–this same cat I mentioned above also went missing for a few *weeks* at one point but he surprised us early one morning by meowing at the back door! Wishing you peace.
For what it’s worth, I saw a mangy coyote in the general neighborhood yesterday — trotting westbound on Mendocino, on the sidewalk big as you please and heading in the direction of the Balian Mansion, about noon.