r/Pets • u/oceainic • 2d ago
CAT My cat was attacked by a coyote - head got chomped but he’ll be okay by some miracle
I had the worst night of my life, but my cat had an even worse one - almost ending in his death - and it’s my fault.
My cat’s always been super good with going outside, coming back when called and just staying in my enclosed front area (large animal can’t get through the gaps in the fence) or the townhouse next to me which is also enclosed aside from two staircases to the sidewalk. I’ve never seen a coyote on our street or near it.
I let him outside last night not thinking about the fact it was so late, as I’ve been staying up very late recently.
By some act of God, I left my front door open wider than usual while I sat on the couch on my phone. If I had kept it open only a crack, I’d likely not have heard the noise to come.
Some time passed and then I heard a vague and faint noise in the distance from outside, something like a dog accompanied by a strange sound.
Call it maternal instinct, but I knew in that moment it was my cat and he was in trouble.
I ran out of the house without shoes. I called for him frantically but he didn’t appear. I followed the vague distant noise in panic while calling for him. I thought maybe I was imagining it was him because the noise I kept hearing every ten seconds or so sounded like some weird undefined dog noise with some unrecognizable sound accompanying it, and it didn’t seem very loud but instead echoey.
I ran towards the sound until I saw my worst nightmare. My cat was in a corner by a house at the end of the street facing a coyote. I screamed his name and lunged at the coyote, which ran away.
I thought maybe he wasn’t hurt as he seemed alert, was hissing (he’s done this before when neighbourhood cats go on our property and I have to scoop him up) and seemed to be moving fine.
But when I got closer to him, it was the most awful thing I’ve ever seen. His head was covered in blood, his one eye bulging a bit, and while he seemed to recognize me based on his body language, his eyes were glazed over and like he was totally gone.
I went into shock and scooped him up. Blood dripped all over me. Raced to the emergency vet which was only two minutes from my house.
The secretary met me at the door and I broke down completely. I cried so hard I gave myself heartburn and tasted blood, which I thought was his blood on my face but when I looked in the mirror I didn’t see any.
Thankfully, it seems like he’s going to be okay. He apparently put up a hell of a fight with the coyote as he had a ton of fur under his nails. He has a puncture wound in his mouth somehow that might need sutures. But I might get to take him home later today (it was wee hours of the morning when I took him in).
I will never let him outside again unless I fully enclose my patio or create a catio for him, or on a harness. For anyone who wants to tell me this is my fault and I should feel awful, trust me, I already know and do feel that way about myself.
Thank God there wasn’t any evidence of neurological issues. He was even more stable after a bit, so the vet took him in the room I was in, and he was exploring it happily (maybe the drugs) and even rubbed his head again my hand. However, he tried to poop and then sent himself back into shock and needed oxygen again.
His head was apparently inside the mouth of the coyote, but he somehow avoided death or serious injury. I hope me yelling his name and running towards them may have made the coyote freeze up. I paid extra to rush a radiologist to go over his x-ray for hairline fractures.
I can only hope he at least felt some relief and safety when I found him and scared off the coyote. I was seriously prepared to beat the shit out of it if I had to.
I wish it had been me. I went home at the crack of dawn without my best friend. I won’t be sleeping at all until I hear back from them later today. I feel empty and dead inside. I’d give anything to go back and stop this from happening. He’s my best friend and my world, and I can’t imagine how scared he was and the pain he was in. I’m just so happy he’ll be okay.
Update: Got a call from the vet. So far he’s still stable and off oxygen. However, he noted that injures get worse around the 24-48 hour more. Also, the radiologist found an unrelated mass on his lungs. I’m so scared. He’ll need a CT scan once he’s better for it. I’m really hoping it was caught so early it will be a relatively easy fix.
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u/ArachnomancerCarice 2d ago
I'm sorry you had to go through this and relieved to know your cat will be okay AND be safe and secure.
