New Haven Independent

Posted by: Margaret | August 11, 2009 10:28 AM

Whoa guys, if that is someone's pet they may rather never know what happened to it than see that picture. The same goes for me.

Posted by: goatviller | August 11, 2009 10:45 AM

i really don't think that picture is necessary.

Posted by: Walt | August 11, 2009 10:49 AM

---and let's not forget the predatory cats whose lax owners... allow their pets to roam, defecate, or urinate around the neighborhood and kill other folks' plants or animals as they did my fish and pond plants last week.
...

Posted by: William Kurtz | August 11, 2009 10:52 AM

I have to agree. Questionable editorial choice, running that photo not only at the top of the story but the top of the whole page. I'm not particularly squeamish myself, but I do know a number of people who would find that image very disturbing. I think it would be courteous to your readership to give a little warning.

Posted by: citizen | August 11, 2009 10:53 AM

PLEASE TAKE THAT PICTURE OFF THIS SITE IT IS TERRIBLE AND MY CHILD JUST SAW THIS PLEASE THIS MESSAGE IS FOR MELINDA HUMEN SOCIETY HAVE BEEN CALLED WHAT IF THIS WERE YOUR PET.

Posted by: NewHaven1 | August 11, 2009 11:07 AM

PLEASE erase the photo. Thats a bit much...

Lets say the owner of the cat happens to READ this paper and thats the first thing they see when they come to the "home" page

Posted by: Ned | August 11, 2009 11:23 AM

Cat owners please keep your cats indoors - where the cats are safer - and, because domestic cats kill millions of songbirds and small mammals.

Posted by: HH | August 11, 2009 11:35 AM

As urban sprawl continues, these and other animals (bears for example) are being pushed out of their homes and into ours. I am so sad for all who have lost pets (and I agree with the above comment) to the natural instincts of the coyotes, they are easy food. One way to get maybe lessen the coyote population you are seeing is to remove the food source...KEEP YOUR CATS IN AT NIGHT.

Coyotes are scared of humans so they shouldn't bother anyone, unless they are sick.

It makes me sad when people blame wild animals for being what they are when WE have contributed creating the problem in the first place.

Posted by: Norton Street | August 11, 2009 11:48 AM

This is one of the many problems that occurs when people try to populate forests with low density housing. The architecture in this area is garbage, the public transportation is minimal, and there are bearly any jobs: this is a useless area that should be either abandoned or built upon to have a commercial corridor with some higher density housing and better access to mass transit.

Like Margaret I question the importance of including that mutilated cat image. Pretty gross.

Posted by: Anon | August 11, 2009 11:51 AM

Seriously guys?! Is the picture really necessary!!

Posted by: Cat Lover | August 11, 2009 11:55 AM

I, for one, would like to see more pictures of animal mutilation on the Independent.

Posted by: grossed out | August 11, 2009 12:02 PM

The headline photo is totally inappropriate for the front page. It is so graphic that my stomach turned over upon opening the site. I am a long-time reader and very much appreciate the in-depth coverage of local issues, but I am appalled at this crude shot. Please use some discretion. Tasteless.

Posted by: steve ross, human | August 11, 2009 12:02 PM

That photo is intense!

Posted by: jawbone | August 11, 2009 12:04 PM

Niiiice! Klassy photo, NHI! Cat lovers of the world, rise up and boycott the NHI. Bet they wouldn't have shown a photo of an eviscerated pooch.

Posted by: Bruce | August 11, 2009 12:24 PM

NHI: not a smart move posting this picture right up front like that. If you want people to read a story, why start it with a picture that makes most people immediately click away? I will avoid the NHI for the next few days, not out of protest but because I don't like to see this image again.

Posted by: Moira | August 11, 2009 12:34 PM

Was it really necessary to post a picture of an eviscerated animal? How does that improve the quality of the story? Michelle, I hope you find your cat!

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 11, 2009 12:47 PM

I am with all of you guys .....Picture is not necessary. (a bit disturbing to say the least).
I know that those of us that live in Cedar hill are leary about letting our cats out because of our coyote and people in west rock are in the same boat. But the cove wow..... did you guys take our coyote???
Sad to say they are a need part of East Rock eco system.... Not a pleasant thought but we would be more over run (Dam people that dump there unwanted and un spay and neutered cats at the top) by cats if we did not have him. People think they are doing there pets a favor by doing this.... reality is they are feeding the coyote.

Posted by: Robert Megna | August 11, 2009 1:08 PM

This whole article makes an assumption that a coyote killed a cat and partially consumed it. The animal could have been road kill or dead and consumed by any number of animals from Raccoon to Crow following a hit by the car.

