07/20/2023
In light of the recent cat remains found on Redpath Park in Barrhaven, I went down a rabbit hole on some peer-reviewed studies regarding the dismemberment of domestic cats. I wanted to bring some hard facts to the case.
Please note, this does not mean you should give up looking for your beloved lost cat. Your cat is somewhere out there waiting to be found and reunited with you!
Warning: This study contains graphic details. Reader discretion is advised.
A 2019 report studied the necropsy of 53 cats in Edmonton and St. Albert. Based on the nature of the lesions, the study concluded that the dismemberment resulted in coyote predation of living cats and scavenging of the bodies of cats that died.
"Authorities submitted cat carcasses or their parts from the cities of Edmonton (latitude 53.63, longitude –113.32; 2017 population estimate 1 322 000) and St. Albert, a residential community adjacent to Edmonton’s northwest border (latitude 53.63, longitude –113.63, 2016 population 64 645). Land use in both urban areas included residential, industrial, and commercial development in addition to substantial areas of natural habitat within and bordering the cities. Both areas have large wooded river valleys that contain large areas of natural habitat supporting several wildlife species… Both cities contain numerous grassy areas, both mowed and unmowed; natural parks with an interconnecting network of pathways; and off-leash dog parks."
"Cats and coyotes are both prevalent in Edmonton and St. Albert. We estimate the coyote population in the city limits of Edmonton to be 500 to 1000 individuals… and that in St. Albert to be about 50 to 100..."
"Among 23 animals for which s*x could be determined, 12 were neutered males, 5 were intact males, and 6 were females, 2 of which were spayed (Suppl. Fig S2). One of the 4 intact females was pregnant. One animal had a microchip, 1 had a collar with a name tag, and 4 had identification tattoos in the pinna. No attempt was made to determine the specific ages of any animals, but all were of adult size."
"There were some features common to incomplete carcasses. The 2 most striking of these were the appearance of the intestines and colon and the edges of the skin defects. An intact length of intestine and/or colon was commonly present in partial carcasses, trailing from the carcass and entirely devoid of mesentery and mesenteric fat. Each of the incomplete bodies also exhibited avulsion of the skin. Both types of defects appeared to have occurred postmortem, because there was no evidence of active bleeding along their edges or in immediately adjacent tissues. This finding is very suggestive of hairs being pulled into tufts as they slipped between the teeth of a predator/scavenger and held in that configuration by saliva."
"We attempted to determine cause of death for all 53 animals, an assessment that was most accurate when either the entire carcass or the cranial half was available. In all such cases (n ¼ 44, 83%), there was evidence of trauma that we divided into 2 categories: massive blunt trauma (8 cases, 15%) and wounds consistent with coyote predation (36 cases, 68%). The cause of blunt trauma was difficult to assess. The differences between MVA (motor vehicle accident) and NAI (non-accidental injury) have been described, and the latter are more likely to be associated with cruelty. In all 8 cases with blunt trauma, the cat had been either transected or scavenged after death."
"The remaining 17% included pet burials and partial carcasses that had insufficient tissue remaining to determine cause of death. In no case was there any clear evidence of nonaccidental injury by humans."
"Coyotes are well known to consume domestic cats in urban areas throughout North America. Coyote scats collected in Edmonton had a 6% occurrence of cat hair, which comprised about 2% of the detected diet items. If there are between 500 to 1000 coyotes in Edmonton (above), several dozen domestic cats might be consumed annually by coyotes to contribute to the annual average of 5 carcasses (or parts thereof) that were discovered by the public. Specialization on cats as prey by individual coyotes is quite plausible and may have produced the striking interannual variation in reported carcasses. Prey specialization has been reported for both coyotes and cats and may combine with seasonal opportunities to increase clusters of reports (below). In Edmonton, coyotes appear to vary consistently in their reliance on anthropogenic vs more natural habitat, which sometimes correlates with dietary preferences and disease status, and in their degree of nocturnal behavior, which might further alter their overlap with cats."
"Cases were also seasonally clustered between June and October, with 80% occurring in August and September. This timing corresponds with the usual period of dispersal for both coyotes and their rodent prey. High availability of naive rodents and songbirds in late summer would support increased hunting activity by domestic cats, in turn increasing their vulnerability to coyotes. The fact that all cats examined were adults, not kittens, is consistent with hunting activity, as is the prevalence of male cats. In Edmonton, coyotes are active at both crepuscular periods and at night, which may increase their opportunity to specialize on cats hunting rodents in late summer. Predation on cats by coyotes in late summer is also consistent with parents training their young of the year to hunt. Young coyotes that learn to hunt with easily captured domestic cats might later target them as prey. Some additional explanation is warranted for the state of carcasses upon discovery. Often these were dismembered, including only half the animal and/or trailing intestines and colon. Each of these characteristics is potentially linked to the natural history of coyotes. The prevalence of half carcasses may have resulted from the shaking of cats after capture or tugging in opposite directions by 2 coyotes as part of play, teaching offspring to hunt, or cooperative hunting."
"Necropsies also revealed that the mesenteric fat and parenchymal internal organs were often missing, which is consistent with their high caloric value to predators. Removal of these components by coyotes would necessarily have contributed to the observation that the cat’s intestines were trailing from its body."
"The nature of cat predation by coyotes may also explain why cats were so often found in prominent locations. Presumably, each animal involved in a tug-of-war would gain the half of the cat that they held, potentially dropping it later if the coyote was disturbed by humans. Such disturbance might have been more likely near ravine paths and school yards where several animals were found. Deposition in other prominent locations may have resulted from a cat being chased by coyotes toward its home (eg, front yards and porches) or ambushed by coyotes at places where natural and residential habitat overlapped (eg, walkway or ravine paths). In addition, coyotes may have sought places near people to consume prey where they were secure from more dominant coyotes."
Nation, P. Nick, and Colleen Cassady St. Clair. “A Forensic Pathology Investigation of Dismembered Domestic Cats: Coyotes or Cults?” Veterinary Pathology 56, no. 3 (2019): 444–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985819827968.