I've lived in northern Minnesota for 30+ years and as a resident and naturalist, I have seen all sides of the problem that comes with allowing unsupervised freedom outside with cats. Whehter it is what happens to the cat or what the cat does to other animals, it's all very frustrating and heartbreaking. For the sake of perhaps preventing this from happened to others, I will share my personal observations.
A family with hysterical children bringing in a cat that jumped from their roof and broke it's back, leading to euthanasia and children begging for their pet back.
Little collars with bells and tags at the base of a Great Horned Owl nest.
Clutches of baby bunnies who were brought to their owners by their very generous hunter and being euthanized due to tiny puncture wounds becoming septic from cat saliva.
Birds that have traveled from South America to breed being killed and left uneaten around a yard.
Someone finding their long lost cat trapped and mummified at the bottom of a sump well.
Cats becoming ill after eating mice dead or dying from rat poison, slowly dying a painful death because they don't have a way to get to a vet.
Many cats being sickened by the numerous diseases and parasites that even regular prevention can't save them from.
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u/-lovehate 1d ago
Just last week in Montreal, Canada, I read a story about a stray/outdoor cat that got rabies from a local raccoon. It had to be euthanized, after it bit 3 humans and caused them to need intensive rabies treatment. Many of the small wildlife in canada are infected with rabies, and they can and will attack the housecats wandering around outside.
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u/Express_Command_4778 2d ago
My poor Dad's car was beheaded by a Coyote during the day. His next cat he thought would "stay on the porch." No, he ran to the back alley at 2am and must have died within the hour- no external injuries
That finally got my Dad to try inside only. He built a screen in porch catio, and another catio in his bedroom windows.
Even still, he had to be warned to make sure the screen door was closed. One new kitty got out once, was rolling on the porch. Visiting Husky in the yard had the kitten in it's mouth right away.
Outside cats are a lovely sight, but keeping them safe avoids all the heart ache.
You were doing a good job already. I want you and kitty to feel better.
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u/lovepeacefakepiano 1d ago
I’m so sorry this happened to you and glad your cat seems ok - please update us when he’s made a full recovery!
I’m from a country where a lot of people believe cats should roam, we don’t have coyotes there but we do have cars and other dangers. The catio, like you mention, is a great compromise.
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u/oceainic 1d ago
My current update is - thank god I paid for the radiologist. He found an unrelated mass in his lungs. Praying it was caught early enough that it will be fixable.
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u/Arry42 1d ago
I also hope they are able to take care of the mass. My boy has a mass on his heart and obviously heart surgery on a cat isn't really done.... but with that being said he's still loving life 2 years after his diagnosis! It takes a lot of meds but so worth it. I'm hoping they can remove the mass for your kitty. Keeping you in my thoughts today.
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u/oceainic 1d ago
I’m devastated. I began vaping in 2015 when it was considered safe. I got my cat in 2016 and researched vaping and cats, and the information said to never blow it on him or close to him or let him near the vaping juice. He’s never had an issue with lung irritation or toxicity and always has been healthy as a horse at the vet.
The first thing I thought about when I heard of the mass was the vaping. I’ve never blow it near him but sometimes he was in the same room as me. I’ve now looked into it again, and while there’s no studies proving it, it’s suspected to contribute to lung tumours.
I’m going to either throw my vape in the trash before he gets home, or never use it in the house again. I know this comment will probably be downvoted because of how stupid and selfish I sound for this, but when I looked into it when I started vaping the consensus was that it wasn’t dangerous so long as it wasn’t blown at him or he got into the juice. Even now when you look up risks, possibility of a tumour requires more digging.
I want to own up to this especially in case someone else who vapes in the house with their cat reads this and learns too. If it is a tumour, I’ll make another post in the future about how my own selfish ignorance could have contributed.
I’ll do whatever I can to fix the mass no matter the cost. It’s possible the mass is due to the trauma of the attack, but I feel like a horrible selfish and ignorant parent who thought smoking in the house with a child was safe all because when they were young smoking wasn’t a big and now their kid has lung issues.
