SURFSIDE, Texas — A feisty and fearless feline in Surfside survived a frightening encounter with a wily coyote recently and the whole thing was caught on camera.
Surfside homeowner Tony Gray shared the video from the surveillance camera on his deck.
Small animals normally don't have a chance against the much larger coyotes, but this cat was crafty.
When the coyote pounced, the cat swiped at it and hissed before diving under a lounge chair.
When the tabby jumped on a fence, the quick coyote snatched it by its tail and pulled it down. But the cat somehow managed to break free and climb up a column where it hung on for dear life.
The coyote finally gave up and left.
The cat didn't appear to be injured. Gray said it doesn't belong to him, but he thinks it's okay despite the near "cat-astrophe."
"They say they have nine lives," said Gray. "So I hope he’s got eight left."
Gray said he was awakened by the skirmish, witnessed part of the attack, then banged on the window to scare off the coyote.
“I’ve never seen one before, never experienced them," said Gray. "I’ve heard about rabies so I didn’t want to introduce myself to a situation where I got hurt.”
Gray moved to Surfside last year and wasn’t aware coyotes were there.
"This one looked young and there are probably more around," he said.
But he told us he respects native wildlife, whether it's in the Gulf or on land.
"The last thing I would want to do is mess up that ecosystem," said Gray. "So maybe it’s just best that people keep their pets inside at night.”
According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, coyotes are not uncommon in suburban and urban areas or along the coast.
It also advises you to keep pets inside if possible and never leave food outside.
KHOU 11 News reporter Jason Miles is covering the cat caper and he'll have an update at 6 p.m.