Coyotes In The Streets? Bring In the Cat Dish

The 911 call came in at 10:34 a.m. to the Los Altos Police Monday. The resident spotted a coyote on Arboretum Drive in the Woodland Acres neighborhood.

Bring in your pet food and water dishes, said Connie Urbanski, superintendent of Palo Alto Animal Services, which handle animal calls in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. 

"Turn on the light on at dusk, bring in your pets and especially don't leave food out," Urbanski said. Some people leave out food for feral cats, but coyotes figure this out quickly.

"It's like going to Denny's for them."

Coyotes in the Woodland Acres area are not not unusual, given its proximity to Rancho San Antonio Park and Open Space Preserve. "They come in and out on a regular basis, and April through June there are lots of sightings because mothers are also foraging for food, now that they are feeding babies," Urbankski said.

Plus, early this week we had slightly unusual weather—rain, then big, gusting winds—which may have been enough to throw off coyotes from their routines, she said. This particularly goes for the juveniles, who are still figuring how to be independent and don't have the guidance of their mothers, who are busy with a new brood.

At this time of the year, mothers are foraging for food, and juveniles from the last litter are a bit bumbling, Urbanski said.

"The juveniles are not babies anymore and are on their own," she said. "So they do stupid things and don't get back in time. Monday was so windy, and they don't like that."

Smelly food waste in the green bins intended for compost can also attract coyotes. "They become very acclimated, and smart about figuring out what people leave in their yards." 

Since this Monday's sighting was mid-morning, Urbanski thinks the coyote might have been an older juvenile. "They get discombuberated with the wind and the rain and everything, and this one probably had trouble making it back to its den."