Anna has solid grounds on which to be concerned. I have raised a coyote, with legal permits, from a pup. It was an amazing experience, but certainly not one that should be undertaken lightly. Coyotes are taught to hunt, taught to howl. I had dogs, cats, ferrets and bird at the same time. As a pup, there was harmony. Once maturity sets in, there are aspects to the coyote that are “hard wired” and those friendships forged as “siblings” begin to change. You cannot “domesticate” a wild canine. The best you can hope for is socialization. There is a world of difference. That cute little coyote pup will grow into a mature coyote. In turn, that coyote will want to assume its position. I maintained contact with Marc Bekoff, who was interested in knowing if the relationship between cat and coyote remained. It did NOT remain. Raising a coyote is something best left to the experts and those trained to handle a wild canine.

My kitteh was *almost* killed by a coyote. But he escaped and lived to tell his harrowing tale (sans the use of one eye). Since that happened I’ve had a bit of a grudge towards the coyote population. However, I am happy to say that Charlie’s story has caused my heart (and my grudge) to melt. Ahn!

Eagles get cats and small dogs all the time where I live… and we have lots of wild buns, songbirds and squirrels around. Maybe the cats and dogs are easier prey because they lack the survival skills that a wild animal has? Or maybe it’s just because we have so many eagles, who knows.

Raptors, with the possible, still very unlikely possibility of starving eagles, do NOT attack housepets (I’m not counting hamsters on the lam). Most often, a raptor weighs quite a bit less than that cat or puppy. It’s also in the raptor’s best interest (of survival, natch) to attack, kill and eat that which will give them the least struggle, ie, squirrel vs kitty with claws.

I must remember never to read the comments for these things, so that I don’t have to think about the “anonymous” posters on the Daily Coyote blog who decide it’s cool to say they’d shoot Charlie in an instant because a coyote once killed their dog.

Oh Anna, just let go of your concern. It’s one woman and one coyote. Let them have their unique experience, for better or worse. It certainly can’t be worse for the coyote, who would probably otherwise be poisoned or shot by Mr. Avid Coyote Hunter above. Humans are the ones destroying the balance of predator and prey by destroying habitat. Predators do not control prey populations, despite all the best intentions and marketing from wildlife “managers.” It has been shown that controlling coyotes only results in increased numbers of pups and immigration.

Science nerd alert:
“In unexploited populations, coyotes tend to be more wolf-like, living in family packs and protecting territories. Their litter sizes tend to be low, and only some of the females breed. If subjected to intensive control, coyotes respond by increasing their litter sizes and breeding more and at earlier ages. (Turbak 65). Also, territoriality is largely lost, and an individual piece of range ends up seeing MORE coyotes wandering around on it. In one study, before control, coyotes had 3-4 pups per litter and only 32% of the females bred. After control started, 90% of the females were breeding and litter sizes doubled.This is called density dependent reproduction (Turbak 63).

You guys would like the typical response to pet loss where I”m from.

Coyote ate the cat, that happens.

And for coytote haters, shouldn’t we be shooting raptors as well? they prey on houscats.

as a matter of fact, a bald eagle nest fell down near where I am and they found over 40 cat collars in it as well as bones.

Keep your pets indoors guys, you’re doing everyone a favor.

The “about” page didn’t really answer any questions. If she doesn’t have a special permit or training in raising a wild animal such as a coyote, this is likely illegal and ill-advised. I don’t really care if it’s cute – my concern is for the well-being of that animal and how she’s going to handle it when it becomes an adult. Coyotes are NOT dogs.

Wow….

I understand all the concern about coyotes eating pets, and wild coyotes certainly do.

However, this wonderful woman and Charlie and Eli apparently live in a rather remote area, not too many pets around to eat.

Even though Charlie is a wild animal, he is also part of a human led family, and he adores a CAT.

In this particular case this particular coyote will probably not be a danger to anyone or their pets, he has a much different experience than most coyotes, he knows very different things then he would have known if he had been raised by his birth parents.

In the wild its nature, in a human household its nurture, Charlie has both.

Exceptional.

Beautiful story and pics! I hope Charlie is domesticated enough by adulthood to remain a part of his human/cat family. The alternative is too heart-wrenching to think about.

We respect the coyotes (and their indiscriminate appetites) here. Our cats have an outdoor pen (with slanted-in tops to prevent kitty escapees) too high for any wild critter to jump. The cats enjoy the great outdoors, and they’re kept indoors after dark. When you live in the country, you have to make concessions to nature. Everyone is happy and well-cared for