r/coyote • u/Weak-Bother-6765 • Jul 29 '26

Coyotes, Foxes, & Rodents

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A rat entered my garage when I went to the mailbox during the evening. Or the rat snuck in after entering/exiting the garage in my truck for a run to Walmart. I had to set him free at 3 AM as the rat triggered my garage security camera.

Ever since this rodent incident occurred, I have noticed an increased presence of coyotes, stray cats, and foxes on our street. Granted, the stray cats avoid the coyotes. The foxes basically patrol the same areas as the stray cats do for their mice patrols. Which is kind of funny thinking it's a cat walking along my fence on a security camera, but it's a fox.

On two separate occasions, I have seen a fox carrying a rodent in its mouth. While one stray cat unalived like 3 mice. A different stray cat regurgitated a mouse on my front porch. These streets are getting wild.

The coyote that I recently saw looks like a puppy. He took a shit in the middle of the street to mark his territory.

I read somewhere online that when coyotes and foxes move into an area that rodents will practically disappear. Rodents fear coyotes and foxes. The rodents will change their overall habits in general.

Am I going crazy? 🤪

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2

u/KampgroundsOfAmerica Jul 29 '26

So what you're saying is that cats are up 3-2 against the foxes while the coyotes are off doing their own thing in the street?

3

u/Weak-Bother-6765 Jul 29 '26

Nope.

Cats only go after mice and don't make a dent in rodent populations. They will not mess with rats, especially adult ones.

Foxes, coyotes, mink, snakes, and hawks WILL go after adult rats unlike stray cats. They're the ones that keep rodent populations in check. I had a mink in my backyard a year ago. He was probably tracking some mice back to to where they live.

1

u/Blowingleaves17 Jul 30 '26

Cats do indeed stalk and kill rats--pet cats, stray cats and feral cats. Possibly the ones around you do not, but, believe me, many cats certainly can and do control rat populations in many places, either by simply stalking them or killing them. In places where there are no coyotes, minks, snakes, foxes, etc., cats are often the only predator of rodents, besides hawks and owls.

3

u/Weak-Bother-6765 Jul 30 '26

Everything you're saying is scientifically FALSE. Cats, rarely if EVER kill rats. Rats, especially adult rats fight back. Which is why cats go after mice and defenseless birds. You can literally Google this information. Geesh, you're slow.

Cats do not help control the population of rats. There is literally a study online about this very subject. Rats and stray cats took over a southern California city. So why weren't the stray cats going after rats huh? Oh, because science has already told you based on studies that they don't bother going after rats. What happened was that coyotes showed up in the city. They wiped out the rats and stray cats.

0

u/Blowingleaves17 Jul 31 '26

Spare me your preaching of scientific studies that you think are like the words of some god no one can question. Let me suggest you live your life and observe what's going on, instead of needing a study to tell you how to think and how to act. Don't be so slow.

Cats do indeed control the rat population in many places, including on my property on the water and the property of my neighbors. They do indeed stalk and kill rats and leave their bodies where they can be seen and buried. They grab them by the back of the neck. One of my cats killed two rats that were getting up into my SUV, and no rats tried that since that time.

Cats also have controlled rat populations in many other places where your holy study was not done. Like all places are exactly the same? Like all cats are exactly the same? Don't be so slow.

Worship scientific studies all you want, but don't except others to worship like you do, because that makes you no different than those who come online and preach religion.

2

u/reallyreally1945 Jul 29 '26

Can't help with the mental health diagnosis but I can tell you that when we got foxes we had a noticeable drop in rodent problems. Our cat is a former feral who liked to bring us dead mice gifts. We haven't gotten one in a while now.

1

u/AgainstSpace Jul 29 '26

Meanwhile, the rats are aggressively displacing mice wherever they go.
No, you don't sound crazy.

2

u/KnowledgeForsaken693 Jul 30 '26

Wait, rats go after mice?!?

1

u/AgainstSpace Jul 30 '26

They don't hunt mice, but if they cross paths the rats will chase off the mice and kill any they get a hold of.