Posted by: Wicked Lester | August 11, 2009 1:08 PM

Cedar Hill Resident asks: "But the cove wow... did you guys take our coyote???"

We have coyote, red fox, racoon, wild turkey and deer.

Posted by: The Count | August 11, 2009 1:19 PM

Any chance of the East Shore Conservation Association or the Citizens Committee for Environmental Protection coming to the aid of the coyotes? Not a chance!

Posted by: robn | August 11, 2009 1:24 PM

NED is correct.

Domestic cats should be kept indoors becuase of the risk to themselves (coyotes, vehicles, feline AIDS) and the risk to other wildlife (massive birdkills).

Posted by: V | August 11, 2009 2:02 PM

Coyotes will help control the deer population, and therefore the deer tick population, and reduce our exposure to Lyme disease.

I think Lyme is a bigger threat to my children than coyote attacks, so I welcome them to New Haven.

And yes, there are deer in New Haven. See Edgewood, Park.

Posted by: Mister Jones | August 11, 2009 2:03 PM

Reminds of of the old journalism adage: If it bleeds it leads.

I wonder how many of the folks complaining about the photo enjoy those wild animal shows on TV where there's all sorts of gory scenes of predators hunting and eating?

That being said, it makes good sense to move the photo to page 2.

Posted by: Paul | August 11, 2009 2:05 PM

Look, people who probably watch people getting shot and blown up on TV and in movies all the time for entertainment - being freaked out by a gruesome picture of a dead animal that had a preceding warning.

The irony is impressive.

Posted by: Crash | August 11, 2009 2:14 PM

Hey Norton Street, I don't appreciate having my 100+ year-old Annex home called garbage! Around 50% of the housing stock in the Annex is pre-1920, and a good 25% dates to the 1880's, just like Norton Street. This is an old neighborhood - in the old days we even used to have mass transit - the trolley line.

I've seen two coyotes near Fort Wooster Park on a regular basis since January - a big one and a small one, usually right around sunrise with my dog. They don't run away, which is fairly scary. I haven't seen them as much in the last two months, but I think that's because I've been waiting for full daylight to walk lately.

Posted by: Barbara Carroll | August 11, 2009 2:18 PM

I too was horrified by the photo and did not think it would or should get published.

Posted by: robn | August 11, 2009 2:32 PM

The solution to this problem is quite obvious...to control the coyote population we must begin importing wild gorillas. Then after they've eaten all of the coyotes, the gorillas will succumb to the first hard winter.

Posted by: Moira | August 11, 2009 2:36 PM

I don't appreciate the architecture of my neighborhood being called garbage, either. Hey, Norton Street, why discredit your point with a cheap shot?

The coyotes are part of the package in our neighborhood. It's not they're fault that they're out there doing what they're wired to do. We've got lots of wildlife in the area--as noted by Wicked Lester. Leave them alone and take precautionary measures with pets. And V is right: Lyme is a more serious threat to people (and domestic animals!) in the neighborhood.

For that matter, so are speeders. I'll take a coyote sighting any day over someone pushing 60 down my street.

Posted by: Norton Street | August 11, 2009 3:27 PM

Crash and Miora,
I tend to generalize often. Although there are a fair amount of architecturally significant buildings in the Annex; I do question the placement of the neighborhood, its density, its lack of jobs, lack of transit option, its large amount of vinyl siding and the inclusion of ranch style homes.Next time i will try to be more specific and thorough because I was incorrect to talk broadly about the neighborhood.

Posted by: Wicked Lester | August 11, 2009 3:53 PM

Norton Street won't be happy until the entire planet is covered in asphalt, concrete and steel.

Posted by: Walt | August 11, 2009 4:25 PM

Didn't like the cat picture either, but it would be OK by me to print a picture of dead fish if it would convince the cat -lovers to keep their pets under control and on their own property instead of inflicting them on the other folks in the neighborhood.

Posted by: Crazy Charlie | August 11, 2009 4:45 PM

Woohoo! Natural selection in action!

Posted by: Andrew Garrow | August 11, 2009 5:15 PM

NORTON ST. -
you are right about the annex's arcitecture. They have no giant apartment building that double nicely as crack supermarkets, no poorly lit sidewalks for hookers and no on street parking to have your car stolen, broken into or towed.
And, those loosers do stupid things like fix broken windows, snitch on drug dealers and murders, and make their kids come inside after dark.
What are they smoking over da bridge?

