June 22, 2006

ValleyViewpoints

Protect your cats, discourage coyotes

Editor,
My heart goes out to Denice Swinnen on the loss of her cat, Buddy (letter to the editor, June 16 issue).

I live in Woodside of Almaden, and we are fairly certain that we lost our two 14-year-old males to coyotes in 1999. At that time, I spoke to an animal control officer, whose position was that this was "natural," and they would not do anything about the coyotes preying on the local cat population. I was told to "just keep you cat indoors,” which as we all know, is not always an option.

In talking to other people in the neighborhood, I learned this has been an ongoing problem since these developments went up in the late 1970's, and the county says the coyotes were here first, so...no action.

I hope that the Times and other media will continue to inform people moving into the area with pets that this is a real threat, and to take measures accordingly, such as trying to confine your cats at night, and not leaving food out, etc.

I have knocked on the doors of new residents when I noticed their cats roaming free, but, sadly, I still see them and hear them out at night—and I hear the coyotes warbling when they have caught something, too. Since we must share our environment with the coyotes, we need to discourage them from roaming the housing areas and to stay in the creeks and woodlands where their natural prey, the rabbits, mice and deer live.

Roberta Howe
Blairwood Court

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