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Outdoor Cats and Coyotes in Arizona

By Checked by CoyoteBytes Editorial TeamReview date First published Filed under Pets & Children

AZGFD lists house cats among what coyotes eat and says coyotes have taken cats and small dogs near their owners. Its advice is to keep cats indoors or in a secure outdoor enclosure, which also protects them from owls, hawks, cars, domestic dogs and disease. University extension sources say the same. This page sets out what is sourced and what we could not find.

Part of our guide: Protect Pets and Children from Coyotes in Arizona

Cats are the pets where agencies speak most plainly: the safest outdoor cat, on their advice, is one that is not outdoors alone. This guide is part of our pet and child safety hub.

This is general information, not veterinary, medical or legal advice. For an injured or aggressive animal, a bite, a pet attack or a suspected rabies exposure, call your doctor, your vet, local animal control, or the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

Reviewed by the editorial desk against the cited sources. The desk holds no wildlife-biology, veterinary or medical credential; see our editorial policy. If your cat has been injured, call your vet now and come back to this page afterward.

What AZGFD says about cats

AZGFD says coyotes are opportunistic omnivores, and its 2015 brochure includes house cats and small dogs in the list. The brochure also says coyotes have taken cats and small dogs in the vicinity of their owners, which means an owner nearby does not guarantee safety.

The department’s advice on cats is one sentence long, and worth quoting closely: keep cats indoors or in a secure outdoor enclosure to protect them from coyotes, other wildlife (owls, hawks, etc.) and also from cars, domestic dogs and disease. It also says that when pets are outside, they should be in a secure enclosure with a roof or supervised at all times.

That makes coyotes one of several outdoor hazards in the department’s framing. An enclosure or an indoor-only cat is protected from all of them at once.

What extension sources add

University of California IPM says to keep small pets such as cats, rabbits and small dogs indoors, or, if outdoors, within enclosed kennels, and never to allow cats or dogs to run free at any time, as they are easy prey. It is a 2007 California note and also advises that large dogs be brought inside after dark.

University of Florida IFAS says coyotes are known to prey on cats and small dogs left unattended outdoors, especially during spring when raising pups, and that cats should never be allowed to roam freely. For spring timing, see coyote breeding and pup season in Arizona.

All three sources reach the same practical conclusion without any complicated analysis: unsupervised, free-roaming cats are exposed.

What we could not source

We want to be explicit, because cat owners often hear confident claims online:

  • Arizona numbers. None of the sources we opened counts cats lost to coyotes in Arizona or Pima County. We do not estimate it.
  • Enclosure designs. AZGFD says “secure enclosure with a roof” and UC IPM says “enclosed kennels.” Neither gives dimensions or materials, and commercial pages are not allowed sources here.
  • Time of day. UC IPM says coyotes are most active after dusk and before daylight, which is a California statement; AZGFD sets no curfew for cats, though it advises supervising small pets at night and dawn. We do not claim that daytime is safe.
  • Collars, bells and deterrent products. No agency source we opened evaluates them.
  • Colony and community cat feeding. AZGFD’s pet food guidance is the only relevant statement we have.

Practical steps that follow from the sources

Keep cats indoors or enclosed

This is the central recommendation of AZGFD, UC IPM and UF IFAS. If your cat is used to going out, an enclosed outdoor space with a roof, or supervised time outside, matches the department’s wording. Any enclosure should be secure against a coyote getting in, not just against a cat getting out; we cannot specify how.

Do not leave pet food outside

AZGFD says to feed pets inside or remove uneaten pet food between feedings, and lists pet food among foods coyotes eat. It also says a regular food source in one yard on a block keeps coyotes active throughout the neighborhood, so your cat’s bowl affects your neighbors.

Secure garbage and fruit

AZGFD lists store garbage inside or in wildlife-proof containers, put trash containers out at the last possible time on collection day, and do not feed wildlife. It lists fruit among what coyotes eat. AZGFD’s current attractant list includes fallen fruit, pet food, pet water bowls, fountains and pools, so removing them matters for cats’ food and water bowls too.

Trim hiding places and add lighting

AZGFD advises trimming back plants and bushes around the house to prevent hiding or resting places, and installing outdoor lighting.

Work with neighbors

AZGFD calls a unified neighborhood effort crucial. If a neighbor feeds outdoor cats or leaves pet food out, a polite conversation is more useful than a confrontation. If there is deliberate feeding of coyotes, AZGFD’s April 2023 release says feeding wildlife (except birds and tree squirrels) is unlawful in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under A.R.S. 13-2927. Checked on 2026-11-14; confirm with AZGFD and local animal control.

If you see a coyote near your cat

AZGFD’s steps for a coyote that approaches: never approach it, keep eye contact, yell or make loud noises (whistles, music, pots and pans), avoid running, pick up small pets, act as large and threatening as possible and move toward an area with other people or a building.

We add one caution of our own, which is not from a source: if the animal seems sick, is cornered, or is near a den, do not haze it. Keep your distance, bring the cat in if you can do so safely, and call AZGFD or animal control. Do not put yourself between a coyote and a cat.

