If you have pets that are normally outdoors, please try to bring them inside for the night. There is something coming into this neighborhood and stealing pets-cats especially, but small dogs could be at risk as well. You may think you are letting them outdoors for just a few minutes to do their business, but those few minutes could be all it takes for your pet to be gone forever.  
 
 
We first thought a fox was to blame, but now we're thinking it is most likely a coyote. It could even be a big cat, but so far the only thing it has hunted here are the cats (I've lost 4 since the end of July and had one injured-I don't know how he escaped, but definitely he had been grabbed across the hips by a larger animal). I also have ponies, small ponies, and if it were a cat I would expect that it would have started eyeing those ponies by now.  
 
My remaining cats are not themselves: some of them quite plainly know that something is wrong. The barn cats go & hide before it gets dark: two house cats that normally would be out & about in the yard no longer go more than 6-7 feet away from the pet door. A couple that seem oblivious to any danger get brought in & kept in for the night-they are not happy about it.  
 
I talked to animal control for this area & he said there have been quite a few cats go missing from this area, it's not just mine. Of the cats I have lost, none were roamers-one of them was always in the front yard or around the deck, one was an older cat that rarely left the hayshed. One was an older kitten that would have been somewhere between house & hayshed when he was grabbed, and the 4th we believe was grabbed in the corral beside the barn (found her hair lying there)-so whatever it is that is coming around is coming right into the yard. We haven't seen anything in the way of varmints and the neighbors say they haven't either.  
 

Fishers are present and are notorious for killing cats. They are extremely vicious and will kill anything small, even pulling cats from trees.

this is happening,is the media/animal control warning people in the area about this. If they don't know what is out there doing this should they not be looking into it (as in traps).

When I talked to animal control he made no mention of trying to trap whatever it is. We had a similar problem with coyotes several years ago, though that time there were two coming right into the barnyard while we were doing chores & they would sit & watch us, plus they would lay in the neighbors' tree line during the day, so that time we knew what the problem was. I talked to the Conservation officers at that time & they had no solution other than to give me the name of a hunter to call. I called that hunter, he came out & called the coyotes in & got the two of them, and that solved that problem.  
 
As far as I know the only warnings issued to anyone in this neighborhood are mine--I have called my neighbors that have cats & told them to watch their kitties--I have heard nothing else from anyone. On the belief that it is a coyote I have again called upon a hunter for assistance; it is my hope that he will get the problem animals. If coyotes are a problem now they will only become more of a problem once winter arrives, so I would like to have any problem animal gone now.  
 
Before anyone says they're just being coyotes....they are most welcome to be coyotes but they can do it down in the marsh and the forest reserve, they do not need to come to this neighborhood and prey on our pets.

where is cottonwood acres

Cottonwood Acres is the subdivision at the end of Veterans Way, about half way between Douglas and Shilo.

My guess is probably the coyotes. Used to hear them all the time as a kid out in Sprucewoods, and have heard of people on base jogging early morning being attacked by a coyote or two when I was younger.  
 
Also, never knew Cottonwoods as Cottonwood Acres! Learn something new everyday.

 
Why don't you put one of those motion sensored cameras to take pictures of whatever is coming into your yard. You may know someone who has one.  
 

for the location.I was worried I too have pets ,but am aways away in east end Brandon . Still can never be too careful. I am sorry about your Kitties.Hope you find what ever is taking them

along Hwy 340 has always said Cottonwood Acres, but more & more the name gets shortened to Cottonwoods.  
 
I've considered a wildlife cam, but I'd either need to buy several or else just get lucky with location. I wouldn't know if I should put it in the front yard by the driveway, or in front of the house, or out by the hayshed, or maybe in the back pasture to photograph it before it gets here.  
 
Thank you nissan fan-sooner or later we will find out what it is, even if I have to sit outside all night a few nights & watch for it. I will be on holidays shortly so won't have to get up early for work & can do that...or that hunter will tell me he got a few coyotes & perhaps the trouble will stop then. I have ponies that hate any dog-like creatures & will try to stomp them-wish I'd find a stomped varmint some morning when I go out to feed!  
 
 
 
Edited by Annetta, 2011-08-20 18:16:55

motion-activated lights would frighten off the varmint?

What is a fisher?

Multiple coyotes can be heard almost every night after midnight in Sprucewoods lately, so I would bet it probably is coyotes.

go get yourself a great pyrenees dog or pup and you will not have anymore problems with coyotes..coyotes are afraid of them..we used to have troubles with our sheep and goats and since getting one of these dogs (7 yrs ago) we have not seen a coyote at all..the used to sit on our fence line waiting for a baby to come within reach and we have not see one since getting our dog..even as puppies they scare them away because they have the most bone chilling scream/howl..I swear by these dogs

The description can be found on Wikipedia..basically they are larger than a weasel and very agressive towards smaller pets. In my area we had one, also in RMNP they commonly attack cats and smaller animals.

I was outside around 11pm with my dog and thank god he was on a leash because there were a set of eyes looking at me from my shed. Everytime I moved on my deck, this animal would growl and my dog would go nuts. I thought it might be a coyote but after hearing the growl a few times, I don't think it was. It definitely wasn't another dog either. About 5 minutes after my dog and I came into the house, you could hear all the neighbors dogs in the area going crazy with barking. There is definitely something out in this area........just not sure what it is.

