In the northeastern US, when I was growing up, I don't think there were a lot of predators of cats. People had "outdoor cats" who would stop by for a free meal,

In the northeastern US, when I was growing up, I don't think there were a lot of predators of cats. People had "outdoor cats" who would stop by for a free meal, but not live inside. But coyotes and maybe even wolves have become more common. Such that I remember people remarking about how a housecat wouldn't last long if left to roam. The predators may have increased due to other prey becoming more common as well, like turkeys.