Fogot to mention, we also have foxes.. so it could be one of them as well. What else goes after squirrels at night?

Thanks gardengal48.. raccoons are a definite possibility, we have plenty of those as well..

I'm surprised that it's a squirrel. Coyotes, foxes and dogs will dig the ground squirrels out of their holes. They definitely wouldn't jump a 6' fence to eat it. I'm tending to think it's an owl, or some other raptor who brought the carcass into your yard for a safe place to eat... and then got disturbed. But... still... a squirrel at night. ????

I have had coyotes leave cat heads in the yard but I would doubt if they would leave a squirrel. Sounds more like a raptor or even a raven scavenging a carcass.

cat heads........seriously.......creep me out!! Ever since my cat's close encounter with a coyote earlier this summer, I live in fear of him getting out and becoming a coyote buffet. Should that happen and I find his head left behind, they will have to cart me off to the funny farm!!

I saw my leashed JRT swallow a gopher whole. From the time it made the mistake of running out of the hole towards him to nicely chomped up and in his stomach was likely a minute or so. Coyotes likely do the same thing. Doubt a coyote would leave anything from such a small animal.

A cat? My brother's cat brings whole rabbits into the house and dines on it at her leisure. Under the dining room table. They complain about leftover guts rather than heads though.

My sister no longer likes crows. They were leaving baby bird heads in her birdbath. Nature is icky.

My yard has been a slaughterhouse lately. Last week dogs broke a squirrel's back and this week a dove died back there from unknown causes. Always just after trash has been picked up for the week.

Nil13, I hesitated to like your post on cat heads.. I mean I am more of a dog person myself, but ewww... : )

Any Kathy, what the heck is a JRT? Sounds scary. : ) Our 90 pound lab-poodle mix who sadly died just before we moved to our current great nature adventure never managed to catch anything (altough he would practically climb trees to go after squirrels in the Santa Monica area).

And CA Kate, we have tree squirrels, I am pretty sure that the rats with tails are nesting in a few of our very old-tall palm trees as I see the little creatures scurrying up them on a regular basis.

Yes, extremely scary. Jack Russell Terrier. Very intense scary dog he was. I was not about to mess with him and that gopher! Investigated his poop after, not even a tooth survived.

our cat catches a lot of squirrels, and never eats the whole thing, sometimes just the brains...

On the side note: We had a Board Collie/Australian Shepard named Rosie who would catch ground squirrels, shake them to break their neck, and then lay the body by the back door for my husband to see and praise her. And, those squirrels (notice the plural) had to remain where she put them until the praising was done. But, she never ate them.

Coyote jumped a 5 1/2 ft fence here no problem and they do not fear people.

Our small female corgi is a ratter but she just uses them as chew toys. Both of the corgis will just disappear a mouse though. Those are bite sized hors d'oeuvres.

Nil13 - No problem liking that post. I am trying to convince my dh that we need a rat terrier (decker terrier if you are fancy). He is not ready to get another dog, but when he is ... I want a dog that gets rid of the animals that rip up my trees ( tree squirrels) and that chew our pool wires (rats)...

https://www.google.com/search?q=decker+terrier&tbm=isch&source=iu&pf=m&ictx=1&fir=F_t1XOF2IdCjAM%253A%252CTgaibKuv99exEM%252C_&usg=__1q--wC6FDhu9H-2lfX9zG1sJHMA%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQ09iW6OfWAhVrsVQKHRPtAO8Q9QEIMjAE#imgrc=F_t1XOF2IdCjAM: