To clarify: I live in Indiana...

I guess I never thought this would turn to coyotes.... But okay, sure, coyotes are certainly a threat to all sorts of living creatures, including cats. And even though I live out in the boonies, way out in the boonies, which according to some would mitigate my interaction with them, I still regularly hear coyotes howling around the boundaries of our property. I can't say for a fact whether that's because we've infringed on their territory or whether they're just that interested in what's going on beyond the boundaries of their own, but they're there and it most certainly gives me pause, but most especially regarding our dogs. And so yeah, predators abound. Owls too, which are supposed to be equally predatory when it comes to cats.

But the cats? They prey on anything smaller than they, and the dogs chase the cats, the horses, and even the deer who are frequent visitors, and that's just sort of the way it goes. And the birds and the rabbits. Lord, the rabbits. We do what we can to minimize the carnage. Although it seems to me the birds get themselves into more trouble than anything by falling down our chimney and my wood-fired bread oven than anything. The cats appear to be the least of their worries.

And my husband? He terrorizes his competitors as much as he feels able. And he mostly feels able. Me? I stand by and lament the whole shebang and wonder whether I can coax the birds out the of ash chute and out the basement door and salvage the rabbits whose hides and limbs are inevitably beyond repair.

My cats are the least domisticated of any animal I've ever kept, and I've had cats all my life. My horses seem mostly wild unless I work now and again to keep them mostly tame. My dogs seem mostly human on most days, except when they don't. The cats? They keep a sort of counsel I mostly sit back and... I dunno... marvel at. I love them for it. I hate like hell cleaning up the rabbits and the birds, but that's what makes them cats. And I guess I identify a bit with the spirit of them.

Here's a question: Would I like being locked up in a house and being monitored to the degree is often recommended for cats? Nope. Thanks, but no.

Maybe I'll get hit by some inattentive motorist. Maybe a lunatic goofball will aim a gun at me or I'll break my neck when one of my horses decides the flies are just too much to abide one day.

It's kind of a crap shoot. And not just for cats.

The LW hates his vicious cat, and he is engaged to be married. Everyone is going nuts trying to think of some way--ANY way--for this animal to be saved, because they love their own cats. Of course none of them have offered to TAKE the cat.

LW does not have a duty to the cat--the cat has had 3 extra years of life. It could conceivably live another 15 years, during which time LW and his fiance want to get married, have children, go away on vacations, have babysitters over, and live a happy life. This cat is in the way of all these plans.

LW, save your future marriage and your future children a lot of grief. Put the cat down. You don't love it--you don't like it, and not even cat lovers will help you. In three months you will be so relieved you took this step.

Coyotes only prey upon cats when development has spoiled their natural habitat and forced them to go elsewhere for food. Coyotes in their natural environment hunt an incredibly wide territory. They kill things like mice and kangaroo rats. On occasion they will kill baby goats or sheep if they fall behind the herd and their mothers are not protective. Sometimes they will even bring down grown sheep. I think this is partly because sheep are incredibly stupid animals and partly because the smell of sheep seems to excite almost any canine. As far as I know, they don't bring down adult deer or cattle.

Coyotes are total pack animals and rarely hunt alone. The reason coyotes in their natural environment rarely kill cats is that they are human shy. When cats abide by humans, coyotes won't go near them. In the 10 years that I lived in the heart of Texas, prime coyote country, I never knew them to kill cats. They did not even invade the hen house and chickens are easy pickings. We never lost chickens to coyotes, but we lost them to coons and skunks and possums and hawks. The most brutal and efficient predators on the ranch were skunks. They will kill what they will never be able to carry off for the sheer, frenzied pleasure of it. Coons are tough but they seem to like to stay near natural water.

(Any cat that will fight a coon is one tough kitty!)

At night, I could hear the coyotes in the distance hunting, a lovely sound despite the fact that it portended some poor creature's death.

If you live in an urban or suburban area and you see or hear coyotes near, then yes, they will kill cats. They do it because they are not really behaving naturally. They have become bold and lost their natural fear of human habitats. However, I suspect that some cat killings that are blamed on coyotes are caused by pack dogs. Stray dog packs or even dogs that pack together when their owners let them run can be incredibly dangerous -- and not just to cats!

I second coriander's post.

Have a testosterone test performed on the cat. It is a blood test that costs around $80 for the test and whatever fee your vet will charge for his or her time.

My neutered male cat had a similar problem, and a test for high testosterone came back positive: his testosterone is 40X the average value of a neutered cat.

In the case where it comes back positive it can be an undescended testicle, testicular tissue left over from a neuter, or possible adrenal tumors.

In all three cases the treatment is to do an exploratory and remove the cause. This is a serious surgery, so you should be absolutely sure of the cause and have an ultrasound performed on the adrenal glands to ensure that they do not have tumors. An ultrasound will cost between $200 to $300 and take about a half hour. Look forward to a stylish new coat on the cat that features racing stripes.

If an exploratory / adrenalectomy is performed, the cat will need to be immobilized for a week or two while his internal sutures heal. This can be accomplished by use of daily heavy sedatives and recovery inside a cage just large enough to contain a small litter box, a food dish, a water bowl and the cat. You will be performing in the role of a cat orderly: you absolutely do not want the sutures to accidentally break. (This occurred in our cat, who required emergency surgery to put his innards back in once they fell out after his external sutures were removed. There is no such thing as a cat ambulance, and there is something to the statement that these little fellows have nine lives.)

In our case, the exploratory did not turn up any testicular tissue, but subsequent ultrasounds indicate adrenal abnormality. We should have had the ultrasound done before the original exploratory, but this was new territory for our vet. We are slated to have our cat opened up a second time this summer for an adrenalectomy. In the meantime, we have found a balance with him in providing him with his own room at night with a large cage inside during the day so the room may be open and used by other people and animals.

I hope your conundrum comes to positive conclusion.