Pet owners in one Peninsula neighborhood are learning the hard way that it may be best to keep pets, especially cats, indoors at night; the cats are thought to have fallen prey to coyotes.

Missing cat signs can be seen in-and-around Mountain View’s Cooper Park. At least four cats have gone missing in recent weeks, including this one–14-year-old Mario was attacked by a coyote on Fairbrook Drive.

Wesley Brandemuehl is Mario’s owner.

“It was about three in the morning and our next door neighbor came outside to find a coyote eating Mario,” Brandemuehl said. “They scared off the coyote, but it was too late for poor Mario.”

It’s not unusual for coyotes to venture into urban areas in search of food and prey. Vector control confirms there has been a cluster of coyote sightings on and around Fairbrook Drive.

Small dogs may also be at risk.

Mario’s neighborhood is now trying to keep their pets indoors at night.

“People are trying to keep their cats inside but it’s a problem,” Brandemuehl said. “I have one neighbor who has a cat that literally goes stir crazy if it’s kept indoors for too long.”

Brandemuehl and his neighbors are convinced the coyotes are living along the nearby Stevens Creek Wildlife Corridor, which is dry, suggesting the coyotes may also be looking for water. 

Sadly, other than keeping pets and pet food inside at night, Mario’s owner knows there isn’t much else that can be done.

“You read up on coyotes, you find out they do stuff like this all the time, but it’s here,” Brandemuehl said. “It’s our pet,s and it’s hard to stay detached from it all.”

Vector control says coyotes are not afraid of humans but attacks on humans are extremely rare.

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