REALLY uneasy right now!!

[froggz]

Last week I got a call from my mom, warning me to be careful if I walk the dogs out at some of the county parks in my area. Upon asking why she let me know that there have been increased sightings of coyote in the area. Then she told me that last week she was laying in bed watching tv at about 11pm. She had her window open a crack and could hear something moving around outside the window, in the dogs area of the backyard, which is fenced with 5ft chain link. She leaned over near the window and yelled, "Get outta there!!" figuring it was a stray cat or raccoon. She said the hair on her entire body stood up when she received a strange loud growl in reply. She promptly shut the window and motated to the couch for the night.

Fast forward to last night. My grandma calls her at one thirty am. She was woken up by the sounds of a large cat screaming and howling. She said the sounds were at first somewhat far away, she guessed between the houses across the street. As she was on the phone with mom she described the sounds getting closer but also said she was worried that there weren't the wounds of two cats, such as in a fight between two tomcats. Mom couldn't talk on her cell when driving so when she got to the other end of town about ten minutes later my grandma told her the sounds had stopped right outside of her bedroom window.

Its pretty graphic to describe so I'll just say there wasn't much left of the poor cat. She lied to grandma, and said the cat must have gotten away. So mom called all day while I was gone and when I called her back she replayed the story.

So when I got off the phone I googled a list of predators native to this area. Fox, bobcat, coyote. We've also had reports of black bear and cougar in the area sporadically. I called my mom back and made her listen to the growls of each and she said the bobcat was definitely what she heard. Something that large would explain the mess that she found upon getting to grandma's.

Its all logical too. I'm in northern Iowa, and southern Minnesota was subject to major flooding last month. All the predators in that area are going to be on the move for new hunting grounds and territory when theirs was covered in water.

So I post a short blurb about it on facebook. Another freind that lives in the same town (30 miles away) also says that she's had a cat disappear, and suddenly her mother's cat refuses to go outside when since she was born she's been going outside, and said a neighbors cat had been hurt pretty badly by something while outside one night.

Ok, No more nighttime dog walks, thats for sure! I'm really nervous about this whole situation because Halloween is so close

 

[gatorfan85]

Oh geez that is scarey! Cougars are VERY aggressive. I saw a woman who was attacked while biking just because she was near the cougars recent kil.(another biker) This was on animal planet and VERY graffic This poor woman was near dead before 5 people could scare the cougar off of her. Please be safe

 

[cali~jenn]

Wow! Glad it is a bobcat and not the cougar! Bobcats are so small I wouldnt have thought much of them being dangerous to humans anyhow but any hungry, wild animal is dangerous so yes be careful! Hopefully Halloween will scare them away with so much activity outside.

 

[gatorfan85]

Bobcats aren't as sweet as they look. Even though they are small they are VERY STRONG. They are very similair in the way they hunt and protect their kills. Neither of these really hunt out humans but if the are hungry enough..... we are the other white meat.

 

[bulldog family]

Oh My!!! We have tons and tons of coyote out here. I hear them all the time. I have yet to hear of them killing any of the dogs or cats on my street. (I live in the country). Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Telly03]

I don't think people have anything to worry about with Bobcats, but the outside pets do. I found some interesting Iowa DNR clippings:

MUSCATINE - The bobcat population in southeastern Iowa is growing slightly every year, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or DNR.

Ron Andrews, a furbearer research biologist with the DNR, said bobcats have maintained a notable increase in population across the southern portion of the state since 1977, when they were listed as an endangered species.

But by 2001, the trend was reversing and the Natural Resource Commission downlisted the bobcat from endangered to threatened.

The DNR estimates that there are 1,500-2,000 bobcats statewide.

Andrews said the habitat in Iowa, including the increase of grasslands and brush-filled reserves created by conservation programs, will allow continued growth.

There was a time when Iowans, especially farmers, would kill bobcats before the animals could kill their chickens, hogs or young calves. Today, the threat to farm animals is significantly less because of hog and chicken confinements, Andrews said.

And if you have heard the rumor that the DNR released bobcats into the wild to control the deer population, you are not alone. But don't believe the buzz, Andrews said.

"That is completely unfounded," he said, adding that bobcats usually hunt for smaller animals as their meals.

"It's not very often that a bobcat would take down a full-grown deer, but not impossible," he added.

Small domestic animals such as dogs or cats may be a different story, he said, and that is one thing the Christiansons said concerns their neighbors.

Other government agencies suggest you not panic if you see a bobcat since they rarely attack people. When they do, they usually have rabies.

Bobcats may be attracted to yards with abundant wildlife, small pets, shade or water. Small pets need to be protected from bobcats and other predators in an enclosed area.

Experts suggest that people should not spread seed that attracts other wildlife and that they not feed bobcats.

If you see a bobcat, enjoy the view, said Campbell, who has never seen one alive in the wild but added that he recently picked one up that had been killed by a vehicle on U.S. 61 north of Muscatine near Sweetland Road.

 

[Bacon]

Where are you from in Iowa?? Now you have me worried! I already jump @ things that go bump in the night. I hate taking Bacon outside in the middle of the night, I have a very active imagination, and I scare myself just thinking about what COULD be out there! lol

Muscatine is about 40 miles away from me... so not too far!

 

[froggz]

I'm actually north of Mason city/Clear Lake (surf ballroom lol)

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Be very careful if you live an area with coyotes! My in laws wake up real early during the week (like 4-5am when its still dark). One morning as usual my mother in law let the pups out then started a pot of coffee. My father-in-law was upstairs in their bathroom and heard something strange, looked out the window and saw a coyote in their backyard with their daschund Doodle in its mouth and their lab Lucy circling it and barking like a wild woman. He sprinted downstairs of course and by the time he got to the backyard the coyote was gone. Luckily Doodle was fine, thankfully Lucy was there to scare the coyote off. Then a couple days later a neighbor of theirs witnessed a coyote running off with their min-pin and they never saw the pup again, so sad They can jump large fences so everyone be aware.