(May 25, 2009) -- An ELB pet cat as attacked and killed by a coyote on Conant St. between Bellflower Blvd. and Woodruff Ave. on Saturday morning (May 24).

Lisa Kamieniecki says she and her husband heard a scream from their 14 year old cat (who was outside at about 4 a.m. on his usual predawn patrols) and when Mr. Kamieniecki went outside, he saw the cat in a coyote's mouth.

Mr. Kamieniecki scared-off the coyote, who dropped the mortally wounded pet...but Mrs. Kamieniecki says two coyotes returned within a few minutes and were watching her from across the street..until she chased them off by grabbing a stick and hitting it on the ground.

Mrs. Kamieniecki says LB Animal Control (Animal Care Services) told her that coyotes are protected under state law and it's normal for them to hunt nocturnally. However, she was told that if coyotes are spotted during daytime hours, that's abnormal and should be reported to LB Animal Control (Animal Care Services). This can be done (1) by telephone (562) 570-7387 [listed as 24 hr emergency service] or (2) online: click here.

Mrs. Kamieniecki says she hopes something good can come out of this awful experience. "We want to let others know what happened. The usual advice is 'don't leave food or water outside.' Well, we didn't leave food or water outside and our cat was still attacked and killed," she said.

So...in the future would she keep cats indoors at night? "I wouldn't my cat go outdoors in the evening again," Mrs. Kamieniecki said. She added that she also wanted to let people walking small dogs at night or taking an evening stroll know about what happened.

Did the two coyotes that returned seem like they were going to attack her? "They just stared at me." Were they far away from you? "I'm not great at judging distances, but if I'd wanted to I probably could have thrown a rock and hit them," she said.

A map of coyote sightings/attacks produced by LB Animal Care Services (most recently updated on in mid-April) shows a coyote sighting near ELB's Heartwell Park...with a lot more sightings (and several reports of animals killed or mutilated) in the Bixby Knolls area and extending into NLB. Another cluster of coyote sightings is in the CSULB area.

To view the map, click here.

Ms. Kamieniecki said that after the attack she contacted the Press-Telegram (which reported the story) and earlier today, KTLA/5 came by to do the story.

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