Probably a hawk , owl or eagle

Kimmie34 said "I was outside around 11pm with my dog and thank god he was on a leash because there were a set of eyes looking at me from my shed. Everytime I moved on my deck, this animal would growl and my dog would go nuts. I thought it might be a coyote but after hearing the growl a few times, I don't think it was. It definitely wasn't another dog either. About 5 minutes after my dog and I came into the house, you could hear all the neighbors dogs in the area going crazy with barking. There is definitely something out in this area........just not sure what it is. "

that is kinda scary knowing that something is hanging out waiting to attack..I would really try to get the authorities involved..

you should look in the area for tracks and take good pictures of them... be sure to have something to compare the tracks to for size... if you see any coyotes or predators in your area.. message me and i could try to help, i have hunting cameras.

where do you live? That would be creepy--when I go out in the dark corners of the yard at night I always hope there is nothing there that growls at me.  
 

It could also be a simple as a male cat. They are known to kill young kittens so the mother will come in heat. We have had kitten kill here before by them.

it isn't just killing small kittens, my first cat that disappeared weighed 14 lbs. The "older kitten" I referred to was somewhere around 5-6 months old--not a real heavy cat yet, but not small by any means. It is definitely not a tom cat that is stealing these cats!

is a fact of life for myself and many others. If you want to live in a country-like setting, one should expect to be visited by all sorts of wild animals. I have had black bear, moose, wolf, and skunk walk through occasionaly. More commonly I have deer, coyotes, porcupines, and racoons, along with many different birds of prey. It has also been rumoured that cougars are seen in the area every once in a while. Cottonwoods is not an area I would expect to be a wild animal free zone.  
 
For the most part, the mere presence of my dog keeps animals like coyotes away from the immediate yard site, although I have seen them in broad daylight on my property as well. My barn cats disappear for one reason or another.....fortunately people dump their unwanted animals down the road and this replenishes my stock for rodent control. I have had the opportunity to see bald eagles sitting on my fence posts, eyeing up cats as they sit along the bush line and I have seen owls in wait in the trees near the barn as well. Circle of life.  
 
I find it unfortunate that people are moving to rural areas, only to feel the need to shoot everything they think is a threat or a problem, not saying that is the case here, but just something I have noticed with people in my general area and a few others.

I have lived here for over 25 years. Except for 1991 when we had a cougar routinely visiting the property we had no problems with wildlife for over 15 years. There's been the odd fox, coyotes that one year, we've had timberwolves which didn't actually cause us any trouble, have never seen a bear here. Have had deer eating with my horses, a moose on the road at the end of our driveway. No, wildlife is not unexpected. Haven't seen an eagle in this vicinity in over 10 years, and the one that touched down here then was a golden. Had one snowy owl hanging around one winter and a horned owl a couple times since-no regulars and none in several years now. Hawks are common-once had a cat bring one in (fresh kill) so I'm not sure what happened there-I always wondered if they'd both gone for the same rodent, or if the hawk figured he'd have the kitty for dinner and underestimated his prey?  
 
But, there are many people who are new to living out here, and they may not realize there is a wildlife problem, which is why I posted this thread. As far as I am concerned-and I said this earlier-if the wild critters want to hunt and live as wild critters they have all of the marsh and the forest reserve. Their space has not changed in the 25+ years I have lived here.  
 
I have a large dog that is meant to be a guard dog: she has had protection training but she is young and until now has had no experience with wildlife. I suspect she will learn and become effective for the 4 legged critters as she gets a little bit older but at the same time one dog isn't effective against multiple coyotes & I don't want her getting lured out & killed. I have friends that had one Pyrenees that was ripped to shreds by a pack of coyotes. I would have two guardian dogs if I were further out in the country and didn't have close neighbors. As it is I don't figure that my neighbors need to listen to two big dogs-nor even one-barking half the night-and the guardian dogs do tend to bark a lot.  
 
Edited by Annetta, 2011-08-21 07:41:52

Someone on here was talking about cougar sightings maybe they are the problem.

I just moved into the area last month and so far all I've seen is deer out here. Good to know that there's something out there targeting animals.

My cat as well as several others from our area (near Wawanesa) have gone missing too, and in my cats case I found some of her fur, no blood or pieces but makes you think something got her (i miss her terribly).  
I was thinking Owl or something but she was fairly fat ha, so I do think coyote makes more sense, the thing is the fur I found was in the back yard.. so the coyote actually came into the yard, kinda scary, that has never happened before. we do live in a small community kinda in the country though.

is where I live. I thought about getting the gun out Friday night when I heard this animal growling but I figured by the time I got the gun and came back out the animal would be gone. Also, I didn't want to take a chance at shooting this thing and find out that it some kids dog or something. I would of felt terrible. I saw the eyes of this animal looking at me from my shed. The motion lights didn't scare this animal at all. It just growled and looked at me. Thank god it was at least 200 feet away. I just grabbed my dog and came in the house, didn't care if my dog peed in the house that night, i just wanted to get us both in the house before this animal decided to come closer.

This is a possible product that may help:  
http://www.theautoguard.com/  
 
I am pretty sure that Westburne's carry them.

for letting people know who live in the area. I also live in the cottonwood acres and my cat is always outside. I now have begun to keep her inside to ensure that she doesn't go missing. Again thanks for taking the time to inform us.