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When Kate Riley moved into her neighborhood five years ago, she never suspected that coyotes would make their way down from the hills to her home. So she recently got a shock when a coyote decided to make a meal out of her cat. Now, Riley is finding out that a number of other pet owners are also reporting missing animals.
In her effort to warn others about the coyotes, Riley has posted flyers throughout the Blossom Hill Manor neighborhood, where many people leave their pets outdoors.
"I don't want somebody else's cat being eaten. I don't want someone else going through what I went through," Riley said.
Shortly before losing her cat, Riley said, she and a neighbor had spotted a coyote rummaging through a trash can on Oleander Way as they were on a walk.
"It seems like it's always on trash day that they come around," said Riley, who described the coyote as having a reddish-brown coat and weighing about 45 pounds.
Riley's boyfriend, Mike Grasseschi, also encountered a coyote on Cherry Blossom Lane on a trash day.
"I came up on it. As soon as it saw me, it ran down the street," Grasseschi said, adding that the animal did not appear too frightened of a human being.
Kriss Costa of the Santa Clara County Vector Control District said coyote sightings have become more common in residential neighborhoods.
"Coyotes have figured out dogs and cats are easy food," she said.
If an owner decides to keep their pet outdoors, they should make sure to put a roof on a kennel. A fence alone might not help, as coyotes can dig under or jump over fences, she said. Costa also advised people to make sure lids are on trash cans "so it's not as inviting" and to keep pet food indoors. Pets should also be taken inside at night, she said.
That last suggestion poses a problem for Stephanie Lane resident Sunshine Wright, whose cat, Sylvester, has been missing since June 22.
Though Wright has no proof that a coyote ran off with Sylvester, she acknowledges that is a possibility. Her neighbor also reported a missing cat around the same time that Sylvester disappeared.
Wright owns another cat, but it can't stay indoors because her husband is allergic, she said. "I just sleep with one eye open now," she said.
"We heard a weird nose the other night. It sounded beastly. It was a frightful noise," said Wright. "Something was getting attacked and mauled."
Costa warns people against befriending coyotes, saying the animals will lose their fear of humans. History has shown that once coyotes go after pets, children are next, Costa said.
A few years ago, the district received a report of a coyote attacking a boy, and a jogger was attacked a few months ago, she said.
In the event that a person encounters a coyote, picking up rocks and throwing them at the animal is the best route, Costa said.
"Basically let coyotes know, 'No, I'm not an easy target.' Once they see you're aggressive, they'll back off," she said.
To report a coyote sighting, call vector control at 408.792.5010 and a trapper will come out and evaluate the situation.
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