Backyard Camera Footage Captures Bold Cat Defending Home From Coyote Invader

Sunny the cat doesn’t take any flack. As a tuxedo cat, he’s always dressed his best, but this good boy doesn’t mind getting his black and white suit dirty when it comes to protecting his family and Phoenix, Arizona, home. He patrols his property with a vigilant feline eye, looking for anything amiss.

And recently, while on early morning patrol, Sunny had to show a coyote who dared to wander into his yard just who was boss.

This brave cat wasn’t having this canine visit, as coyotes can be a real problem for cats, dogs, and livestock. Native to North America, coyotes can be found across the entire continent in habitats that range from forests to deserts and plains. They snack on small prey of all sorts, with rabbits and chickens serving as some of their favorite meals. These scavengers have also been known to attack cats too. But Sunny refused to bow to an interloping coyote, and surveillance video captured their dust-up on camera.

Tough Cat Don’t Play

Sunny may be a family cat now, but he was a kitten on the streets once upon a time. Once Sunny met the Koeller family, though, he knew he’d found his forever home. But some habits die hard, and as his mom, Kelli, explained to FOX 10 Phoenix, “He’s a street cat.”

Now an adult cat of five, he likes to be out on watch, seeing what he can see at every chance he can get. Plus, Sunny enjoys a good hunt, Kelli sharing, “He likes to perch and look for prey.”

So, a 2 a.m. prowl for a tasty treat was nothing new for this watchful cat. But Sunny’s hunt was interrupted by a prowler with four paws and a set of snapping jaws, and he was not a happy cat. The Koeller’s surveillance camera caught Sunny’s reaction to the coyote in his yard.

The clip opens with a skeletal-looking coyote wandering into the frame. Suddenly, a blur of dark fur darts onto the scene and surprises the coyote from behind. It looks like Sunny might have even landed a good swat to the coyote’s tail. Scared by the fierce feline, the coyote runs through some brush with Sunny still hot on his heels.

Sunny succeeds at shooing the canine, but the coyote berates the cat with a steady stream of barking from off-camera. This tough cat doesn’t care, though. After a few seconds of a puffed-up stance, Sunny heads out of frame for his next adventure!