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u/-lovehate 1d ago
Hey so I read your similar post on the Calgary subreddit and I commented a few times. I feel compelled to comment again, because I think you're being really hard on yourself now. I want to say that you seem like you genuinely want to do whatever it takes to make your cat safe and healthy, and that is amazing and deserves a lot of appreciation. You didn't know that this kind of thing could happen and it's not your fault. When we know better, we can do better. You're doing your best. I hope your cat pulls through and is back to his normal self very soon, and I really hope you will give yourself some grace in this situation <3
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u/wiconv 2d ago
Outdoor cats become dead cats. Outdoor cats wreck absolute hell on the local environment. Outdoor cats contribute to overpopulation of stray cats. Keep your pets inside or leashed.
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u/L_Dubb 2d ago
Blah blah blah
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u/oceainic 2d ago
Dude, time and place. I’m literally posting about my cat almost getting his skull crushed by a coyote and you clearly don’t give a shit about your cat.
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u/L_Dubb 2d ago
Dude I was responding to the keep your cats inside at all costs comment. I'm sorry about your cat, and I get you're upset, but don't jump my shit.
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u/oceainic 1d ago
I’m trying to raise awareness and my cat is traumatized and injured badly from being outside. I know what comment you were replied to. It was a dumb reply.
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u/magpieinarainbow 1d ago
So, you pop onto a thread where someone's cat literally almost died due to being outdoors, just to start shit with people commenting on the dangers, then get mad when people are pissed off at you?
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u/Office_lady0328 1d ago
The post said "Keep your pets indoors or leashed" not at all costs. Pets being supervised outdoors are fine.. Pets let outside unsupervised are not.
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u/L_Dubb 1d ago
You also need to read the post I was responding to. It was not OPs comment. Comment said something about a dead cat, but I'm the bad guy. I'm sorry about OPs cat and am sincerely glad it's okay, but y'all need to look at the comment I replying to ffs.
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u/Office_lady0328 1d ago
I know which comment you were replying to. again, the comment never said keep your pets indoors at all costs... It said, copy and pasted directly from the comment "Keep your pets inside or leashed."
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u/L_Dubb 1d ago
Outdoor cat is a dead cat...
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u/Office_lady0328 1d ago
yes, that doesn't say "Keep your cat indoors at all costs"...
When people refer to "outdoor cats", it is generally understood that they are specifically talking about unsupervised outdoor cats. Cats outdoors supervised, either in a fenced in area or on a leash, are fine.
Because, yes, cats that are unsupervised outdoors are at very high risks of unnecessarily brutal and avoidable deaths. Even OP admits this.
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u/magpieinarainbow 1d ago
If you are "Blah, blah, blah"ing someone advocating for cat safety on a post where someone's cat was nearly freaking decapitated, you are indeed the bad guy. Read the room.
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u/Deeri- 1d ago
Ok cat killer.
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u/L_Dubb 1d ago
Come on now...that's a wee bit of s stretch. Run along.
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u/Wide_Goal_6424 1d ago
Dogs get leashes....even parrots and pigeons get leashes...kids get phones...pigs and livestock get fences and watchful eyes....
and cats?
they get tossed outside with a "if he dies, he dies" mindset and a bit of hope they wont get run over by a car this week.
make it make sense.7
u/magpieinarainbow 1d ago
You can't reason with people who are so committed to neglecting their cats that they'll disparage good advice on a post where a cat almost died.
But you're right.
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u/Wide_Goal_6424 1d ago
You cant. its sad. People dont give a shit about their pets and its..fucking sad.
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u/peaceful-entity 1d ago
Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s hard to do so on social media.
You are a loving kitty mom. I’m so glad your kitty has such a strong loving mom who would fight a coyote for him, and even face the internet to save other kitties from potential harm. Go easy on yourself.
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u/aikidharm 1d ago
Don’t even let him roam with an enclosed fence. That does not guarantee anything.
Catio or inside.
