We have a critter door in our garage so the cats can get in from the weather in the winter. We are pretty rural and I would NOT put a critter door in our house. I currently do not have an animal that I want coming and going freely (very elderly dog who wanders, lots of ouside cats) so it isn't an issue. We have coons, possum, coyotes, and any number of wild animals running around here at night. I wouldn't think you have to worry about coyotes coming in but depending on your climate, coons and possum can get desperate for food and become quite bold when the weather turns cold and resources are scarce. I agree with Marlingardener, walk her or let her out before bed. I personally don't think it is safe for a small dog outside in a rural place overnight or unattended for an extended time. Lori

It's definitely not a cat species as typically they don't register claw marks. I'm no expert but based on your location, the size of the tracks and the pattern of the gait, my best guess is a Fisher, or Marten. Fisher more likely because of the size of the track and overlapping prints...and especially the pic of the tracks where it jumped the fence. Many times if the snow is deep enough, you'll see the tail impression in the snow. Google Fisher tracks in the snow for comparison.

That's an adorable image, faron : ) Our cats don't go outside, but our neighbor's wonderful, dear, sweet cat does. He loves us and we have a place set up for him on our porch with a blanket-lined box if our ... neighbor decides to leave him out all night when it's cold. If we pull into our driveway, he runs out to say hi to us and get petted. If we're going to our car and he sees us, he hops in when we open the door and asks us where 'we're' going. He's a complete love. Re not getting killed? I'm really not sure how they survive except by luck. Coyotes are few and far between here, and not a lot of swooping room for raptors. I don't think he kills birds because he's just not the stalking type. The recent research showed that I think up to 80% of cats are stalkers -- this guy is one of the other 20%. Our other neighbors left their unneutered male cat when they moved to FL, just abandoned him about 7 years ago now. He's turned into a fright, a feral who sprays our patio door and literally throws himself against the glass to attack our cats whenever he sees them on the other side. Only trauma could have caused this kind of change in him. We had to get curtains because of him (I vastly prefer open glass, since we don't have a privacy issue there), but still our cats will just duck under them at times. He's survived a fairly long time for an outdoor cat, so you know he's learned to prey on birds (or mice or something) and fight to protect himself : ( I *dread* the idea that our dear neighbor cat might encounter him one day. That's my biggest fear, more likely than coyotes or raptors.

I think that's the reality for a good chunk of the country right now :-) It certainly is here! But still... spring is in the air.