Since animals adapt to their environmental changes, pets have become easy targets and I call them “normal” prey for a variety of reasons.

“Normal” prey characteristics are related to size, availability, and ease of access–ie., less risk to the predator.

In the past, pets didn’t get into the ranges of most predators with any regularity–now they are housed within territories and amble into it with their owners.

I think the trend of increased attacks on pets is an evolutionary adaptation. Pets are animals, animals are prey, hence my reference to “normal.”

They are the right size, they are available, and they don’t often pose much of a risk in the scheme of things.