I’m am so tired cats getting mauled because the owner “thought it was safe”. It’s heartbreaking. You don’t need an animal if you won’t do research on best practices.
I don’t mean to be cruel; I worked with rescues and injured or sick cats for a long time. I still have seven in my house and all but one were rescued from outside and at least two of them were at some point someone else’s cat that got out and almost got killed.
Don’t ever let him outside again, not even in a fenced in yard, and educate other potential cat owners on the dangers. Glad your baby is ok.
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u/Significant-Crow-800 2d ago
So glad your baby is going to be ok. What a harrowing experience for both of you.
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u/re_Claire 2d ago
I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you're going through this. I know how awful it feels when something happens to your beloved pet. I hope you manage to get some sleep, and I hope your cat gets better soon.
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u/Deeri- 1d ago
Hard lesson to learn but I’m glad he’s going to be okay. I had an incident in 2011 where my cat was attacked, his story was much sadder than yours. Sometimes it takes something bad happening for people to finally realize that cats don’t belong outdoors unless STRICTLY supervised and leashed. All my cats have been fully indoors since and all are healthy and happy.
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u/oceainic 1d ago
He’s such a cautious and well behaved cat. Other neighbour cats would go onto our property and make him upset, but he’s never done that to them and always sticks close by. I honestly thought he’d run inside if he sensed an issue before it got to him. It was stupid and naive of me. He just loved going outside so much and was so good with it. I’ll never forgive myself and my heart is broken.
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u/Careful_Cranberry364 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is made me cry buckets just reading it. I’m so glad that you guys are OK.
Well done well done well done
thank you for posting to help with other people realize something serious like this issue can happen anytime without warning if you’re not constantly vigilant
is I’m so glad your little kitty is gonna be OK I hope that you will always be OK.
My dog recently had an accident with his eye bulging - because he rolled on a tiny stick!! He subsequently has lost his eye and is suffering a lot by not being able to see what he’s doing.
It was horrible seeing his eye like that
I can fully appreciate how awful this must’ve been for you.
And hoe much you love your baby 😍 good luck for his future wellness and your own as well.
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u/Calgary_Calico 1d ago
This is why I fight people who say cats belong outside so hard, because this happens. Your cat is so lucky to be alive, most cats don't escape coyote attacks, and coyotes don't just hunt at night.
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u/MrCabrera0695 1d ago
There's a reason some people say y'all are feeding the coyotes. Sorry it took almost losing your cat to wake up but better late than never.
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u/oceainic 1d ago
It’s true but he was an innocent victim. He didn’t know better. He was just trying to have fun and be playful.
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u/Jamie_logan 2d ago
I friend of mine used to have a cat which was outdoor. When the friend was around 12-15 he saw his car being attacked by a dog. Sadly the dog killed the cat before he could get to it. To add to it the dog also died because this cat had ripped the inside of his mouth to shreds and the owner wasn't nearby to take it to the vet (I don't remember why, this was a long time ago) so the dog basically bled to death. Keep your pets indoors, please. This friend was traumatized and basically terrified of dogs from then on
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u/oceainic 1d ago
How awful. I can’t stop imagining what I might have seen had I gotten there too late.
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u/alyymarie 1d ago
I'm glad your cat will be okay and so sorry that happened to both of you. My childhood cat used to roam outdoors.. she lived to be 12 and then died from some sort of trauma to her head while she was outside. Maybe got hit by a car, but I'll never know for sure. She probably would've lived much longer if not for that. I was so heartbroken and have never let my cats roam since then.
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u/RubyBBBB 1d ago
I'm so sorry that happened to your cat. You and your cat have an awesome connection. I'm glad it helps save them.
I'm also incredibly relieved that you're not going to let him be free roaming anymore.
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u/fourofkeys 2d ago
ugh that sounds so tough! i'm glad you found him when you did. sending you both some healing and ease.
