Some quick thoughts to a few points in this article.

It’s a common story in southern California, and one now backed up by research: a new study by the National Parks Service has found that 20% of urban coyotes’ diets is made up of cats.

Cats really need to be indoor pets anyway. By spaying and neutering your cat, and keeping it indoors, you're doing your part to reduce the feral cat population. Additionally, by keeping it indoors, you're protecting your cat from being injured or killed by other animals, passing cars, etc., and also reducing the chances it gets exposed to diseases and infections from other animals such as rabies, distemper, and feline aids (vaccinate your pets people). Some of the diseases cats contract can be spread to humans, so this is doubly important. Lastly, by keeping your cats indoors, you're protecting wild birds and other small animals from being hunted. If you want more in depth information, organizations like The American Bird Conservancy have done a really great job explaining why your pet cat belongs indoors.

One of the most startling findings has been that people’s gardening choices could be contributing to the problem of disappearing pets. A quarter of coyotes’ diet was found to be ornamental fruit, including fruit from palm trees, small red berries called pyracantha, and grapes found around people’s homes. These trees attract coyotes, who – once in the neighborhood – are also finding cats and small dogs. “We are subsidizing the coyotes with these gardens,” says Brown.

It's important to understand just how many ways we inadvertently feed wildlife. To address coyotes specifically, do not leave pet food sitting out, use locking trash bins, and if you have elements in your yard that would attract them, such as a garden, bird feeders, dense shrubs, composts piles, etc., consult an expert about changes you can make to reduce ways that'll tempt coyotes to come about. In fact, here are some tips from California's own Department of Wildlife.

All this begs the question: are coyotes getting more populous, or more bold? While the city and state do not track official numbers, anecdotal evidence suggests both realities could be at play. McIntyre recalls how he only used to see coyotes at night a decade ago; now he catches them sunbathing on his back patio. “It was sitting on the patio furniture, just like a dog, taking in the morning rays,” he says, recalling an incident last week. “That never used to happen.”

Wild animals that feel safe hanging around people are a safety issue. This is why you're not supposed to feed wildlife or encourage it to hang around. If you see a coyote that is not where it is supposed to be or is approaching you, you need to haze it. Hazing coyotes not only protects you and your pets, its a safe way to ensure that they maintain a healthy fear of people.

Lastly, and most importantly, if there is a problem coyote in your neighborhood, you need to contact an organization that is capable of addressing the problem. Your best bet is probably your local or state department of wildlife. If they won't handle it directly, they'll point you in the direction of people who can.

Coyotes are probably here in our cities to stay. They're intelligent, resourceful, and resilient, which is why they have spread out so far from their original habitat and why they're able to make so many different types of environments suitable places to call home. They're beautiful animals worthy of our respect, they're not as dangerous as people paint them out to be, but if we don't work to maintain a healthy relationship with them, they will cause problems, and when they do, that's tragic to us as well as them.