LeAnn Copas and Tom Moore:
>The neighbors and the vet say
>the owls are responsible, but there are also coyotes outside
>of town here. Would it be likely that the owl is responsible?

Recently in Portland there was a TV news interview of a retired
woman in our West Hills who saw a coyote nail her cat! Much
to my surprise, though saddened she also thought it was kind of
cool and had no desire to see the coyotes in the West Hills
"controlled". She simply said that her next one would be
an "indoors" cat.

On the other hand, there is the well-publicized incident of
a Bald Eagle taking a chihuahua from a parking area off the
AlCan highway a summer or two ago. I'm sure many remember
the TV interview which followed, with the lady owner on one
side of an RV sobbing tears and the male half of the couple
describing just how cool it was.

A Great-horned owl could kill a full-grown cat, I'm sure, but
swallowing it whole seems a stretch (of the throat and crop,
at least!). A cat would turn into one hell of an owl pellet,
I'd say!

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>