Coyote

I thought it was a dog, but no, it was a coyote. When he (maybe she) saw me, he went into the underbrush of the vacant lot that abuts our front fence. July 4 this past year we had a coyote in the yard and thought it was a one time fluke with all the fireworks noise scaring the coyote from its usual territory, wherever that may have been. July's coyote was very thin while yesterday's looked as if it had been eating pretty well.

Marty and I took a walk around the perimeter of the yard today and found a hole in the fence with a rut in the dirt as if something has been crawling under. The hole is large enough for stray cats and the raccoons to pass through easily without having to crawl, so obviously something larger has been entering the yard. There is now a large rock in front of that hole with just enough room for cats and raccoons to access the yard.

In the back corner of the yard we found tufts of fur and entrails. White fur tipped with black, not familiar to me as one of our stray cats. MamaForSure hasn't been seen today, couldn't find her in the garage where she normally stays or in the basement where she occasionally goes. (Yes, we have a cat door in the basement).

This is MamaForSure, a tiny cat who trusts us enough to get within three feet when we give her canned food, but prefers a distance of 10 or more feet if we walk towards her. A few years ago I was able to trap her and have spayed, microchipped, tested and vaccinated. She has been wise to the trap ever since and avoids the corner of the garage where the trap is stored.

If she does not show up in my window for dinner this evening, I will be even more worried about her than I already am. Wednesday Marty and I plan to search the underbrush of the vacant lot, the spot where the coyote hid. I hope we don't find remnants of small animals.