Posted by: Norton Street | August 11, 2009 5:58 PM

Andrew,
This is 2009, not 1991. Also, your points are uninformed and misguided.

Wicked Lester,
I couldn't tell if that was sarcastic or not. I hate concrete, steel and asphalt. I like brick, wood and stucco, though. And my only point was that forests should be inhabited by trees, farmland should be inhabited by farms and the only places people should inhabit are cities. What we have managed to do in America is blur the line between urban and rural by making a hybrid called suburbs. The Annex is not exactly a suburb and it is not exactly urban, it is a difficult area to place. I feel that it should sway one way or the other. Yeah, real radical, I know.

Posted by: Norton Street | August 11, 2009 6:15 PM

Andrew,
You also brought up a large misconception with people who have been born into suburban lifestyles or lives built around American excess. You try to equate density with crime and blight. This has been a misunderstanding that has been around for 60+ years. That type of thinking is partly why New Haven was gutted for urban renewal. That type of thinking is what made someone design Brookside, Rockview, Westville Manor, McCaughey Terrace, Eastview, etc. All sprawling crime plagued housing projects. Look at Memphis, for example, recently the highest crime areas in the city are on windy suburban streets with extremely low density housing. The inner city was gutted and the residents spread across the outlying neighborhoods. Density does not translate to crack dealing.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 11, 2009 6:38 PM

Andrew Garrow Love the sarcasm. I wish I had the political string to get the city to foot the bill for better lighting, wish I had the political pull to stop the BOZ from allowing tall buildings from going up instead of comparable plans that are less invasive to the sky line. Which you should be thanking us because our condensed area as a whole pays more taxes per acre. The Annex was built on corruption past. And the people with the bigger wallets always get the services (OK in New Haven I will just say more services because you do not get what you use to). Our areas maybe where you get the drugs but most of the users are from community's like yours (they are the people that have the money for it) Then they end up here or dead when there family's give up.But that is ok because we have hearts and we do try to help those HUMAN BEINGS that get lost in that world...unlike your cold soul. (NOTE OURS, and YOURS which is where your sarcasm took the thread)Which I am sure is something you are aware of.
PS ya and your community has no drugs http://newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/05/businessmans_ls.php
You guys just make it! Norton St. was just making an observation of the use of land. Not getting personal like your self with generalizations of the inners city folks.
so stop the crap!!! I throw harder!!!
And I have many friends in that area so you dear sir do not represent the good ones.
This is about peoples pets getting killed and that is sad. I feel for them. But sad, we have done this. We have given these animal know where else to go.

Posted by: cedarhillresident | August 11, 2009 6:43 PM

ps Norton street just your last two post where not up while I was typing very well put. Much less anger than mine....sorry I took it very personally when people that do not live here and see the good things and good people in our community's.

Posted by: Andrew Garrow | August 11, 2009 7:08 PM

Norton,
corner of whalley and NORTON, 2 ugly banks, ugly mini mall.
corner of chapel and NORTON, ugly apt. building where they sold crack in 1991 and 2009.
corner of edgewood and NORTON, ugly vynal sided multi-family house (and hookers & johns - STILL)
corner of elm and NORTON, one nice older house, one ugly ass multi family.
corner of maple and NORTON, dilapidated barn.
The Annex is loaded with working class housing inhabited by people, good people, who wanted to run away from crime infested neighborhoods like,oh west river/ upper chapel, the lloyd/exchange nieghborhood, franklin st ect. these people are living within their means in a relatively safe neighborhood. where in the hell do you get off telling these people they live in a craphole because you don't like suburbs?
why do you hate so much?
isnt this story about coyotes?
btw, coyotes: now THEY live in some ugly-ass houses. (sorry to hate on you dogs)

Posted by: Not a cat lover... | August 11, 2009 7:44 PM

This photo is too much, however, I think the article might make cat owners consider keeping their cats inside. I would never advocate hurting any animal nor would I ever hurt one myself (I can't even fish), but I am really sick of other people's "outdoor" cats. I am very allergic to cats, do not like them, and, quite frankly, I am scared of them. Yet, people seem to think it's okay to let their cats roam freely, pooping and peeing on other people's property, and, in some cases, multiplying like wildfire because they're not spayed/neutered, thus, creating a pack of feral cats. People generally don't have "outside" dogs, or, if they do, they are in a kennel or otherwise enclosed on their property. Can you folks please do the same with your cats????

