Arnold, CA…Around 3:30 – 4:00 pm, I was sitting in my living room reading. Our deck is just adjacent and we have a kitty door that was open due to the nice weather. Our two cats were right outside on the deck, which is where they spend most of their time. Suddenly one of the cats started screeching and there were thumps and bumps that clearly indicated a fight. When I ran out the door, both of our cats and whatever it was that had attacked all scattered and I was not able to see the intruding animal. Long story short, when I got our two cats back in the house and was checking them over, I found a significant wound on Tom’s side (don’t laugh – he came with the name), called the vet and took him in. When Kathy began to examine him, she found a number of wounds on his left side and the more fur she shaved off, more could be seen – he was pretty mauled. He is recovering, and should be all right. We are on Mustang Road, not far from you and even a dog as big as yours could get into trouble, especially as you are so close to the canyon.

Tom Stienstra, the wildlife writer for the SF Chronicle, has documented a LOT of sightings and attacks on pets in areas much more populated than ours, in and around the Bay Area even. He has stated that the drought has had a huge impact on the usual supply of prey for bobcats, mountain lions, etc. so the wild animals are acting much more boldly than usual. Even so, it was pretty shocking – broad daylight on a deck about 12’ off the ground. All this is to say that ThePinetree.net might want to post some kind of warning – if people think their pets are safe that close to their house, they need to think again.