Coyote steals the cat

My last blog entry included tons of pics of recent visitors to my camera trap site which was baited with the carcass of a Wild Turkey and a road-kill stray cat. They both were in frame, right next to each other, and many critters visited, primarily Virginia opossum(s). But all the attention was on the Turkey! There really wasn't much meat left on it either, since it had been harvested during NY's spring Turkey season, and my friend Tyler took the breast and legs. The cat appeared untouched, and I didn't really understand. KB (Romping and Rolling in the Rockies) left me a comment stating that she's seen bobcat carcasses where she lives (CO) untouched. Did other scavengers dislike cat meat?

Well, of course, no sooner did I post that, I returned to the site and immediately noticed both carcasses were gone. I knew the Turkey had been removed by a Coyote previously, but now the cat carcass was gone too. Whodunit? Well, duh my entry title tells you....I'm not good at the element of surprise...

Here's the series of photos that shows the thievery...

 

Below is the actual taking....too quick for the camera to get a crisp image.

 

The black spot on the ground appeared to be soil that had been disturbed by insects (Dermestids) underneath the cat's body.

Pawing the spot where the Turkey was. I don't think much was left though...

 

After a quick sniff to the air, when I was pulling the SD card, I was able to locate the remains of the cat about 15 feet into the brush just to the right of the frame. I think it just dissolved...it was REALLY gushy and we've had torrential rains lately that probably further softened it. I'm not sure if this 'yote ate any of it, but there wasn't much left but vertebrae and fur.

Well, so I had a Turkey leg in the freezer, from the Turkey that Tyler shot. He said it "didn't look right" when he cleaned the bird, so he gave it to me to use for my camera instead of for eating. I tied it up on a branch in the frame at this same spot with a thick electrical underground-type cable and Gorilla Tape. HOPEFULLY nothing steals it too easily!

I love camera-trapping!