Keeping Pets Safe From Predators

August 4, 2011

Question: I have two small dogs and two cats and we are thinking about moving to the Sierra foothills. I understand we need to protect our pets from coyotes and mountain lions. I have researched your website (Keep Me Wild) and the Internet and received many suggestions, but I have some questions for which I have not found answers. Assuming I follow all suggestions (leave no food/water out at night, cut down brush, provide no shelter, etc.):

1.   Are there any fences or other types of barriers that will protect my unattended pets completely at any hour, especially dawn, dusk and night?

2.   If not, will the pets be safe unattended in a well-fenced yard during the day?

3.   Can cats ever go outside, if the area is fenced in?

Thanks for any help. (Catherine)

Answer: For your dogs to be absolutely safe outside unattended at any time of day or night, you should consider building a kennel. According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Associate Wildlife Biologist Jeff Cann, the kennel should have a cement floor to prevent predators from digging in and stout wrought iron or chain link fence sides and top to prevent a lion from jumping or climbing into the pen. Other types of fences work pretty well but have problems when built next to a hill or if they traverse a creek drainage, etc.

If you build a perimeter fence around your yard, it should be at least eight feet tall (wire or steel) and at the top of that have an outlying section that is two to three feet long, attached at a 45 degree angle to the top, similar to security fences. This makes it harder (but not impossible) for lions to enter because they have to move vertically and horizontally at the same time (which they can do). The fence should be well-anchored so animals cannot pry it up or dig under it. Wood fences are easy for a lion to climb, so that’s why we recommended the kennel first. It only takes an overhanging tree limb or a tree to fall on a weak perimeter fence, and your pets are no longer secure.

Well-constructed kennel kits are usually available at places like Costco, and many feed stores carry panels that connect together to make any size kennel you want.

Cats going outside would be safest midday, but it’s not a sure thing. They too need a stout enclosure to be absolutely safe from bobcats, coyotes and lions.

The only sure-fire thing to be sure your pets remain safe is to leave all pets indoors, all the time. However, lions have even been known to break through screened porches to get small dogs.

In addition to trying to protect your pets from predators, keep in mind that even your common house cat can turn predator toward the wild birds in your area and significantly impact songbird (passerine) bird populations. Scientists from the Audubon Society estimate that free-roaming cats (owned, stray and feral) kill hundreds of millions of birds and possibly more than a billion small mammals in the U.S.each year. To lessen these impacts and ensure your cats stay safe, it’s best to keep them indoors all of the time.