On 10/4/2014 11:36 AM, MaryL wrote:


"Judith Latham" wrote in message
...

In article ,
jmcquown wrote:
Sorry, not trying to dredge up the age old debate again but I've just
discovered another reason for keeping cats indoors in South Carolina,
USA. Coyotes!

I always thought of coyotes as being a "western" US critter. Apparently
they have migrated:

http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/29/3...d-to.html?rh=1


A rabid coyote bit a person in Okatie, SC on September 29th. They are
as big as, and often mistaken for, German Shepherds. The coyote tested
positive for rabies. The person is undergoing treatment. (Another
reason to keep cats - and dogs - indoors... rabies.)

Until I saw the headline in a [different] local newspaper I had no idea
there were coyotes in South Carolina.

Jill


Wow! I didn't think coyotes were that big. It is indeed a consideration
when you have pets.

Judith

Mary, I was trying to follow up with a reply to you, unfortunately when
you reply underneath a signature line it grays out and Thunderbird
deletes your reply right along with the sig line (per my settings). You
might consider deleting sig lines before you reply.

Not all coyotes get as big as German Shepards but some do. As for our
foxes in the US, yes, they're small.

Years ago there was a field with a small copse of woods on the other
side of the parking lot of the building where I worked. A mama fox and
her two kits used to run around and play in that field; and I guess they
had a den in the woods. (This was right smack in the middle of a
business complex in east Memphis, IOW *in* the city!) They were so cute!

The man who ran our mail room was trying to find an animal rescue
organization to trap and relocate them because some people were
complaining. They were afraid of the foxes. They were so tiny, I just
had to shake my head at anyone being afraid of them. (Of course, they
can carry rabies, too, but the idea of someone being afraid of the tiny
red foxes was just odd to me.) It was a moot point. It didn't take
long before some developer razed the lot and the trees to put up yet
another office building.

Jill