St. Albert’s cat killer is a coyote, police say.
After a third mutilated cat was found in the city on Sept. 3, RCMP asked a specialist to conduct a necropsy on the animal, an examination of a non-human body. The veterinarian, a doctor with the chief veterinarian office at the University of Alberta, determined that the cat had died from a coyote attack.
Officers have now compared photos of this cat to two other cases of mutilated felines found in the city. While it was previously believed that a person had attacked the animals, police now believe a coyote killed all three cats.
“The RCMP have learned that coyotes will hunt cats, especially when they are training their pups how to hunt,” said Cpl. Laurel Kading. “They can leave the cat looking like it was cut open as a way to interest their pups in eating prey.”
The third cat was found in the Oakmont neighbourhood, while the other two were discovered in late August, in a field near Elmer S. Gish School in the Akinsdale neighbourhood and in Sable Park near Salisbury Avenue.
A St. Albert veterinary clinic, La Maison des Chats, promised a $1,000 reward for the conviction of those responsible for the attacks. The Humane Society also issued a statement urging pet owners to ensure their animals are kept safe. Similarly mutilated cats had been found in North Edmonton, it said.
St. Albert RCMP will not continue to investigate the deaths of the cats, said Kading. But it recommends that pet owners take precautions with their pets because it appears to be prime hunting time for the coyotes in the area. Dogs and cats should be indoors, especially from dusk to dawn, she said.
"With an active coyote population in the city, the RCMP recommends that pet owners protect small pets, particularly if they are in or near city green spaces,” she said. “Keeping them indoors during this peak coyote hunting and training time is something that pet owners may have to consider.