If your cat is hurt, or you suspect it was taken

  1. Vet first. Veterinary attention comes first after an attack, even if the wound looks small.
  2. Tell your vet the cat had contact with a wild animal. The CDC advises keeping pets up to date on rabies vaccines, and says to call animal control for stray animals.
  3. Report it to local animal control and AZGFD. Our reporting page explains who to contact.
  4. If a person was bitten or scratched, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and urgently seek medical care, per the CDC.

AZGFD says Arizona Department of Health Services records show an extremely low occurrence of rabid coyotes in the state, but coyotes can be rabid. Take any contact seriously regardless.

Emergency numbers and what AZGFD will and will not do

AZGFD (current Living with Coyotes page and April 2023 news release, both accessed 2026-11-14) says that if a coyote attacks a person, you should report it to the department or call 911, and that anyone who is bitten should seek medical care immediately. Its 24-hour Communications Center for wildlife acting aggressively toward people is 623-236-7201 (confirm before relying on it). If a coyote is approaching or has bitten someone, call 911. For a pet that has been attacked, call your vet first.

AZGFD does not respond to calls to relocate or remove coyotes unless there is a public-safety concern; for removal on private property it points residents to a licensed wildlife-removal business. The news release says predators that attacked people or show predatory or aggressive behavior toward people are removed lethally only as a last resort and cannot be relocated for public-safety reasons, and that removal does not help if attractants remain. Pima Animal Care Center dispatch is 520-724-5900 ext. 4 (pima.gov; confirm before relying on it).

Feeding wildlife (except birds and tree squirrels) is unlawful in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties under A.R.S. 13-2927, according to the AZGFD news release; some cities and counties have their own ordinances. Checked on 2026-11-14; confirm with AZGFD and your local animal control.

Frequently asked questions

Do coyotes eat cats in Arizona?

AZGFD lists house cats and small dogs among what coyotes eat, along with seeds, fruit, dead animals, rodents, rabbits, garbage and pet food. It also says coyotes have taken cats and small dogs in the vicinity of their owners. AZGFD's pages give no count of cats lost in Arizona, so we cannot say how common it is, only that the department treats it as a real risk.

Is it safe to let my cat outside in Arizona?

AZGFD advises keeping cats indoors or in a secure outdoor enclosure to protect them from coyotes, other wildlife such as owls and hawks, and from cars, domestic dogs and disease. University of California IPM says never to allow cats or dogs to run free at any time, and University of Florida IFAS says cats should never be allowed to roam freely where coyotes occur.

What counts as a secure outdoor enclosure?

AZGFD's current page says to keep small pets indoors or in a roofed enclosure and to supervise them at night and dawn; it says a 6-foot fence is not reliable because coyotes are skilled jumpers. University of California IPM says to keep small pets in enclosed kennels. Neither source in the material we opened specifies dimensions, materials or designs for a cat enclosure, and we did not use vendor pages, so we do not give construction details.

Does feeding outdoor or stray cats attract coyotes?

AZGFD lists pet food among the foods coyotes eat and says to feed pets inside or remove uneaten pet food between feedings. It also says all potential food sources must be removed to keep coyotes from becoming dangerously comfortable around humans. We found no AZGFD text about colony cat feeding, so we make no claim beyond the pet food advice. Contact animal control for stray-animal questions.

My cat did not come home and I think a coyote took it. What should I do?

Check with neighbors, your local animal care center and animal control, and tell AZGFD or animal control what you suspect so incidents can be recorded. Do not search at dusk in wild areas alone or try to confront a coyote. If your cat returns injured, get it to a vet at once, as veterinary attention comes first after any animal attack.

What if my cat is bitten by a coyote?

See a vet immediately. Any contact between a pet and a wild animal means calling your vet and local animal control. The CDC advises keeping pets up to date on rabies vaccines, and washing any human bite or scratch immediately with soap and water and urgently seeking medical attention. AZGFD says Arizona records show an extremely low occurrence of rabid coyotes, but coyotes can be rabid.

Can I scare a coyote away from my cat?

AZGFD says never to approach a coyote, and describes yelling, loud noises, looking large, not running, and moving toward people or a building. It says to pick up small pets. Do not chase a coyote that has your cat, and do not haze a sick, cornered or den-guarding coyote. Keep your distance and call AZGFD or animal control.

Sources

  1. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Living with Coyotes (azgfd.com, accessed 2026-11-14) (azgfd.com)
  2. Arizona Game and Fish Department, TIPS to avoid conflicts with coyotes (news release, April 7, 2023; accessed 2026-11-14) (azgfd.com)
  3. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Living with Coyotes brochure (2015; older document, cited only where noted) (s3.amazonaws.com)
  4. University of California IPM, Coyote (Pest Notes, 2007) (ipm.ucanr.edu)
  5. University of Florida IFAS Extension, Commonly Asked Questions About Coyotes in Florida (ask.ifas.ufl.edu)
  6. CDC, About Rabies (cdc.gov)

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