Janet Knapp thinks a coyote killed her cat Rosie, and she wants people to know about the dangers that are out there

Janet Knapp looks down at the spot where she found the remains of her cat Rosie on the morning of Sept. 12. Knapp's Jean Street home is shown to the right and a nearbye wooded area can be seen to the left. Knapp said she walks by the ditch every day and looks down at the spot. Jeff Klassen/SooToday

1 / 1 Janet Knapp looks down at the spot where she found the remains of her cat Rosie on the morning of Sept. 12. Knapp's Jean Street home is shown to the right and a nearbye wooded area can be seen to the left. Knapp said she walks by the ditch every day and looks down at the spot. Jeff Klassen/SooToday

On Monday, Sept. 11, Janice Knapp put her plump 17 lb part-tabby cat Rosie out at 9 p.m. to go to the bathroom and walk around just like she does every night.

Knapp lives on Jean Street in Manitou Park. She and her neighbours will often see bears.

“I never put the lights on (outside) because I didn’t want them to see her,” said Knapp.

Usually, within an hour or so, Knapp would expect to hear Rosie’s damp paws rubbing against window going ‘squeak squeak squeak.’

Knapp stayed up an extra half an hour but Rosie never came to the door.

The next morning, Knapp got up, made herself a Tassimo coffee, then looked out the front window and saw crows picking at something in the ditch immediately across the street — she immediately knew it was her cat.

Knapp walked outside and across the street, the crows scattered away as she approached.

What she found included fur, the same silver and orange as Rosie’s.

Knapp said grass surrounding the cat's remains was flattened as if something had been there, and a bit darker, as if blood spilt.

“I could smell the blood — the iron,” said Knapp.

Also at the scene was Rosie's bell-collar, something Knapp had bought so that the cat couldn't sneak up and kill birds but what she now thinks made her detectable to animal predators.

Manitou Park is surrounded to the west and north with heavily wooded areas that directly connect to the dense Northern Ontario woodlands that spread out unobstructed for hundreds of kilometres in all northern directions.

Knapp has no proof of what killed her cat — but she thinks a coyote wandered in from these wooded areas.

Over the years, coyotes have been spotted in the area — one year they even surrounded a postal carrier, recalled Knapp.

Knapp said wolves are rarely spotted in the area and bears would probably not have left any remains.

Another reason why Knapp suspects coyotes is because there was a second cat killing down the street, possibly on the same night, at the home of Chad Bouchard.

Bouchard, who lives just around the corner on Anna Street, said his family tabby cat Lou didn’t come back one night either, and as far as he remembers it was around the same time as Knapp.

The next day, after work, Bouchard went into his fenced off backyard and found Lou’s body so ‘torn up’ that it was ‘basically gone’.

He guesses it had to be a coyote or a fox because there were no signs of anything climbing over the fence or one of the trees.

He guesses that two cats dying around the same time and possibly the same night, means something like a coyote came into the area and found a couple easy meals.

Knapp is very sad at the loss of Rosie, and she’s also mad, but mostly at herself.

“I mostly blame me. I know what people will say — they’ll say the cat should have been inside. You don't have to tell me,” said Knapp.

Knapp wants to warn others about what happened, and to let them know of the dangers.

“I’m not sure it’s safe in Manitou Park or the rest of the Sault (for outdoor animals)," said Knapp.

Knapp’s home is now one cat fewer, and it looks like it will stay that way.

After the trauma of what happened, she doesn’t think it’s fair to get another cat and subject it to the dangers that are out there.

“I think I have a form of PTSD now. As soon as I close my eyes I see the fur,” she said.

The full text of a message from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry follows.

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MNRF SSM district has not seen an increase in calls regarding coyotes this year. This year is similar to past years.

Here are some general tips regarding coyote management (from Ontario.ca):

If you see a coyote, keep your distance and the animal will most likely avoid you.

If you encounter an aggressive animal:

never approach or touch a wild animal

do not turn your back or run from a wild animal

back away from the animal while remaining calm

stand tall, wave your hands, and make lots of noise

carry a flashlight at night

if a wild animal poses an immediate threat or danger to public safety — call 911

How to make your property unwelcome

use flashing lights, motion sensors and noise makers

put up two-metre high fence that extends at least 20 centimetres underground

install a roller system to the top of your fence so animals can’t gain a foothold

keep dogs inside at night

clean up after your dog — coyotes are attracted to dog feces

spay and neuter your dogs — coyotes are attracted to, and can mate with, domestic dogs that have not been spayed or neutered

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