Posted by: jawbone | August 11, 2009 8:02 PM

The coyote never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn from the cat.
-Xebeche

Posted by: COLD | August 11, 2009 10:13 PM

Why is everyone so jumpy at NHI for posting this photo? Have you ever seen rode-kill or an accident?? Also, i'ce like to hear or read your rage when the next HUMANE BEING is mutilated in this City by BULLETS, Hm just wait 6-12 hours on any give summer night. Shame on all of you, stick up for your kind and then whine.

Posted by: walt bradley | August 11, 2009 11:46 PM

this article has caused me three distresses.
1 - some child's beloved pet may very well be shown in all it's vivisectional glory for all to cyber-rubberneck. bad job paul & co.. i expect better from you all.
2 - a spontenauous "my house is better than your house" bullshit childish fight has broken out.
3 - those alligned with the mainstream press now has a "i told you so" example of how real current issues can follow tangents so far off kilter that it makes the "telephone" game look like complete fact.
as a staunch member and believer of the so called alternate press, this bothers me because it gives creedence to some right wing argument points about the "new" media. i spend far too much time defending unadulterated free expression to morons. This kind of discussion and petty greivences does nothing to help the cause.
we all lose. think people, if you are reading this, you obviously have some intelligence. stop being so f-ing self-righetous and childish. save that for rush and foxnews.com.
if a coyote is eating your pets it's bad. not a damned good thing about it. some kid lost a cat, i know what my dog means to me, i'd be heartbroken.
if you can afford a house, a house with aluminium siding, a house that doesn't match the other houses in the neighborhood, a house on norton st. or a house on townsend ave - well then, good for you.
stupid! god damned stupid.
thank you, i feel better now.
as you were.

Posted by: Earl | August 12, 2009 2:42 AM

If you eat meat, you should stop and think of this poor little cat as you chew. A coyote has no choice but to kill animals for food. We have others kill animals so that we don't have to see the reality. I applaud the New Haven Independent for publishing this photo. Keep your pets close to you, protect them as you would a child.

Posted by: Norton Street | August 12, 2009 10:18 AM

The dead cat discussion ran its course pretty fast. There isn't much to say about it, so the discussion turned to something else-nothing wrong with that.

Walt, you make some good points, but in one of the most architecturally, historically, and culturally influential cities in the country design discussions and quality of buildings are extremely important.

CedarHill, good points. often problems in the inncer city are created by outsiders seeking drugs and perceiving the neighborhood as a dump and treat it as such.

Andrew, The Annex really doesn't come anywhere close to the Edgewood, West River area in terms of architecture. Sure, people do buy up delapidated houses and throw vinyl siding on them to flip for a profit, but the house was not designed with vinyl siding unlike many homes in the Annex. There is plenty of shopping within walking distance on and from Norton Street, it is a 20 minute walk to downtown, 15 minutes to St Raphaels and 25 to Yale-New Haven, several bus routes go through the area and crime has really seen a dramatic drop in the last decade. The buildings on my street have impressive massing, detailing and quality of construction. As for Norton Towers, the building is somewhat bulky but not overwhelming and it is adequate for the walking traffic that is needed to support businesses in the George/Derby area. The one thing I will agree with is the complete failure of design with the banks at the corner of Whalley, which I've complained about in other posts on this site. They are unfortunate but to be fair they have Whalley Ave addresses, not Norton Street.

Posted by: Wicked Lester | August 12, 2009 12:06 PM

Maybe it's not a coyote.

http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=14095

Posted by: robn | August 12, 2009 7:04 PM

LESTER you are WICKED indeed...wicked indeed.

Posted by: streever | August 13, 2009 7:40 AM

I smell fisher cat. (and I turned off images to look a this story but let me just say ewwwww. Kind of like seeing the close ups of accident victims/etc. Kind of puts me off my breakfast)

Posted by: Wicked Lester | August 13, 2009 8:05 AM

ROBN,

Not as wicked as the sound I heard one morning at 3AM. It sounded half human, half animal. After reading that article, I'm thinking that's what I heard.

Posted by: teo Baldwin | August 13, 2009 10:07 AM

Didn't anyone see the warning about the photo???
What's with you people?
Westville is by far the best neighborhood in New Haven!.... Just so you guys know.

Posted by: goatviller | August 13, 2009 3:37 PM

"Didn't anyone see the warning about the photo???
What's with you people?"

the warning was added AFTER the picture was removed from the front page and moved down on the article page.

i would like to thank the editor or writer who acted so quickly on this. much appreciated.

Posted by: MMA | August 17, 2009 2:00 AM

NHI- What are you thinking??? That photo is still plainly visible!!!