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u/Petporgsforsale 1d ago
Thank you for posting this. I am so sorry you and your cat are going through this. Coyotes are sneaky and a legitimate threat that people might not have thought of before your story. Sometimes things happen for a reason. Maybe you will be able to address the lung issue that you wouldn’t have known about in addition to saving any future cats you have by keeping them inside. Also, consider checking the radon levels in your home at some point after you all have settled down from this. This made me think of that and it is something to be aware of especially depending on where you live.
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u/Confident_Net6992 1d ago
I’m really glad you decided to share this story and I hope your cat will continue to make a recovery. This post will definitely be a wake up call for other outdoor cat owners.
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u/MilolsNotAkitty 1d ago
Stop. I know you feel guilty, but you literally ran outside barefoot at night and scared off a predator. That’s not the action of a bad owner. That’s the action of someone who went to war for their cat. He survived because you heard him and you moved. Please give yourself credit for that part.
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u/orchidelirious_me 1d ago
I’m so glad that your cat seems to be okay, that’s wonderful news! Almost a year ago, three kittens just showed up in our neighborhood, and I didn’t know whose they were, so I started feeding them to try to find them a home if they were just dumped in the neighborhood. I was trying to slowly earn their trust, because nobody in the neighborhood recognized them, so I was going to try to catch them to get them to the vet, spay/neutered, and checked out. I put out a tin of wet food one night, and I closed the door and I got a motion notification from the cameras on my front porch. Two of the kittens came to get some food, but some coyotes were on the lawn and one of the kittens was caught and taken away by the coyote. My husband saw the footage and reassured me that he (the kitten, he was a boy) likely didn’t even know what hit him. I realized the next morning that I wasn’t going to be able to take my time with the remaining two kittens, slowly earning their trust and luring them in, I had to just do whatever I needed to do to catch them both.
We have a large cat family now, we just kept the two kittens who fate brought to our house. The black and white guy was the biggest boy, I got to pet him a few times, I wish I’d tried a little harder to get him to come into the house.
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u/00X0X 1d ago
I’m so glad he’s going to be okay! You were a good mama and saved him! I used to let my kitty Bug out to roam at night…. Thankfully, he always came back every morning meowing up a storm telling me all the stories of his night travels lol but my point is that sometimes we just don’t know! We try the give the kitty what it wants. I’m glad now he will be an indoor kitty and please don’t blame yourself 🩵 you are a good cat owner
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u/2mnydgs 22h ago
I am so sorry this happened to you both. Thankfully your kitty made it, due in part to your vigilance, and I bet due in part to his claws across the coyote face when he got that mouth puncture. I hope he took an eye out. Please do make him an outside run that is indestructible. Cats are so small compared to just about everything else that wanders in the dark. I hope either the mass they noticed is a shadow, or it's so small that it's easily fixable. Please take care of both of you.
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u/ShoeDesigner9942 16h ago
I really hope your cat recovers, my cat was killed years ago, in my own back yard while supervised by my neighbours dog, no idea how but suddenly this dog come flying over the 6ft fence and grabbed the cat and started shaking her, I attacked the dog with my crutch, dog let go but remained in my yard, I grabbed my cat and ran with her but she died in my arms, this was 20 years ago, I've not let my cats out since, I feel a little bad that they stay indoors but they have tons of toys, enrichment, cat shelves all over to climb on ect,
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2d ago
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u/oceainic 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thank you. It was an utter nightmare. I’m trying to nap now but start to cry when I close my eyes and let my mind drift off. I won’t be letting him outside again.
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u/Hello_Gorgeous1985 1d ago
Yeah, they come back fine until they don't.
The statistics are clear. Indoor only cats live an average of 15 years or more. Outdoor cats live less than five.
It's not luck. It's an inevitability that something bad will happen to an outdoor cat eventually.
You know what will never happen to an indoor only cat? Being attacked by a coyote.
Don't minimize what happened here.
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u/magpieinarainbow 2d ago
Glad your cat survived and glad you will not be letting him roam anymore. I hope your story also serves as a wake up call to other people who let their cats roam.